I have a confession to make. Sometimes I get bored with shooting in the Smokies. It’s terrible, I know.
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is home for me. I shoot there all the time, but if you’ve hung around Picture of the Week… like at all… you’ve probably noticed that Holly and I LOVE to travel, and I personally love shooting exotic places. Going somewhere new feels fresh, it feels exciting, almost like you can’t take a bad picture… and sometimes getting up at the wee early hours of the morning to shoot a sunrise from the Foothills Parkway or Cades Cove for the one bajillionth time feels… unexciting. Average. It feels, boring. There, I said it.
But then, something magical happens. You go to an overlook you don’t normally go to. Fog settles in the valley in an interesting way. The sun tops the mountains and lights up the scene in a way that you’ve never noticed before. Suddenly very familiar landscapes look totally foreign and new. Amazing! I liken this to a frustrated golfer who hits an amazing shot, which keeps them coming back for more.
On this particular morning, everything aligned as I described above and I walked away with a shot I loved. I felt refreshed and satisfied, as though the mountains had repaid me for my diligence, and I was reminded why I still get up to go shoot, even when I’m at home in my normal surroundings. Even though it’s home, we get to call one heck of an amazing location home! 🙂
–Dan Thompson
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