I have actually already posted this photo in a previous blog about this trip but it has yet to be the photo of the day so I will use it once again and tell a little more about how this shot came to be. After I took the bar exam my wife and I planned a "Post bar trip" which is definitely recommended after surviving the rigors of that test. It provides a much needed "light at the end of the tunnel" while you are preparing for the test and after the test it gives you (and your significant other if they're still around) a much needed vacation.
I had never been to the Smokys or the National Park there so we decided to rent a cabin for a week. We drove up and brought the pets along since the cabin was pet friendly so it was truly a family vacation! It was about an 8 hour drive from Jacksonville to where the cabin was and on the way up I mentioned I wanted to try to get out once we arrived and shoot a sunset.
Quick tip for photographers going to a national park for the first time: do research and make some calls. Before our trip I looked around on flickr and other places on the web to see where some good spots were. Of course you don't want to go to a spot that EVERYONE goes to, so here is where making the calls makes the difference. On our way up we called the park and spoke to a ranger and he was more than helpful in our quest. My gallery manager (wife) called and said that we were in town and looking for some great places to shoot sunsets and other things. The ranger was open with some great ideas of places to go and although he may not have given away his super secret place to go watch the sun rise or set, he was also not giving us the run of the mill answer since he knew we wanted to get some good stuff. So call - take advantage of it - that's what they are there for! Besides, you're paying for it anyway, and like me, this is probably one taxable resource you won't mind paying for!
Unfortunately the driving on windy mountain roads took a little longer than we had hoped and we got a pretty late start after dropping the dogs off at the cabin and by late start I mean the sun was already starting to set. We had a long way to drive and not a long time to get there. Finally there was just a fraction of light left and we had reached the spot we were told to visit and I was able to 8 frames, the above being one. It was a beautiful end to our day of traveling and totally worth it!
Now comes the part where you can have a say in the content of my photo of the day! I can't decide whether to do a full week of different photos from our trip to the Smokys or if I should keep it up with randomly selected images. Leave me a comment, on here or on Facebook and let me know what you think!
Thanks so much for stopping by and be sure to check out my webpage that I will be updating with new shots all this week! Be sure to check it out!
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