At first glance one could think these images were from a tropical trip to Africa, Brazil, or the Caribbean.  In reality these images are from the Asheboro Zoo in the small city of Asheboro, NC.  This city outside of Greensboro and Raleigh is home to the only zoo in the state of North Carolina, and it a sight to be seen.

The Zoo is separated into two sections, North America and South America (specifically Africa), and it truly takes a full day to walk across the world at this zoo.  With a huge variety of animals and vegetation it’s an enjoyable experience for people of all ages, with or without a camera.

These images were taken in Africa, which highlights environments like the bushland, the forests, pavilions, and the grasslands.  Each animal in every area was certainly a character, and had no qualms about posing for the camera.  The Elephant chose to paint himself in mud by rolling in it for several minutes before getting the look he was going for.  The ostrich pretended to ignore my shutter, while the lioness gave a sophisticated, serious, yet graceful face.

Even someplace as simple and child-like as a zoo is a great opportunity to capture beautiful images.  This trip to the zoo was a perfect example of how people can create art out of even the most basic events or places in a neighborhood.  Next time you have a chance to venture out in your community, be sure to bring your camera, you never know what animals will want to model for you.

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Charleston, SC is a city that needs to be seen by all.  Everywhere you look there is an amazing opportunity to capture a beautiful image.  From the cobblestone streets, to old plantation homes, and even to erie old cemeteries, nothing compares to a South Carolina sunrise.  Before a day touring the city, my wife and I ventured to Folly Beach to watch the famous Charleston sunrise.  We camped out on the perfect spot and eagerly waited for the sun to reveal itself for the day. After taking several images that were “so-so” the perfect moment came.  The moment the sun arose from the water I had my camera ready, and caught the sun at the ideal position and snapped away.

Sunsets and Sunrises are a beautiful moments that should be seen as much as possible throughout your lifetime, but the next time you’re out chasing the sun be sure to bring you camera with you.  Sun images take patience and composure, but once you capture it through a lens, it is yours for an eternity.

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Most people tend to avoid any shrimp boating area for the simple fact that there are generally swarms of yapping, yelping, pestering, seagulls.  But, during my last trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina I decided to venture where most would never go, and amazingly I was able to capture some amazing images.

The backdrop of rough water and rusty boats may not sound too appealing, but when you contrast that to the gracefulness of a pelican, and you have an intriguing picture. I followed these guy around for most of the morning and he certainly gave me a few good poses.  Out of all the pictures I took of them, the images of him in flight were the most intense and inspiring photos I have gotten from an animal in a while.

Whenever you’re traveling whether for pleasure, or for photography, or both you always want to be sure to think outside the box.  Go to the more industrial side of town, or a different cultural area, or even deal with pesky birds, because you never know what things look like through your lens.

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We had been planning this trip for quite some time now.

5 photographers, 5 cameras, and unlimited possibilities to capture fall foliage at its finest, in the Great Smokey Mountains.

We headed to the Tennessee side of the mountain range for this trip, and majority of the time was spend at Cades Cove which is part of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.  This area is the most highly toured and traveled in the entire system, so get there early!

Lucky for us the weather held up and we ended up having an amazing scene to capture everywhere we looked.  This old mill was the perfect contrast to the vibrant fall hues that covered every inch of the Park.

Fall continues to be a photographer’s favorite season with its vivid and rich colors that seem to bring any scene, even an old mill in a soggy, decaying, forest to dazzling life.

Next autumn be sure to check out The Great Smokey Mountains National Park, or any other parks in your area, and capture the colors before it’s too late!

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Way up on the North Carolina side of the well known, Blue Ridge Parkway, is the charming and quant town of Brevard, North Carolina. The town is full of small, locally, owned shops that make one feel like they are taking a trip back to “the good ol’ days.”  Nostalgia is flowing through the air here.
Naturally, this nostalgic breeze leads locals and tourists up the hill, shall we say.  Here, in the heart of the Parkway one can capture the essence of nature, and that is exactly what I planned to do.  Luckily, I had my hiking boots on! We traveled deep into to forest and what we found, can only be described as a Mecca for the outdoor lover.
The trees here in North Carolina, especially those that inhibit the Parkway, are known for their verdant and lavish colors, which are known to assault ones senses with their richness.  Your eyes are naturally drawn to every fiber of chlorophyll that is fleeing these trees’ leaves.  It was honestly a simple and convenient backdrop to anything, and finding one of the many bodies of water, especially this waterfall here, was just whipped cream on old timepiece of apple pie.
We went on a beautiful, crisp, fall day, and stumbled upon a group of kayakers.  To some photographers, they could have been impeded on their ideal backdrop, but for me, they were just characters in the natural moment I was trying to immortalize.
Of course, when you are going out into a public location you run the risk of running into people who are also there to enjoy the beauty that you are soaking up as well.  Don’t always try to avoid these people, just simply add them to their natural environment, and you’ll be capturing a real moment in what life is really like.  And life here, in Brevard, is 100% Americana, kayakers and all.

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