From swirling clouds enveloping Clingmans Dome to mystical mornings in Cades Cove, fog and mist play a leading role in the story of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Fog can be found here throughout the year and across all elevations, delivering both immense beauty and mood as well as playing an important role in the ecology of these mountains. 

As a professional landscape and nature photographer, I’ve developed a great love of fog, and I’ve ultimately come to specialize in moody, foggy scenes. Despite having traveled around the world in search of fog, my favorite place to photograph it remains the Great Smoky Mountains. Simply put, these mountains possess a very special beauty that always calls me back to make new and exciting work.

For other landscape and nature photographers like me who love fog and are also interested in supporting Smokies Life and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I wanted to share a very special opportunity. Next month, by invitation from Nic Stover of Nature Photography Classes, I will be teaching a webinar called The Art of Fog, which will focus on landscape and nature photography in fog. 

The Art of Fog is part two of a three-part Winter Speaker Series on “Discovering the Mood and Mystery in Our Images,” a convenient, web-based learning opportunity. I’ll be joining the legendary Michael Frye as well as acclaimed Franka Gabler, both based in the Yosemite National Park area, which is a huge honor for me!

Here’s the great part: 10% of the proceeds from The Art of Fog will go directly to Smokies Life, which means you can learn and give back all at once. I hope you’ll consider helping me raise funds for my special park partner. 

 What We’ll Cover in The Art of Fog

Together, we will explore the magic of this moody weather phenomenon. Spanning both art and science, The Art of Fog will review selected topics such as the types of fog and the meteorological elements necessary for formation, forecasting tools, symbolism, the ways in which its visual effects on the landscape can affect mood and emotion, and a case study in applying this knowledge in the field. Inspirational images will be included throughout the presentation. After the webinar, you will have a deeper understanding of fog and, more importantly, a greater appreciation of how you can employ it as a powerful artistic element to inject mood into your expressive photography.

 Cost & Date

You can sign up for individual webinars at just $17 each, or for all three for just $47. The Art of Fog live webinar takes place on March 5 at 7 p.m. EST (dates for the other webinars below).  No problem if you cannot attend live – recordings will be available online for a year afterwards and can even be downloaded for safekeeping if you prefer. Details are below, and I hope you’ll consider joining me!

More From the Website

The speaker series from Nature Photography Classes is a unique opportunity to hear from and interact with people who rarely speak with audiences and are considered some of the best photography educators in the world.

• Franka Gabler “Conveying Mood and Capturing the Essence” (LIVE February 26 at 4 p.m. PST/ 7 p.m. EST)

• Michele Sons “The Art of Fog” (LIVE March 5 at 4 p.m. PST/ 7 p.m. EST)

• Michael Frye “A Sense of Mystery" (LIVE March 11 at 4 p.m. PST/ 7 p.m. EST)

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My favorite image from the trip: A pair of Adelie penguins atop a Virginia-shaped iceberg in a sea of fog.

I recently returned from a monthlong trip to Argentina and Antarctica with my then-partner and now-husband, Sam. Since so many of you have been curious about our experience, sharing here seemed sensible!

This trip was multi-faceted, involving summer days spent dancing and dining in Buenos Aires, tortuous days and nights being tossed violently about in our cabin as we crossed the Drake Passage, and our wedding ceremony ashore in Paradise Bay, Antarctica. Preparing and packing for everything was complicated and overwhelming to say the least (see my previous post on some of the packing considerations), involving dedicated staging areas for each of us, checklists, plenty of stress, and ultimately more than a TON of luggage. I spent most of our month away in a permanent state of embarrassment over the sheer quantity of luggage we were travelling with!

Briefly, for context, and for those of you that don’t already know, back in 2015, I won an incredible, life-changing trip to Antarctica from the Luminous Landscape website. I was a beginning landscape and nature photographer at the time, with a real hunger for adventure and new skills, and taking this trip opened many doors for me. One of them was meeting Sam at a local art museum in the run-up to my trip. Incredibly, he was presenting about his experiences travelling to Antarctica for photography. I had a lot of questions about preparing for my trip, so we had a lot to discuss!

I’ll spare you the rest of the meet-cute. Let’s just fast forward to nine years later, for our return to Antarctica, this time as much more experienced photographers and as a couple. We had hatched a crazy plan to get married in Antarctica! Well before we were engaged, we booked our trip with Wild Nature Photo Travel, owned by our friend Joshua Holko. Josh was incredibly open to our budding wedding plans, and he set about making the appropriate arrangements with the operator of our ship, the Polar Pioneer. Ultimately, the plan came to be and we were married on the continent at Paradise Bay on December 14th. I’m including just a few images below. Our wedding photographer was the inimitable and lovely Viktoria Haack.

From the perspective of the adventure and the photography, this trip didn’t disappoint! The Drake Passage is known as one of the most violent (not to mention most deadly) water bodies on the planet, and crossing it in one way or another is a non-negotiable part of visiting Antarctica. I flew across in 2015, but for this trip, we were sailing. I definitely didn’t look forward to this part of our adventure, since I suffered terribly from sea-sickness in 2015 when we crossed a much calmer body of water called the Gerlache Strait. I made sure I was heavily medicated with scopolamine as we departed Ushuaia, Argentina on the Polar Pioneer. The experience of the medication was unpleasant in its own right (side effects include dizziness, blurry vision, dry mouth, confusion, hallucinations), but it did keep the utter misery of seasickness at bay. Overall, between the meds and the motion of the ship, I was not loving life for a few days as we crossed. Seas were ‘gentle to moderate,’ but our ship had no stabilization structures due to being an ice-breaker, so even the calm seas had us rolling side to side in our bed like sausages in a pan. I was certain by day two that I would be delighted to never experience this sort of motion again… but of course, we had to cross it again on our return.

Our first evening was spent ashore at Fort Point in the South Shetland Islands, where we experienced the most beautiful warm sunset light as we wandered amongst chinstrap and gentoo penguin colonies. It was here that I began to notice penguins in pairs (inspired by my own wedding), and I made the first few images of my “Penguin Pairs” series (see Instagram). I’m so glad that we experienced the beautiful warm tones on this evening, since the remainder of the trip was primarily flat and overcast (which I personally love, but I also appreciate variety). The colors and tones on this trip were markedly different from those of my first in 2015, but I understand this is not unusual. Conditions can be highly variable, and this trip (December) we saw mostly overcast skies with snow (and even some rain) whereas in 2015 (February), we had every condition imaginable. For me, this variability is one of the joys of returning to landscapes.

For the next three or four days, we sailed south along the western side of the Peninsula. Our experience was a blur of beauty, with multiple landings, various zodiac cruises, and simply jaw-dropping views from the ship. Our wildlife encounters included pods of orcas, curious humpback whales, and weddell, crabeater and leopard seals. And birds, so many beautiful, elegant birds!

After our joyful wedding in Paradise Bay, we continued on as far south as Petermann Island, after which we turned north again to embark on a journey to a part of Antarctica that not many get to see. With conditions unusually favorable for it, we sailed around the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, and then south along the eastern side of the Peninsula into the Weddell Sea. Snow Hill Island is the location of the northernmost colony of Emperor penguins, and our plan was to get as close as we could to this island. Normally this part of continent is inaccessible due to sea ice, but warmer temperatures meant the sea ice had broken up which allowed us access much further south than is usual. So we began a hunt for Emperor penguins.

As we moved into the Weddell sea, the landscape changed noticeably. Gorgeous, soft light and snowfall graced huge tabular icebergs with their own weather systems. Sea ice became more substantial as we approached Snow Hill Island. And then we found an Emperor! And another! We were so fortunate to be able to experience a couple of these giants which can be as much as three feet tall. Both were solo, hanging out on small bergs, and we had quite a bit of time with the second one. What a treat, and extra-special for Sam and I as we think this was our last trip to the white continent.

A beautiful Emperor penguin in snow, off Snow Hill Island

As we departed the Weddell Sea, we were once again confronted with the prospect of crossing the Drake Passage. Conditions were looking quite terrible, with ferocious winds forecasted for all three days of our crossing. I’m going to be honest and say my life was flashing before my eyes as I considered our relatively mild crossing over, and what those ferocious winds could mean in terms of motion… Fortunately, the universe took pity on us and the powerful winds never materialized. It was a “moderate” crossing, meaning higher seas than the trip down but not as rough as we expected (although even with our medication, we were unable to eat and had to remain flat on our backs whenever possible). Arriving back in the port of Ushuaia, Argentina was accompanied by a sweet sense of deep relief.

A month after our return, we are still basking in the glow of this remarkable experience. I believe each one of us on this trip came away with the very clear sense that we had experienced Antarctica in a rare way, seeing parts of it not many get to see. Simply breathing in the air of this place, and internalizing its beauty, is an uncommon privilege. To have also been able to recite our vows there has permanently connected Sam and I to this wondrous, utterly wild place. To say we are grateful is an absolute understatement.

Out of Chicago LIVE! 2024 Online Conference, happening the weekend of February 9-11, is open for registration. For the second year, I am excited to be one of 50 instructors for this incredible (and super-fun) learning opportunity, all from the comfort of your own home! I won’t be wearing my PJs, but you certainly can :)

Connect, engage and energize your photography alongside the pros.
This live, 3-day, interactive conference is where you learn, share, and get feedback from some of the most creative photographers in their field. With 100+ sessions to choose from covering a wide range of genres, from nature and landscape to travel, street, architecture, wildlife, and post-processing, there are a plethora of ways to immerse yourself and improve your photography. 

My main presentation will be “Cultivating Connection: Techniques for More Expressive Imagery” on February 11th at 8:00am CST/9:00am EST. "Connecting with nature" is a buzzy and popular media term these days, and we're also seeing it pop up more and more in relation to photography instruction. But what does it mean, exactly? What's the point, and why do we care as photographers? How can we connect with nature and landscapes? Join me as I share some examples of how I connect with the places I photograph, and how I use that connection to harness and hone my unique artistic vision.

I am also excited to be partnering up with two amazing photographers. On February 10th at 12:00pm CST/1:00pm EST, Sarah Lyndsay and I will host and Ask Me Anything session entitled About Environmental and Nature Portraits. If you’ve ever had questions about my project The Feminine Landscape, come ask me in this fun and informative session! And on February 10th at 8:00am CST/9:00am EST, I’m partnering with the super-talented Anna Morgan for an Image Review: Small and Intimate Scenes - you can submit your own images for Anna and I to review live!

Don't miss out on this once-a-year, event where more than 50 world-class photographers gather, in one place and at one time, to connect and share their discoveries from the past year. Not only will you be able to attend any sessions you want during the 3-day weekend, but you will also have access to all of the recorded sessions for an entire year afterward. This really is the largest amount of high-quality content you can get all year for the price.

To register for the event, or to find out more, follow the link below. This year there’s a comprehensive session guide available that lists out the incredible content and to help you plan your weekend of learning. I hope to see you there!

Oh! And this year I’m offering a really nice EXCLUSIVE FREEBIE to attendees of my session. Here’s a sneak peek of this 4 page downloadable pdf file! I'll share more about how you can get this product at the conference.

Note: In the fall of 2023, I was invited to attend the Tremont Writers Conference at the Tremont Institute in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a five day intensive retreat. This inaugural event brought together a small group of selected writers from across the country, four award-winning authors, and educators from two non-profits associated with Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A lush, secluded campus inside park was the setting for learning-filled days and evenings. With my recent growing focus on written educational products, I saw a valuable opportunity to grow in my writing as well as connect with others on similar paths, so I jumped at this opportunity. Below, read the article I contributed to both the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont and Great Smoky Mountains Association blogs which describes my experience at the conference. All photographs are my own.

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Richard Powers, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Overstory, presenting his keynote speech

Staff from GSMIT lead an expedition in the Walker Valley section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Writers gather in a council house on the first evening of the 2023 Tremont Writers Conference

After the conference, once the whirlwind of information, connection, and excitement had settled, I began quietly considering the value of saying “yes.” Janet, our non-fiction cohort leader at the inaugural Tremont Writer’s Conference, had sent the group an email in which she spoke of the joys she had experienced from her own “yeses,” and those contemplations invited my own.

Although I am primarily a fine art landscape and nature photographer, this work has increasingly led to more and more writing to comment on the experience and artistic inspiration that I find in my image-making. I find photography coupled with writing to be a powerfully expressive combination, and I’m fully embracing this by self-publishing educational eBooks for my audience of other landscape and nature photographers who seek to develop and craft their own artistic practice.

Over the years I have grown my confidence in my photography skills and creative expression, and I have achieved many firsts: first publication, first cover, first solo exhibition, first global conference presentation, first National Geographic calendar, first many more things. My relatively new writing practice is also a first—a first attempt at writing books, essays, and articles, and I am at those tender stages of working toward developing confidence in my artistry in this medium as well.

In these early stages of development, the “young” self often fosters feelings of discomfort and low confidence. I’m no exception to this common experience. However, my growth as a photographer has taught me quite a bit about the process of developing one’s artistry: finding the way through those early feelings of inadequacy is possible and arguably inevitable over time, since it is experience itself that offers the gift of confidence. So in spite of the trepidation I felt at the prospect of attending as a writer, I said “yes” to the Tremont Writer’s Conference. I believed it would be an important growth opportunity for me.

For five days, we occupied the idyllic campus set in the heart of Walker Valley in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Despite the intense hustle and bustle of fall in the nation’s most visited national park, the mood was low-key at the Tremont Institute. The calming sounds of water gurgling through Middle Prong and the leaves gently falling from the canopy above became our constant and lovely soundtrack.

Our morning rhythm of “conferencing” involved discovering and quietly visiting our own “secret spots” on campus, and workshopping with our individual cohort groups (fiction, non-fiction, and poetry) to receive constructive feedback on our submitted manuscripts. Our accomplished and benevolent non-fiction leader, Janet McCue, offered a three-step process for the critiques, as well as an opportunity for each one of us to occupy the warm limelight in front of the group and receive its gentle and thoughtful guidance. Afternoons were times to connect either with our solitude or with the beauty of nature via a selection of outdoor expeditions. Late-afternoon and evening activities involved group meals, open mic night, book signings, a writer’s forum at the local college, and one-on-one conferences with the leaders.

 These five days were very worthwhile for me, and the conference offered many gifts:

• A sense of community came from the gathering of creative souls dedicated to their crafts—attendees seeking growth and honing, and leaders sharing their insights and guiding us with their experience. We met around campfires and in conference rooms, in the light and in the dark. We shared fine meals as well as simple ones. We hiked together through a golden wonderland of autumn forests. We read, workshopped, advised, listened, and laughed. We formed bonds.

• By stepping out of my comfort zone, I gained confidence in my writing, and I came home with concrete ways in which I can improve my manuscript based on the feedback of both our leader and the group at large. I found this peer critique to be highly valuable, since we each came from different walks of life, with different experience levels, and so each person offered unique guidance.

• I was refreshed and inspired by discovering the new (to me) ways the participants shared their experiences and perspectives. I am now very motivated to grow in my own writing and hone my approach to more closely align with my visual expressions.

• Pulitzer Prize-winning guest author Richard Powers presented “Five Kinds of Goosebumps: Notes Toward Fictional Awe”—a 90-minute distillation of his lifetime of learnings about writing fiction, which took the form of an analysis of the highly regarded essay “The Swimmer” by John Cheever. Richard’s instruction was a highlight of the conference—practical, powerful, and awe-inspiring in its own right.

I came home to rushed, harried, and tense hours catching up with my everyday responsibilities. However, I arrived here with more confidence in my writing, more motivation to work on new books, essays, and articles, and some very special memories.

If you are considering whether you should apply for the 2024 conference, I would encourage you to be bold and say “yes.” “Yes” may at times be accompanied by doubt, fear, and other unpleasantness, but it is often also accompanied by delight, joy, and accomplishment. I’m all about expansive movement beyond discomfort and towards more delight, joy, and accomplishment. Try it—you may find the same things I did.

Our group created something exceptional in Walker Valley. May we each nurture the gifts of our shared experience and use them to bring our individual creations to full fruition.

You may not know that I have a BIG trip coming up this month. I am returning to Terra australis incognita - the “unknown land of the south.” Antarctica. This visit will mark a full-circle moment, completing a life-changing journey that I began back in 2015 when I first visited Antarctica - I’ll share more about that personal story upon my return. For now, I want to take you along on some of the preparations and considerations involved in packing for this trip with the thought that it might be interesting at a minimum and perhaps even useful for someone else that may take this journey.

The trip is ship-based, which is really the only option for tourists to this continent. I am travelling with my fiance Sam, and we are joining our mutual friend Joshua Holko, expedition leader for the trip. I met Josh when we travelled to eastern Greenland with him a few years ago, and he is an amazing guy and a joy to travel with. He’s also one of the most talented photographers I know of in the nature genre - a polar photographer, he truly goes to the ends of the earth to connect with rare and threatened wildlife and landscapes, and he returns with remarkable, special images. To learn more about Josh and his company Wild Nature Photo Travel, I recommend you watch this video. Prepare to be amazed!

This trip will be early in the peak season, which is December and January. Weather is warmer during these months (warmer being a relative rather than absolute term!), and days are long. Summer solstice, December 21st, occurs right at the end of our trip, so days in the Antarctic Peninsula will be about 20 hours long by then! I don’t foresee getting much sleep on this trip…

Note that there are no affiliate links here, friends (Amazon cancelled my affiliate account), just links to some of the items I’m choosing for myself.

CLOTHING

This is as important as camera gear! Perhaps even more so, since without the right clothing, I can’t possibly focus on connecting with the place and making expressive, successful images. I have to be comfortable, and in Antarctica that means technical clothing that is designed for extreme environments.

The classic layered approach is critical: base-layer, mid-layer, outer shell and what I call the small things - gloves, beanies, neck gaiters, etc.

BASE-LAYER: I like to start with wool and silk base layers - leggings and quarter zip top. Wool is very lightweight yet remarkably warm, and it doesn’t get stinky (important on an expedition when you have limited access to laundry). I’m sometimes sensitive, though, and prefer silk next to my skin, so on this trip I’m taking a super lightweight silk base with a second midweight wool base on top of that.

MID-LAYER: I’m packing a few options for this layer. I found this really great down pant option from Backcountry that isn’t too bulky but will add a lot of warmth on cold days (or less cold days, I may just add a second wool legging layer, though). These pants will work as a cozy layer aboard the ship, too, so double-duty. On top, I have a few choices - for less cold days, a full zip merino wool jacket (no hood). For colder days, a down jacket - 700 or 800 fill. I have a number of these, with hoods, without, snaps, zipper. Lots of choices here. Make it warm and lightweight, though.

OUTER SHELL: This is the layer I struggle the most with. It’s critical that it be windproof and waterproof. This in in itself is easy to find - it’s just really pricey. So I’m always looking for ways to save. For this trip, I am bringing two outer shell pants options, both bibs. I like bibs because they’re more comfortable without any waistband pinching me, and I also don’t have to worry about cold draughts or water sloshing in under my jacket on the Zodiac boat. Specifically, I have Gore-Tex bibs - one from Dakine and the other from REI. Neither is insulated - and this is because I like to use these right here in the Appalachians, so going with no insulation in the shell gives me much more flexibility in terms of where I can use them, and the seasons I can use them in. These babies run upwards of $300 or $400, so I need to get a lot of utility out of them to justify the price. On top I have bought a new coat for this trip, and I’m very, very happy with it. I recently bought a down jacket from Outdoor Research, and I love it so much, I decided to try a parka for this trip. I wanted Goretex with down - for warmth and waterproof/windproof properties. I like something longer than a jacket, because, well, I like to have a warm tush. This one fits all my requirements, and I now know that this is a quality brand. i also love the color - not a fan of intense, vivid color or black, and this lovely soft green spoke to me.

SMALL THINGS: I’m taking a couple of warm beanies, a synthetic fleece neck gaiter, a synthetic fleece balaclava, and gloves. No arctic rubber boots, since the ship will provide these for me. Gloves are critical for me as I have issues with Raynaud’s disease, so I have to think about this carefully. I definitely need a liner glove and a waterproof, windproof insulated outer glove. I’m trying something new this trip - something called a finger-mitten. Mittens are generally warmer than gloves, but for camera operation, I need to have my index finger free. I found a company called Freehands that makes a mitten that has thumb and index finger separate from the rest of the mitten. And there are slits in the fabric that allow you to poke your finger and thumb through for dexterity. So my plan is to wear liners inside of the finger-mittens, and see how that goes. If I have issues, I have a beefy pair of arctic gloves from Columbia as backup.

CAMERA GEAR & OTHER THINGS

I recently upgraded almost all of my camera gear to a mirrorless setup (to read about it, click here). I’m using a two-body Canon R5 system, with some additions since my last blog post about gear.

For me, there’s not a whole lot to think about when it comes to what gear to pack for a trip such as this. I’m packing it all. Unlike my first journey to Antarctica, when I flew across the Drake Passage and was subject to some very strict weight restrictions as a result, I have no weight limits on this trip. So I’m bringing everything. I do not have a complicated or extensive kit, because I can’t carry more than I need, I’m just not able for the weight. So “everything” translates to a fairly basic pro kit.

Canon R5 Body x 2 - Two bodies are required in this environment, in case one bites the dust. It’s a non-negotiable. I considered bringing three 😳 so I could minimize lens swaps, but as I said above, I’m just not able for the weight. So two it is. My general approach is to dedicate one body to longer focal lengths, and the other to shorter focal lengths.

Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 - this is a new acquisition, and will give me (most of) the reach I need for the distant landscapes. The scale in Antarctica is mind-blowingly huge.

Canon RF 70-200mm f/4 - this is one I’m renting. I am still using my old EF f/2.8 version of this lens at home, and with the mount adaptor, it is large and extremely heavy. So I elected to go with the lightweight and compact f/4 RF version so I can suffer a little less (arthritis in my hands …). This was very affordable to rent for a month - just about $200. Looking back at my catalog from the 2015 trip, I took most of my successful images with this focal length range, so I want to be well equipped for this trip.

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 - good multi-purpose lens, especially ashore for capturing penguins in their environment.

Can RF 14-35mm f/4 - for certain grand landscapes, and mainly icebery portraits from the Zodiac boats. I wish I had even wider, though.

Many, many batteries, I think I have 10 now.

Multiple SD cards.

Backpack

Waterprooof bag to protect the backpack whilst aboard the Zodiac boats. I use a Gonex bag, fully waterproof with backpack straps and a huge gaping opening to lay my backpack down into it.

No tripod - I’m almost certain at this point that I’m not taking a tripod. I took it last time, and it was a total liability in the Zodiac boats. And I ended up using it a couple of times ashore, that’s all.

Laptop

External hard drive for backups.

Books and maps - I’m a geography nerd, what can I say.

I’ll probably find more things to bring - I’m currently considering my Lensbaby lenses because I’d love to get really creative down there. But that covers almost everything I’ll pack. If you find this information useful, or if you have questions, I’d love to hear from you! Email me at hello@michelesons.com any time. Thanks for reading this far!

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November 1 UPDATE: THE ART OF FOG IS HERE!

What have I been up to lately?

For the last few months, I’ve been working on my next eBook, THE ART OF FOG. This is my biggest project to date, and I can confidently say that it is quite different from your average eBook. The subject of this book is unique - there is nothing else like it anywhere on the electronic or printed book market. You’ll also find that it’s beautifully designed, filled with robust, well-researched, USEFUL information, and overflowing with examples of my own work. Today I want to share a little bit about what’s coming, and some of the reasons I think you’ll want your own copy of this book.

What is THE ART OF FOG?

THE ART OF FOG: A Primer for Expressive Landscape and Nature Photography in Fog is everything you need to know, including all of my secrets, for creating meaningful, magical photographs in fog. This is a 200 page downloadable PDF guide that provides a well-rounded and nuanced understanding of the physical characteristics, artistic possibilities, and technical implications of this magical weather phenomenon.

Who is THE ART OF FOG for?
The book is intended as a holistic learning and inspiration resource for landscape and nature photographers of all experience levels. If you’re a nature photographer who loves fog, if you would like to learn the secrets behind making meaningful, masterful images in fog, or if you would simply like to develop in your artistry, this is a book with lots to offer.

What can I learn from THE ART OF FOG?

• Understand the 7 types of fog and how/when/where they might form

• Use weather forecasting tools to increase the chance of finding fog

• Employ the use of fog as a powerful artistic element

• Make appropriate and effective adjustments in the field

• Edit your fog photographs to align with your own aesthetic and communicate the messages and stories you choose

• Find inspiration in the landscapes you like to photograph

What’s inside THE ART OF FOG?

• THE ART OF FOG: Survey of the ways in which fog has been used across all art genres, as well as an examination of the symbolism of fog and the visual and emotional effects it has on the landscape

• THE SCIENCE OF FOG: A review of all seven forms of fog, how and when they form, and the meteorological elements necessary for the formation of fog, all vetted by a Ph.D. meteorologist for accuracy

• FORECASTING FOG: Tool recommendations and specific techniques for predicting and finding fog

• CASE STUDIES: Five case studies highlight different forms of fog, in different seasons and ecosystems to demonstrate how I approach photographing landscapes and nature in fog

• 35 ACTIONABLE TIPS: Field session and digital darkroom tips to help you realize your own vision

• INSPIRATION: A large selection of my own work and a clean and artistic layout to inspire you

• RESOURCES: Links to websites, apps, other ebooks, courses, and more

• FOREWORD: By my mentor, National Geographic and Arizona Highways contributing photographer Derek von Briesen

What does this eBook NOT cover?
Though this ebook is intended for photographers of all abilities and levels of experience, I do not instruct on the basic concepts of photography, and I may refer to intermediate-to-advanced post-processing techniques in places. The scope of this book does not include specific instruction on techniques. Rather, I seek to share my own approach to foggy image-making from a holistic perspective. I demonstrate when I use certain techniques to overcome the challenges presented to me in the field, and with my final, intended image in mind. If you need further information on the mechanics or specifics of the referenced techniques, you’ll need to seek those elsewhere.

Give me a numbers breakdown. Please :)

200 pages

9 Chapters

35 Actionable Tips

5 In-Depth Case Stdies

138 Inspiring Images

What are other photographers saying about THE ART OF FOG?

“The Art of Fog is a beautifully crafted love letter to the ethereal beauty of fog in all its forms.  Skilfully written, the book comprehensively covers theory, technique, and planning alongside superb examples and case studies in a way that is engaging, easy to understand, and a pleasure to read. The Art of Fog goes far beyond the surface level to deep dive into the ways fog has been intertwined with all forms of art through the ages and into the present, how and why fog can create powerful photographs, and how the presence of fog can be used creatively to convey symbolic and emotional meaning to the viewer.  Michele generously offers her hard-won knowledge to provide crucial insights into how, when, and where to chase the fog we all dream of photographing.  Paired with stunning and inspiring images, The Art of Fog represents a masterclass on an elusive phenomenon that empowers the reader with clarity while still honoring the enchanting mystique that makes fog so very special.” Talor Stone, Photographer, PHD researcher, Pro with Muench Workshops

“The fog has been lifted! In The Art of Fog, Michele Sons expertly pulls back the veil on the mysterious and often overlooked nature of fog, showcasing how it can be both a tool for introspection as well as creative expression. This robust eBook is packed with knowledge and inspiration, giving the reader the tools to understand fog, predict its occurrence, find captivating compositions within it, properly expose and capture scenes, and find one's artistic voice through it. To the uninitiated, fog can seem stifling, even bland... yet Michele's work in The Art of Fog exhibits just the opposite; it provides an inspiring and magical look at the gift that fog bestows upon a landscape, offering unique and painterly conditions that open up unlimited possibilities, whether in the forests of Appalachia, coastlines of Maine, or mountains of Death Valley. The Art of Fog will truly allow you to see fog clearly for the first time.” Zalman Wainhaus, Photographer

"As much about the ‘art’ as it is about the ‘fog,’ The Art of Fog masterfully illustrates how both sides of the brain can work seamlessly in tandem toward what Ansel Adams called ‘the entire mental-emotional process of creating a photograph.’ You want to be a great photographer? You’ll need to know what’s revealed here.” Derek von Briesen, Photographer, Writer

How do I get my own copy of THE ART OF FOG?
Sign up below to be notified when it launches. I have an exclusive, awesome freebie planned for a VERY limited time, so purchase your copy soon to be sure to receive your freebie (rest assured, I will never, ever, spam).

If you’d like a copy of my free ebook, Appalachian Dreams, that’s linked below at the very bottom ;)

Hi Friends,

These past 2 years as a full-time freelance photographer have been incredibly exciting and rewarding on the one hand, but also very difficult in some ways. One of the things I have struggled with the most is improving my visibility online. I am slowly working on learning about search engine optimization as a way to help me achieve more visibility and therefore help me build my business. To be honest, SEO kind of blows my mind, and it’s certainly not my favorite task. But it is necessary, and so I am forced to confront it!

One of the other ways I can become more visible is to build up my Google Reviews site for my business, and that’s something I wanted to ask for your help with today. If you are a customer of mine, for either a product or a service, I would be grateful if you would consider leaving me a review so that other potential customers can get a sense of my business and the quality of products and services I offer.

Positive reviews can help me in the following ways:

• Raise the profile of my business online

• Benefit my search engine optimization

• Build brand trust

If you’ve worked with me for portraits, architectural photography, mentoring, art prints or other printed products, if you’ve purchased my eBooks, or if you’ve benefitted from my free learning resources on my blog, please consider leaving me a review.

In the spirit of making it as painless as possible, below are the steps you must take to do so:

Write A Google Review From Your Browser

1. Log into your Google account, and search for the business you want to review.

2. Find the reviews area (next to the star rating in your search results, or under the establishment’s name in the sidebar in Google search) and click on the blue box or font that says “WRITE A REVIEW.”

3. Rate the business from 1 to 5 stars (the greater numbers indicate a positive experience), write about your experience, and click “POST” when you’re done.

Write A Review From The Google Maps App

1. In the Google Maps app on your phone, search for the business that you want to review.

2. Maps will return a search result with a map that includes a banner at the bottom about the business. Click that banner.

3. Scroll down in the window that pops up until you get to the reviews section. You will see five stars unpopulated with your profile picture above them. Click on the number of stars you would like to leave for the business and proceed to write about your experience.

4. Click “POST” to leave the review.

Thanks in advance for helping me build customer trust in my business!

Impressionistic seagulls alight on a foggy day at Acadia National Park in Maine.

Have you noticed that I’ve been MIA?

I have been very, very quiet lately, both on social media and on my website/newsletter. The reason for the radio silence is because I’ve been very busy working on a couple of big projects, and that’s what I wanted to share with you today.

For the last few months, I’ve been working on my next eBook, The Art of Fog (Expanded Edition), coming soon! I expect to release this book in the fall, and I can confidently say it’s going to be pretty special and completely unique. Yesterday I was working on some cover options, and if you’re on my mailing list, you can expect an email in the coming weeks requesting your input on which cover option you like the best. I’ve done this in the past and my subscribers have clearly enjoyed being a part of this process! This time I’m going to offer those who vote a special discount on the product once it is released, so if any of this sounds interesting to you, please join my subscriber family at the link below this blog post to be sure you receive the email. More details on The Art of Fog will be forthcoming.

I’ve also been working concurrently on my next project: a third eBook, DAWNLAND: Creative, Holistic Approaches to Photographing Acadia National Park, coming next year. This will be the second in my series of location-based instructional eBooks, and the format will be very similar to that of RIVERSONG: Creative, Holistic Approaches to Photographing New River Gorge. In the past, I’ve always visited Maine in the fall, but because I wanted to experience this place in another season, I moved there for the entire month of July! I lived inside Acadia National Park during that time, shooting daily and building my knowledge, connection, expertise, and portfolio of images from this special and unique place. I mostly camped for the month, fully immersing myself in this place, except for the week my fiancee came to visit when we stayed in a nice rental property. It was challenging - I’ve never camped for this long before. And the weather was extremely wet, too, with torrential downpours every few days and soaking fog for almost the entire month. I became quite homesick about halfway through the trip, but I persisted, and worked really hard to build my portfolio and my understanding of this landscape. And I came away even more in love with this place than I was when I arrived, despite the hardships.

The backstory to this adventure is that I would not have been able to undertake this project in the way I did without some assistance. So earlier this year I applied for and was awarded a grant from The Inspired Creator. This is a program run by Nic Stover of Nature Photography Classes offering financial assistance in the form of grants to nature photographers that have inspiring projects, places, spaces, or purposes they want to promote or protect.  Nic’s philosophy aligns closely with my own, focusing on creativity and connection with nature, so it seemed like the perfect fit for this project I had been dreaming of since last year. I am so honored that Nic saw merit in my proposal, backed my project, and gave it life! The timing was just beautiful, too, since I was almost immediately able to book campgrounds once they released on Recreation.gov… For those of you not familiar with Nic and Nature Photography Classes, he offers some incredible learning resources at highly affordable prices, and he has an exciting series of webinars each season (Speaker Series), with presentations from the top landscape and nature photographers in the field today. I highly recommend you check out his website if you are looking to build your skillset.

So that’s the essence of what I’ve been spending my days on for the last few months. I have lots of hard work ahead of me, but I find I am loving my projects and happy to spend many of my days writing.

If you are not already subscribed to my newsletter, please consider doing so below. I will never, ever, spam, I keep your information private, I provide valuable free resources, interesting opportunities for participation, and more. I’d love to have you join my subscriber family! I also offer a free ebook, Appalachian Dreams, linked below at the very bottom ;)

Hello friends.

As landscape and nature photographers, we have all experienced the scenario where we show up to shoot expecting one set of conditions, only to be presented with an entirely different set of conditions… and the original plan is no longer the plan! It can be disappointing to say the least. But if you show up armed with an open mindset, and the knowledge/tool set to go along with your open mindset, you can turn these sorts of scenarios into productive, even rewarding shoots with images you can feel really good about. Today, I want to talk to you about this and share a couple of my own experiences…

I recently took two photography road trips - one down to the highlands of western North Carolina, the southern-most extent of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the other all the way up to Maine. Both trip schedules were governed by a number of things beyond photography - visiting with friends and family, inflexible, pre-arranged campground bookings, scheduled business meetings - and so when it came to photography and making new images, there was really no flexibility in terms of timing. So when the weather gods decided to challenge me, I had to roll with it.

Both trips were good examples of the critical importance of being able to adapt to the conditions we are presented with when we show up to make new work. Had I chosen to just not shoot, I would have missed out on these amazing opportunities. Here, I want to share with you the results of my own experiences so you too can see the value of letting nature guide you toward subjects that you may not have initially targeted.

Shoot 1, North Carolina, Sunny Conditions

On the North Carolina trip, one place I had set my sights on was Boone Fork, a high elevation, steeply graded creek filled with many waterfalls and massive boulders. According to my forecasts, fog was likely on the morning I visited, and I had visions of a gushing mountain stream shrouded in fog and surrounded by the greens of summer. What I found that day was quite different - the stream was very low flow, a trickle really, not a lick of fog at all, and eventually strong sunshine! Such are the vagaries of mountain weather forecasting. I don’t even know why I bother checking, since reality rarely aligns with the forecast!

Even though I know better, sometimes it is hard to choose an opportunity-centric mindset over disappointment… but I did my best. I tried shooting some of the little falls and pools, but those images were underwhelming to say the least. But as I worked, I began to notice that the pools, though low, offered up some beauty all their own. Once I noticed this, I trained my lens just on the water - its surface and its depths - rather than the small forested waterfall scenes I had originally envisioned. In and on the water I found some magical little worlds, filled with palletes of color and dancing points of light. Below is a small collection of work I made that day, perhaps not all successful, but some certainly are and I learned an awful lot about the relationship between shutter speed and these dancing points of light.

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Shoot 2, Maine, Overcast Conditions

The weather gods really messed with my head in Maine! I visited Acadia National Park during July, precisely because it is one of the foggier months there. So I was giddy when my trip got off to a very foggy start. But I certainly did not expect almost constant fog, day after day after day. I am delighted by any sort of fog, so I revelled in it and made a lot of foggy work. But when it wasn’t foggy, it was mostly completely, heavily overcast, which is generally not great for grander scenes. So in those moments, I turned to the abstract.

The geology in this park is incredible, and there is an impressively large variety of rocks, due to a very complex geological history. One particular evening, I was at a rocky point by the ocean. The tide was low, and there was not a lot of wave action. The skies were heavily overcast. I wandered around the point, looking for potential images I could return to shoot under different conditions. Then I began noticing how much variety there was underneath my feet - rocks of every color and texture imaginable, with amazing striations and patterns, too. They looked lovely under the flat light, and so I spent the remainder of my evening there shooting only abstracted rock textures. It was fascinating and completely absorbing, too, and I came away with what I was calling my “Otter Point Rock Collection.” Over the coming weeks, though, I would explore this very same subject matter in multiple locations in the park due to the ongoing overcast conditions, so ultimately this became a small body of work entitled “Acadian Elements.” Below is a preliminary gallery of that work, along with an experimental presentation in video form. You will see a couple of images that were made in direct light - the sun peeked its head out very occasionally!

A visual sampler of geologic beauty from Acadia National Park.

As landscape and nature photographers, our process is uniquely and inextricably linked to the weather conditions that are offered to us at any particular time. Traditionally, “good light” is perceived to be available only at the edges of the day when the sun is low on the horizon. Personally, I want to photograph more than just the morning and evening, and I love being out in nature frequently. I’d prefer not to limit either my experience or my creativity based upon the time of day and/or weather. Instead, I go out in any weather and at any time with my suite of back-pocket techniques, approaches, and subjects, knowing that I can make creative, artistic, fulfilling work in any given set of conditions. I wander, wait, experiment, notice, and as I do so, I allow the conditions to gently guide me to my subject. And this is one of the loveliest aspects of my work… this process of collaborating with nature. It’s as though we are communicating, back and forth. I may be looking for something specific initially, but come away with something entirely different, in this case a small body of work that is richly satisfying to me visually, and is also the source of a deepened connection to a place… That’s a win-win in my world.

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Have you downloaded my free ebook? Appalachian Dreams is my own story of becoming, of finding my voice as an artist along with the sense of belonging I had been missing for a lifetime.  

Get your FREE copy now by clicking below. I hope you enjoy it!

Note to current subscribers: you must re-enter your information in order to receive the ebook.

Hello friends.

It’s official! My new FREE eBook is here!

As a transplant and landscape photographer based in the Appalachian Mountains in the United States, for quite some time I have struggled to come to terms with the place I live. Though I’ve been based here for over 20 years, it’s never felt like home, and in my mind the aesthetics of the chaotic Appalachian landscapes paled in comparison to those out west (or elsewhere). I never felt like I loved these mountains, nor did I feel at ease in the dense forests covering them. But my recent focus on connecting with the land as a full-time landscape and nature photographer has offered me a chance to change my perception.

As artists and lovers of the natural world, we each have different approaches to our creative pursuits, and different stories behind those approaches. It’s my belief that as we mature in our artistry, we can gain a beautiful clarity of purpose, and a really nuanced understanding of who we are as individuals and how we belong in this world. For me, this process of discovery involved the convergence of my photography journey with an exploration of my origin story. 

Appalachian Dreams is my own story of becoming, of finding my voice as an artist along with the sense of belonging I had been missing for a lifetime.  

Get your FREE copy now by clicking below. I hope you enjoy it!

Note to current subscribers: you must re-enter your information in order to receive the ebook.

Today I wanted to share a couple of recent updates on my partnership with Great Smoky Mountains Association.

Great Smoky Mountains Association supports the perpetual preservation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the national park system by promoting greater public interest and appreciation through education, interpretation, and research. I’ve been working with GSMA’s Creative Services Team since last year, and it has been an absolute joy! I genuinely LOVE working with such kind, talented, and dedicated folks. GSMA does so much for our nation’s most-visited national park, and I am proud to be collaborating with a company that has a mission I strongly support. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is where I got my start in landscape and nature photography, and it is a place I have spent a LOT of time in over this past decade, so this partnership means an awful lot to me.

Each year, they produce a calendar which sells at gift stores in the park and also online, with profits benefitting Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I was honored last year when they asked if I would partner with them for their 2024 calendar, and that it is now available in stores and on line.

If you love the Smokies like I do, I encourage you to buy a copy or two or three. I’m linking you to the GSMA shop below.

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I have also been honored to have my work published on the cover of the last two issues of Smokies Life. This is a stunning bi-annual journal filled with beautiful photography and the stories, science, and history behind this national park.

Finally, please consider becoming a GSMA member like me. You’ll enjoy discounts on all their products including those mentioned here, and also have the pleasure of knowing you are helping to preserve this special place. I’m linking to their membership page below. From GSMA:

“SUPPORT THE BEST THINGS IN THE SMOKIES

Champion all that you love about the Smokies by joining Great Smoky Mountains Association. Your membership (starting at just $35 annually) makes you a committed steward of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and includes a subscription to Smokies Life journal, discounts on all purchases at GSMA’s stores in the park and online, and savings at Lookout League partner businesses. Join today!”

To receive updates on more content like this, join my mailing list family!

:ghosts of the gorge: Skeletal sycamore trees lined up along the bank of the New River in West Virginia.

To mark the official launch of my newest ebook, Riversong: Creative, Holistic Approaches to Photographing New River Gorge, I am doing a series of blog posts featuring excerpts from the book. These will be varied in nature, but today’s excerpt is pulled from the artistic discussion on one of my most popular images from the book:

:ghosts of the gorge:

“I made this image on my first visit to this area. It was early February, bitterly cold, and dead quiet with no other soul around. Personally, I find that I am most in touch with my creativity when I am alone in nature, as it allows me to focus intently on a place. The sounds, smells, colors, and tiny details step forward into the spotlight, and are connected together in unique ways. Anything other than complete solitude interferes with this process for me. 

Here, I noticed the drab, brown tones of the winter trees were punctuated here and there by the ethereal white skeletons of sycamore trees lined up along the edges of the river. A diffuse fog floated above the water, approaching and passing me by in waves. The shallows before me gurgled with the flow of the water over the rocks, and the deep water beyond was a bright aquamarine blue. Taken in all at once, this was a stunning and mystical sight to behold. The fog moved languidly around me, in all directions, both with and against the flow of the river, and at times, it flowed towards me from the left and the right, swirling and rising above me, casting me as a fog-conjurer with an audience of ghosts lined up across the opposite bank.

Being present for experiences such as this is one of the biggest reasons I love landscape photography. Photography puts me in the most special places at times when most folks would never be there, and so I feel as though I am privy to moments that I wouldn’t otherwise experience – rare moments of incredible grace – in places that are nearby and easily accessible. I have been fortunate to have had ample opportunities to travel and explore this earth extensively. Saying yes and making it happen whenever I possibly could has provided me with a life absolutely filled to the brim with really juicy, magical experiences. And it is those experiences that I believe define who I am. But in the post-Covid world, travel is fraught and so it is photography of the Appalachian region that offers me the opportunity to continue finding the moments that leave me in absolute awe – such as fog-conjuring on a river bend with an audience of skeletal sycamore trees…”

Cover, Riversong: Creative, Holistic Approaches to Photographing New River Gorge

Contrary to what this article may seem to suggest, I’m not a very gear-centric photographer. But I know many photographers are, and with regular questions about my setup, I thought it made sense to write a blog post for those of you that are curious. I am a lifelong Canon shooter with an aversion to learning new technology and proprietary menus, so I have stuck with Canon for that reason and also because I have been pleased with the performance of their products.

For transparency’s sake, I am linking the products I discuss below to the Amazon listings - should you choose to purchase any of them, I’ll gratefully earn a small commission (though you won’t pay a cent more this way) ✌️

I don’t buy gear very often at all, but I did recently upgrade most of my setup out of necessity. I had been shooting with an older DSLR, a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, which was fine when I was shooting for myself. But with my recent transition to full-time landscape and nature photography, I felt I needed to upgrade so I could be working with (and selling) maximum resolution files.

My camera body of choice is the Canon R5 Mirrorless, and I typically shoot with two. I assign Body 1 to my telephoto lenses, and Body 2 to my wider ones. The logic is that by doing this, I only need a single L-bracket on Body 2, and then mounting plates on my telephoto lenses for Body 1. I am also able to work more quickly, which allows me to respond immediately to changing conditions, sudden inspiration, etc. At 45 megapixels, the R5 is definitely a huge step up from my previous 5D MkIII in terms of resolution. I love that I can now crop to my heart’s desire in post (well, sorta). I’m still learning about the added capabilities on this camera - so focus-stacking, for example - and have only used it for a short while, so I’m not going to make declarations on these functionalities yet. I will say that I feel this is a much more delicate build than my 5D MkIII beast was, which is a shame for me because I think I’m pretty hard on my gear. It took me a couple of weeks to get used to the digital viewfinder, and I’m still adjusting to the abbreviated battery life of this system - but I’m stoked that I can continue to use allll the extra batteries I had purchased for my prior system. Thank you Canon!

So I’m going to lay this out by each camera body.

Body 1 Setup

My workhorse telephoto lens is the one lens I have yet to upgrade from my previous system - that’s the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 IS II USM. It’s older but incredible. And incredibly heavy. This is the focal length range at which I most often interpret scenes, so this lens gets a LOT of use. And since I also love to play around with bokeh and blur, this fast lens allows me to open up and experiment with shallow depth of field. I love the image quality of this lens, but it’s probably too heavy for me. It’s a beast.

A recent addition to my kit is the Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM. I rented this lens before buying, and I really loved having this additional reach. It’s super sharp, too, and a huge improvement in image quality over my Canon Extender I was using before. However, it comes at a price. And that’s the weight. It’s very large, very heavy, and overall just unwieldy. It’s too heavy to carry around with all my other gear, so I typically carry this when I am car-based and not hiking up mountains. But I can really indulge my love of minimalism and abstraction with this lens. I recently used it out on the glorious dunes in White Sands National Park, and I absolutely loved the images I made with it. I recommend using your tripod for this baby, though - I can hardly hold it up, let alone still.

Since both of these telephoto lenses are EF mount and my camera is RF mount, I have a Canon EF-RF Mount Adapter on each. Which of course makes these both even heavier than they were to start with. So I am considering upgrading to a Canon RF 100-500mm in the near future.

Lastly, for these large, long lenses I have a Really Right Stuff Universal Lens Plate attached to each tripod foot (details on the tripod mount below).

Body 2 Setup

My wide angle lenses include the Canon RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS USM. This is probably the lens I use the least, simply because of the way I see which tends to be longer. I’m an “excluder” rather than an “includer” when it comes to my aesthetic. But I definitely want to have this wider end of the spectrum represented in my kit and this is my widest angle baby currently.

One of my workhorse lenses is the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM. I love this lens for so many reasons, but like the R5 body, I do not feel the build quality on this lens measures up to it’s EF predecessor. It’s more delicate, and I’ve already damaged the front element and so I’ll be seeking a repair on this brand new lens.

I use an L-bracket on this body to streamline the process of working with a tripod. Mine is the Really Right Stuff L-Bracket, custom designed for the R5 body. This is a critical piece of gear for me, allowing me to switch quickly and safely between horizontal and vertical orientations.

Tripod Setup

My tripod is the Induro CLT-203 Stealth carbon fiber with 3 section legs. This is admittedly under-sized for my largest lens, but I can’t stand any additional weight so I am not planning to upgrade for now. I have used Induro tripods from the start at the advice of my mentor, and have been very happy with their design, performance, and longevity.

Attached to the tripod I have the Really Right Stuff BH-40 Ball Head with Quick Release Plate. It took me a couple of years to come to terms with the cost of this ball-head. I took a long, hard gulp right before pressing the Buy Now button. But it’s fantastic - secure, smooth, completely problem-free. I’m glad I have it now, and can’t image working with any other product.

Accessories

I’m only listing the necessities here, though I do have quite a few accessories, some that would be expected, like polarizers and such, and others that are a bit more off the wall, like dresses, a prism, and more. But the meat here is my bag and my body straps.

The bag is a bespoke F-Stop Duradiamond Ajna 37L with the large pro insert. I had them customize the fit of the bag at the factory, since I am smaller and needed the ability to tighten the straps further.

Lastly, I have just bought a couple of Peak Design straps for both cameras, and am excited to have the ability to quickly detach the straps in certain (windy) conditions.

I hope you found this post useful! For updates on more content like this, join my mailing list family below.

Cover of the April 2023 issue, image by Lizzie Shepherd

Today I am very excited to share with you that my work has again been published by Elements Landscape Photography Magazine, this time in the April 2023 issue. This is a digital publication filled with the work of photographers I have looked up to for years, so having my work included is an absolute honor. Other photographers contributing to this issue include Lizzie Shepherd, Tim Nevell, Heike Odermatt, Cole Thompson, Antonia Aleo, Bruce Barnbaum, and Charles Cramer.

From their website:

“The monthly magazine dedicated to the finest landscape photography, insightful editorials and fluid, clean design. Carefully curated by the same team that brings you the Medium Format Magazine. The experience allows you to stand alongside a photographer in the field as they see and craft their image.”

My contribution is the Appalachian Dreams feature.

“As a transplant and landscape photographer based in Appalachia, for many years I have struggled to come to terms with the place I live.  Though I’ve lived here for over 20 years, it’s never felt like home, and in my mind the chaotic landscapes here paled in comparison to those out west (or elsewhere).  I never felt like I loved these mountains, nor did I feel at ease in the dense forests covering them.  But my recent focus on connecting with the land as a full-time landscape and nature photographer has offered me a chance to change my perception, and I now feel a deep sense of belonging here.”

Read more in this month’s issue.

I highly recommend the magazine if you are serious about landscape and nature photography. It’s gorgeous, inspiring, and deeply informative. I receive no commission on this, just sharing because I value the magazine as a subscriber myself!

Happy Spring!

“Blackwater Beauty”

Fleeting post-sunset light intensifies the fall colors along the river at Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Zeiss Distagon T*2.8/15ZE, f/16, 15mm, 1 sec, ISO200

For updates on more content like this, join my subscriber family!

My Own Desert Place, the newest image in my series The Feminine Landscape

The Feminine Landscape is a deeply meaningful personal project that I have been working on for quite a few years. At it’s essence, it is a series of self-portraits that chronicles my memorable experiences in the dramatic landscapes I visit and photograph. In this work, my intent is to creatively merge the landscape and portrait genres, with a result that is poetic, lyrical, and evocative.

Though this project is officially “retired” I do ocassionally make new images if I feel compelled to do so. And on my recent trip out to Death Valley National Park in California, I did just that. This image was made in Golden Canyon, not far from Zabiriskie Point, late in the day. My partner and I hiked many miles through this canyon and the adjacent gulch, and loved every minute of it. Some of my favorite images from the trip were made here. The light was harsh on this day, but as the sun got low, it picked up the texture of the badlands so beautifully, and cast a lovely shadow of my form in front of me. Prancing about on this gently curving hill felt a bit like being on Nature’s stage…

I have titled the image “My Own Desert Place” after the fourth stanza in Robert Frost’s Desert Places:

They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
Between stars - on stars where no human race is.
I have it in me so much nearer home
To scare myself with my own desert places.

The land is a source of unending joy for me. In it I find solitude and isolation, shelter and sanctuary, peace, freedom, inspiration, and a sense of belonging. Feelings of exhilaration, adventurousness, daring, curiosity, and boldness manifest with ease in these places. In the land I find myself, and ultimately, a healing.  

Below is the complete gallery of images from this project.

I hope this series conveys my love of nature and wild places, and a powerful but nuanced sense of the poetry we can all find out there, away from the madding crowds.

Sign up below to be notified of more content like this.

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For information on purchasing limited edition fine art prints from this series, check my store at the link above, or contact me via email or phone. I am happy to discuss options with you, as well as tell you the stories behind the images…

If you’d like to listen to me speak a bit about this project, you can reference my talk with Matt Payne on his podcast F-Stop Collaborate & Listen (I’m linking you to the YouTube version).

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For years, I have listened to what I consider to be the most relevant and informative podcast for landscape and nature photographers - that’s F-Stop Collaborate & Listen, hosted by Matt Payne. Matt is a skilled photographer himself, and over the years he has interviewed an incredible variety of landscape and nature photographers on a litany of subjects related to the field. Matt has consistently delivered important, engaging, and useful content, to the tune of over 300 episodes! I was fortunate to speak with Matt for episode number 306 in which we talk about lots of topics including my approach to photography in Appalachia.

From the F-Stop Collaborate & Listen website:

“The Nature & Landscape Photography podcast hosted by Matt Payne. Candid conversations with photographers, industry insiders, and other artists on the craft of nature & landscape photography. Each week we release a new episode with a guest or panel and talk about psychological drivers in landscape photography, social media, business, marketing, motivation, inspiration, workflow, and more.”

Specific topics we covered in episode 306 include:

• my new111 page ebook RIVERSONG: Creative, Holistic Approaches to Photographing New River Gorge

• my personal connection to place and how I go about making images that demonstrate this connection

• my approaches to making images from less than iconic destinations

• how photography has served me in a healing capacity

• how my mental health has shifted since she took up photography full-time

• my strategies and challenges for monetization as a full-time photographer

• how knowing yourself can lead to better photographs

• my "The Feminine Landscape" project

• our mutual obsession with fog

• and a lot more!

If you are interested generally in landscape and nature photography, I highly recommend you subscribe to this podcast and explore the long list of past episodes - there is an awful lot to learn here! Click the links below to go there. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and on Stitcher, and you can watch the video version on Youtube, too!

Thanks for the chat Matt - throughly enjoyed speaking with you!

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I recently posted an image from my Many Moons series on Instagram, and I had so much interest and feedback on how much people loved it, I thought it would be nice to do a short blog post on how I made them, and why I made them, too…

I live very close to the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway. For those that don’t know of it, this is a very special road, administered by the National Park Service, that runs along the spine of the Blue Ridge mountains, from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee all the way up to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The views are spectacular and varied, and I especially like to visit there in the fall when the mountains turn intensely orange, with late fall (past peak) being my favorite time. Even more specifically, I love to be up there for the rise of the full moon, and when that coincides with the drama of fall color, it is a truly magical experience.

I recently visited an overlook near my home, with a view to the east of the Peaks of Otter (this is a group of three mountains - Sharp Top, FLat Top, and Harkening Hill) draped in late fall color. I timed my visit intentionally for the day that the full moon rose at approximately the same time as the sun set. When conditions are right, this can be a unique opportunity to see the moon whilst there is still light in the sky and on the land. This typically occurs the night before a full moon.

I knew that this particular overlook had a view of the rising moon just based on experience, but anyone can make similar plans using the PhotoPills app to envision the position of the moon over the landscape at any time of day on any date. I’m not going to go into the specifics of using PhotoPills since I’m no expert, but it can help for shoots such as this and so I wanted to mention it. The Photographer’s Ephemeris is similar.

On the particular evening in question, the sky was completely cloudless. This was good news in terms of viewing the moon, but meant there was limited visual interest up there, too. It was a magical scene in real life but it had very limited photographic potential in my opinion. After shooting a standard image of the wider landscape, as well as some closer up isolations of the moon above the peaks, I felt that these images were too static and didn’t really capture the wonder of the experience. I wanted to experiment a bit and see if I could make something that conveyed the magic of it all and the wonder I felt standing there seeing it. So I turned to one of my “back-pocket techniques” to play.

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In-camera multiple exposure (ME) is a fun way to stack images dynamically in the field as you are shooting them. Of course, this can be done at any time with any images in the Photoshop environment, but I personally find the in-camera, in-field technique to be much more creatively stimulating than the desktop and so I typically only do this in-camera. Most current DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have this capability, and offer many settings options that add versatility to an already versatile technique. I shoot Canon, and I have registered this menu item to my custom menu because I use it often, and below I’ll describe my settings choices for my camera. If you shoot something other than Canon, you’ll need to adapt my settings to those offered in your menu. Also, since it is an experiment, choose what you like and see what happens. These are just my preferences, they are not a prescription ;)

• Locate “Multiple Exposure” menu item under RED MENU 5 and select “Enable”

• Under “Multiple Exposure Ctrl” select “Average.” Average mode will automatically adjust the exposure in any overlapping areas to prevent overexposure, based on the number of exposures you combine. Any non-overlapping areas will be rendered with a normal exposure. There are multiple options here that I have yet to explore, but I’m comfortable with the “Average” setting.

• Under “Number of Exposures” select however many you would like. I typically choose 7 or 9, and just abort the sequence prior to that if I am happy with say 4 or 5 exposures. I abort by turning the power off.

• Under “Save Source Images” select “All Images” to save the individual frames as well as the ME frame. I like to choose this option because it gives me options in post. I sometimes tweak my final image by adding more layers or details in Photoshop.

• Finally, under “Continue Multiple Exposure” choose “Continuously” to keep the Multiple Exposure capability activated until you choose to disable it. You can also choose “1 Shot Only” to have this mode disable after your 7 or 9 exposure sequence.

When the ME capability is enabled and you have all the settings chosen, and once you have shot the first image in the series, the LCD displays the previously exposed image with the current view superimposed on top of it. As you change your composition, you are able to see how it overlays on your prior image on the LCD. And as you move through your exposures (based on the number you selected in your settings), the stack of images is displayed in the aggregate on the LCD, with the next superimposed above. This is how I was able to make effective choices for the moon position as I went along, stacking each image in a well-arranged fashion with the ones below it. For these images, I changed focal length and composition between shots, but in other cases I may just change composition (by either re-framing or physically moving) and maintain the same focal length.

If I reach a point where I am happy and I feel it is finished, say 5 images in instead of the 7 or 9 I specified in settings, I can abort the sequence and save what I have created to that point by just turning the camera off.

In terms of post processing, I allow myself quite a bit of creative latitude since that’s really the whole point of this technique. So here, I chose to add in some additional moons into some frames to improve the balance of the final image. This is where the single frames, saved separately as specified by my settings choice, come in handy. But if you choose not to save the source files separately, you can still accomplish this sort of tweaking by using the clone-stamp tool in either Photoshop or Lightroom. I also chose to emphasize the other-worldly colors in these scenes, since that is what I was seeing in my mind’s eye.

For me, the end result perfectly conveys the sense of awe and wonder I experienced on this evening, while also allowing me to flex my creative muscles a little bit. In-camera multiple exposure is something I can always try when I have exhausted other options, or when I need to play a bit. Sometimes, I end up with images that don’t work, but sometimes I end up with gems and so it is often worth a try to see what happens.

I hope you give this technique a try! Let me know in the comments below if you do, I’d love to see your result.

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I recently had the honor of being interviewed for an important regional podcast called Artemis Speaks. This podcast is the sister to the annual publication Artemis Journal, which has a meaningful origin story and a long history of supporting artists in the Blue Ridge Mountains and beyond, all headed up by the inimitable Jeri Rogers. I’ve been contributing my work to Artemis Journal for years, because I love its mission and its history.

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The extra special part for me is that I was interviewed with my partner, Sam Krisch, also a landscape photographer and all around talented artist.

Sam’s beautiful work has appeared on the cover of the journal.

From the Artemis Journal website:

“Artemis mission has not changed from its conception. Borne out of the writing workshops held for the victims of domestic violence in Southwest Virginia, Artemis Journal has been an advocate for social justice since 1977. We continue to pay tribute to those foundations today by advocating equal and fair treatment of all. Artemis strongly denounces all forms of discrimination. Whether it is a fight against sexism or racism, Artemis works to elevate the voices of all genders and backgrounds—and to provide a pathway for their art.

Our yearly journal highlights the voices of artists and writers who uphold the values of the Greek lunar goddess for which the journal was named–Artemis.  As the archetype of the mother goddess, Artemis was the protector of wild animals, the wilderness, young women, and childbirth. She was known as a carrier of light.

For the first few years, Artemis showcased the work of women from this group, and in 1979 we expanded our scope to include men. Now into our 45th year of publishing and showcasing artists and writers of the Blue Ridge Mountains and beyond.

Expanding our reach, we now podcast with Artemis Speaks. Celebrating three seasons of podcasting, Interviewing artists and writers published in our library of journals, host Jeri Rogers explores the creative energy of her guests with probing questions. Artemis Speaks is co-produced with Skip Brown of Final Track Studios.”

The three of us sat down in Skip Brown’s recording studio The Final Track and just chatted a bit about our art and experiences. Some of the topics we covered include:

• Our backgrounds and when we developed an appreciation for photography

• My experience as Creative-in-Residence at New River Gorge

• Our recent trip to Death Valley National Park

• Sam’s image-making experience on the Drake Passage

• How our work and our approaches differ, and how we influence each other

• Sam’s master printing skills

• How our shared love of photography benefits our relationship

• Our joint exhibition and our favorite places

• Sam’s experience shooting in the desert

• My experience as an instructor for Out of Chicago, LIVE!

• Our future plans

I recommend looking further into other episodes on this podcast - Jeri has had some really wonderful guests on from all different genres of art and there’s a lot to learn by listening! Click the links below to go there.

Thanks for the chat Jeri - throughly enjoyed speaking with you and with Skip!

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I recently spent 10 days in Death Valley National Park with my guy, and we REALLY made the most of our time there. I can say with confidence that I worked my tail off, trying to maximize my opportunities to make some new work. We hiked a total of 76 miles during our time there!

Death Valley is “off-brand” for me… since I’m known for my foggy Appalachian imagery (fog in Death Valley seemed HIGHLY unlikley). But that’s precisely why I went - I love to visit new and very different places as a way to challenge myself, a palate-cleanse, if you will. New landscapes allow me to step out of the foggy little Appalachian box I usually exist in, and try my hand at new things. So I was delighted to be able to spend some time in our nation’s largest national park.

Planning for more than a few days meant we would have a chance to experience some different conditions. It turned out that we got some very interesting weather. The storms that were rolling in from off the California coast and causing havoc and tragedy for so many provided us with cloudy skies, rain, rainbows, and my favorite - FOG! - whilst we were there. These sorts of conditions are always jackpot for landscape photographers, but to have them in Death Valley, known as one of the driest and hottest places in the US, was, I don’t know, like hitting the jackpot twice in a row, or a double rainbow (which we saw, by the way!).

To whet your palate (and mine), I’m pre-releasing a mini-collection of the images I made on the trip, with the rest forthcoming after I transition out of this very busy time. I plan to experiment with format for this collection, so stay tuned on this.

As always, thanks for your support and interest in my work.

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I’m so excited to share that I will be joining a group of incredible photographers as an instructor at the Out of Chicago, Live! 2023 online conference coming early next month. The completely online event has over 50 photographers from around the world leading over 100 live sessions covering a wide variety of topics. The conference will be Feb 3-5 and conducted on Zoom. All sessions are recorded and available for viewing by attendees for the rest of the year, so even if you can’t attend the live event, you can still benefit from this conference.

I will be leading a 90 minute session on The Art of Fog :) This will be greatly expanded in terms of scope from my free ebook, so if you enjoyed my ebook, this session will definitely be of interest to you. I’ll also be hosting an image review on intimate and small scenes with the amazing Sandra Bartocha.

Registration just opened, so if you are interested in learning how to grow in your photography, register now to take full advantage of this opportunity. There are free events in the lead up to the big weekend, so don’t miss those!

Here’s the official information:

Out of Chicago LIVE! 2023: An Online Global Photography Conference being held on February 3-5, 2023

• This event is 3-Days, 50+ Photographers, 100+ Sessions, and unlimited inspiration

• Delivers 100+ live presentations and interactive sessions along with access to the recordings for one year after the event.

• Learn more and register at: https://www.outofchicago.com/conference/live-2023/

Or follow the link below for more information.