As of writing this, we have been home from a much-needed camping trip to Hot Springs, NC. We were lucky enough to have Wes, Whitney, and Acston ( no way I spelled that right lol) join us for some campsite shenanigans. We had cameras out everywhere acting a fool and just kicking back. It was just what I needed to regroup and come back swinging. We came home Sunday, and I immediately showered and got dressed for a session on the ever enchanting Carvers Gap. That session we danced among the trees and into the creeks below as the sun peeked thru the trees tops toward us. That alone would be enough to write about, but the following day I was off to another session. This time I asked my clients to join me at The Beauty Spot, and seeing as how they trust me and have never been, they agreed. I am so glad they did. The sun was still higher than I preferred but you work with what you have and that's one of my favorite parts of photography. The ever-changing light, scenery, and weather make every session special. This led to me shooting directly into the sun for the first 15 minutes which created images a little lighter than usual, but then we found our way into the shade and tall grass. We ended with silhouettes against a magnificent blue sky. Man, I LOVE MY JOB. Its currently after 11 pm on Friday the 13th, and we are mostly packed up for another adventure. I will have cameras in tow as always and phone on standby to book that next session, although squeezing them in is starting to get interesting with Fall fast approaching! I don,t need sleep though, so let's shoot! Below I will simply leave a few images from the sessions mentioned above. Follow me on Instagram HERE and our new Company HERE to see more and to catch some BTS footage too. Until the keys click for the next entry, thanks for being here.-J
Alex
Carvers Gap, where more often than not, fantasy becomes reality! I write about this location often and passionately for several reasons. I grew up in Roan Mountain, went to school there and until I was 18 it was my home. The sad part about this is, while living here I never visited Carvers Gap. Like never. I'm very glad that I have found the amazement that it offers at this point in my life, as far too often I think we live our entire lives and miss the magic around us daily. Growing up and attending school here led me to meet Sundae. I think we may have even rode the bus together after my parents moved closer to my grandparents. I say that because today's post is about Alex, Sundae's daughter. I had never met or spoken to Alex prior to our session but that was not an issue because she is awesome. Sundae and I went back and forth on a few dates as the weather was insane this year and ever-changing and at this point, I also believe its because we were supposed to be on the Roan on this particular day. You can never truly predict the weather on the top of the Roan, and today was one of those days where every few minutes, it changed. This was a bit of a challenge as a photographer, but one I gladly welcome anytime. Let me start in the parking lot.
Once we finally found a suitable day and the time was set, we were good to go. We agreed to meet at the trailhead parking lot for introductions and to strategize. This never takes more than a few minutes, so we donned our rain jackets, umbrellas, and were afoot. Luckily the rain never really set in and never developed into something unusable. We were greeted with dramatic racing clouds over us and the mountain tops, misting rain, and even had a brief appearance of a rainbow. I mean minus a unicorn or bigfoot running out of the neighboring woods, what else could I ask for? As an adventure photographer, an avid fan of anything AT, I was enchanted. I'm not great with words and will not try to be, but will simply let the imagery speak for me. I hope you find the joy, the excitement, the wonder in these that I do. Alex was incredibly patient with my direction, open to any and everything I threw at her and with a lovely smile the entire time. I truly couldn't ask for more. I would love to know if you have a similar place that you love to frequent and I'm always open to more unique experiences like this one was. Now to the meat and potatoes, because what post by a photographer is complete without pictures?
As always, all images shot with my Fuji Xpro2 and combination of my xf16mm and xf90mm lenses.