Cold day on the Appalachian Trail.

I got the opportunity to do some really cool
hiking this last weekend.... Well maybe that should say really cold hiking. Either way I had a ball doing it!

You know how you have those ideals in your head that you would really like to get a shot of this or be able to take that photo? Well this was my chance. I love walking along the Appalachian trail and have often thought that it would be cool to get photos of several different places a long the trail if it were covered in snow. So when the snow hit my mind was churning. I probably had smoke coming out of my ears. One of the main places I wanted to visit was the Hawks Ridge shelter on the AT. So I packed up my FStop bag and headed off.

This would be one of those days that you really would never expect to see any one else on the trail but as luck would have it I ran it to the owner of our local outfitter store (really great people) and a young gentlemen that was hiking along with him who were departing for a 6 day loop. My hats off to them I am not sure if I would have started this trip or not. It was 16 degrees when they departed with lows in the single digits later in the night and next morning. I got a couple good shots of them heading out from Three Forks.

Now it was time to head on out to my destination. I wanted to get a shot of the Hawks Ridge shelter all covered in snow. The photo above is of me heading back to the truck after making it to my destination to take the following shot. In all just being out on the trail was worth the effort but actually getting the shot I wanted was very cool. You can't ask for much more than that!

Finally a bag I can live with!!

Ok over the last several years I have been through to many bags to count. It always ends the same way. While liking several aspects of a bag i find that there is more that I don't like than I do. Maybe its just me maybe I am to picky? I don't think so!!! After all have you purchased a camera bag lately? For what we are paying for a bag today you should be able to be happy with it. Well now I am.

So after that rant I want to say that I have found a bag I love. Yes you heard me correctly that I love! I was introduced to this company by Richard Bernabe who is a awesome photographer but more than that he is always in the outdoors shooting. If it works for him there has to be something to it was my hunch. Well I was correct F-Stop makes a great system. The first one that I purchased was the Loka. It is a mid sized bag that offers 3 different ICU bags that you put in the shell for different configurations. I find it to be a very versatile bag I can fit it to the many different situations that I work in.

To make the deal even sweater this company offers a program that they call friends with benefits that in my mind was a no-brainer. Instead of going through all the details here is a link to the site where you can read all about it F-Stop friends.

Bending Rules

I know it is a bit cliche but sometimes you really do have to get out of the box. Bend the rules, go past your own comfort level. Once there you never know what you may come up with. Like the photo above all set up took the photo's on a tripod got ever thing just how I wanted and there another water fall photo. Then just for kicks and grins I thought with all the color lets twist the zoom and take the photo.

I really like this image it looks like we just hit warp speed on the enterprise! It was taken at Noontootla Creek falls. We were going to see Long Creek falls and got turned around by a couple of Army Rangers who informed us that they were doing some exercises in the area and needed to hold traffic off for a few minutes so we went back to this local and I am glad we did!

Here is my Bio for the Show that is opening this week at the Bowen Center for the Arts in Dawsonville, Georgia. I would like to thank Jennifer Julian for all of her hard work. With out it this show would have not been possible.

Bryan Elliott has been a photographer since 2007, when he took his first nature photograph. He has studied with Richard Bernabe at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, and is presently enrolled in the Photography Certificate Program at North Georgia College & State University where he is scheduled to graduate this May. Mr. Elliott enjoys photographing events and has volunteered his time to several Appalachian Community Bank Holiday Celebrations and to various Eagle Scout ceremonies. Elliott’s traditional landscape work has evolved into more a painterly and dreamy landscape world. “This work”, he says, “might be what you’d see if you ever looked at your day to day travels from a different perspective. I enjoy finding a different view of things.”

Shooting Live Concert.

I had an opportunity to shoot a live show this past Sunday night. It was a lot of fun several of the groups that preformed were really quite good. I was really impressed with the group that I was there to shoot. Come to find out this was there first time preforming together and they really did great!

Problem is for shooting in this situation lighting is awful. Not just bad but really bad and the subjects are moving sometimes at a fast pace. Then you get the red stage lights and that makes for an interesting tint on the photos.

In the image above is Anthony Baxter to hear some of his music click here.

For more photos from this show click here