Joey Bowman

Tweetsie Railfan Weekend 2011

2011-09-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Another year, another great railfan weekend at Tweetsie Railroad. Brandi and I spent the 10th and 11th of September photographing and riding trains at Tweetsie Railroad. Despite visiting Tweetsie quite a few times this year (Brandi and I are both season pass holders) railfan weekend offers a completely different experience than any other visit.

During the weekend Tweetsie has both locomotives, #12 and #190, operating and they have a lot of other special activities going on for the railfan weekend ticket holders. Including a special memorabilia room, shop tours, double-header train, photo run-bys, and a chance to ride in coach #5. However, the big draw for us is a chance to walk around the mountain and photograph the train in different locations. Here are a few favorites from the weekend, I wish I had more time to edit some more.

Thanks for looking,
Joey

www.JoeyBowman.net
www.CherishTheMomentPhotography.net

Steam Locomotive

2011-08-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

The Virginia-Carolina #50, a 2-6-0 steam locomotive was recently moved from Florida to Newton, NC at the future location of the Southeastern Narrow Gauge & Shortline Museum. The locomotive is not in the best shape yet but the fine folks with the Alexander Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and the Newton Depot Authority will soon have the locomotive looking great.

Brandi and I spent a few minutes this past Sunday taking a few shots of the locomotive as it sits in its new location. I look forward to taking more photos of #50 as restoration begins and is completed.

Thanks for looking.
Check out http://www.newtondepot.com/ for more information on the locomotive and museum.
And as always feel free to visit www.joeybowman.net

Getting lucky

2011-07-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

From time to time I receive questions about how I go about photographing trains. Mostly the questions regard how I know when and where a train will be at a specific location. The truth is that 99% of the time I get lucky. In many ways it is kind of like fishing, you may sit at the same spot all day and never catch a thing, other days you may catch fish after fish after fish. I do not carry a scanner and rarely talk to any one else that relay information about train movements in the area.

Brandi and I were hanging around Old Fort, NC this past Saturday. We were starting to get into my car when I could see the headlights of a train approaching. We drove around trying to find a good location to photograph the train going through town. After photographing it in town we headed up old US 70, to try to find another location and we ended up standing on a bridge to photograph the train. Unfortunately we were not able to chase it any farther as there was also a bike race going on the roads in the area and I did not want to have to deal with passing mountain bikers while trying to rush and chase a train.

One "unique" thing about this train was that the lead locomotive (and all of the other locomotives) were running in a "long nose" forward which is not that common for this type of locomotive.

Thanks for viewing
-Joey

http://www.joeybowman.net

Waterfalls

2011-07-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

I have been lagging with my blog updates recently, what else is new right? Here are a few recent shots, the first from Setrock Creek Falls near Mt Mitchell. The second shot is from a popular waterfall along US 221 just west of Blowing Rock.

http://www.JoeyBowman.net

Rainy Day

2011-03-05T11:59:00.000-08:00

Its been raining off and on all day here in the foothills of NC. I felt like taking a few photos and did not know what else to do than just take a few shots of the rain drops on branches.

odds and ends

2011-01-28T20:21:00.000-08:00

I have kind of abandoned this blog, this website, in addition to the Cherish the Moment website, facebook, etc. Its a long and complicated story.

Figured I would post a few shots from recent months. I hope to start updating my blog on a slightly more regular basis in coming months as well.

Disney World

2010-11-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

Just posted a few other shots from Disney World. I love the theming and the amount of detail and creativity that goes into it! Especially in the Animal Kingdom Park!

Thanks for viewing!
Joey

http://www.JoeyBowman.net

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

2010-11-11T19:43:00.000-08:00

While visiting Walt Disney World, Brandi and I attended Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, not once but twice. We loved the parades, shows, trick or treating, and had a blast seeing other people walking around Disney wearing costumes.

Thanks for viewing!
http://www.JoeyBowman.net

Finding Nemo, The Musical.

2010-11-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

Brandi and I just got back from what appears to be a yearly pilgrimage to Walt Disney World. The first year we went I took a camera with me but only took it with me to the parks for one day, I didn't bring the bag and when I wasn't using the camera I felt like it was in the way more than it was useful. The 2nd trip I used a point and shoot camera and was disappointed with missed shots mainly because of camera limitations (low light, shutter lag, etc). This year I came prepared! We bought a bag that is the perfect size for Disney, a Lowepro Slingshot and each day I took in an SLR, 24-70mm f/2.8 and a 85mm f/1.4 as well as a 430ex speedlite.

Enough camera talk, here are some images from my favorite live shows at Disney, and overall one of my favorite attractions.

Thanks for viewing!

http://www.JoeyBowman.net
http://www.CherishTheMomentPhotography.net

Mountains

2010-10-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

Ever since I got my drivers license one of my favorite activities has been getting on my vehicle and simply driving. I love to drive around with out a decided destination, I love exploring roads I have never been on as well as roads that it would appear very few other people have been on either. Some of my favorite roads are old gravel roads that twist and turn in valleys and up the side of mountains. You never know what will be around the next corner, it may be a great photo op, or an oncoming car!

Here are a few shots from one of my favorite roads that connects Edgemont with Pineola, NC.

Thanks for viewing,
Joey

http://www.JoeyBowman.net

Tweetsie Railroad Railfan Weekend

2010-10-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

A few photos from Tweetsie Railroad's railfan weekend on September 11th and 12th, 2010. The weather on the 11th was damp and dreary for the majority of the day. EVERYTHING I was carrying got soaked but nothing was damaged. Sunday the 12th was much nicer and more than made up for the day before. It was great being able to visit Tweetsie again for the first time in 3 years.

Thanks for viewing!

http://www.joeybowman.net

Last Train To Lenoir, NC.

2010-09-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

On August 31st, 2007 the Caldwell County Railroad operated the last train through Lenoir, NC. 5 miles of the Caldwell County Railroad were closed when Google built a computer center a couple hundred yards from the ROW of the railroad. Google claimed that the vibrations from the train (that ran this line once, or twice a week at 10mph, with only a couple cars at a time) would be too much for their computers.

Recently I decided to take a look at my photos from the day and decided to repot some of the photos. The day started as normal as the crew picked up a couple cars from their interchange with Norfolk Southern in Hickory, NC. They delivered the loaded cars in Hudson, NC and then ran engine light through Lenoir to Valmead to pick up the remaining cars at Sealed Air. The Caldwell County Railroad continues to operate today to Hudson, NC.

Thanks for viewing!

http://www.JoeyBowman.net
http://www.CherishTheMomentPhotography.net

Myrtle Beach

2010-07-29T00:05:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have updated my blog, so I figured I would post some photos from a trip that Brandi and I took to Myrtle Beach. We spent a week there in mid June. Myrtle Beach is always an interesting place to visit. I do not really get into "photographer" mode while visiting Myrtle Beach though at least once morning I will get up for the sunrise and walk around for an hour or two.

It stormed on our first day and it gave me my first chance at photographing a waterspout.

The Ripleys Aquarium in Myrtle Beach is always an interesting place to "people watch".

Thanks for viewing!

http://www.JoeyBowman.net
http://www.CherishTheMomentPhotography.net

New Stuff

2010-07-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

Brandi and I recently got a new lens, a Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. I always enjoy trying out new equipment and as soon as it arrived Brandi and I were out playing around with our new lens. Here are a few shots from around the yard.

Thanks for taking a look!
Joey

http://www.joeybowman.net
http://www.CherishTheMomentPhotography.net

Point & Shoot

2010-06-15T23:29:00.000-07:00

Last week Brandi decided to purchase another P&S camera, mainly to use in an underwater housing that she already had for that particular model of camera. We met with the seller of the camera in Charlotte and afterwards I decided to give it a little work out while walking around downtown Charlotte.

Using the camera reminded me of the days when I first truly started learning about photography and started developing an interest in photography. Also using it made me appreciate many of the things I now take for granted with our SLR's. Specifically the fact that with an SLR I do not have to wait one or two seconds to take a photo after clicking the shutter button, or that 400 ISO is relatively "clean" where as with these P&S cameras 400 ISO looks like 1600 or 3200 ISO on our SLR's.

Here are a few images from that evening, thanks for viewing!

http://www.JoeyBowman.net
http://www.CherishTheMomentPhotography.net

North Carolina Transportation Museum

2010-06-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

Brandi and I decided to do a day trip to Spencer, NC in late April to check out the North Carolina Transportation Museum. http://www.nctrans.org/ We went together during a special event in 2007 and with the large crowds we felt that we did not really get to enjoy ourselves or take the time to really look through the museum. This trip was much different as we practically had the place to ourselves!

The museum for the most part is centered around the former Spencer Shops of the Southern Railway. There are dozens of locomotives and rail cars on display throughout the property and they even offer train rides on select days. In addition to trains they also have exhibits with cars and air planes though they seem to take the backseat to the railroad exhibits. One thing that I love about the museum is that it is free to walk around and browse the property and exhibits, in this day and age it is rare to find anything that is cheap, let alone free to do! Donations are gladly appreciated, and train rides have a very modest fee! If you are ever in the area I strongly encourage you to check it out!

Thanks for viewing!

http://www.joeybowman.net
http://www.CherishTheMomentPhotography.net

South Mountain State Park

2010-05-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here a few shots from early April when I visited South Mountain State Park. SMSP is located south of Morganton, NC, approximately one hour from my home. I enjoy hiking and photographing landscapes at the park and try to visit once or twice a month.

I have never understood why people vandalize stuff like this at a state or even national park. Whats the point? Who cares if you were there? Who cares if you and your significant other were there on a particular date? It ruins the experience for everyone.

http://www.joeybowman.net

Iris

2010-04-17T22:48:00.000-07:00

I photographed this Iris that was starting to bloom in my front yard on April 9th. I lit the Iris with a 580EX II flash.

Rainbow

2010-04-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we had a brief thunderstorm. A few minutes after the storm ended a beautiful rainbow appeared, I noticed it right as Brandi and I were walking out of a grocery store. We drove around for a few minutes trying to find a good location to get a shot or two of the rainbow but did not have much luck. I figured we could try the top of Lick Mountain (Hudson, NC) and see if we can get a clear shot of it there. Here are two images taking of the rainbow.

Thanks for viewing!

www.JoeyBowman.net

Snow Birds

2010-01-31T20:45:00.000-08:00

I always love watching the birds while its snowing. They go about as crazy over this food as humans do rushing to Wally World for bread and milk!

More can be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeybowmanphotography/

Home from ImagingUSA!

2010-01-17T20:32:00.001-08:00

We have been home from ImagingUSA for a few days now.

We had a blast traveling to Nashville and back home to attend the convention and trade show. I had a blast hanging out with friends before and after classes as well as meeting a few awesome people while we were there. Brandi and I attended quite a few seminars taught by the industries leading photographers. We got SEVERAL awesome ideas while we were there and are in the process of implementing several of them into Cherish The Moment Photography, the most noticeable being a Senior Ambassador program, more info about that soon.

I had a blast at the trade show talking to various vendors including some of my favorite that we currently use as well as others that we may use in the future. I got to try out quite a few lenses that I have had my eye on as well which is always fun for a gear nerd such as myself.

Here are a few shots from the trip, one of Brandi and I and a few from around Nashville.

ImagingUSA and Nashville

2010-01-08T22:59:00.000-08:00

In a few hours Brandi and I will be embarking on a little road trip to Nashville, TN to attend the annual ImagingUSA convention and trade show. ImagingUSA is put on by the PPA (Professional Photographers of America) and is the first trade show and convention of the year. Last year we were fortunate enough to be able to fly to Phoenix, AZ to attend the show and this year we will be driving just "down the road" (7 hours) to Nashville.

We look forward to the different seminars we will attend as well as the trade show where we will get a chance to check out the latest products put out by every vendor imaginable in the photography community. So there is a pretty good chance that we might find some kind of awesome new product or service to add to our current list of products and services that we offer.

We will also get to spend time with other photographer friends while we are in Nashville and our close friends Victoria Bentley and Ben Earp will be tagging along with us making this a road trip that we will not forget!

I will post some updates and photos from the trip when we return home! I originally posted this on our blog at www.cherishthemomentphotography.net

Hudson Pottery Festival

2010-01-02T09:03:00.000-08:00

On Halloween of 2009 I worked for the Lenoir News-Topic covering the first annual Hudson Pottery Festival. I had a great time photographing the different pieces of pottery on display and for sale as well as the demonstrations.

Cardinals

2009-12-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

We had our first snow of the season today in the foothills of North Carolina. One memory that I get reminded of every time it snows is of the bright red cardinals feeding from our bird feeder on the deck. This storm was no different!

Thanks for viewing!

Cades Cove Snow.

2009-12-08T23:20:00.001-08:00

I posted a set of photos earlier this summer from a trip that Brandi and I took last February to Cades Cove, TN. I re-edited one of the photos recently and figured, why not post it?

Cades Cove

2009-11-11T18:15:00.000-08:00

Brandi and I went camping recently with two other couples from the school that we used to go to. We had a pretty good time despite the freezing temperatures at night. I did not get my best images on this trip but still had a good time.

South Mountains State Park

2009-10-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

Hiking has practically become a second hobby for me over the past couple of months. I have been going hiking lately at least once a week and hoping to maybe starting make it a twice a week thing. One place I have been regularly visiting is South Mountains State Park which is located near Morganton, NC. It is about 45 minutes from my house and during the week is pretty much deserted. The trails are nicely marked and vary in difficulty. So far all of the trails I have hiked also have at least one nice photo opportunity such as amazing views of the mountains, waterfalls, and streams.

Here is a sample from a few of the trips. You can click on the photos for a larger version.

Blue Ridge Mountains

2009-10-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

I got up pretty early Tuesday morning, got to the mountains at 7. Did a fairly short 10 walk through the woods in the dark out onto a cliff that I have never been to before in my life. I then waited 40 minutes before the sun slowly slithered over the horizon.

This is one of my fist panoramic images, a larger version can be seen by click the link below it. The pine needles were shot while hiking at Linville Falls, NC.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2567/4033739154_fb47e608ea_o.jpg

Thanks for viewing!

Whirlpool of leaves

2009-10-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

I am unsure of the name of this waterfall. Its located about 10 feet off of US 221 on the Caldwell/Watauga County border in NC. I first wanted to visit here after seeing a photo of it by one of my favorite photographers, Carl Moser. Another favorite of mine Jack Daulton has also shot here and gave me directions several years ago. It took me 2 or 3 tries to find it over a 2 year period, Jack said it was right off of the road, I never imagined it would literally be, RIGHT off of the road.

This waterfall is awesome because the leaves swirly around at the base of it, really cool!

DIY Grid/Snoot

2009-10-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago I came across a couple different DIY blog posts on the internet, each one describing how to do a DIY grid, this time using a substance called coroplast (corrugated plastic). Each blog has various methods on how to make it, but one stood out to me. In particular the way the grid was attached to the flash.

http://blog.phatbabyphotography.com/2009/01/diy-snoot-uh-whats-snoot.html

I really liked how "good" it looked, and I immediately thought, all it needs is a coat of black paint and no one will know that I only spent $8 on it!

The first step in this process was trying to find this so called coroplast. I spent hours googling various art stores and searching websites but to no avail could I find this material. Several of the blogs mentioned that if you can not find coroplast then you can easily use a "for sale" sign, turns out that for sale signs that you can buy at any retail store such as Walmart or Home Depot are made out of this material. Not only that, but so are most politician signs, and with the election coming up there will be plenty of free coroplast for everyone! Okay, not really, thats probably called stealing, even if the sign was just sitting there...

The next step was finding this PVC Pipe fitting, I searched all around our local Lowes Hardware, and more than likely missed the one isle it would have been on. At Home Depot I found it right away, this fitting is not with the other PVC pipes, it is in the section with the gutters. They sell for less than $3 each and are almost a perfect fit for the Canon 580ex (and probably other model) speedlights.

Following the directions from the blog post I cut a little whole on each side of the PVC, and then tested the fit on my flash several times.

I made a grid, carefully measuring and cutting the pieces of plastic. You really want to cut in the straightest line possible, it will make the grid look better in the end. I glued the strips together using some kind of super glue.

Once I finished my grid I test fitted it several times inside the PVC.

What I did now was different than any of the blogs I have seen on the subject, I decided to paint it black, and for two reasons. The first reason, white in theory will act as a reflector where as black should help the light become more direct. Second, the black look will blend in with the flash, making most if not all clients unaware that I am cheap!

So, $8 and several hours later I created a light modifier that could cost as much as $150. Unlike the grids available for speedlights, I dont have to attach any unsightly Velcro to my flash either!

So youre saying, $8, whats the catch? Does it work? Yes!

Here are the samples to prove it, please excuse my dirty drive way and my even dirtier sensor, its time to clean both again!

This first shot is with the flash with out any kind of light modifier on it.

This is with just the PVC snoot on it, the light has become slightly more directional, but not enough to make any significant changes.

This is with the grid installed! Awesome.

I hope to make some updates in the future with some real work examples with the grid. Right now this is all I have

Little Lost Cove Creek Falls

2009-10-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

Hows that for a tongue twister? Brandi and I attempted to hike to this waterfall in June 2007 a day or two before I had surgery and would not be able to do anything for a month. At the time, the mile long road leading to the falls was closed, so our hike began there, once we got to the end of the road we had another half mile to go to reach the side trail that leads to the falls but some how we missed that... We ended up getting semi lost in the wilderness of Avery County, NC. After several hours of hiking we made it back to the truck, by my estimation from looking at maps, we hiked around 8 miles or so, going down, then back up around 1500-2000 vertical feet. All while carrying 20 pounds of camera equipment each.

Not too fun, and we didnt even find the waterfall!!!

Two years later, or, just last week, my friend Ben and I headed out to find this waterfall, equipped with better directions, and the luck of the road being open, we found it!

If you get a chance, look up Ben Earp on myspace, he posted a few photos of his own, he got some good shots as well...

DIY

2009-10-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

About a year and a half ago I attempted to do my first DIY piece of equipment for use with my photography. Ever since then I have always been interested in finding ways to cheaply make some thing that works great and at least looks good instead of buying some of the many overpriced items out there sold to photographers.

One area that I have deeply dove into is DIY light modifiers for hot shoe flashes. Snoots, grids, (hopefully) softboxes and many other items that can be found. I read various websites with tutorials featuring such items and I get countless ideas to create my own equipment!

I plan to share my journey on here as well as show some of the own processes I go through to create these items. The biggest thing is that I will be trying to make the items look "good", look like something that should belong on your camera and something that a client wont notice is really a $2 PVC pipe or part of a cereal box. Thats one area that many of the tutorials fail to show or complete. Many of the other tutorials are meant to be something to do during downtime, just for fun, ignoring the fact that there are many photographers such as my self that are unable, or unwilling to spend $125 on an item when I can make it for $10.

In a day or two I will make my first post in this series.

Humming Bird

2009-09-26T22:27:00.001-07:00

Looked out the window Monday evening before leaving for the beach and noticed 8 or so humming birds fluttering around the feeder.

Weather Proofing

2009-09-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

Three years ago my first photography instructor and friend David Hessell (www.hessell.net) shared a great tip with our class regarding keeping equipment dry during rain, snow, or other wet forms of weather. He suggested using bandanas, among other items such as shower caps to help keep cameras try and protected. Not a huge fan of shower caps though oddly enough I cleaned out of one my camera bags the other day only to find 2 or 3 of them in it!

I have a dozen different bandanas that I carry around with me to use when I think about it. Nothing beats a 99cent weather proofing job.

Truth by told that a lot of times I just let the camera get wet, let it get soaked. I dont know how many times I have used both of my cameras, the 30D and Rebel XT in rain, snow, dense fog and not taken the time to try to keep them dry. One good example is a prom shoot that Brandi and I did in April or was it May? It started pouring, the couple had an umbrella ready and Brandi and I shot as they walked down the trail in the rain. Every thing was soaked, cameras, clothes, shoes, looked as if we had just gone swimming, yet everything worked!

Camera companies want you spend extra on their biggest and best cameras and lenses for weather proofing when most if not everything is built pretty solid and can with stand some exposure to the elements. I wouldnt hold the camera under the water faucet or anything like that, but a little rain never hurt any one.

Here kitty kitty kitty

2009-09-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

These photos are several years old from when Brandi and I visited a zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I really enjoy cats, small cats, medium cats, large cats, cats that could kill me in a few seconds.

Thought I did pretty good shooting through thick glass, hell, back then I didnt have half an idea of what I was doing. Such as the fact that back then I shot RAW but converted to JPG without saving the original CR2 file, wish I still had them now to redit them and save the highlights.

Thanks for viewing, click on the photos to see slightly larger versions or to visit my FlickR page.

Just driving around.

2009-09-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

I have always enjoyed just driving around trying to find interesting things to take photographs of and see where a particular road may take me. Two weeks ago I drove around a few roads that I am really familiar with in Caldwell/Avery/Watauga county and had a blast.

A few highlights.

For some reason I have always enjoyed shooting my equipment.

Two Years Later

2009-08-31T18:13:00.001-07:00

Two years ago on August 31st, 2007 the last train rolled through Lenoir, NC. The section of the railroad that runs north of Whitnel, through Lenoir to its end point in Valmead were closed in part of a deal to lure Google.com to build a large facility in Lenoir, NC.

Scene two years ago.

Same scene today, grass has covered the tracks and the factories on the west side of the tracks have fallen down, one to a fire the other torn down.

Trains

2009-08-29T21:42:00.001-07:00

I had a chance for the first time in several weeks to go out and photograph my favorite railroad, the Caldwell County Railroad. To me, photographing trains is kind of relaxing, usually giving me a chance to enjoy a nice drive while listening to music with the occasional stop to watch or photograph a train going by. In a way its much like any other hobby out there, though most people find it unusual since it revolves around trains and not killing animals or watching athletic men (or women). Ever stop and think how morbid it is to stalk a deer and finally kill it? If somebody does that to a human its a felony. What about watching men stand around for half an hour deciding the perfect way to hit a small ball? What about collecting stamps? Where is the climax in that, you get the perfect stamp, put it in your book, then look at it! Thats more unusual to me than watching something with a couple thousand horse power (maybe 10,000-20,000 horsepower on a class 1 railroad) roll by.

A little shook up

2009-08-20T16:27:00.000-07:00

We had a series of thunderstorms last night and I made an attempt at getting some photos of lightning. Here was my best result. Looks like it may storm again tonight!

Myrtle Beach

2009-08-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

Brandi and I went to Myrtle Beach a few hours after finishing school. The trip started out very promising and we were looking forward to doing quite a few things while in the area. Unfortunately I started feeling sick the night we got there, Brandi started feeling sick a day later. After a few days of feeling miserable I went to a doctor to find out that I had the flu. I also visited a doctor again when I got home only to find out that I also had pneumonia.

I ventured out alone on the last morning at sunrise as I was unable to sleep. Brandi and I were suppose to do a portrait session with our friend Katie and her boyfriend Timmy while we were at the beach but had to cancel that because of our "illness".

I did it!

2009-07-30T06:58:00.001-07:00

Thats it, unless I die before tomorrow I will have finally graduated with my degree in Photographic Technologies.

Divine Proportion

2009-07-11T21:48:00.001-07:00

I was walking one of our 8 dogs today when I noticed this little grass or thingie or what ever its called growing from a cucumber plant in our backyard. I had to go get my cameras and try to get a few shots of it once I saw it.

This next week is going to be crazy. Shoot this sunday, the 12th, possible shoot on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and another for sure shoot next Sunday. Only 3 weeks left of school for good, only one week left of the most stressful part though. Well then again I do have another speach to make.

Oh Deer

2009-07-03T23:21:00.001-07:00

Thursday, Brandi and I decided to do a "day" trip to Cades Cove. She took her poodle, Vinny, with us which kind of slowed us down a little bit, usually it takes 3 - 31/2 hours to get there, this time it took about 4 or so. Vinny did a great job though and I must admit I actually enjoyed the company of a dog. I also misjudged when Sunrise would be so we got there about an hour after sunrise, and with it being the middle of summer, the light is already getting bad my 730 or 8am. We left a little after 330 and got there about 730 or so. I also had not slept at all before leaving and only slept a few minutes during the course of the day. I joked with Brandi and my family, telling them that I slept for 5 minutes when we stopped in Cades Cove, 5 minutes near Gatlinburg, and another 2 minutes randomly while driving, I finally got to bed after 40 hours of almost no sleep, it was great..

All kidding aside I Got a few decent shots, I only took 120 images, compared to some trips where I have easily taken 1,000 or more. I had one deer in particular that modeled for me for a while until another car drove by. We also saw several Bears but never had a chance to photograph any of them for various reasons (please buy me a 500mm f/4), the biggest reason being that people do not use the pull offs/parking sides that are EVERY WHERE in Cades Cove, and by the time you get to where the action is either a Park Ranger is making everyone leave, or the bear has gone.

Im only rambling now.

Portraits.

2009-07-01T15:10:00.001-07:00

I just figured that I would post some of the portraits I have taken over the past couple of years. More can be seen at www.CherishTheMomentPhotography.net The business that I have with Brandi.

Myrtle Beach

2009-06-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

I went to Myrtle Beach earlier this week. MB is kind of an interesting place, I always get up at 530 am to set up and photograph the sunrise but by 7 or 730 at the latest the light is already getting pretty bad and I usually find myself swimming or going back to bed by then. The rest of the day the camera usually sits in my bag or in the motel room. I guess mostly because MB really isnt that great of a place to take photos unless you want to photograph 15 year old kids shopping.

A little relief from the heat.

2009-06-18T09:32:00.001-07:00

As each day is hotter than the next and this weekend we may reach or even go over 100 degrees I figured now would be a great time to post a few snow images from this winter. I photographed these in Cades Cove on February 22nd. The day we visited was one day after our two year anniversary!

South Mountain State Park

2009-06-08T12:33:00.001-07:00

Over this weekend I went camping at South Mountains State Park, located in Burke County, NC. I met up with one of my former teachers, David Hessell as well as a few other that have taken his class over the past several years. We did quite a bit of hiking during this trip, David also "modeled" for us by riding his mountain bike and giving us a little preview and some tips on travel photography. David often works for various companies, including bicycle tours where he must photograph the riders in a fast paced environment. This gave me some more practice with panning which was awesome!

Cades Cove

2009-06-03T22:53:00.001-07:00

It has been about six months since my last camping trip to Cades Cove. Brandi and I usually go camping there several times a year though we have been so busy lately that we never have the time. We did go to Pigeon Forge a few times late in the winter but it doesn't quite compare to the camping experience, its a lot harder getting up, checking out of the motel and driving half an hour to photograph the sunrise when you stay in Pigeon Forge. Not too hard waking up and driving 20 seconds to get line when you are camping.

CWCY 1747

2009-05-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

A brief history about an interesting locomotive. Truth be told, I probably have a few facts wrong in here.

I have posted hundreds of photographs on the internet of Caldwell County Railroad (cwcy) locomotive # 1811, and more recently, a handful of videos. They seem to get quite a few views mainly because CWCY 1811 and 1747 are two of the few remaining locomotives still in the "family lines" paint scheme from the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. I always feel a little saddened by the fact that I am always photography 1811, the Caldwell County Railroad does infact own two of these interesting locomotives, but they mainly use 1811. It didnt use to be like that though, in fact, up until about a week or two before I started documenting the Caldwell County Railroad, CWCY 1747 was their main locomotive and there was a lot of speculation on the internet about whether or not 1811 was even operational or not. One day in the spring of 2006, the 1747 caught on fire while heading towards Lenoir. After the fire was put out the railroad brought 1811 up from Hickory to retrieve the stranded train and finish their switching duties for the day. My friend Ben Earp has a handful of photos on RRPictureArchives.net from that day.

After that the railroad started using 1811 everyday, do not know, maybe the 1747 needed to be repaired or inspected before being operated again. But that fire happened about a week or so before I started photographing the line. In the three years since that event, 1747 has gained a little more character as well. One evening in 2007 (or was it 2008?) the locomotive was vandalized, some one stole the horn, number board, and if I am not mistaken, a few other parts of the locomotive. The horn has obviously been replaced since that incident, and I am told that the locomotive is still inspected and is in fact operational and could be used if needed, but now the thought to be extinct 1811 handles most of the work for the Caldwell County Railroad. Maybe one day in the future I will get a chance to photograph the 1747 while she is actually fired up and leading a train.

Yadkin Valley Railroad

2009-05-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, May the 20th I travelled to Rural Hall, NC to photograph the Yadkin Valley Railroad. I had contacted another railroad about taking some photos and documenting the physical work involved of working for a railroad. That railroad is owned by Gulf & Ohio who also owns the YVRR. They contacted me and asked if I would instead be interested in photographing the YVRR, of course I was interested! The folks at the YVRR were very friendly and helpful in helping me obtain photographs that would not normally be possible to do with out knowing your way around the area, or with our trespassing.