#310 Photograph Wild Spring Flowers and Waterfalls in The Great Smokey Mountain National Park Photo Safari April 21-26, 2025

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park stretches from Gatlinburg, Tennessee to Cherokee, North Carolina. Clear invigorating air, sparkling streams and virgin woodlands provide an unsurpassed landscape background complete with waterfalls, wildlife and wildflowers. Photograph the Roaring Fork Stream cascading past giant moss covered boulders. Stroll through and photograph Cades Cove, an historic village preserved from a bygone era. The Smoky Mountains are an unspoiled, beautiful area any time of year, but Appalachia becomes a special place when the spring wildflowers and the Dogwood bloom. This workshop is scheduled around Easter to accommodate people off from work and school. Easter occurs from late March to middle April. Spring wildflowers bloom at different times. If Easter is early, look for Hepatica, Spring Beauties, Blood Root, Rue Anemone, Squirrel Corn and Fringed Phaclilia. If Easter is later that year, you may expect to see several species of Trillium, Jack in the Pulpit, Columbine, Yellow Lady's Slipper, May Apple, or Wild Geranium and others. This is tripod shooting! We will cover close-up and macro techniques for photographing wild flowers extensively. Learn principles of composition embraced by all landscape photographers especially when photographing the numerous waterfalls and cascades right alongside the road so there may be little to no hiking involved. You will learn techniques such as custom white balancing, noise reduction, focus stacking, exposure stacking for HDR, the use of tilt/shift lenses for panorama stitching, Black & White digital infra-red photography, color space for printing and many more. Minimal hiking is involved. Bring your portfolio and a laptop computer. Tuition does not include meals, transportation or lodging. Non-shooting spouses are welcome to attend at no additional tuition cost.  Activities for spouses are available to fill their day such as: white-water rafting, horseback riding, trout fishing and shopping. This workshop is appropriate for photographers and painters who will come back home and paint from their photos. Advanced registration is required. We will have a Friday evening pre-trip student meet and greet to arrange carpooling and lodging. After we return, we will have a Friday evening image review, post production (editing) session all included for students attending this photo safari.