16 Things I Learned on Vacation....

16 Things I Learned on Vacation...

1. Waiting to try to make it up Clingman's Dome to photograph the sunset until twenty minutes or so before is a bad idea....especially if you're out of shape.

2. Hiking in the heat of the day in 90+ degree weather plus ridiculous humidity, not a great idea...especially if you're out of shape.

3. I'm out of shape...but not as much as I was when I started vacation. :)

4. No matter how much you plan on catching up on some reading, you never get quite the amount done that you really wanted.

5. Having a cabin outside of cell phone coverage is a blessing...

6. 90+ degree weather and a hot tub....it still works.

7. Ratty A/C in the cabin, a bit annoying.

8. I am most assuredly not a morning person. As much as I planned on getting up at 6 am at the latest every morning to go out and shoot landscapes...it happened one day.

9. Sometimes no matter how much talent you have, or how you've perfected your craft, if you stay in your bubble, you're just going to be a blip on the radar of this thing called life.

10. I don't want to be a blip, I want to be an earthquake and shake things up a bit.

11. I have awesome friends that will come and hang out, even when they are bruised and burnt. :)

12. I wish I'd had more time to grill.

13. Elk love to eat dead leaves...

14. I'm not a fan of trying to take photos while my glasses keep fogging up due to humidity.

15. People don't like to email your assistant to get answers rather than continuing to ask you questions via Facebook when you tell them to email because you're out of town.

16. Sometimes you need to slow down and enjoy life and family a bit more.

How you see the world...what is and isn't there? TRD Photography

How you see the world?

The other evening I was driving back from an event in Middle Tennessee. I was looking around and along the way I saw a few images that stuck out to me that would have been pretty cool if composed right. Of course, I had taken the day as a chance to leave my camera behind just to have a breather. The thought made my mind wander though.

Have you ever seen photos that were just so beautiful that you wanted to go there to experience what the person taking the photo experienced? Back in 2013 when I road tripped to Portland, Oregon, and later back again, albeit a different route, I was excited to see the country and experience all these amazing things and places I've seen photographs of. My experience was rushed, but even so when in the moment, I was a little disappointed. Things didn't add up.

Fall Colors in the Smokies - TRD Photography

I've had several people talk to me about how some of my photos have made people want to experience places. They see a waterfall and want to sit next to it. See the coast and want to sit listening to the waves. It's interesting how a photo can illicit such emotion and just open up our visions of the entire scene. We can see it all in our minds eye. I'm no different. I see photographs and get jealous all the time that I wish I could experience these places. It's interesting for me though because having taken some photos, I've been on the other side of it.

At the Wreck of the Peter Iredale (the photo at the top) - I was surrounded by people, people walking in front of me, climbing on the ship, people walking along the water. There was no way I was going to get a clear shot. I knew the photo I wanted but I was seriously disappointed the day of because I didn't think I got it. It actually took about a year to get it cleaned up enough to where I felt comfortable posting it.

The Fall Colors photo (above) had a car parked beneath the trees. The waterfall photo below is one I've been asked about a good bit. People asking where it is because they want to see it in person. It's not a usual falls though. It was more the result of spring runoff, and dried up soon afterward.

Waterfall in the Smokies - TRD Photography

What I think it all boils down to is how do you see the world? Sometimes amidst all the clutter and garbage, there's beauty right in front of our face. Sometimes it beautiful places you can be so overwhelmed by everything there that it can all run together. You have to stop and breathe and learn to look for compositions. Look for the snapshots, whether it's in actual photography or taking mental images. Sometimes you see a grove of trees and as a whole it's just a lot of trees, but you compose it a certain way and boom, it becomes something else.

In photography, it's all about the eye. We are blessed to have people share the way that they view the world. As photographers too, we should count it as a blessing to sit back and enjoy each others work and see different ways of viewing the world around us. Not everyone sees the world the same way. It's amazing when you can see things from a different point of view, and realize what is and isn't there is all a matter of perspective.

If you feel like checking out some of my work available as prints - check out my gallery at www.etsy.com/shop/therickydavisgallery   - new photos being added all the time.

The Tongue River - Wyoming - TRD Photography

Back in 2013 I was driving back from Portland, Oregon to Tennessee with my family. We were trying to see as much as we could along the way. One day we drove through Yellowstone, which was an amazing experience but the photo opportunities were limited due to rain quite a bit. The next day I didn't expect quite so much but that's where I truly experienced the most beautiful country that I have gotten to see, at least in my opinion.

From my days as a kid, I've always been fascinated with Native American history. I found myself driving through places with names that I remembered from reading any book that I could get my hands on. We were driving over the Big Horn Mountain range and I was so blown away by the height, and just the energy of that place. It was like nothing I've ever experienced. We stopped on top of the mountain at the Tongue River. The only noise that you heard was the wind whipping all around you and the gurgling of the water. The whole time we were there no other cars came by. It was just you and this incredible energy. I took several photos, not many even get close to doing it justice.

I was thinking about the experience the other night, just remembering how it felt. I wanted to share one of my images from there with you guys. I hope you like it. Hopefully you've experienced a place like that in your life. I think we all need a place to get grounded, even if it's just a memory. Hope you guys have a great night! If you happen to like this image, prints are available - http://www.trdphotography.com/landscapeprints/tongueriverwyomingtrdphotography

Ricky