Reflections from the Journey

After getting back to my camp at Roan Mt. State Park in TN, cooked myself a VERY tasty omelette and tried to decide on where to shoot next.  The combination of my early rising, hiking with a 30-ish pound pack, and full belly, however, made me quite sleepy so I opted to take a nap before making any decisions.  Yep, that’s just what I needed, a nice relaxing nap.

Ever try taking a nap in a campground in the middle of the day?

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Day 2 of my trip to Roan Mt.  came really early.  4:00am is not the time that I generally enjoy getting up in the morning, but the sun (& the other CNPA members) weren’t going to wait.   Wisely, I had laid out all my clothes and gear the night before, so I was out of my tent and ready to roll within minutes.

It’s a good thing I had those extra minutes, because I spotted a few deer as I was leaving the campground & slowed down a bit for safety’s sake.  Let me just say that driving in the dark at 4 in the morning on a strange winding road is difficult enough without the prospect of  deer in the road adding to it.  Anyway, I got to Carver’s Gap met up with my fellow nature photographers and headed up the Appalachian Trail toward Round Bald.

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Friday, the first full day of my trip was pretty much open since I wasn’t meeting the other folks from CNPA until Saturday morning.  There were so many trails to check out that I didn’t know where to start!   I decided to check out a trail that I thought I had read about earlier in the week:  The Cloudland Trail.  I quikly consulted a trail guide provided by the State Park and headed down to the Visitor’s Center to find the trailhead.  As I approached the trailhead which is behind the Visitor’s Center I saw a sign that read something like “Cloudland Nature Trail a service project of the Cloudland Nature Club.”  That and the relatively short length of the trail was beginning to make me suspect I has made a mistake.

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This last weekend I finally took a trip to a place in the mountains that I have been wanting to photograph for a few years.  I’d seen photos from friends and other photographers of the Roan Mt. area and they always made my mouth water, but for some reason or other I never made it up there.   An outing with the Charlotte chapter of the Carolina Nature Photographers Association (CNPA) gave me just the “excuse” I needed.

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Not so long ago I thought I knew it all.  In fact one of my favorite sayings was, “Those of you who think you know everything are annoying those of us who do.”  I also thought I was the greatest nature photographer since William Neil.  I may not have been published as much or sold as many prints as “those other photographers”, but I certainly took better photos.  “Once I catch a break,” I thought, “I’ll be rich and famous.  Everyone will know who I am.”

Do you know what God does to the proud?

DING! DING!  That’s right!  God humbles the proud.

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A picture may tell a 1,000 words but it still never tells the whole story.  I’m going to take you on a journey back through the lens and out the viewfinder to tell you the story of the making of the image.

This is the 1st of what I plan on being a weekly feature on the blog.   We’ll start with one of my favorites and my 1st “real” digital photograph:

Crabtree Falls

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What you are about to read is probably the hardest thing for me to write in the past 20 or so years.  I have been putting it off for some time now, not because I’m expecting it to be a literary masterpiece, but because I’m laying my dream out there for the whole world to see.  What you will read (unless you click on out of here) is something that has been brewing in my mind, my heart, my very soul for a while.  I’m finding it difficult to find the words to put with these visions rolling about in my brain.  I’m also a bit trepid about making my dreams public since doing so makes it “real” and leaves me feeling a bit exposed.   I’ve been holding back from sharing my dream, but every time I pray about it God reminds me that I need to take this next step before any others can be taken.

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In the “About” section of the main site I talk a little bit about wanting to give away my photography freely.  I want you to know that I really mean what I wrote.  In fact, after much thought I’ve decided to start giving away up to ten 8″x10″-ish prints a month.  Yep, you read that right, I’m giving away free prints every month.

Now, you are probably wondering, “What’s the catch?”  Well, here it is:  In order to get the gift of a print of one of my images you need to write something.   I want you to write me something about YOURSELF.  Now exactly what that “something” is up to you.  It could be your dreams, your fears, a childhood memory, or just about anything as long as it is about you.  Send me an email (you can finduse the Contact button above).  At the end of each month I’ll pick 10 people to send an image of their choice printed a high quality cotton rag paper.  Simple as that.

Created & Creative by God’s Design,

Rich Nicoloff

Don’t forget to check out my photography: From the Journey Photography

As a photographer I have quite a few acquaintances and friends who are also photographers, either as professionals or hobbyists.   One in particular, though, stands out from all the rest.  One in particular pushes me and inspires me in my craft more than any other.  You see this friend and fellow photog is blind.  Yes, you read that right.  He is legally blind.

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I used to think that a blank piece of paper was the most frightening yet intriguing object in the known universe.  That piece of paper has now been supplanted by the “Add New Post” screen of WordPress.   I sit here with a laptop on, well, my lap a bit overwhelmed by all the possibilities that a blog creates and, also, excited about started out on a new leg of my Journey.

You see, I have all sorts of ideas lurking in the forest of my mind at any given moment but stalking one of  those wild beasts can be quite an adventure.  If I’m quiet I can sneak up on one and observe it for a while, but ,unfortunately, the process of firing up the computer often scares the idea away.   I like adventure, though, so I resolve to set out into the untamed wilderness in my head to study these fascinating idea creatures much more often.   Lace up your hiking boots and grab a jacket (it rains a lot) and join me for an expedition into the wild!  Come join me for a little while on my Journey, I’d love the company.

Created & Creative by God’s Design,

Rich Nicoloff

Don’t forget to check out my photography: From the Journey Photography