Journal
“Blogging is like work, but without coworkers thwarting you at every turn.”
Creating and maintaining a photography site—even a personal one—is surprisingly a lot of work. Things never seem to fit the page the way you want them to. You constantly find yourself rearranging text and images randomly until something "clicks," and you achieve that look you didn't know you wanted.
Smokey Mountains, NC
Mist and memory hang thick over the Smoky Mountains, where ridgelines fade like old film and light moves slower than anywhere else on the East Coast. The Blue Ridge Parkway winds through it all—miles of asphalt wrapped in forest, fog, and the kind of silence that hums. This photo series isn’t about grand overlooks; it’s about the in-between moments—early fog, late light, and the stubborn beauty of a place that refuses to stay still.
Smokey Mountains Mangalista River Ranch, Waynesville, North Carolina
Mist and memory hang thick over the Smoky Mountains, where ridgelines fade like old film and light moves slower than anywhere else on the East Coast. The Blue Ridge Parkway winds through it all—miles of asphalt wrapped in forest, fog, and the kind of silence that hums. This photo series isn’t about grand overlooks; it’s about the in-between moments—early fog, late light, and the stubborn beauty of a place that refuses to stay still.
Overland Expo East, 2025
Overland Expo East is the East Coast’s big weekend gathering for overland and adventure enthusiasts. It brings together gear vendors, tech demos, hands-on classes, and a community of campers and rig builders under the fall skies of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Whether you’re after inspiration, networking, or good stories in the dirt, East is where the overland world shows up.
Overland Expo East, 2025, Arrington, Virginia.
Overland Expo East is the East Coast’s big weekend gathering for overland and adventure enthusiasts. It brings together gear vendors, tech demos, hands-on classes, and a community of campers and rig builders under the fall skies of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Whether you’re after inspiration, networking, or good stories in the dirt, East is where the overland world shows up.
Pennsylvania RenFest, August 2025
Nothing screams “authentic medieval experience” like sipping overpriced mead while a guy in polyester chainmail yells about turkey legs. The Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival is equal parts time-travel fantasy and county fair chaos—actors hamming it up, blacksmiths pounding away for tips, and more corsets than an HBO casting call. It’s kitsch, sure, but it’s also vibrant, hilarious, and oddly photogenic. Perfect place to aim a lens and capture people who are somehow dead serious about pretending it’s 1585 in the middle of Lancaster County.
The Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival
Nothing screams “authentic medieval experience” like sipping overpriced mead while a guy in polyester chainmail yells about turkey legs. The Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival is equal parts time-travel fantasy and county fair chaos—actors hamming it up, blacksmiths pounding away for tips, and more corsets than an HBO casting call. It’s kitsch, sure, but it’s also vibrant, hilarious, and oddly photogenic. Perfect place to aim a lens and capture people who are somehow dead serious about pretending it’s 1585 in the middle of Lancaster County.
Longwood Gardens, August 2025
Longwood Gardens in August is a sensory overload—in the best way possible. The Flower Garden Walk is still bursting with color, summer borders are thick with coneflowers, dahlias, and zinnias, and the waterlily displays are at peak perfection. photogenic.
Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania
Longwood Gardens in August is a sensory overload—in the best way possible. The Flower Garden Walk is still bursting with color, summer borders are thick with coneflowers, dahlias, and zinnias, and the waterlily displays are at peak perfection. The Conservatory offers a cool, tropical escape, with orchids and ferns begging for macro shots. The meadow is alive with waving grasses and golds of black-eyed Susans, while the fountains throw dramatic arcs perfect for high-speed captures. Even after sunset, the place glows—literally—thanks to the illuminated fountain shows and garden lighting. August is warm, lush, and unapologetically photogenic.
Longwood Gardens, July 2025
Longwood Gardens, PA—a photographer's playground. Acres of sculpted landscapes, vibrant flower beds, and dramatic fountains offer endless framing options. Wander glasshouses full of tropical blooms or catch the evening fountains lit in technicolor. It's manicured nature at its visual best.
Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania
Longwood Gardens, PA—a photographer's playground. Acres of sculpted landscapes, vibrant flower beds, and dramatic fountains offer endless framing options. Wander glasshouses full of tropical blooms or catch the evening fountains lit in technicolor. It's manicured nature at its visual best.
Virginia and West Virginia, 2025
Seneca Rocks, Reva, Shenandoah NP—prime territory for photographers and campers craving authenticity. Rugged peaks, rolling farmland, and misty ridgelines begging for sunrise shots. Pitch camp at Big Bend, cruise Skyline Drive for overlooks, or stay in rustic cabins near Reva. If you're after landscapes with character—mountains, farmland, stormy skies—Virginia and West Virginia deliver the goods.
A valley in Virginia
Seneca Rocks, Reva, Shenandoah NP—prime territory for photographers and campers craving authenticity. Rugged peaks, rolling farmland, and misty ridgelines begging for sunrise shots. Pitch camp at Big Bend, cruise Skyline Drive for overlooks, or stay in rustic cabins near Reva. If you're after landscapes with character—mountains, farmland, stormy skies—Virginia and West Virginia deliver the goods.
Cape Lookout, NC, 2025
Cape Lookout, North Carolina—one of the better slices of sand on the Outer Banks where you won't drown in tourist kitsch. Remote, rugged, and accessible only by boat or ferry, this barrier island feels blissfully isolated, exactly as nature intended.
Cape Lookout lighthouse
Cape Lookout, North Carolina—one of the better slices of sand on the Outer Banks where you won't drown in tourist kitsch. Remote, rugged, and accessible only by boat or ferry, this barrier island feels blissfully isolated, exactly as nature intended.
Load up your truck (your trusty Tacoma will do fine) and snag a ferry from Harkers Island or Davis. No paved roads here—just miles of pristine beaches perfect for overlanding and beachfront camping. Keep an eye on the tides and the weather, though, as storms can roll in with an impressive fury.
Set up camp, drop a fishing line, or kick back and take in sunsets behind the iconic black-and-white diamond lighthouse. This isn't your crowded boardwalk beach—it's raw, it's wild, and it's beautiful. If your idea of relaxation includes sand between your toes, cold drinks, and endless horizons, Cape Lookout won't disappoint. Just don't forget the bug spray—nature bites back here.
Turkey Point, MD. May 2025
Turkey Point, Maryland, tucked neatly into the northeastern tip of Chesapeake Bay, is a photographer's quiet haven. Its iconic lighthouse—standing guard since 1833—offers sweeping vistas of the bay meeting the Elk and North East rivers, surrounded by woodlands, cliffs, and shoreline trails. Whether chasing moody sunrises, capturing migratory birds, or just documenting laid-back afternoons on the bay, Turkey Point has a relaxed charm that’s refreshingly under the radar. Here’s a peek into some visual moments captured around this understated corner of Maryland.
Turkey Point Lighthouse
Turkey Point, Maryland, tucked neatly into the northeastern tip of Chesapeake Bay, is a photographer's quiet haven. Its iconic lighthouse—standing guard since 1833—offers sweeping vistas of the bay meeting the Elk and North East rivers, surrounded by woodlands, cliffs, and shoreline trails. Whether chasing moody sunrises, capturing migratory birds, or just documenting laid-back afternoons on the bay, Turkey Point has a relaxed charm that’s refreshingly under the radar. Here’s a peek into some visual moments captured around this understated corner of Maryland.
Seneca Rocks, WV. Spring 2025.
Seneca Rocks rises defiantly from the forests of West Virginia—a jagged, quartzite fin stabbing the sky, mocking gravity and tempting adventurers. This iconic crag isn't just photogenic; it's unapologetically rugged, offering views worth every blister and scraped knuckle.
Seneca Rocks at sunset
Seneca Rocks rises defiantly from the forests of West Virginia—a jagged, quartzite fin stabbing the sky, mocking gravity and tempting adventurers. This iconic crag isn't just photogenic; it's unapologetically rugged, offering views worth every blister and scraped knuckle.
Nearby, Dolly Sods throws you straight into another world—windswept plains, bizarre rock formations, and flora that got confused and thought it was Canada. Just south, Spruce Knob, the state's highest point, delivers panoramic vistas that feel like cheating—they're accessible without much struggle.
This corner of Appalachia doesn’t do gentle; it does raw, wild, and refreshingly indifferent. Pack your gear, load up your lenses, and don't whine about muddy boots—nature out here doesn’t care about your Instagram feed.
Bald Eagle State Forest, PA, Fall 2024
After days of winding through the rugged backwoods, I found myself at Bald Eagle State Park in PA, where I traded the tent for a log cottage and a few more creature comforts. The park is a blend of thick forests, sprawling lakes, and enough trails to get lost in a few times over. Early mornings were marked by mist lifting off Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir, perfect for some moody shots that even the camera seemed to enjoy as much as I did.
Hyner View State Park at sunset
After days of winding through the rugged backwoods, I found myself at Bald Eagle State Park in PA, where I traded the tent for a log cottage and a few more creature comforts. The park is a blend of thick forests, sprawling lakes, and enough trails to get lost in a few times over. Early mornings were marked by mist lifting off Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir, perfect for some moody shots that even the camera seemed to enjoy as much as I did.
From there, I made my way up to Hyner View, a killer overlook worth every switchback and steep stretch. Watching the sun sink below the Pennsylvania hills from that high point was surreal, as was seeing a few paragliders daring the drop. Nothing but a big sky and rolling green hills below – the kind of view that reminds you why you bother lugging a camera everywhere.
So here it is, a mix of rustic cabins, misty lakes, and grand views from the state’s best perches. Still can’t believe these spots are just tucked away off the highways.
