Yesterday, I was able to set up an exhibition at Appalachian State University displaying some images from my wedding portfolio.  I must say, there is a nice sense of accomplishment when you see your work hanging somewhere.  I am really excited about the exhibition and I hope that because of it, my work will be introduced to many new people.

This past weekend contained a series of events that I will surely remember for a long time to come.  One of my best friends and roommate, Jason, and I went on a little adventure deep in the heart of Pisgah National Forest.  There are several free camping areas in the Forest and we decided that this weekend, due to the exquisite weather, would be a great weekend to take advantage of these areas.  I received some information from a good friend Lynn Willis as to the whereabouts of these camping areas.

After driving, for what seemed like hours, down a treacherous and windy we finally arrived at a location that suited our camping needs.  We unloaded the car and immediately set up our ENO hammocks.  Now I have camped many times but usually it has been in a tent.  This was my first hammock camping experience and I was already a little nervous about it because I had no cell service, no weapon and bears and mountain lions have been spotted around in the area.

Yes, lets hang from a parachute 3 feet off the ground so that the animals will have great access to my flesh….

After hanging our hammocks, or death beds rather, we attempted to find some fire wood, with the key word begin attempted.  After over an hour of searching and chopping, we were only able to get a small amount of hardwood to keep a fire going.  We decided this feeble amount would be enough to cook with and proceeded to create our stove for the evening.

The fire lasted just long enough to cook our corn on the cob and potatoes.  They were nothing but delicious, if you overlooked the burn kernels and nearly raw pieces of potato.  We then sat around the fire until there was no more wood to keep the “blaze” going.  It was then off to the hammock-o-death.

Three feet off the ground is simply not high enough.  I didn’t verbally say anything about it, but I was extremely nervous.  It wasn’t the “first day of class” nervous but rather the “flesh is going to be ripped from my body” nervous.  After 30 minutes of adjusting straps and hooking bags to trees, we settled in for the night.  Jason is a member of the United States Army and this stuff is normal for him.  I, on the other hand, not so much.  Jason fell sound asleep soon after settling in but I on the other hand, stayed wide away, listening to all the sounds of the isolated forest.  Owls, rabbits and deer were all easily heard.  I was just waiting to hear the bears.

I feel asleep after some time of hearing odd sounds I haven’t heard in so long but I certainly didn’t sleep well.  With every snap of a twig and screech of an owl, my eyes popped open wide with my heart racing faster than the winner of the Kentucky Derby.  Over and over in my head, I imagined a ferocious mountain lion gazing at me from a distance, thinking to itself what limb it should devour first.

Maybe it was the exhaustion that made me finally fall asleep or maybe it was my body shutting down from the overload of fear.  Either way, I slept until morning.

I didn’t get eaten.  I didn’t get mauled.  It was a good trip.

I suppose the moral to all this, if there is one, is that sometimes you have to do things your not comfortable with in order to grow.

Pictures from the trip will come soon.

I don’t always carry my 5D with me due to the bulk and inconvenience but I do always have my Droid on me and as Chase Jarvis would say, “The best camera is the one you have with you.”

I have been super bogged down with projects galore and I thought I would give everyone a sneak peak at one of those projects.  Here are a few images from a series I am working on currently for an exhibition later this year.  This was a very fun shoot to put on.  Both models are very lively, cheerful ladies and working with them was a honor.  There will be several more of this images coming soon.  Stay tuned.

This image was isn’t actually part of the series but I thought I would include it for good measure.

Landis Woffordl captured this beautiful image from Grandfather Mountain this morning.  On the horizon, you can see the Charlotte skyline. Charlotte is over 100 miles away so, for this shot to be taken, there has to be near perfect weather conditions.  Great shot Landis.

For more information on Grandfather Mountain, visit there website.

www.grandfather.com