I have a personal project that I do each April where I grab some free time and head out to the Smokies to do portraits of the hikers on the Appalachian Trail, heading from Georgia to Maine. Aroudn April they’re coming through the Smokies and these pictures are my gift to them. Any photographer worth their salt does personal projects because like any other artist or craftsman, we need to PRACTICE.

2100+ miles from Georgia to Maine - that is the Appalachian Trail and here are some of the faces hiking it now. Knowing that a friend would be passing through the Smokies on his way to Maine, I arranged to meet up with him and do a little trail magic. Instead of just the usual food and drink, I also did portraits of the hikers that stopped at Indian Gap in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Come see their faces and get to know their trail names in this post.

The local mountains have a beautiful and rugged spot for a marriage proposal - and when Justin saw a picture of it, he knew he wanted to bring Michelle up to Max Patch to ask her to marry him. A romantic start to Spring at the season’s first sunset!