Nature Photo Workshop at Chimney Rock, NC

Posted by admin in Photography on April 17, 2012

Professional photographer and instructor Les Saucier is conducting a two-day Shutterbug Nature Photography Workshop May 12-13, 2012, at Chimney Rock State Park for those who want to improve their photography skills.


Tuition is $160 for non-passholders and $135 for annual passholders. The fee includes classroom time, field time and critique. (The $160 non-passholder fee also includes an annual pass to Chimney Rock State Park.)

If you’re not familiar with Les Saucier be sure to visit his web site. You can also see (and purchase) some of his amazing photos at the Bluewood Photography gallery in Brevard, North Carolina.

Saucier has led nature photography workshops for more than 26 years. He also participates in juried photography shows. And his photos have been published in numerous books and magazines, including National Geographic.

To register online for the Shutterbug Nature Photography Workshop click here.

Blue Ridge Travel Guide Is At The Printer

Posted by admin in Meanderings, Photography on April 5, 2012

Thanks to some very talented photographers and the hard work of a few researchers and proofreaders the first annual Blue Ridge Travel Guide book is being printed…

It should be finished in a few weeks, and then we’ll begin delivering it. You’ll find copies in thousands of guest rooms of local bed & breakfasts, hotels, lodges, resorts, mountain cabins, and vacation homes. In addition, the new book will be in over 1,000 professional offices, salons, spas, coffee shops and other public places in and around Asheville, from Black Mountain to Maggie Valley, and from Brevard to Weaverville.

Now it’s time to get back to exploring, taking pictures and writing reviews… the fun part!

May I Have the Envelope Please…

Posted by admin in Photography on March 2, 2012

And the Winners Are…
We had some amazing entries in our photo contest, submitted by some very talented people. (Thank you.) When we started the discussion today about deciding which ones should win, we quickly realized we were facing a dilemma. Any of at least two dozen of the entries could be a winner. We had to eliminate all but four. It was a tough choice, but in the end we chose…

First Place: Dave Allen for his Jocassee Gold photograph…

Dave Allen made numerous trips last fall to capture the beautiful sunset in this photo overlooking Lake Jocassee and Gorges State Park. Allen is a nature and landscape photographer as well as a respected photography instructor. His portfolio includes landscapes of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Smoky Mountains National Park, waterfalls, wildlife, Blue Ridge Parkway photography, flora and fauna and other related outdoor and nature themes. You can find out more about him on his web site at DaveAllenPhotography.com.

Second Place: Rob Travis for his Moonrise Over Parkway…

Rob Travis is another exceptional artist. He exhibits his photography at the Glass Feather Studio Gallery in Cedar Mountain where he has has worked as a glass artist for over ten years. Travis also offers photography classes at the Glass Feather. For more information check out his web site at RobTravis.com.

Two Third Places: Jim Ruff’s Apple Barn and Kenneth Voltz’s Elk With Turkeys…

Jim Ruff is a retired engineer and an award-winning nature and landscape photographer. He has a beautiful gallery of photos on his JimRuff.com web site, and it’s well worth visiting.

After retiring, Ken Voltz took a nine month tour of the United States. That’s when his interest in photographing nature blossomed into a passion. Voltz has a beautiful group of galleries on his web site, so be sure to look it over. He’s also a member of both the Land of Waterfalls Camera Club and the Camera Club of Hendersonville.

Congratulations!
Very nice work, guys. Thank you for entering our photo contest. And to all of the other great photographers who submitted beautiful photos and could have won, or should have won, thank you for entering, too. I hope to make this an annual event, so there’s still a chance you’ll win next year.

Photography Contest Still Open, Ends Feb. 29th

Posted by admin in Best Drives, Photography on February 5, 2012

We’ve had some beautiful pictures submitted for the Blue Ridge Travel Guide photography contest.  The example below is by Dave Allen in Hendersonville, North Carolina…

Dave entitled his photo ”The Great Blue Yonder” and described it as ”a stunning sunset from the Blue Ridge Parkway on a gorgeous summer evening.” (We agree with his description!) It was taken at the Cowee Mountain Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. You can see more of Dave’s work at DaveAllenPhotography.com.

The Cowee Mountain overlook is near milepost 430 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Its 5,960-ft.-high elevation exposes numerous mountains in the distance.

To participate in our photo contest, please review our contest rules here.

Brevard White Squirrel Moved to Hendersonville

Posted by admin in Photography on January 10, 2012

We have a new friend living with us up here on the hill. He’s pretty unusual looking to those who are new to the area and aren’t accustomed to seeing white squirrels…

According to legends around here, two white squirrels first came to Brevard, NC, about 60 years ago when they escaped from a circus. Since then these little guys have become so loved that the Brevard City Council established a sanctuary for them, making it ”unlawful for any person to hunt, kill, trap, or otherwise take any protected squirrels within the city.”

Brevard even holds an annual music festival for them. The White Squirrel Festival follows the Memorial Day Parade and includes a Squirrel Box Derby, guided tours, exhibits, photo contests, food courts and street vendors. You can read more about this unique event on the Brevard-Transylvania tourism web site here.

We haven’t decided to create a new holiday for them, but I did buy a new “tree ornament” for my sweetheart this Christmas so we can feed them. I nicknamed him Big Mouth…

The only problem is that these guys are so fast I haven’t caught them emptying the peanuts each day. But I will, eventually.

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New Launch: Blue Ridge Travel Guide Book

Posted by admin in Accommodations, Photography on November 18, 2011

We’ve been working on a new coffee-table-style book, Blue Ridge Travel Guide, to help visitors and residents find the info they need — what to do, where to eat, and what to see. Here’s a rough mock-up of the cover…

It will be an 8.5″x11″ hard-bound book, with lots of full-color photographs inside, printed on thick, glossy paper. The retail price will be $14.95 but I’m giving free copies to local bed & breakfasts, lodges, inns, and resorts to put in their guest rooms and lobbies. Dozens of inns have already taken advantage of the offer, so it looks like this will be a hit. Inns where you’ll find the book will be listed in our Pages under Bed & Breakfasts, Cabins, Hotels, and Inns/Lodges.

My friends, Tom and Hazel Jones, have been producing a similar annual book for almost a decade entitled Wilmington Today. I’ve admired their work and started talking with them last year about our new Blue Ridge Travel Guide. They’ve been very helpful.

To give local inn owners an idea of the printing quality of our new Blue Ridge Travel Guide, I’ve shown them copies of Wilmington Today. It’s been fun to watch their reaction. Without exception they’ve been surprisingly positive.

There’s a lot to do before it comes off the press. Hopefully my blog won’t slip too much…

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