BLOG POST: July 7, 2023

My Top 5 Favorite Images & The Stories Behind Them

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hen I’m asked to pick a favorite image of mine, it’s always tough. Sometimes, the quality of the image may not be the greatest, but for me, it’s always the stories behind each image.

Each image I share has a special story of the capturing of that image. Often times, that’s more important to me than the actual image itself. It’s about being outside, getting away from the hustle and bustle and just enjoying all that’s offered.

‘Hug Me’

‘Hug Me’ is an image that will always stand out for me. For starters, I’ve never before and never since seen a jumping spider get this kind of pose. They are always calm and inquisitive, but for this spider, I think it saw its reflection in the lens. It reared up, trying to fend off an intruder or something.

However, that’s not the best part of this story for me. You see, this shot happened during COVID. There wasn’t much to do, and I’d recently gotten into macro photography after months of watching YouTube videos on the subject. I’ve always been terrified of spiders, but macro changed that for me. So, during lockdown, I happened to capture a couple small spiders off our back fence, and I kept them as pets for a while. It was amazing to watch them, and I always had a macro subject. My wife – though – was not so keen on the idea. Especially when I jokingly told her one day that if she saw a spider in the house, it’ll be fine. I joked that one of mine had escaped. Well, I never thought that one would actually show up – dangling from a small web from the living room ceiling fan – the very next day!

The only thing that happened to save me was my reaction when I finally saw what it was. It was my first Canopy Jumping Spider, and I’ve never seen one since.

Bandit’s Intense Flight

This is again one of those moments I’ll never forget. I’d been spending some time at Douglas Dam photographing Eagles whenever I got a chance. Nothing had ever worked out for me there, but I kept going back to try again. The light was always just so good in the right conditions. On a cold, late February evening, I decided to go back up. Elizabeth was with me, but with the cold temps, she elected to stay in the truck for a while. I was feeling bad, making her wait in the truck, so I almost left.

Something inside me said, “Stay 15 more minutes.” All the other photographers were further down the river, and I was sitting on a rock by myself. My hands were aching, but I couldn’t just leave with her sitting in a tree directly across the river from me. Right as time started to expire, it happened – the most incredible moment I’ve ever had while shooting wildlife. Bandit flew from the tree across the river, heading directly at me. She flew right over me, circling behind me, and then going directly in front of me. Not once did she dive to the river. Instead, after her two passes, she flew right back to the same spot on the tree and landed. I heard the other photographers yelling down the river at me, asking if I’d gotten it. After I saw this shot, I knew it was time to pack things up for the day. I wasn’t getting anything better.

Blue Layers Pano

This morning back in November 2020, I almost didn’t go out. There was a chance of rain all day long, and it just looked like it was going to be a rough day. Work was stressing me out, and it just wasn’t a good time. However, when the alarm went off, I just kept getting this urge that I needed to go. So, as I typically do, I listened, and honestly, it’s a day in the Smokies that I think will never be repeated. I left the house an hour and a half before sunrise, and I could already tell then that colors were starting to form. That typically doesn’t happen until around 30 minutes before. I didn’t stop for a biscuit, a drink or anything. I had one goal in mind – making it up that mountain.

By the time I got to Foothills Parkway, things were in full swing. The different looks this day gave were just crazy! The fog. The mountains. The layers. The mountains looked like they were moving with the fog. It just seemed to change every 15 seconds to something different. The colors went from pink, to purple, to red, to yellow and gold. There were a few other photographers there, as well, and we just couldn’t stop the, “Ooohs,” and “Ahhs,” every time it seemed to change. A day to remember for sure!

White Christmas Sleep

One thing I’d always wanted to photograph was an Eastern Screech Owl in snow. In early December 2020, I got that chance. The lighting was horrible. It was in a deep, wooded area, and while it technically fulfilled the bucket list item, I wasn’t happy with it. Later that month, we had a surprise White Christmas. I spent the day enjoying time with family, but the day after, I knew what I’d be doing if there were any snow left around. I’d found this little Screech Owl, and I was hoping it might give me a chance for a photo. I made the trek to where it was, fighting slick roads, ice and snow. Once I got there, I traipsed through three-plus inches of snow in 16-degree weather, only to find that the little owl was not sitting in its normal spot that I’d usually find it.

I sat my tripod and things up, and played the waiting game. I was beginning to get discouraged about an hour and a half later when I hadn’t seen the owl. The sun had begun to peak through the clouds, and large chunks of snow was falling from the tree. I knew that once that little patch of snow on top of the hole was gone, the shot would not be the same. As the sun creeped up the tree, I finally saw little “ears” poking up. Once the sun fully illuminated the hole, boom! It was like it was waiting on a spotlight for its time on stage. It nestled in, and just kept right on napping. I was the only person there, and I just sat there in amazement of the scene in front of me.

Cumberland Falls Milky Way

This one took some work – and a whole lot of patience! After looking at some of the apps for planning, I noticed that Cumberland Falls in Kentucky lines up pretty good with the Milky Way late into the night. The core would be almost straight up and down over the falls, but then I remembered, there’s a huge light that shines toward the falls most nights from the gift shop area. That’s obviously no good for night photography. However, after some planning with a friend, we decided to try it in a different approach.

I’m always upfront. This is totally a composite of two images. They were taken the same night at the same location, but hours apart. I sat my tripod up 30 minutes before sunset, lining the shot up in how I thought it might go. Just after sunset, I took a photo of the falls in blue hour, making sure the exposure was on the dark side. Then, the waiting game started. It was another 3.5-4 hours before Milky Way would line up properly with the falls. I couldn’t shoot anything else, as I wanted the alignment to remain the same. So, we sat there in the dark. After a couple of hours, the slightest noises kind of start to play tricks with your head. Then, clouds rolled in, and I thought everything was going to be a waste of an entire night. Right as things lined up, the clouds cleared, giving us this opportunity. Putting them together allowed for me to remove that harsh street light, and honestly, it’s been one of my favorite Milky Way shots I’ve ever captured.

Now, I guess there’s only one thing to do! Head out and try to capture a moment that can top these!