State park and biosphere reserve in North Carolina
Situated in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Grandfather Mountain
is designated as a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve. Every year it hosts the
Nature Photography Weekend,
in which participants can photograph some of America's most beautiful scenery, take part in an informal photo
contest and learn from experts giving talks on various aspects of photography.
Linville Peak Panorama
I've been a guest speaker three times at the Nature Photography Weekend (2002, 2004 and 2006), and have been co-judge of the photography contest since 2002.
If you'd like to attend next year you can get
sign-up information here.
Tickets go on sale on April 1 (no fooling) and usually sell quickly.
Of course, all the guest speakers at the Nature Photography Weekend take advantage of the opportunity to get some photographs
in this spectacularly beautiful part of the country. Below are some of the photographs I've taken on or near Grandfather Mountain. Click on any of the thumbnail images below to see a larger version.
You'll find the categories somewhat arbitrary and perhaps even capricious in some cases – but who's to say if an insect-and-flower shot belongs in
"Critters" or "Flowers" or if a certain landscape should go in "Vistas" or "Skies"? That's all part of the fun. (And for more
fun galleries from GFM, as it's affectionately known, see Grandfather Mountain section of my general galleries page.)
Many of the photos shown below are available in several alternate versions — horizontal and vertical compositions, for example.
If you're looking for a certain kind of image and don't find quite what you're looking for, please
contact me.