Landscape Photography Tip for Free Spirits -- Go Somewhere You Never Thought of Before

People visiting the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee tend to head straight for Cades Cove. Sure is a beautiful place with grand majestic scenery, and so deemed a popular must-see according to the locals as well as many internet travel websites.

That said, I prefer going off the beaten track to areas about as far away from the main highways and byways as you can get. Reason being?

Well, at Cades Cove, if you’re “lucky,” you might catch sight of a black dot that’s really a bear a mile away across the field. Just about then all the cars stop to experience the excitement. Doors open. Little kids come piling out. Big kids (otherwise known as adults) come piling out. There are cameras and binoculars galore. There is much rejoicing. You’re happy to see everybody else happy. And there’s absolutely no way you can continue your driving tour around the Cove until the first car in this parade finally decides to try and spot another black dot farther down the road.

Note: I haven’t quite yet made up my mind as to whether it would be a good thing or a bad thing to meet up with a bear at closer-than-black-dot range. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

But anyways. If you stick to Cades Cove, you won’t see the cattle stampede that surprised the heck out of me one sizzling June day in wonderfully quiet Walland, TN.

This was a completely lucky shot, which means, the quality was also pot luck. While I was calmly shooting barn scenes, all at once I heard the ground to my right start thundering. I swung my camera around, blinded by the noonday sun, and took my best guesses at shooting. As for the focus, keep in mind that these are cattle in motion running down a hill and kicking up clouds of dust.

That’s why I prefer the small back roads of Blount County, Tennessee.

Summer stretches out the challenge of an open, untraveled road to adventure. Please note that I added the effect of storm clouds in Photoshop. Originally, it was a hazily gorgeous blue-sky day with no clouds in sight.

No matter where you live, there are bound to be possible places of inspiration and interest with something to offer for everyone. The ideas I’m listing below come largely based on my photo expeditions in and around Northeast Ohio, and any links I offer will reflect as much. That said, I’ll bet you can find similar opportunities for whatever area you live in. If not, you’re more than welcome to visit Ohio – it’s really a pretty cool place.

• Arboretum http://www.holdenarb.org/home/HoldenCrossbills.asp


• Beach


• Bird Walk


• Botanical Gardens http://www.cbgarden.org/


• Horseback Riding http://www.heartlandcountryresort.com/thestables.html


• Group Hiking Event


• Local Farm Open to the Public http://www.mapleside.com/


• Historical Reenactment Activity http://www.wrhs.org/index.php/hale


• Local Park


• Railroad Station


• Out for a Drive in the Country


• Your Own Backyard


• The Zoo http://www.clemetzoo.com/

Now then. If curiosity gets the better of you or you simply just feel like it, go right on ahead to Cades Cove, Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, or whatever other tourist spot strikes your fancy. As a free spirit, you’re entitled!

Question for Readers: Do you have a favorite spot off the beaten path, a road less traveled, that you’d like to share? Feel free to leave a comment.