The weather on Sunday was absolutely gorgeous, so my friend Frank and I decided to take the drive up to the Pocket and visit Keown Falls. 

The sign at the beginning of trail gives you the option to go left or right on the loop trail. One way is shorter, but with a much higher grade. The other way is a little longer, but is a more gentle climb. Not knowing this, we went left..... the tougher hike. At least coming down was easier!

We've had some rainy weather recently, so we were treated to several spots of water dropping from the cliffs above. This wasn't the main waterfall, but it was still beautiful.

There were a ton of details on the trail that I enjoyed taking photos of. These were a couple.

We finally made it to the falls. It was nice to fill the coolness of the water and to take a nice rest while we took some photos.

On the way back to the car, we decided to stop one more time to take some photos of the creek that intersected the trail.

I had a chance to judge the weekly competition for the Rome Photo Club last week. I was judging the topic sunrise, but after choosing the winner, I got to pick the topic. I chose Light and Shadows. Why? Because, I love shots with high contrast. I enjoy light being part of the composition of the photos. Looking for light other than just the physical things in the photo gives you a new appreciation for the scene. I can't win this weeks contest, but I wanted to share some of my favorite photos that exhibit both light and shadows. Also, if you are interested in meeting other photographers in the Rome area, check out the club's public Facebook page.

This is my first photo of Rome's Clocktower, taken on July 4, 2000. Think this is the perfect time to share it since 2022 is the 150th anniversary of the Clocktower. Throughout the year I'm going to have contests for free Clocktower prints. Make sure you follow me on Facebook and Instagram for your chance to win. 

I had just started working at the Rome News-Tribune and the newsroom crew climbed up on the roof to watch the show.

​This is technically a bad photo. It's out of focus, the exposure is off and the composition doesn't meet my current standards, but it's still one of my favorite photos for several reasons.

1. I moved to Rome in 1996 when I started college at Berry and I think this is the first time that I really appreciated the beauty of our city.

2. This was also the first photo that anyone ever requested from me. I printed it out and I actually signed it! (For those who know me, I've never been comfortable signing my work)

3. It's the first time that I've had ever photographed fireworks or a building at night. Both of these take some technical skills that I didn't have at this time. Seeing this photo makes me realize how much I've grown as a photographer. 

This photo was taken when the fireworks were launched from the levee and since they've moved, I haven't been able to find a similar composition. I really wish I had the skills I have now when I took this photo.

I took a day off work last week and made the short drive to Cloudland Canyon with my friend Frank. It was the coldest day of the year as we began the hike to Cherokee Falls, but we were as the falls grew louder, we got more excited. 

The first thing I noticed as we rounded the corner was the bank of plants covered in ice from the mist of the falls. I knew I had to get it in the shot while having the waterfall in the shot as well.

I love texture, and the ice hanging from the cliffs are a great example what I look for. There was little color in this scene in the first place, but I decided to make it black and white.

As the sun started to peak through the trees, you can see a little of the mist which gave the overall scene an ethereal look. 

It was great spending time with Frank. If you have a chance, check out his site! 

2021 was a great year for me and I think it may have been my strongest photography yet! I'm looking forward to 2022 and sharing new photos. Here are some of my favorites from last year.

The historic Claremont House in downtown Rome, Georgia is a fantastic example of how the film industry in Rome, Georgia has helped local economies. This former bed and breakfast was transformed into a haunted looking house for Season 4 of the Netflix Show Stranger Things. It looks awesome and I'm very excited to see it on the show!

I've been wanting to take this photo for a long time, but for various reasons, I was never able to get it. The Rome Braves always put on a great show, and I'm looking forward to the upcoming season.

Even though I was running late to an appointment, I had to stop and take a photo of the moon setting behind the Porto Futurus in Rome, Georgia. This photo was definitely more difficult to take than I was expecting, but I think it came out great. 

I've had an infrared camera for a long time, but haven't used it in years. Thanks to my friend Ernie, I was inspired to bring it out to take some shots this year. I love the way the camera transforms an everyday image into something spectacular. This photo of the Ford Buildings on the campus of Berry College is a great example of what it can do!

Fall is by far my favorite season. I love the crisp air and the beautiful colors. I love the evening light. It inspires me, and most of my photos are taken during this time. I wanted a new way to showcase the beauty of fall and of Rome, Georgia this year. On my morning walk I noticed the way the city's man hole covers look after a rain shower and it gave me the idea for this photo. I looked around and found this location and I'm really happy with the way this photo came out. 

This is the recap from day 1 and 2 in Iceland.
I'm combining these two days since the first day wasn't too exciting. We landed in Reykjavik about 7 a.m., took the 45 minute ride to our hotel, dropped our bags off at the hotel and started wandering the city. Reykjavik was my least favorite part of the trip, but it was still a great time, lots of great food and cool sites.We found out that this was their Independence Day and they were having a big celebration. This is one of only a few days a they are allowed to fly their flag (more on that later). We eat lunch and walk out of the restaurant to the president of Iceland in the city square giving a speech. We had no idea what he was saying, but just the experience of seeing a president speaking was cool. After meeting up with Courtney Craigand Mickey Dye who had a later flight than ours, we went back to the town square to watch the Iceland/Hungary game with all the locals on a giant TV. It was really cool to see how excited the locals were about making the European qualifications. After a few hours of walking the downtown area and grabbing some local cuisine, we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.























As a part of the package we purchased for this trip, breakfast was provided at each of our hotels, and it was the same exact array of breads, cold cuts and raw fish at each location. It was a little difficult to find something appetizing, but we made it work. However according to my wife, the coffee was the best she had ever had. I'm not much of a coffee drinker. After breakfast, we got into our car and started the drive around the Island. I popped in some Sigur Ros, the band that sparked my desire to go to Iceland back in college.It is difficult to explain the landscape of the country: rolling hills, jagged mountains, glaciers, volcanic craters, greens and blacks, snow and water falls, glaciers and more all blend into an other-worldly beauty. I'm so lucky I got to experience it. Our first stop was Heimaey Island. We had to take a ferry to get there. The weather wasn't very good. About 45 degrees with rain and 50 mph winds, but we hiked around it anyway. We wanted to go to a section that had Puffins (think miniature penguins), and ended up on a golf course next to the ocean. The huge waves and cliffs made this a special place. You can see the beauty and fierceness of mother nature together which was awesome. We were soaked, cold and tired, but we loved every second of it.On the ferry back to the mainland, the seas were very rough and we were hitting 10-15 foot waves that were crashing over the top deck of the massive ferry. I was too busy trying not to get sick to see any sites from the ferry itself. From there, we decided to check into our hotel, take a breather and head out to see our first waterfall up close. It's name is Skogafoss and this was taken at around 11 p.m.

The 5th Annual Artist Expo is quickly approaching and will take place Saturday, April 16th from 10:30a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Seven Hills Building at 538 Broad Street. Over 20 artists will show at the event and 4 musical groups will perform. Admission is free.

Previously called the “Starving Artist Expo”, the 2016 Artist Expo will have items from wood work to handmade soaps to paintings to pottery. A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to support the James House, a place for foster children in Floyd County.

Featured Artists will have a booth displaying their works and include:

Gail Baxter- Bead woven/strung jewelry & ornaments
Stephanie Beckman-Handcrafted jewelry & wearable art 
Heather Bryant- Watercolor
Kristen Colston- Sewn Bibs
Je Layne Hernandez- Natural Stone, Pearl & Crystal Jewelry
Lisa Ingram- Pottery
Nadia Krasnoperova- Oil Paintings on Wood
Dale Levan- Acrylic Paintings in Victorian Frames
June Manis- Lampwork Jewelry
Jonathan Risley- Pottery
Julie River- Handmade Soaps, Scrubs and Lotions
Audrey Skaggs- Pottery
Ryan Smith- Photography
Brandon Spangler- Metal Work
Erin Spangler- Pottery
Lois & Phil Ward- Wood Work

Spotlighted artists will have a small collection of work displayed gallery style and include:

Jeff Brown- Wood Work
Sasha Egorova- Oil Paintings
John Johnston- Pottery
Tobias Layman- Pottery
Angela Vicente- Jewelry

Local musical talent will perform throughout the event at the following times:

10:30a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - AJ Pierce, Keyboard
1 p.m. - 2 p.m. - Rome Area Flute Ensemble
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - James Mitchell, Acoustic Guitar
4 p.m. - 6 p.m. - Chris Bushley, Classical Guitar


Additional information can be found at http://theartistexpo.blogspot.com/ and on facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/theartistexpo/. Contact us at theartistexpo@gmail.com.

The Artist Expo is a small annual art show that spotlights artists in Northwest Georgia and surrounding area. The show’s mission is to create a bridge from the artist to the marketplace to help artists do what they love. Email theartistexpo@gmail.com for more information.

If you've never been to Old Car City, in White, Georgia, you probably should. It's a paradise for car lovers and photographers alike. I love the old cars with the rust, peeling paint and character which is pretty much non-existent in the cars today. I only spent a few hours there, but I feel like I was successful in getting some good photos. I plan on going back soon.

I spent most of my time focusing on the logos with the texture of the cars framing them, The colors are so vivid. Take a look at some of the photos and let me know what you think. Have any cars you are looking for? I want to go back and a scavenger hunt will be a lot of fun.  

If you want to see more of my photos you can go to my Old Car Gallery.

This weekend, December 5-6, is the Winter Art Market at the Rome Civic Center. The weather is supposed to be beautiful and I'm really excited to see all my fellow artists and crafters and all the patrons of the show. I'll have some of my 2016 calendars available as well as a few new photos. If you come to the show please mention the code "winter 2015" I'll give you 15% off your total order. 

The hours are Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The second photo below is a new experiment and will be debuted this weekend. It's similar to a typical panoramic photo you see, but I photographed this by flipping the camera upside down instead of moving it side to side. Let me know what you think!