My First Photography Trip

[CrazyCatWom]

20 years ago, I went on a out-of-state photography trip. No family reunion, no wedding of a family member, or to meet up with friends.

I had recently lost my dog, Peanut, to cancer, and I couldn't sleep for weeks. My family doctor had diagnosed me with depression and put me on an antidipressant, Paxil, which didn't work well for me. So, once he took me off of it, I decided to do my own treatment: Fly to Nashville, TN alone, rent a Ford Ranger, and drive from one end of TN to the other and up into Kentucky, photographing the entire way. It was 3 weeks of adventure, and peace, doing what I loved to do.

Here is Laurel Falls in The Great Smokey Mountains.

[falalalala]

Beautiful!

[Kenu]

Sounds like fun, took you mind off what was happening. I have been on Cymbalta for years and has worked great 👍 Have a great day 👍🙏🤗 Ken 🐾🐾

[tiffortat]

I’m telling you those Great Smoky Mountains are breathing from waterfall to mountaintop-especially in the fall. 😍Nice shot!

[jimeka]

Again your photo makes me want to go there, well done, 👍 thank you 😊

[TonyiaR7]

It a calming and thrilling photo. Nature. Great photography. I can look at the photo all day long.

[Hidden]

That is a Fantastic picture!

Can almost hear the water 💦

Great job 👍

[Tinker-Belle]

Beautiful. I bet that was the most satisfying treatment you’ve ever had! What a great idea. Thanks for sharing.

[hairbrain4]

Beautiful pic. The Smokey are the most beautiful mountains I've ever seen. My husband & I took a Readers Digest version of a 2 week vacation in 4 days a few years ago when we had to fly to DC to pick up a car & drive it back to to AR. We came back through TN. It was beautiful.

[Ali_B62]

Thank you for sharing, what a fantastic photo! 🥰

[pamgarner]

very beautiful! you are so brave,by yourself,hmmmm....and a strong women! what a fun trip

[CrazyCatWom in reply to pamgarner]

I'd always wanted to travel, but after 15 years of my whining, Bill absolutely wouldn't do any overnight trips. So if I wanted to do any real traveling, I'd have to do it alone. I had a huge benefit--my hometown where I have lived all my life, is seriously crime ridden, so situation awareness is second nature for me. Also, I can change tires like I was on a Pit crew, LOL! I once changed a tire while on an interstate over a dry riverbed. I had to be on the other side of the metal highway guard rail while 18 wheelers were wizing by at 75mph. I looked at it like if the back end of my car got plowed into, I could jump off into the riverbed.

[mrsmike9 in reply to CrazyCatWom]

When I was single I did stuff by myself all the time. It's nice because you don't have to worry if the person with you is having a good time. I even went to Germany for 3 weeks by myself. Fun!

[carolek572 CommunityAmbassador]

Beautiful, CrazyCatWom I hope that you found the comfort that you were looking for.

[CrazyCatWom in reply to carolek572]

It was an amazing experience. I still miss that dog--she was my storm dog. If she heard thunder, she'd run to my camera bag, then to the back door, and when we'd go out, she'd lay down at the feet of my tripod while I photographed lightning. She was a bassett hound, and I guess those long, heavy ears protected her ears, so she was never scared of thunder or fireworks. I'll still choke up when I think about her, and I still don't sleep all that great, but that's because of Mr. Johnathon T. Fuzzibutt rooting under my overs and "making bisuits" on my chest, or singing the aria "I puked upstairs, Momma. Go clean it up."

[carolek572 CommunityAmbassador in reply to CrazyCatWom]

Oh, I know that song all too well, CrazyCatWom I am usually in the background, with the mop and bucket!

[jwoj13699]

Hello. My name is Jack. I'm also a photographer. I'm in a wheelchair, so it is more difficult for me to do shots, but my illness doesn't dare to stop me. What you usually shot? What gear do you use? I'm very interested. I hope that I'm not too noisy. Jack.

[Tinker-Belle in reply to jwoj13699]

Please share some of your photography. I think you will find a lot of incredible artists in this group...from photography to painting to quilt making to musical, etc. I am NOT one of them. I’m just an admirer!

[jwoj13699 in reply to Tinker-Belle]

Hello. I have two FLICR sites.

flickr.com/photos/jackwojcik/

flickr.com/photos/190776287...

And also Canon Raise site:

raise.usa.canon.com/user/ja...

Please, let me know, what do you think about my pictures. Jack.

[Tinker-Belle in reply to jwoj13699]

Beautiful photography! I love the beautiful outdoors. I love all those cool watches, too.

[jwoj13699 in reply to Tinker-Belle]

Photography is my passion. I have been shooting pictures for thirty years now. I always have a camera or more with me. Just in case I see something. All these pictures you saw from the beach and pier I just made it last week. I went with my son for a three day trip to the Ocean. I live five hours away from it ( I live in South Carolina). So I spend most of the time taking pictures, while my son was fishing. I actually had three cameras with me, each one set with a different Lens. The pictures from the beach and pier, which they look almost distorted and circular, I made with a special Ultra Fish-eye Lens. It's hard to use it, but the effects are incredible. I think. And of course, I love my camera equipment, five cameras, mostly Olympus, over twenty Lenses and a few flashes. If I'm not shooting pictures, usually I'm trying to learn new techniques or something. Jack.

[Tinker-Belle in reply to jwoj13699]

Sounds like a lot of fun! And very rewarding, too. Thank you for sharing.

[CrazyCatWom in reply to jwoj13699]

Hi Jack! You have some beutiful photographs! I also used to post on Flickr, jwoodphoto/flickr.com

[CrazyCatWom in reply to jwoj13699]

I have a great deal of admiration for you, Jack!

MS didn't keep me back from my love of photography, it was the brain anurysms that messed up my vision so bad I can't read the settings or meter readings of my cameras (and I couldn't tell I was missing the battery pack on one of my cameras. Oh, well. I'd always been a Canon SLR shooter until my best friend left me his Nkon digital SLR when he passed away--in what I used to think was a practical joke from the other side (Nothing like leaving a Canon shutterbug a camera where everything is the exact OPPOSIT of a Canon, LOL! I usually under exposed to make colors richer, and then I found out on the Nikon I was OVER exposing instead! Grrrrrr!

Anyway, I was using for the waterfall photo was a Canon EOS Rebel G and a Sigma 28-70mm and a cicular polarizer, and a really cheap tripod. I never really had expensive equipment until I had the opportunity to purchase used, my dream camera: Canon EOS 3.

[mrsmike9]

You must have a tripod to keep the camera steady with such a slow speed to get the water like that! Great photo!

[jwoj13699 in reply to mrsmike9]

Yes. I always keep a tripod in my car and a mini tripod in my wheelchair. Besides that, I have awesome professional Olympus cameras, which they have anti-shake build in. This function helps a lot since I have tremors in my hands. Technology helps me a lot.

Ps. which picture did you like so much?

[mrsmike9 in reply to jwoj13699]

I was looking at the one you posted here. I have a Pentax and way to many lenses to lug around!

[jwoj13699 in reply to mrsmike9]

I guess I'm lucky with my wheelchair. I just can load it with a backpack, where I keep then lenses and two cameras, I have one camera on my shoulder and two telephoto lenses, I just hang on my wheelchair headrest. This is my usual setup when I take the pictures. About a year ago I both my first Olympus camera and after using Canon exclusively. I switched. Comparing Olympus cameras to Canon and any other manufacturer is like day and night. With Olympus, you have so many menus, programmable bottoms, and options. You can basically program your Olympus to you and your needs. It is also a lot smaller and lighter too. For example, my Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mark II has then programmable bottoms.

I Know also that Pentax makes very good cameras too.

[CrazyCatWom in reply to jwoj13699]

Now going back into another aspect of my previous life . . . . Pentax cameras weren't as fancy as Nikon or Canon, but they were cameras I got the least in my department for repair

[twooldcrows]

fantastic picture ....wow ...best medicine is to go on a trip and enjoying life around you and taking pictures to help remember the wonderful trip even though it was because of your loss ....great picture....love and much more happiness taking pictures for it does help ....