With more than 60 years of photographic experience and a passion for teaching, I have developed a practical, easy-to-understand approach to learning photography. As a professional photographer who teaches photography through a local university and public library, I have designed this book to bring the complete curriculum from my twelve 90-minute introductory classes to you.
At the heart of the book is a simple four-step system that will help you plan your photographic outings and thoughtfully compose your images. You will learn how to accurately measure and set your camera's exposure, properly focus for sharp results, and make the technical decisions necessary to consistently produce well-exposed, sharp photographs.
Because even the best photographs usually benefit from some editing, the book also introduces you to basic photo-editing techniques using Adobe Lightroom Classic® or the free GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP). You'll learn how to make quick and effective adjustments and corrections that can transform a good photograph into an image you will be proud to share.
You'll also learn about useful photographic equipment — including tripods, ball heads, and cable releases — and understand how these tools can improve your photography. Special attention is given to challenging subjects and situations, including sunsets, fireworks, and panoramic photography, with practical techniques to help you approach them with confidence.
Finally, the book explores different ways to display, print, and share your photographs, whether you're posting them on social media, creating prints, or simply enjoying them yourself.
This book is the culmination of decades of photographic experience and years of teaching beginning photographers. It is designed to take you step by step from understanding your camera and making better photographs to editing and presenting your finished images.
Whether you are picking up a camera for the first time or want to strengthen your fundamental skills, this book will give you the knowledge, techniques, and confidence to take better photographs — and create images you'll be proud to share.
For an example of what you will read in our book, take a look at our blog article, What Camera Settings Should I Use?
Paperback, English, Color, 118 pages, Publication Date: August 18, 2025, ©2025, ISBN-13: 979-8-218-75878-3
Spring, with its vibrant wildflowers, fresh green foliage, comfortable temperatures, and renewed beauty following winter, is an ideal time to visit, explore, and photograph Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Fall is equally spectacular, transforming the mountains into a breathtaking display of autumn color. And no matter the season, Photographer’s Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains makes a thoughtful and practical gift for the photographer on your holiday gift list.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a bucket-list destination for outdoor photographers, but knowing where to find its most photogenic locations can be challenging. This guide makes exploring the park easier by organizing 71 of its most rewarding photographic locations into six manageable park regions.
The book includes 195 sets of GPS coordinates to help you find the locations featured throughout the guide. In many cases, multiple coordinates are provided for each destination — including parking areas, trailheads, and the photographic attraction itself — making it easier to navigate from the road to the best vantage points. Detailed descriptions and maps provide additional information to help you plan your outings.
The guide also features 32 of my favorite photographs from the park, many accompanied by the camera settings used to capture them. These images provide both inspiration and practical examples of what can be photographed at the locations described.
I have spent more than 40 years regularly visiting, exploring, and photographing the Great Smoky Mountains, searching for the places that offer the greatest photographic opportunities. Over the years, I kept detailed notes about these locations so I would know where to return. With the advent of GPS technology, those once-hard-to-find destinations can now be shared with other photographers.
I created this guide to share the knowledge I have gained through decades of exploring the park and to help photographers spend less time searching for locations and more time creating photographs.
Whether you are planning your first photographic adventure in the Smokies or returning to explore them from a new perspective, Photographer’s Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains is designed to help you discover more of the park’s beauty — and make the most of every photographic opportunity.
Paperback, English, Color, 88 pages, Publication Date: October 31, 2021, ©2021, ISBN-13: 978-0-578-92972-9
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