Dutch Roth (left) and Harvey Broome (center) camp in 1931 © University of Tennessee Libraries

Another Smoky Mountains history entry from the journal of Dutch Roth, recounting a long Smoky Mountains hike taken in 1931 by Dutch and his friends Harvey Broome and Luther Greene on Hughes Ridge, which is known as Pecks Corner nowdays.

HUGHES RIDGE FROM GREENBRIER
“This experience was not unusual in 1931. We were willing to pay the price of two days of strenuous hiking in seeking new places. We met at 6 a.m. Saturday morning, July 25, on West Church Avenue. We had our heavy packs filled with food for five meals and camping equipment for a night in the open.

“We drove into Greenbrier and started hiking. This hike would not have been so hard, or so long, if we had had a road between Newfound Gap and Smokemont or into Greenbrier. We spent one day hiking the eleven-mile range, a range surpassed in size only by the Balsam Mountains, longest lead adjoining the state-line divide. When we got ready to make camp for the night, we found that for our comfort and convenience, someone had camped here before us and had left a lean-to of logs. There were also plenty of logs to build a fire. We built a fire beside the lean-to and got supper. Afterward we sat around the camp fire a while before turning in. The next day we made the return trip to the cars. We went through heavy woods with many large oak and chestnut trees and little undergrowth. The beauty of the woods and the good time we had made up for the tiresome trail.

“A few years ago a log shelter was built at Hughes Ridge (also known as Pecks Corner.) Later a careless camper let his fire get out of control, and it burned the shelter down.”

Used with permission of The Great Smoky Mountains Regional Collection, University of Tennessee Libraries. More history of the Smokies.

Star Grass (Hypoxis hirsuta) © William Britten use with permission only

Star Grass (Hypoxis hirsuta) is a common perennial herb that grows to 8 inches or so. It blooms in mid-May, and when not in bloom looks much like a clump of grass.

These Smoky Mtns wildflowers are similar to Blue-eyed Grass, and in fact I found both of these blooming grasses on the same day along Ace Gap Trail in the northwestern section of the Smokies.

This wildflower is a member of the Amaryllis family, close to the Lily family, and with a characteristic of having no leaves on the flower stalk.

On your next visit to the Smokies please stop in at the William Britten Gallery along the historic Arts and Crafts Trail on Glades Rd. in Gatlinburg. You’ll find my complete display of Smoky Mountains photos.  And if you are a wildflower enthusiast, please join the Smoky Mtns Wildflowers Community on Facebook.  We swap photos, information, and tips on what is in bloom in the Smokies.

Blue-eyed Grass © William Britten use with permission only

Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) is a petite, delicate Smoky Mountains wildflower. It’s a member of the Iris family, and there are four varieties of Sisyrinchium: Pale, Eastern, Stout, and Slender. To be honest, I don’t know which ones are pictured here, but I’m calling them Stout.

This wildflower grows to about 8 inches tall, and is similar in appearance (except for color) to Star Grass.

The photo above was taken along Schoolhouse Gap Trail, and the one below was found on Ace Gap Trail. Both were blooming in mid-May.

If you’re traveling in the Smoky Mountains area, please consider exploring the historic Arts and Crafts Trail along Glades Rd. east of Gatlinburg. You’ll find the William Britten Gallery in Morning Mist Village. The gallery features my complete line of Smoky Mountains photos.  And if you are a wildflower enthusiast, please join the Smoky Mountains Wildflower Community on Facebook.

Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium) © William Britten use with permission only

Newfound Gap in Winter © William Britten use with permission only

It’s definately the winter time here folks. The excitement of the holidays is a fading memory. The Smoky Mountains are currently shrouded in a half-hearted, left-over snow. Clingman’s Dome road and the Roaring Fork are closed for the winter.

The picture above was taken from the Oconaluftee Overlook …. same place as the glorious summer sunrise immortalized in Listening to Silence and Morning Majesty.

I’m down in the Gallery doing wintertime stuff … cutting mat boards, getting the inventory and spreadsheets ready for the new year, doing housekeeping on the hard drives from the 10,000+ images that I take in a typical year.  It’s really a nice time to catch my breath from the very busy October – December period.

If you’re in town, stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountains Photos at the William Britten Gallery out on Glades Rd here in Gatlinburg.

Clingman's Dome road closed © William Britten use with permission only

Heart of Autumn

Heart of Autumn is the newest addition here at the William Britten Gallery.  It was taken in late October 2011 along the back road which winds between Cosby and Cataloochee, in the northeast corner of the Smokies. Like many of my Smoky Mountains photos, this one features layers of contrast and detail, near and far. The incredible colors of the leaves in this section of woods were enhanced by a gentle rain and light fog … perfect conditions for maximum saturation of color.

Using my techniques of presenting the photo on a coated board without glass, this image absolutely glows.

Here’s the story behind the photo:  during late October many folks were stopping in at my Gallery and complaining about the poor leaf colors. Several of these were photographers, who had scheduled a fall photo shoot in the Smokies and were disappointed. My advice to them was to drive around and look for the colors, which can be very inconsistent in the Smoky Mountains. In fact, the colors did look weak to me that fall. But one day very late in the season I was driving on Interstate 40, over to Asheville in North Carolina, and there was one section of incredible color that I could see from the highway. It was off to the south in a remote area.

A couple of days later I set out to find this little section of peak color, driving along the only road in that area. Going past the Cosby Campground on a drizzly morning, I stopped in and parked because it was raining so hard and the fog was so thick. I actually took a nap there in the campground, waiting for some better weather! I decided to move on over the back country on the way to Cataloochee and hope for better conditions.

Creeping along the winding narrow road I finally entered a wonderland of incredible color.  I posted a few road shots from that morning a few days later. The perfect color conditions only lasted for a mile or two, but I spent hours walking along that section of the road. Heart of Autumn was the best of several hundred shots from that wonderful place.

This photo is available in all sizes. Details can be found on the How to Buy page.

Please consider a stop at the William Britten Gallery on the historic Arts and Crafts Trail along Glades Rd. in Gatlinburg. All of my Smoky Mountains photos are on display and at least one would love to go home with you!

Merry Christmas to all my family, friends and Smoky Mountain fans. Stay warm and travel safe.

Dreaming of a White Christmas © William Britten use with permission only

What a cozy scene! Snuggled in a winter wonderland, a fire warming the cabin, family or friends gathered for the holidays. No need for White Christmas on TV!

Christmas in Gatlinburg

Christmas in Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains is an enchanting time of year.

I hope you and your family are enjoying the season, wherever you are, whatever the weather.

Travel safe, stay warm, and enjoy the season everyone!

Smoky Mountains autumn woods © William Britten use with permission only

Many photography books advise you to carefully compose a scene in your mind, and then carry out that vision with your equipment. However, I don’t do it that way! When I go out looking for stunning Smoky Mountains photos and hope to find a candidate to add to my Gallery, I’m usually gathering hundreds of photographic pieces for later evaluation. Surrounded by beauty such as you see on this page, it’s quite overwhelming. There are photos every way you turn! My strategy is to get into the moment, really feel it, not think it. Let the camera roam around and find what it likes.

Sometimes it will be weeks later before I get around to sorting and evaluating. The two photos here are good examples of how I work to create a best-selling photograph from all the pieces that were gathered before. The image below is quite nice. Gorgeous autumn leaves on a foggy day, with a road in the scene. But it doesn’t rise to the level that is required to really touch the patrons of my Gallery enough to want it hanging in their home.

The image above is just a short rotation to the left of the one below. The road has disappeared, and the woods have become isolated and prominent. Without the road and the short grass as reference points, the scene has become grander, and more mysterious. There are layers of color and contrast which are enhanced by the fog. There is so much going on in foreground and distance that your mind gets caught up examining the scene, and while doing that you begin to feel the emotions that come along with those details.

I’m always drawn to images that have layers of detail near and far. With my printing techniques, these images often take on a three-dimensional quality.  The image above is a candidate, and will be printed in a few sizes to see how customers react. Sometimes the mood of an image strikes a universal chord in people, and they respond.

If you’re visiting the Smokies, please stop in to see this image and my complete display of Smoky Mountains photos at the William Britten Gallery along the historic Arts and Crafts Trail along Glades Rd. in Gatlinburg.

Alternate version © William Britten use with permission only

Winter Footbridge © William Britten use with permission only

Winter Footbridge shows a cold, snowy scene in the Greenbrier section of the Smokies. This picture was taken from the bridge at the Ramsey Cascades trailhead.  The scene is very evocative of the silence and solitude of wintertime deep in the Smokies.

Just up the trail from this spot is the location of one of my most popular Smoky Mountains photos, Winter Silence. And this location is also the vantage point for another Featured Photo: Wild Autumn.

Winter Footbridge is offered in all sizes. Details of sizes and pricing can be found on the How to Buy page.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountains Photos, including several other snow scenes, at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.  I’m located along the historic Arts and Crafts Trail on Glades Rd.

Place of 1000 Drips © William Britten - use with permission only

Place of 1000 Drips is one of my oldest and most enduring Smoky Mountains photos. This is a popular roadside waterfall along the Roaring Fork Motor Trail. Turn at stoplight #8 in Gatlinburg, bearing to the right at the top of the hill, you will enter the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and begin a 6-mile one-way journey on a winding, narrow road through a carefree and timeless canopy of Smoky Mountains paradise. Towards the end of your journey, keep an eye out to the left for this waterfall.  Certain times of the year the flow of water is reduced to literally a group of drips, but in spring especially it can be quite impressive.

This photograph was taken in April, and if you look closely there is a White Trillium on the bank to the left. Balancing my tripod and myself on the slippery rocks, the picture was captured with a wide-angle lens.

Place of 1000 Drips is offered in all sizes up to 20×30. Details of sizes and pricing can be found on the How to Buy page.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountains Photos at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN. I’m located in the Morning Mist shopping area along the historic Arts and Crafts Trail on Glades Rd.

Winter Silence © William Britten use with permission only

Winter Silence is my best-selling winter Smoky Mountains photos. It’s a dreamy, ethereal snow scene that was taken out in the Greenbrier area of the Smokies during a late winter storm.  The technique used to capture the image is unusual. The camera was on a tripod, set to a long exposure time of about two seconds. For the first second or so I kept the camera still to lock in the image, but then for the last half second I moved the camera upwards. This created a blur effect that adds to the mood of quiet, ethereal silence in the snow.

This photo was first offered without the red cardinal, and was a modest seller. After I decided that the nearly monochrome winter snow scene would benefit from a dash of color, the cardinal was blended in from a different photograph. As soon as the red bird was added, sales took off!

You can order Winter Silence with or without the red cardinal, but most people prefer the splash of red that the cardinal gives the scene.

Winter Silence is offered in all sizes up to 16×24. Details of sizes and pricing can be found on at the bottom of the How to Buy page.

And if you’re visiting the Smokies or Gatlinburg, please stop in to see my complete display of Smoky Mountains photos at the William Britten Gallery along the historic Arts and Crafts Trail on Glades Rd in Gatlinburg.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks to all of you who stopped in at my Gatlinburg Gallery or one of the art fairs this year. I hope this day finds you thankful for family and friends, and all that is good in your life.

Great Smoky Thanksgiving Craft Fair in Gatlinburg

Once more, it’s Craft Fair time in Gatlinburg!  The Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community begins the annual Thanksgiving Show tomorrow (Tuesday November 22) in the Gatlinburg Convention Center. The show will run through Sunday, November 27th, and we will be open from 10 to 6 on Thanksgiving Day.

To find the fair, turn up the hill at stoplight number 8 in downtown Gatlinburg.  The convention center is on the right going up the hill.

After the Thanksgiving Fair, we will move upstairs in the Convention Center for the Christmas Show, which runs from November 28th through December 4th.

During the fair the William Britten Gallery will be open as usual, but closed on Thanksgiving Day.