Freedom Hills - Natchez Trace Parkway

The Natchez Trace Parkway snakes from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. On its way the Trace runs right through the northwest corner of Alabama. It is a beautiful place to go if you feel like slowing down and stepping back in time.

Today my dad and I decided to head out to the Trace in an effort to scope out a spot to view the upcoming “Christmas Star” which will be at it’s peak on December 21, 2020. This celestial event is a created when Jupiter and Saturn are in a close enough alignment in relation to Earth that it appears to be a large star hence the name “Christmas Star”.

We were trying to find a good viewing spot that was free of light pollution so we could get the best view possible. My dad knew of a spot called Freedom Hills which has a neat overlook that he thought might be a good spot for the event. Unfortunately we found that the direction was not what we expected and will not be great for the December 21st viewing but we did get a few shots of our view.

If you would like to know more about the Natchez Trace Parkway visit https://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm . The Natchez Trace Parkway is a neat place to visit for anyone who enjoys history and scenic drives.

Adventures from Yellowstone National Park

Traveling and photography are two things I love. If I can combine those two things that is even better.

At the moment I am looking out my hotel window at ski slopes above Jackson Hole, Wyoming. My family and I have been traveling for the last four days in Yellowstone National Park and also took a short ride through the Grand Teton National Park today on our way to Jackson. I wanted to capture my experience as best I could during our time and I felt that the best way for me to do that would be through photography. I also wanted it to be easy to share my experiences with others and photography seems to work great. I hope by sharing my photos it will inspire other people to get out and experience different places.

Back in 2003 my grandparents, mom, sister, and myself took a two week vacation out west visiting as many places as possible including Yellowstone. Being that I was in middle school I didn’t remember as much about Yellowstone as I wish I would have and I was glad to have the chance to go back again and capture the experience.

In today’s digital world most people tend to use their phones and tablets to take photos and share them immediately to social media. That’s what I have noticed during this trip. I am the kind of person that loves the technical side of photography and what each aspect of a camera does. Most people however only want “good enough” and will never print their photos and might not even ever download their photos off their phones. I love spending time composing shots and trying to get the best results possible which sometimes drives my family crazy.

I took this love of the technical aspects of photography to another level on this trip by taking an early 1980’s Minolta X-700 film camera with me and shooting a couple rolls of black and white film. I love film because it slows you down and makes you be more precise about what photos you shoot. It also doesn’t let you know what you shoot until you get your film developed. I was worried that since the film had technically expired in 2015 that I would not have any photos to show. For this reason for every frame of black and white film I shot I also captured the digital color equivalent just in case the film photos did'n’t turn out. I was happy to find that the film and digital photos turned out GREAT!!!

I have compiled some of my favorite shots from our trip below. I hope you especially enjoy the black and white film photos as much as I do. It just creates a totally different experience for me. It is almost like it removes time and can take you back to a simpler time.

If you have any questions about the photos or any technical details I would be happy to answer them here.