2010 Nature Photography Day Hike

One of my favorite things Sure Foot does is when we partner with an expert in something other than hiking. So when David Foster offered to co-lead a series of Nature Photography Day Hikes with us, we happily agreed.

I’ve seen several of David’s shows during the Atlanta Celebrates Photography Festival and his work is stunning. From sunset shots on a South African beach to delicate macro shots of water and flowers to candid portraits of people in the outdoors, David is an outstanding photographer with a keen eye. I had no doubt that a hike with David would be fun and educational.

What I wasn’t sure of was who would be excited to participate in a hike that asked one to carry water, lunch, a snack and heavy camera gear. I was pleasantly surprised by the diverse and talented group of people who joined us on this gorgeous fall day. We had several photography professionals, some people with informal experience, a teenager, and a couple of people just along for the hike. Our group was upbeat and excited about learning new techniques and tricks for finding photographic beauty in nature.

And we couldn’t have had a better day in north Georgia – blue skies, mild temperatures, and low humidity.

David and I decided to start our photography day hikes later in the day in order to catch the late-day sun that is so good for photographs, so we started our hike on the Panther Creek Falls Trail around 1:30 pm. Though we walked a total of 5 miles, David stopped us periodically for mini-lessons (including shooting the underside of a sunlit leaf). He led us to several areas along Panther Creek where we practiced shooting running water and experimented with different ways to capture the fall colors.

Though I’m only an amateur photographer with a point-and-shoot, I came away with new ideas on how to frame shots and where to look in nature for interesting subjects.

If you’d like to view a few photos by participants on this hike, you can visit our Flikr Group.

To view more photos I took of the participants, visit our Facebook page.

And please join us on one of our next Nature Photography Day Hikes with David Foster!