Images Of The Great Smoky Mountains
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to just pitch it all and hit the road? A native Illinoisan all my life, in July of 2015 my husband, high-school-age son, and I sold everything we owned (which included a 4000 square foot house, a 3000 square foot photography studio and a 2000 square foot business condo that housed my husband’s business), hopped in our RV, and ditched Illinois forever, making many of our friends and family very envious, and some think we were a little bit nuts. But that’s ok – we were never really made for “conforming” – you know – going to work in our cubicle from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday and taking a one-week vacation to Florida once a year. That’s never been our style, which is probably why we owned our own businesses to begin with. Anyways, we spent our first winter traveling where it was warm – Alabama, Texas, Arizona, and are now in the Smoky Mountains area of East Tennessee. Jim and I came here for our honeymoon almost 30 years ago, and have always loved this area! We have purchased a home in Sevierville, just minutes from Smoky Mountains National Park! We have a young grandchild with a congenital heart defect who has had 3 open heart surgeries in the first 3 years of his little life, so having them close to us so we can help out is very important to us. However, we still travel whenever and wherever we can!
In Illinois, I owned my own portrait photography business since 2003, specializing in high school seniors, babies and families. Since becoming full-time RV-ers, I have continued my love of photography by turning more to nature/landscape and stock photography. I adore getting out into nature in The Smoky Mountains with my camera, and our travel all over the United States has afforded me some great opportunities to do that! These days I can be found roaming The Smoky Mountains in my bright green Jeep (can’t miss me!) with my camera in hand! I love where I live and each day is a blessing!
My photographs are currently hung in Edward Hospital in Naperville, Illinois, as well as in All About Kids Pediatrics, also in Naperville. I was chosen to write a chapter in Alain Briot’s best-selling Photography Book titled “How Photographs Are Sold”. For many years, I have been a member of the Professional Photographers Association of America, where I participate in ongoing photography education as well as competitions. I also photograph stock images, and have been accepted and am active on Shutterstock, Getty, Adobe Stock, Dreamstime and 123RF. My stock images have been used by Southern Living, MSN, Huffington Post, Livestrong, and many other places. My images have also been published in Smoky Mountain Living Magazine.
I also mentor photographers, teach classes and have written an e-book about the basics of photography and learning your camera (with more to follow!). If you would be interested in purchasing my photos, learning about photography or purchasing my e-book, please feel free to contact me at anytime.
