The Appalachian Mountains ended up being my final destination for Autumn 2020. It’s no secret that this year didn’t go to plan, but even with two last minute trip cancellations in June and much uncertainty about traveling, I still ended up making the trip that I had been planning for over a year (go figure). On that note, I made certain to adhere to local health guidelines. While all of my days were filled with driving and photographing lightly trafficked wilderness areas, I still wore a mask whenever in public and got tested for the virus after returning from my trip.

Before I ventured into the Appalachian region, I made a quick 2 day stop in Delaware. I initially planned this portion of the trip with the sole purpose of crossing Delaware off from my list of states to visit (it was my 39th state I’ve been to!). While it is a small state, there is a variety of landscapes here. The western half of the state have nice rural agricultural scenes while the coastal areas are dotted with beach side resorts and gorgeous waterfront areas.

While in Delaware, I stayed along the coast and primarily explored one area. Autumn proved to be a great time to visit. Minimal crowds and cooler temperatures made shooting all day very easy. I’ve had very few shoots at beaches in the last few years. Delaware reminded me of the fantastic photos that can come from beachfront locations. Looking at the image set from Delaware, I’m more than happy with what I came up with. A better sunset image to showcase would have been a plus, but that’s out of my control. Delaware isn’t on my list as a place I desperately need to photograph again, but I wouldn’t say no the stoping at one or two of the beaches in the future. Given some luck with sunsets, a four day trip would allow most landscape photographers to capture everything Delaware has to offer.

I moved on from the Delmarva Peninsula and turned towards West Virginia for my second stop. Aptly nicknamed the Mountain State, West Virginia is mostly mountainous with a variety of gorgeous waterfalls and valley overlooks covering the state. A nature-lover’s paradise, there is something here for travelers and photographers alike. Rustic covered bridges and old buildings provide gorgeous portrait backgrounds, while stunning remote mountain scenes are abundant for landscape photographers to capture.

The whole state is gorgeous and it’s easy to imagine that during mid-October, the trees look phenomenal. The biggest mistake I’ve made in booking any photography trip over the last year was waiting until November for West Virginia. My idea was to hit the state about a week after peak foliage. In my experience, I’ve had some luck shooting up to two weeks after foliage peaks. All green leaves have usually turned at that point, but colors are still mostly present. Unfortunately, I think I planned my stay two weeks too late in West Virginia. The leaves change earlier then most other states it borders due to its elevation. Extended research of the foliage peak times would have alerted me to the need to visit earlier in the season.

In an attempt to salvage my short stay, I visited some well-known spots and experimented at some less popular places. My two days in the Mountain State served as a scouting trip as opposed to strictly shooting days. While my time didn’t produce more than a couple of images, there is a lot worth shooting in this state. From waterfalls to brilliant valley overlooks, West Virginia hosts a variety of locations that could satisfy the pickiest of landscape photographers. Both Charleston and Morgantown would be excellent base camps for photographers depending on planned shooting locations. I opted for Charleston as it’s more central to everything the state has to offer. Morgantown is better suited to heavy exploration in the norther portion of the state. Regardless of the results this time around, West Virginia is marked for a return visit.

After a rather unsuccessful stay in West Virginia, I headed south towards South Carolina. From beautiful coastlines to the foothills of the Appalachians, the Palmetto State hosts an impressive variety of ecosystems. Home to numerous State Parks as well as one National Park, South Carolina presents a variety of opportunities for nature and landscape photographers across the entire state.

My original plan was to base out of South Carolina and drive into the Smoky Mountains to shoot each day. After seeing the state of the foliage in West Virginia, I scrapped this plan and built a completely different locations list (this turned out to be the best decision I made the entire trip).

Greenville is the largest city in Upstate South Carolina and is a great base for exploring the area (including parts of N. Carolina and Tennessee). I spent most of my time focused on exploring the numerous waterfalls and hiking trails in the foothills of the mountains. Various places along Route 11 hide some of the regions best natural spectacles. The waterfalls I found during my stay proved to be dynamic subjects. Rock formations and decaying foliage supplied amazing foregrounds and leading lines to assist with every composition. With a surplus of different angles to shoot each waterfall from, I left with countless suitable images. Taking a few moments to walk around and find unique angles to shoot each waterfall worked in my favor. A wide angle lens is invaluable in situations such as this. The ability to capture as much of the sky and ground is such a luxury at South Carolina’s waterfalls that often come close to 100ft tall.

South Carolina had the most to offer out of the three states I stayed in. Personally, I loved that the state isn’t home to a “must-see” photo location. This allowed for true exploration in addition to the uncertainty each spot held. Each day I was unsure if any of my chosen locations would produce anything, but I also had nothing to lose, nothing to miss out on. With no pressure to capture a stunning photograph at a well known spot, I could push my creative boundaries. South Carolina might not stand up to Colorado, Washington, or Arizona photographically. Its landscapes may be indistinguishable from surrounding states, but it’s a hidden gem on the east cost that deserves some attention.

Now for the three main questions.

What was successful about this trip? Photographically, this expedition yielded a mixed bag of results. In the end, I’m happy with the images I snapped, but I don’t feel that I came away with a season defining image. There are only three or four photos that stood out as strong portfolio pieces. Even those images don’t stand up to some of best from past expeditions. On a personal level, this adventure provided a much needed breathe of fresh air. 5 months on from my last photography trip, 10 days exploring a new region let me get away from the chaos that is engulfing the world. No matter my photographic takeaway form a trip, the break from reality for a few weeks is always welcomed. All things considered, the hiatus from real life means more than any of the new images from November.

What could have been done better to improve this adventure? Appalachia is tricky since the region is so vast. Attempting to fit vastly different parts of this region into one autumn trip didn’t work as well as I had hoped. Focusing on the higher elevations first (and two weeks earlier) would have resulted in some better images of the foliage. On the flip side, I don’t think I could have timed the South Carolina portion any better. A focus on a smaller region would have been more beneficial than jumping around from state to state. The whole region is too vast to cover in a week or two. Anyone looking at doing an Autumn trip to this region should spend some time researching the peak foliage dates as they differ for each state. Timing an autumn trip to the region is so rewarding.

Is this trip worth repeating in the future? Yes, and anyone thinking of doing a similar trip 100% should do it. The next Appalachia trip will (I’m already planning one) feature different locations. From Shenandoah to Blue Ridge Parkway, The Smoky Mountains to the West Virginia Highlands, there are a lot of amazing places I didn’t get a chance to check out. There’s no telling what the next 12 months are going to dish out. Therefore, planning another photography adventure far in advance isn’t a priority at the moment. Even so, a return trip to the region has undoubtedly made the shortlist for October 2021.

Road Trip through the Appalachian Mountains (2020)

A Photographic Review of 2020 // A Look Ahead to 2021

An Introduction