Because we, as photographers, so often use nature and the natural environment around us as subject matter in our work, it behooves us to try our best to preserve it. It’s very important when photographing in nature that we recognize our impact on the environment and do our best to minimize it.

In the Great Smoky Mountains this past week, I got a very personal introduction to one way our photography can greatly disturb the environment and so today I will talk about it.

This is my contribution to Blog Action Day, joining 15,000 fellow bloggers in raising awareness of environmental issues. (Yes, I know it was yesterday. Better late than never!)

Here in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, surrounded on three sides by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Armed with only our Great Smoky Mountains National Park Illustrated Trail Map from National Geographic, a basic idea of sunrise and sunset times, and our wits, we set out to capture the majesty of the southern wilderness.

This is officially my first post from the field, though I’ve tried before and failed. My impression so far? Positive!

Photos after the break!

There may be a time and a place for a real bubble level, but I happen to think that it’s in carpentry. I’ll tell you why.

In this day and age, you can buy nearly any piece of photographic equipment with a bubble level built into it somewhere. Tripods, ball heads, camera brackets, and even little standalone levels that clip into your hot shoe like the one shown above (made by Hakuba). Do I think these products are clever? Absolutely. Do I recommend purchasing one? Not really.

I’m gearing up for a voyage down to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee (to make photos of course), and I got to thinking about the desperate opportunism of the “photography trip.” When you set out to make images of faraway places (we’re looking at a 14-hour drive to get to the park), it’s hard not to over-think and over-plan the trip in the hopes of maximizing photographic potential. I believe that is a mistake.

It’s essential to plan for certain things, but the rest… Well, I leave it to chance. I’ll tell you why.

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I am very excited to announce a photography workshop in Death Valley National Park, California, hosted by Christopher Blake and Aaron Bieber (that’s me!), to take place in April of 2008.

This will be a thrilling four-day workshop in Death Valley open to photographers of all skill levels. We’ll spend four days and nights making photographs from before sunrise until well into the night. Aaron and Chris will serve as your guides to aesthetic approach and technical application as you explore some of these breathtaking Death Valley locations: