Walking along a gravel path on a windy morning. That’s where I find myself, heading higher, and higher into the stony mountain foothills of North Georgia. There is ice hanging off the frozen rocks to my right, and a thin layer of snow clinging to the rocks in the ditch below. The sky is a icy blue, with thin wispy clouds overheard, my hands are numb with the cold as I try to take some photographs.

Icy rocks

Here are a few tips when walking/hiking in a cold or remote climate:

• Bring fluids. Many times I get out in remote spots and need water. And one thing you don’t want to be when help is not nearby is dehydrated. I usually stick a bottle of water inside a zip-lock back and put it in my backpack.
• Get a good backpack. You are going to need this. Don’t depend on a sling bag when hiking in the woods. First, you need both hands free in case you need to pull yourself up a path, or carry a walking stick. Second, its much harder to get your camera free when you need to set the bag down and pull it out.
• Let someone know where you’re going, or take a buddy. If you can’t maintain cell phone coverage (which many times you can’t) you will need to tell someone where you are going. Let them know when you plan to enter the rough, and when you expect to leave. Also, it doesn’t hurt to take your “backup” plan by the spot you plan to enter the trail, or show them a map of the terrain. Get them familiar to some extent on where you are going to go. Or, the best bet – take someone with you.
• Bring a flashlight. I would assume a lot of the time you’re trying to catch the golden hour. I’ve had several times I forgot to carry a flashlight, and almost broke a leg because of it. In fact one time I lost a cellphone and spent the next morning combing through the woods looking for it.

Here is the real trick of taking photographs in the wild. Don’t be there. That’s right, if you can take the same shot, without having to actually go five, ten or more miles into the great wilderness, then the better. Not only will you avoid the risks, but also the associated costs you’re incurring on a per-hour basis if you want to sell the work later. Efficiency is what its all about.

At the same time, you don’t want to take exposures of the same old tired thing that everyone else has. You want your stuff to look like its taken in an exotic locale, even if its just down the street in a neighbors yard. You achieve this by looking at things from a different angle. One of the best ways to do this is to create a story in your own mind, just like I did in the short description above.

Here is where I really was.

Not so intimidating is it? Actually my wife found this spot. It was on the way to her grandparents. I was able to utilize the cold weather from last week, which we don’t get very much, add a little “story” and viola, I’m deep in the mountains. When in fact, its very flat where I am, and I’m within a mile of two of a refreshing soft drink machine.

Here is one of my favorite images from this little shoot (click it to see larger)

What places have you been that weren’t what the seemed? Share your stories or links with me, I’d love to see them!