Package Store

Package Store, a photo by johnmfinnerty on Flickr.

The sordid outskirts of the city.

Deep Creek

Deep Creek, a photo by johnmfinnerty on Flickr.

Today, I headed up to Great Smoky Mountain National Park for a quick hike and (of course) I brought my camera. Ok, I'll be honest; I went hiking because I wanted to explore and take pictures. The section of the Park I visited is the Deep Creek area just outside of Bryson City, North Carolina. This was my first trip into the Park and I really like what I saw even if I didn't see a major portion of it. People say the Bryson City entrance to the park is often forgotten because of the more well-known entrances in Cherokee and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. My initial plan was to photograph waterfalls called "Tom Branch Falls" and I did but the overhead sunlight was harsh. Consequently, I wasn't too happy with the resulting pictures. A few feet up the trail I found an opening leading down to the creek with a beautiful tree stretching out across the water. A few clouds rolled over the sun and I had my shot...

The Blink of an Eye

Old Baseball #42

Old Baseball #42, a photo by johnmfinnerty on Flickr.

I took this photograph last week while shooting a middle-school baseball game in Swannanoah, NC. To me, this was more than just an old baseball decaying and decomposing next to a chain-link fence; it's nostalgia that makes me smile. An old baseball is like a memory box filled with sounds, smells and images of spring and summer. It's rides to the ballfield, big league chew, hot dogs and gobstoppers, trophies, team moms, coaches, proud parents and pop flys. Like most of my friends, I eventually gravitated more towards other sports as I entered late-adolescence and high school but as time goes by my appreciation and love for the game of baseball gets stronger and it's because it's fabric is woven into the simple care-free days of my youth.