I’m excited to be joining the Out of Chicago team for another photo conference – this time in the Great Smokies!

I love photographing the kind of intimate landscapes this park abounds in during the spring – creeks, cascades, forests, blooming dogwoods, and misty ridges. I’m looking forward to photographing these scenes, and to helping participants find their own visions of this beautiful area.

And I’ll be teaching alongside a wonderful group of co-instructors – people like Chrissy Donadi, Joseph Rossbach, Nick Page, Tony Sweet, Franka Gabler, Michele Sons, Dusty Doddridge, Kurt Budliger, Stephanie Johnson, Nye Simmons, David Akoubian, and John Putnam. During the conference you’ll get to work with each instructor in the field, and learn more during midday classroom sessions, table talks, and image reviews.

If you’ve been to one of the Out of Chicago conferences before, you know how much fun they are. Getting so many passionate photographers together in a beautiful location like this creates wonderful synergy and camaraderie, plus lots of learning, and great photo opportunities. And if you haven’t been to one of these events, this is would be a great one to start with!

Until September 3rd you can get $250 off the conference registration by using the code FRYE250SMNP. You can learn more about the conference or register here:

Out of the Great Smoky Mountains Landscape Photography Conference, April 27 – May 1, 2025.

I hope to see you there!

— Michael Frye

P.S. Here are a few of my photos from nearby areas along the Blue Ridge Parkway and other places in North and South Carolina. I can’t wait to go back to this area!

Rainbow and sunbeams on a South Carolina waterfall

Rainbow and sunbeams on a South Carolina waterfall

Sarvis (serviceberry) in bloom, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC, USA

Sarvis (serviceberry) in bloom, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina

Dogwoods, Great Smoky Mountains NP, NC, USA

Dogwoods, Great Smoky Mountains NP, North Carolina

Sarvis (serviceberry) in fog, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC, USA

Sarvis (serviceberry) in fog, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina

Sunbeams on a South Carolina waterfall

Sunbeams on a South Carolina waterfall



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Michael Frye is a professional photographer specializing in landscapes and nature. He is the author or principal photographer of The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite, Yosemite Meditations, Yosemite Meditations for Women, Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers, and Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters. He has also written three eBooks: Light & Land: Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom, Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael has written numerous magazine articles on the art and technique of photography, and his images have been published in over thirty countries around the world. Michael has lived either in or near Yosemite National Park since 1983, currently residing just outside the park in Mariposa, California.