Photos by Dick
Photographs and commentary by Dick Snoke
Late May 2026
A few from between trips out of town for graduations. A couple of very nice sunrises after several days of rain and flowers from various places.
A trip to MN in May 2026
Shortly after returning from NC, I flew to St. Paul/Minneapolis to attend Gabby’s college graduation and to visit family. I had a great time.
I spent a couple hours one morning on the Hogback Ridge Trail from the Old Cedar Ave Bridge trailhead. A good walk but no particularly good images.
I also walked one morning at the Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield. Despite construction, there were quite a few birds. I got images of wood ducks and red-winged blackbirds.
And I went to the arboretum one afternoon. The tulips were in full bloom, and I got another shot although I don’t know the flower species.
A trip to NC in May 2026
I drove to Gorges State Park in North Carolina since I had never been there before. Then I went on to Brevard to visit friends and take pictures. That’s what I do in Brevard. I stayed overnight and got up early to watch the sunrise over the mountains.
Then I drove to Raleigh to visit family. While there I photographed the Dambo trolls in Dix park, stuff in Beth’s yard and stuff in the Beeloved Garden at the West Raleigh Presbyterian Church.
I was trying out an ultrawide angle lens, 10-18 mm. A lot of what I got was out of focus or too distorted to use. But I did learn a lot about the lens and wide-angle photography, and I did get a few good results.
Scotland in April 2026
I booked a trip with Backcountry Journeys (BCJ) to parts of Scotland I had not seen before. I had been to Scotland in 2014 with National Geographic, but that was a hiking itinerary adapted for photographers. The key failing of that trip was that we spent a lot fime travelling to places and not as much time actually photographing things. This trip appeared to be better suited to my desires since it was organized by photographers for photographers. However, this was my first venture with BCJ so I had not real expectations; just hopes.
These images are my favorites. Not all a great images, but they do reflect great memories. Our stops were in the general area north of Glasgow around Glen Coe or on the Isle of Skye. I can provide more details on request.
These are not in my preferred order, but I can’t figure out how to change that. Hmmmm……
The rest of March 2026
I got out quite a bit and took many pictures. However, most of them did not turn out to be particularly inspiring. I was up regularly for sunrise, but we had only a few interesting skies or color. I also did a bit of hiking and found a few abstracts I liked. Lastly, I travelled to the Shirly Miller Wildflower Trail in northwest Georgia while the bluebells were at their peak.
Early March 2026
Hiked Sawnee Mountain to start the month. Not much happening yet, but our warm weather is just beginning. Things will pop in the next few weeks. Also had one of the better sunrises we’d had for quite a while.
February 2026
Still not great weather for photography, and I did not find much.
Savoy Automobile Museum, 2026
The photography club did a field trip to the Savoy Museum in Cartersville, GA. This time the emphasis was on Corvettes, and there were many. I have a lot of trouble finding compositions on or of cars. So here’s waht I got.
January 2026
It was not the best month for photography. We had a snowstorm, we had some rain, and we had a few sunny days. I got out when I could, but I was not really inspired.
Best of 2025
The images I like best, either because of the effort required or because I like the results, or both.
A steam locomotive from the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, TN passing thrugh the Chckamauga Battlefield park in October.
A troll by Thomas Dambo, a Danish artist. One of five in the Raleigh, NC area and one of 168 in the US. Made of natural materials so they will eventually just decompose back into the earth.
Bald Cypress trees at George L Smith State Park in middle Georgia in late October.
Shortly after sunset at Hopi Point in the Grand Canyon National Park in September.
Sunrise at Lake Lanier. 2025 was not a great year for colorful sunrises, and I did not get out for sunrise as often as I have some years.
Nice light on a rock in the stream below Minnehaha Falls in northeast Georgia. This on a photography club trip in June.
A stream in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in April as the trees were getting their new growth.
And a flower. This an azalea bloom in the yard in April.