In early November, I was happy to hear from my friend Andy Ramirez about his conversations with the Tennessee River Gorge Trust (TRGT), a remarkable local conservation organization seeking updated photography for their website and promotional materials. Andy, a board member, said he thought of me immediately - an immense honor. I’ve been a fan of his street and documentary work - which I consider truly artistic, impactful, and meaningful - for years. And I’ve long admired the care TRGT puts into protecting the natural spaces that make Chattanooga one of the best places in the country to enjoy photography.

The mission of the TRGT is “to conserve a healthy Tennessee River Gorge as a community treasure for generations,” and for more than 40 years it has actively stewarded over 17,000 acres. Their vision balances ecological protection with community access through scientific research, land management, and inclusive outdoor experiences.

Working with TRGT, Andy and I set out long before sunrise on two crisp November mornings to photograph the gorge in its autumnal splendor. Working alongside another photographer - in the presence of other people close by - was indeed a challenging departure from my solitary process, but Andy’s calm, reassuring presence helped me ground my work in purpose rather than performance.

Our first outing took us deep into Prentice Cooper State Forest, where we explored overlooks at Pot Point and Mullens Cove. Guided by Austin from the Trust, we witnessed a dramatic sunrise and the final vestiges of fall color clinging to cliff tops. It was humbling: these are places under active stewardship, where TRGT protects ecological and cultural treasures, just as outlined in their goals. I found myself negotiating branches, racing light — all in service of honoring this wild, cared-for land.

On a second outing, we boarded a pontoon boat with another TRGT teammate and floated down the Tennessee River into the heart of the canyon. The morning light sliced through the depths of the gorge with astonishing angles, and the fall colors (much stronger than those at higher elevations) overwhelmed me. Shooting handheld from a moving boat was a challenge — especially with my 400 mm-equivalent lens — but I settled into a rhythm, driven in part by a fear that the dream would soon end and I’d find myself back at home, laying in bed, disappointed. The natural beauty of the gorge’s interior struck me at every bend in the ancient Tennessee.

We also stopped at a bird-banding station and a research campground, where TRGT studies migratory pathways and engages in critical wildlife monitoring. This aspect of their work — using science to inform conservation — felt especially profound as I photographed the surrounding beech forest.

As we drifted through the gorge, the river revealed its own cast of characters: a blue belted kingfisher rattling across the water ahead of us, great blue herons lifting slowly from the shallows, and small, quick birds - wrens, thrushes - flickering at the river’s edge. I saw more bald eagles in one stretch of the river than I’ve ever seen in a single place.

Blessed by a low, dramatic angle of warm light, we witnessed the crowns of beeches, oaks, sycamores, and pines coming to life in luminous patches of lime green, yellow, rusty orange, and deep red. Cattails, river oats, and other small plants caught the occasional beam and leapt forward from the muddy river bank still submerged in shadow.

Soft side light—the gentle, low-contrast kind I relish on solitary hikes—gave the small scenes a quiet depth. Leaves, ferns, and textured trunks echoed themselves in countless glassy reflections, appearing wherever I turned my lens. As the boat cut through the water that morning, I drifted between gratitude and a bright, focused excitement. This was the light and color I had been anticipating all year, and with my camera in hand I felt privileged to play even a small part in the broader conservation effort led by the TRGT.

This project is part of a larger Trust initiative: TRGT’s goals include protecting priority conservation lands, ensuring public access, and cultivating inclusive stewardship among diverse communities. Our photographic collaboration will continue in the spring, when we hope to highlight the Gorge’s vibrant, blooming landscapes — contributing visual stories that promote both appreciation and protection of this remarkable place.

For me, this expedition wasn’t solely about making photographs for myself. It was about bearing witness to conservation in motion and using my camera to amplify the Trust’s mission: preserving the Tennessee River Gorge as a living, breathing community treasure.

Light in the Canyon: Photographing a Landscape Under Stewardship

Missing pieces