Who was Bayard Wootten?

“She was a wonderful, strong North Carolina woman,” said Pam Meister. “She was a skilled photographer. She was a feminist before her time. The more I learn about her, the more I’m impressed with her life.”

Everyone enjoys the ground-level Western North Carolina views, but drones provide a whole new perspective on things. 

SEE ALSO:
• Drone technology presents opportunities and challenges
• Drone operators navigate strict laws

With a gentle buzzing, these lightweight unmanned aircrafts are able to soar hundreds of feet into the air to capture some of the most breathtaking aerial shots of life here in the mountains. Tech-savvy entrepreneurs are starting to realize they can make a living out of capturing these images and video footage  enjoying the great outdoors themselves.

Drone operators have found that navigating the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulations is more complicated than navigating their unmanned aircrafts.

Though it can make certain aspects of life easier, technology often has unintended consequences.

If Garrett Fisher had his way, he’d live on the side of a mountain with a glacier as his next-door neighbor. 

Some people might consider his Wyoming home, located at 5,633 feet above sea level, to be close enough, but Fisher craves more elevation than that. So, he satisfies his thirst for altitude with aviation.

John MacLean will never forget his first photo shoot.

“I was 19 years old and it was at a meat packing plant in New Jersey,” he said.

Standing in the basement of the Cullowhee Methodist Church at Western Carolina University last Saturday, MacLean told two-dozen folks of the Sylva Photo Club about how he got into the business.

Pulling into his steep, gravel driveway, the first thing you notice about Gary Montanari are his numerous pets.

“I hope you like dogs,” he said, as several barks are heard from around the property.

The second thing you notice about Gary Montanari is that he has lived an extraordinary life.

For every degree of cold or inconvenience, wintry weather adds two of beauty. Members of Waynesville’s Lens Luggers photography club kept their cameras at the ready as below freezing temperatures and above-normal snowfall transformed Western North Carolina into a winter wonderland. We hope you’ll enjoy some of their favorite images and the stories of how they came to be. 

Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library will produce a new digital collection of 2,000 items focused on the history of Great Smoky Mountains National Park with support from a $93,000 grant from the North Carolina State Library.

“The park certainly has an amazing and well-cared-for archive, but it’s locked away,” said Anne Fariello, associate professor of digital initiatives with Hunter Library. “We will be digitally preserving and increasing access to material that is important, not only to the development of the park, but also to the region.”

They stood in a line, trigger fingers poised, eyes fixated on the target.

 It was early morning, and the predawn sun had not yet peaked over the tops of the eastern range. An antlered male elk had his head down, buried in the tall, dew-covered grass, oblivious to the stakeout at the far edge of the meadow.