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🍁 Forests, Florida, and Gifts | Trail Marker 10
Published about 18 hours ago • 6 min read
TRAIL 2025 | MARKER 10
Hey Reader,
October has felt like sprinting through a marathon I signed up for on purpose. My schedule is filled with projects, courses, teaching prep, and family life. And while it’s a lot, I’m feeling fueled by the momentum. As the year winds down, I know I’ll lean into a bit of “wintering,” because these batteries will need to recharge.
In this marker, I’m sharing what’s next on the horizon, including news about the Out of Merritt Island Bird Photography Conference, this year’s Call for Nominations for my annual gift guide, and a new naturalist’s entry on Reading the Forest Like a Map.
Wherever this finds you, I hope you’re finding a pace that feels right, one that balances ambition with awe and work with wonder.
Cheers,
UNDER THE SPELL OF THE SEASON
Wishing you a moody, magical Halloween beneath the branches.
WORK WITH ME IN PERSON Something's Taking Flight in 2026!
Photograph with me at Out of Merritt Island!
I’m excited to share that I’ll be teaching at the Out of Merritt Island Bird Photography Conference, happening March 8–12, 2026, in Florida. This immersive, five-day event is one of the best opportunities for nature photographers to hone their wildlife skills. The birds at Merritt Island are accustomed to people, which means you’ll have incredible access to photograph them up close while learning from some of the best bird photographers and instructors in the world.
If you’ve ever wanted to strengthen your wildlife photography—mastering timing, movement, light, and patience—this is the place to do it.
Save $400 when you register with code DONADIMI400 before November 10, 2025.
I'd love your input as I finalize this year's best gift list! What’s your favorite photography-related find that deserves a spot this year? It could be a piece of gear, an inspiring book, an educational course, a travel essential, or even a small tool that’s made your time in nature easier or more enjoyable.
Your recommendations help shape this annual guide and might just inspire someone’s perfect gift this season.
NATURALIST'S NOTEBOOK Scientific insights to deepen your connection to the natural world
Reading the Forest Like a Map
Walking through an old-growth forest in the Smokies, I’m always struck by the quiet order of it all. Towering trunks rise from a sparse understory, each species finding its place in a pattern long established. Step into a nearby cove hardwood forest, though, and the scene changes entirely. In just ten square feet, mosses, ferns, wildflowers, and saplings compete for space and light, a dense mosaic of life that seems to breathe around you. The difference between these two forests is profound, and it reveals something essential about how ecosystems arrange themselves across the mountains.
That curiosity about forest patterns—why certain trees grow where they do—found some satisfaction during my recent Appalachian Ecology course, where I was introduced to the work of ecologist Robert Whittaker. His research in the mid-1900s revealed that the Smokies aren’t just a collection of trees; they’re a living map of time and geography. And what a mystery to unravel. These mountains hold more tree species than all of Europe combined, each one adapted to a particular blend of elevation, moisture, and exposure. The park is home to six major forest types, from dry pine-oak ridges to lush cove hardwood valleys and the misty spruce-fir peaks along its crest.
Whittaker showed that climbing the Smokies is like traveling from Georgia to Maine in a single afternoon. Every 1,000 feet of elevation roughly equals a 250-mile shift north in latitude. The lush coves near Townsend mirror the woodlands of northern Georgia. As you pass 4,000 feet, northern hardwood forests appear, much like those in Pennsylvania and New York. Climb higher still, and the spruce–fir on the highest ridges resembles those of northern New England and southern Canada. This ecological understanding helps me choose photographs that honor a client’s local character, even when the images were made elsewhere. The Smokies are my largest body of work, and ecology is the connective tissue that keeps those projects authentic.
For those who like maps with their metaphors, Whittaker’s research can be visualized in a simple gradient showing how forest types shift as you climb the Smokies.
Diagram courtesy of the Forests of the Smokies guide by the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
For photographers, the Whittaker gradient offers a powerful creative reminder: geography and light are inseparable. Elevation, slope, and moisture influence not only which species you’ll find but also the color palette and the feel of the light itself. South-facing ridges glow with warm contrast, while north-facing coves settle into cooler hues and gentler transitions. Recognizing these patterns lets you anticipate the visual mood of a place before you even unpack your gear.
Before your next outing, try to “read” the forest as you would a topographic map. Notice the clues that reveal where you are in the gradient: the trees overhead, the plants underfoot, the soft dampness of the air. Photograph the transitions from ridge to hollow, or from dry soil to moss-coated stone. Each subtle change tells its own story, both ecological and visual.
The Smokies have taught me that every forest is a layered conversation between time, elevation, and light. The more fluently we read that language, the more deeply we see; not just as photographers, but as witnesses to the subtle architecture of place. When we understand why the forest looks the way it does, we photograph it differently, more thoughtfully, more truthfully. Ecology teaches us to slow down, look closer, and let the land reveal how it wants to be seen and the story it wants to share.
FOCUS POINTS To utter, repeat, and shape our mindset
“Knowing the names of things is a way of knowing the world.” — Robin Wall Kimmerer
TRAIL FINDS Curated resources, news, and inspiration for your journey
1.) Minimalism Through High- & Low-Key Photography (Free Webinar) Join Stefan Gerrits on Monday, November 10, 2025, at 1:00 PM Eastern for an NPN webinar on composition through simplicity, shape, and negative space. Free live session; replay for NPN members.
2.) Eric Bennett’s New Desert Gallery Eric Bennett’s latest collection, Desert Design: A Study of Sand, showcases 24 fine-art images from Death Valley exploring the forms, textures, and shifting light of desert dunes.
5.) Joseph Rossbach’s New Colorado Fall Gallery Joseph Rossbach captures the golden aspens and rugged peaks of Colorado’s fall season in his newest fine-art collection from the San Juans and Kebler Pass.
6.) What’s in Sarah Marino’s Camera Bag Sarah Marino shares her updated gear guide with practical and thoughtful insights for refining your own nature-photography kit.
8.) 2025 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards Finalists Announced The finalists for the Nikon-sponsored Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards are out, highlighting humor and conservation through the lighter side of wildlife moments. Winners will be announced in November 2025.
9.) Beyond The Lens Podcast Celebrates 100 Episodes Richard Bernabe’s milestone episode revisits favorite moments and guests, including Ami Vitale, Frans Lanting, and Sam Abell, reflecting on the art of seeing the ordinary anew.
10.) 2025 Audubon Photography Awards: Top 100 Audubon’s annual competition highlights 100 exceptional bird and wildlife images from photographers across North America.
11.) The Science of Fall Leaf Color Change from Space A Forbes feature by Marshall Shepherd explores how satellites capture autumn’s transformation, revealing how species diversity and climate shape the season’s colors.
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Chrissy Donadi
Nature and Landscape Photographer, Artist, Educator, & Speaker
My newsletter delivers inspirational and educational content which aids in our development as artists and photographers. If that sounds like a sweet deal, subscribe for my latest articles, videos, resources, and special offers.
TRAIL 2025 | MARKER 09 Hello September! This past month, I waded into new territory—literally—during an aquatics course for my next Master Naturalist certification. I came prepared with underwater housing and high hopes of photographing fish, but Mother Nature had other plans. Heavy storms washed out Newfound Gap Road in the Smokies, and the rivers fared no better. The water was so cloudy it felt like snorkeling through chocolate milk instead of peering into another world. All I carried home...
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