Festival Lights & Fall Heights: Crafting Travel Photography at the Mountain Makins Festival
Every autumn I mark a weekend in Morristown that changes gears: the Mountain Makins Festival at the Rose Center becomes my playground. Artisans, crafts, bluegrass, fire‑red leaves — this one event pulls together culture, travel, and the kind of imagery I crave.
Why festival photography? Because it forces me off the couch, out of the comfort zone, into the wild mix of humans, handcrafted goods, live music, and fall ambiance. It reminds me that the best travel shots aren’t always from peak vistas — sometimes they’re in the crowd‑lined craft hall under strings of lights, or in a corner where a wood‑carver chips fall shavings onto his boots.
I pack light: X‑T3 on a strap, one zoom lens (for flexibility), boots again because I’ll walk miles; fitness gear tossed in the bag in case I find a park bench or greenway for a quick mobility sequence. It’s a lifestyle shoot just as much as a festival shoot.
At the Rose Center grounds I watch the light shift: golden hour hits the historic building, then fades into soft dusk as lanterns glow. I move through vendor alleys, find faces, textures, hands at work. I shoot wide for context (craft tent under fall trees), then move back in tight (close up on walnut shavings, rough wood grain). The f/4 constant aperture gives me enough depth of field to keep movement sharp in mixed light.
Fitness comes in because my body needs to stay tuned. I’ll pause between sets of frames, do two‑minute plank or some lunges against a tree trunk — because travel photography is un‑steady without a steady body. The camera swings on straps; you hold its weight. If your posture is weak, your shots feel weak.
Then I wrap with motion: belt out a back‑walk shot along the path, boots crunching leaves, camera capturing the glow of a vendor’s fire‑pit. I capture audio too: crackling wood, laughter, live bluegrass fiddle strings — for later video.
On editing day I pull out colors: warm oranges, deep reds, soft evening blues. I grade to keep the mood real but cinematic. I write captions that say not just “look what I saw” but “look what I felt”.
If you’re shooting travel, lifestyle or festival scenes this fall — don’t just wander, plan your dual roles: athlete & artist. Gear your body and your camera. Choose boots that hold you steady. Choose lens that adapts fast. Choose locations that feel alive, not staged.
Because the best travel photo isn’t the postcard — it’s the one where the boots, the camera, the festival lights and the season all collided for a moment.
