I was born and raised in Waynesville, NC, and my genealogy includes at least four generations of Haywood Countians. I wasn’t raised in a family who enjoyed the outdoors, and it’s interesting that even though I heard “Great Smoky Mountains” often, I really had no idea what or where they were until I was nearly finished with high school. I vaguely remember my first ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway at 4 or 5 years old, but never went back until a friend took me to hike Mt. Pisgah, an event that opened my eyes and changed my life at the age of 16. Not long afterwards, another life-changing event drove me back to the Parkway, alone, seeking solace, which led to my first Parkway sunset experience. After that, my connection with nature and the Southern Appalachians was sealed.
When I graduated from Tuscola H.S., I was already enrolled at Mars Hill College and attended for a year, majoring in vocal music. During that time, I had the opportunity to get credit for a winter backpacking course, once again, changing the direction of my life. By the end of that year, I was looking to change my major to something outdoors-related. After two more years, I received an associate degree in forestry from Haywood Technical Institute (now Community College) but that wasn’t enough. Three years later I graduated from Western Carolina University with a B.S. in Biology, minor in Chemistry, but had no idea what to do with the degrees. I took a temporary summer position as naturalist at Mt. Mitchell State Park and ended up spending the next 14 months there. Spending the winter at over 6000′ feet in the Black Mountains was exceptional, unforgettable.
My first experience with photography was on a trip to Washington D.C. when I was 14. Even though I lost my luggage, I held onto my dad’s old Ansco box camera that he carried on Okinawa in the 1950’s. I still have that camera and maybe even a print from it. It was during my time at HTI, however, when I was going into the outdoors frequently with studies and friends I met there, that I felt an irresistible desire to document my travels through photography. I acquired a simple 35mm SLR, no auto-anything, completely manual, with 50mm, 28mm, and 125mm lenses. I shot mostly color slide film, but moved to B&W as a staff photographer for the WCU yearbook. There, I taught myself to develop and print photos in the darkroom. My camera went absolutely everywhere with me during that time, and the basics of photography became second nature, an advantage that helped me transition into the world of digital photography years later. During the college years and my time at Mt. Mitchell, I dedicated myself to learning as much as possible about nature, particularly wildflowers, and the ability to photograph them was advantageous.
I was positioned for permanent employment in the NC State Parks system, but I met a girl, life-changing once again. I followed Jo Ridge to Charlotte, NC where she was an art teacher. I found work at a large nursery, and we married in 1981. We were both so determined to get out of the city that we quit our jobs, picked up everything and moved to Waynesville, where we still live. After working a variety of jobs here, Jo and I finally started our own business, derived from our artistic abilities. Jo was an educated artist, and I had drawn and painted for years. We made a number of nature-related items including jewelry, and I carved songbirds from basswood. Looking for something more lucrative and easier to produce, I came up with a design idea for a T-shirt. Although I knew nothing about the screen-printing process, we persisted in acquiring and building the equipment necessary. Eventually we had our own line of nature and wildlife T’s that we sold nationwide via mail-order and wholesale sales. Out of this we grew into a full-fledged screen-printing service, which demanded all of our time and photography was put on hiatus. Sadly, much of what we did was not nature-related at all, but it was a living. Still, we tried to spend as much time in the outdoors as possible, camping often at Cataloochee Valley. We always missed the spring wildflower season because we were gearing up for summer tourist season. Eventually we ended up in a retail situation that grew into a very popular nature store, Ridge Runner Naturals, in downtown Waynesville. We sold birdfeeders, books, our own T’s, educational and decorative items.
Economic conditions inevitably changed and we began to go back to our roots as nature artists. Jo started successfully selling her original watercolors and prints in the early 2000’s. My first digital camera was purchased in 1999. I had been steadily improving my techniques and abilities in the digital realm, and added my photography to the mix around 2005. Finally our store became a gallery featuring our work alone. After a steep learning curve, a large format archival printer gave me the ability to print my own work in very large sizes, including some canvas panoramas up to 8 feet long.
We continued to operate the gallery until 2012, when, burned out with the incessant demands of retail, we decided to work from home and on the road. We have traveled a great deal over the years and photography has always been a major component. I have photographed nature and wildlife in most of the Western states, throughout the Southeast, Alaska, Maine and New Brunswick. I even enjoyed cityscapes and street photography in New York City. Around 2014, I put together a digital photography course which was well-received, but I found I had neither the time nor desire to keep up with the overwhelming advances in digital imaging that were evolving.
I ceased to pursue photography as a career several years ago, but it remains a passion that continues to open doors to the natural world for me, both in continued learning, and the ability to share what I see with others. The positive response from people hungry to see and learn more about nature through my eyes not only inspires me and gives meaning to the process, it feeds my purpose as an ambassador and advocate for nature and the nature/human connection. My photo galleries can be found on my facebook (https://www.facebook.com/theridgerunner) and Instagram (@ekelleystudio) web pages . I have gone through dozens of lenses and camera bodies, tripods, backpacks, filters, and other accoutrements and gadgets over the last dozen years, but now I mainly shoot with a Fuji S1 superzoom compact camera, and my Google Pixel 2 smartphone that has amazing photographic and video capabilities.
Currently, my wife, Jo Ridge Kelley, has her own gallery/studio in downtown Waynesville, her lifetime passion fulfilled. I don’t exhibit my work there, but have become a sort of facilitator for her, keeping the home fires burning and attending to the day-to-day demands of life. My latest project has been to restore an older motorhome that we use to attend plein air painting and art events, and as a basecamp for further nature exploration and inspiration. I continue to document and share my experiences and satisfy my natural curiosity through photography, an integral thread that has run through the center of my life.
