The Prolific Photographer Tim Barnwell
Story by Frances Figart | Photos by Tim Barnwell
A curiosity about the history, culture, and communities of the mountains of Western North Carolina and the surrounding southern Appalachian region is what inspires Tim Barnwell to create. His career has spanned more than 30 years as a professional photographer and instructor, including eight years as executive director of the nationally recognized Appalachian Photographic Workshops.
“I love to explore the area, many times just getting into the car and heading off with no real destination in mind,” he says. “I just wander the back roads of the mountains to see what is there and find interesting and beautiful things to learn about and capture with my camera.”
Tim has been principal or contributing photographer for dozens of books and is the author of five of his own, the first three exploring regional Appalachian culture. The last two are travel and tourism guidebooks related to our mountains: Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas: A Comprehensive Identification Guide to What You See from the Many Overlooks (2014) and his latest, Great Smoky Mountains Vistas: A Guide, with Mountain Peak Identifications, for What to See and Do In and Around the National Park, a comprehensive guidebook about the national park and its environs to be released this month.
“With the hundredth anniversary of the National Park Service this year, there has been increased awareness of our wonderful park system and more folks are motivated to seek outdoors experiences,” he says. “After decades of excursions along the Blue Ridge Parkway and camping in and around Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I wanted to share the places that I have explored and think are special, most within a day’s drive of Asheville.”
Born in Bryson City in the shadow of the Smokies, Tim moved to Asheville at a young age with his parents, Western Carolina University graduates who were teachers in Swain, Madison, and Buncombe counties. The Prolific Photographer Tim Barnwell After graduating from UNC-Asheville, he worked in local camera shops and then started Appalachian Photographic Workshops with a friend in 1981. Located on Charlotte Street in Asheville, the school offered evening and weekend classes with staff and guest master classes by instructors from across the country. Tim opened his own photo studio on Lexington Avenue in 1988, later moving to the studio on Coxe Avenue where he has worked for more than 20 years.
Tim will speak at the Fontana Library in Cashiers from 4–5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 23, and will be teaching a three-day workshop, “The Photographic Project,” at The Bascom in Highlands Wednesday through Friday, August 24–26.
“This program is open to experienced photographers working in all areas of interest and subject matter—landscapes, nature, portraits, documentary, or fine art (film or digital),” says Tim. “Participants will identify themes in their current photography, select a subject to explore in depth, and learn the skills needed to follow a project from concept through completion.”
Tim’s images have been widely published, appearing in dozens of magazines, including Time, Newsweek, Southern Accents, House Beautiful, American Craft, Outdoor Photographer, Sky and Telescope, Blue Ridge Country, Billboard, U.S. News and World Report, Travel South, American Style, Black & White Magazine, Aperture, Lenswork, Astronomy, and National Parks.
Tim will be signing his new book at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee on Friday, October 21, the Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg on Saturday, October 22, and at Malaprop’s Bookstore in downtown Asheville on Sunday, October 23.
Learn more about Tim Barnwell and see a schedule of dates and times for book signings at barnwellphoto.com. Learn course details and information for “The Photographic Project” at thebascom.org.
