Did you know that photographers have workshops where we can get information about all types of image genres? Such an event, called the Asheville Photography Summit 2025, was hosted by my friend J Christian Smilanic, an Asheville-based photographer who runs WNC Photo Tours, among other worthy endeavors.

The usual fare for a two-day workshop includes gear, techniques, the tips and tricks of running a successful photography business and networking. The workshop provided all of these features in abundance.

One aspect of a presentation hosted by J delved into the spiritual nature of photography. Badger had given considerable thought to this subtopic and what piqued my interest was a mention of Toltec wisdom in The Four Agreements and specifically the last one: Always do your best.

One’s best may differ from day to day depending on health, emotional balance and the vicissitudes of living in an unpredictable world. I can’t speak for others, but Hurricane Helene did a number on my psyche together with ongoing damage to Appalachia, its people and the landscape.

Always do your best means different things to different people, like J’s fortitude in hiking Roan Mountain all the way to Grassy Ridge and back in the dark enduring the snow and wind and ice to capture a moment with an incredible image. For Badger, a similar experience has occurred.

I’ve battled what they call post-Covid syndrome where a person will unexpectedly begin to feel poorly and the symptoms of fatigue and congestion (or worse) endure for weeks at a time. Given my propensity for constant communing with nature, the syndrome puts the proverbial crimp in my style.

The featured photo is one taken by Badger on The Roan in February 2024. I thought the best I could do that day with post-Covid was to exit the vehicle and shoot within maybe .1 mile up the trail from my vehicle. The best opportunities are up top but that seemed impossible given how bad I felt. The temperatures were in the single digits with wind gusts up to 30 mph. Most people would be in bed but apparently not the Badger that day.

That spiritual principle to always do my best eventually permeated my thought process that twilight evening. Moving slowly with my microspikes on the snow and ice covered Appalachian Trail, step by step, the hike continued to the top of Round Bald a little over a half mile up from Carver’s Gap where I started. On each step my body said no, but my spirit moved me forward and upward.

When I scrambled to my favorite photography perch just off the Bald, the twilight was becoming increasingly dark but the conditions briefly provided an extraordinary scene of a dazzling cobalt hue sky accentuated by snow clinging to the evergreens with the imposing North Carolina mountains in the background. The moment was captured with a click and then I headed wearily back in the dark to the warmth and safety of my vehicle.

The finished product gained some notoriety and was presented in an international art competition and garnered a Gold Award in the Shades of Blue exhibit – one tiny step away from Best in Show among thousands of participants from 14 countries.

“The Color Blue in the Blue Ridge” is my most acclaimed international work. Without a spiritual base I would never have been in a place where I could be successful. My best that icy day was far beyond what my mind thought possible. One might say the spirit moved me and that would be the truth.

Is photography an activity that can transcend the ordinary to the extraordinary? Badger was away from all humanity that frigid evening, but was he actually alone?

I choose to think not. Nature’s God rewarded my best effort and that feeling will never be taken for granted. Badger lives for these moments and the story shows there’s a reason why.

Author’s Note:

The Four Agreements of Toltec Wisdom communicated by Don Miguel Ruiz:

  • Be impeccable with your word
  • Do not take anything personally
  • Do not make assumptions
  • Always do your best

For anyone who would like to photograph Western North Carolina, J Smilanic’s Tours are exceptional. For more information check out wncphototours.com.

For more information about Badger’s Gold Award, check out Camelback Gallery’s Shades of Blue 2025 Exhibit here.

Thomas Mabry – Honey Badger Images

Many of the HoneyBadgerImages are on display at instagram.com/honeybadgerimages.