[quote=teesquare]That may be for 3 reasons:
1.Because it is incredibly crowded until the leaves fall of the trees. Used to be, there were the summer tourists, then the leaf peppers. @ relatively short periods, then the park would " get a rest ". Not anymore. It has become like a zoo, where one can go - to see humans - many acting like animals - in what would be their "native habitat" - if they had not lived in cities for thousands of years and forgotten the value of NOT ruining the land with trash, carving initials in trees, and creating havoc as a pastime :lol:
2. I don't think the OP expressed a desire to defend her equipment for breakage due to the above mentioned throngs of hellions, and situationally unaware folks that crowd the park - i.e. "gee- I am so sorry about your camera going off the overlook....I didn't see you standing there with that big tripod.." :roll: :wink:
3. It is in reality more like 1-12/2 hour to great shooting in the GSNP from Asheville. Yes, the parks eastern most boundaries may be only 45 minutes away - but that as they say...is "marketing spin" :thumbup:/quote]

Points understood - especially the one about the ignorant people who trash the park, but just because a park is super crowded should not prevent one from visiting. Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion and all of the others are perpetually jammed as well, but no landscape/nature photographer should miss them.

Reminds me of the old Yogi Berra-ism, "No one ever goes there anymore. It is always too crowded."

Surprised no one mentioned Great Smoky National Park. If you are looking for landscape and nature, that would be hard to beat.

45 minute (or so) drive. If you go, sunrise on Clingman's dome is a must

Have you read any of the above replies to the original post? Specifically this one?

He was probably using this.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/300478-REG/Nikon_4766_SC_29_TTL_Off_Camera_Shoe.html

If he shot with another brand, those may have a similar product

He was probably using this.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/300478-REG/Nikon_4766_SC_29_TTL_Off_Camera_Shoe.html

If he shot with another brand, those may have a similar product

Agreed, Excellent wildlife and nature viewing. Formal name is Edwin Forsythe Nat'l Refuge

http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Edwin_B_Forsythe/visit/visitor_activities.html

Bring binoculars and longest lens you own.

A lovely out of the public's eye place

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48174-d263791-Reviews-Innisfree_Gardens-Millbrook_New_York.html

I know of no post production software that will replicate the effects of a polarizer.

VERY far away from perfect and I see that my reply was a little snotty, but hey, it would really be useful for a topic to the forum to be a little more specific.

apologies to anyone I have offended.

What's going on? Trump leads the Republican field. The nation is deciding whether to accept the nuclear treaty. Isis is threatening the world. And Caitlin Jenner has a reality show.

If you want serious replies to a question, how about putting the topic in your title so people don't waste their time opening a topic to discover that actual question pertains to something about which they know nothing?

Come on folks - make it easier.

"Really isn't a problem taking 2 cameras on a cruise since there is not a lot of walking on the boat."

Uh, the photo ops when taking a cruise generally occur during the time in port. Unless you are on a transatlantic cruise, you will be doing a lot of walking and will want a camera in your hand.

24-120 for best IQ. Not even a close decision as far as I am concerned.

This really is a no brainer. If you have a well drafted contract that states what you said it does about full payment in advance or no photos, then you would be crazy to show up.

If you believe that they will pay you later, you are being naive. These people understand what the contract states and have chosen not to abide by the terms. Do you think that suddenly they will get religion after the fact?

The comment about getting an unsympathetic judge is off base. You either have a signed contract or you do not. A judge is not likely to feel sorry for the one of the parties of a contract that does not live up to its terms and ignores all attempts at contact.

This is business, plain and simple. If the bride didn't pay her phone bill, would her carrier continue the service? Or would it simply not continue the service? You are agonizing about this because it is a "wedding" and assigning something emotional to the product you are selling. To me the decision is crystal clear. If the contract is dishonored, I cannot see why you have any legal or moral obligation to provide your service on a hope and a prayer.

by the way - what does your contract say about what happens to the money already received? Hopefully, there is a clause that allows you to keep all or most of the downpayment. You took that date off of your calendar and it is too late for you to rebook with another couple. Therefore, if you return the downpayment, you get nothing for the day. So you ARE out of pocket, even if you sit home drinking a beer that day. You are out of pocket for the lost opportunity.

And - Keep in mind that the entire gist of my reply really is not intended to provide legal advice (which I am most certainly NOT qualified to do). Rather, it is to point out the this is nothing more than a business transaction. I suggest that you check with your attorney to make certain that your contract is as you describe. If it is, I would stop feeling any guilt for "spoiling" the wedding. It is not you who is to blame.

The old adage, "No good deed goes unpunished" seems quite appropriate. If you show up to shoot the wedding just to be a good guy, you will end up with a lot of grief pursuing the open balance. The only reason to visit small claims court is if they sue you for breach of contract and you will win that if the contract is well crafted.

Added point - I just noticed that BBurns sent you a reply before I wrote mine in which the same points are made. I would heed his advice.

"It is too bad that Madrid and Barcelona have both become hotbeds for stolen camera gear"

I would substitute stolen EVERYTHING" for "camera gear"

Barca is the only city I have ever visited where locals wear thier backpacks on their chests instead of on their backs. Talking about all backpacks - not just camera packs

Backpack is certainly more comfortable for carrying gear, but in order to remove and replace gear for shooting, you must take the backpack off. The whole idea of the slingbag is to allow the photographer to access the equipment with the bag in place.

I own every conceivable type of camera bag and there is a time for each. If I need to move a lot of gear and am not planning to shoot with it, I always reach for the backpack. If I grab a body and a couple of lenses for a day shooting, I always reach for the slingbag.

And, I here is one other major drawback to using a backpack. It is quite easy to fall victim to theft with a backpack. Try carrying your gear in a backpack in Barcelona for example and see what you have in there when you return to your hotel in the evening.

Ditto ThinkTank. You can change shoulders.