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Great Smoky Mountains Landscape Photography as Interior Decor
Redesign your room or home with stunning landscape photographs of America's top national parks. Our fine art prints offer a glimpse of the natural beauty of Great Smoky Mountains National Park from the perspectives of expert photographers, attuned to the special majesty of this World Heritage Site.
Locate Iconic Great Smoky Sites
The Great Smoky Mountains are a paradise of photographic subjects: valleys smothered in mist and sweeping views of the mountains. Our carefully selected photographs show the park's favorite spots at their very best light to bring out the full character of the landscape.
Cades Cove: Where Natural Wonders and History Meet
Cades Cove is perhaps the Smokies' most photographed spot, and it's no wonder. This 11-mile loop road runs through a beautiful untouched valley nestled between great mountains and provides views of both untouched wilderness and conserved Appalachian heritage. Our Cades Cove prints bring the valley's countryside beauty at golden hour when soft light illuminates historic cabins, churches, and barns against looming ancient mountains.
The early morning fog typical of Cades Cove creates otherworldly situations ideally suited to fine art photography. These prints take the serene experience of early morning wildlife viewing home with you, where deer graze peacefully in meadows and the mountains come up out of fog like sleeping giants awakening their eyes to a new day.
Cataloochee Valley: A Hidden Gem of the Smokies
Less busy than Cades Cove and equally beautiful, the Cataloochee Valley is the Smokies at their best. This secluded valley can only be accessed by a winding gravel road and is rewarded with some of the best landscape photography in the park. Our Cataloochee photographs depict the very extensive meadows of the valley, bygone architecture, and the beautiful mountain range that surrounds this hidden gem.
Sunrise photography from the Cataloochee Valley creates some of the very best images in our portfolio. Combinations of morning light, mountain silhouettes, and misty valleys end up with compositions that will make any room a window on the wilderness. These are especially effective prints used in offices and living rooms where you'd like to bring a feeling of calm and of vast nature.
Clingmans Dome: Highest of Tennessee Peaks
At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest viewpoint of the state of Tennessee and has some of the broadest vistas of any place within the length of the Appalachian Mountain chain. Our limited edition fine art photographs of the famous spot reveal the seemingly unlimited ridges extending out to the horizon, layer after layer of blue-green slopes disappearing into the distance.
Our observation tower at Clingmans Dome offers 360-degree views, which are especially beautiful at sunrise and at sunset. Our photographers schedule their visits when they can document the shifting light that colors the mountain ridges purple, gold, and rose. Powerful statement items for homes and offices, these dramatic prints feature strong focal points that invite owners and visitors toward great expanses of wilderness.
Little River Road: Along the River's Course
Little River Road is a more gentle take on Smoky Mountains' beauty, winding along the clear waters of Little River as it tumbles through timeless forests. This is a road with countless photo ops of the intimate details of the mountain environment – from rocks carpeted with moss and foaming waterfalls to towering trees that have seen centuries of seasons come and go.
Our Little River Road series includes vast landscape views and intimate nature studies. Prints of waterfalls of this series bring the soothing sound and movement of moving water into a room or interior space, and forest views create depth and sereneness within any interior space. Prints work particularly well within bathrooms, bedrooms, and rooms that are used as meditation rooms, where a feeling of calm, natural presence is called for.
Foothills Parkway: The Scenic Gateway
The Foothills Parkway is known as "America's Most Beautiful Road," and it has soaring views of the Smoky Mountains that are simply unmatched. This beautiful highway treats photographers to viewing the grandeur of the park at angles other roads can't provide, with views that stretch across valleys of the state of Tennessee and deep into the mountain range's central core.
Sunset photographs taken along the Foothills Parkway generate some of our strongest prints. Western exposure makes for dynamic sky colors reflected off the ridges of the mountains and produces images that appear illuminated by inner light. These prints warm and energize living rooms, dining rooms, and entryways where you'd like to achieve a strong first impression.
Tremont: Where Wilderness Begins
The Tremont section is the Smokies' untamed center, where mountain streams crash up against ancient forests. This off-the-beaten-path section of the park rewards photographers with untarnished wilderness vistas that bring observers back before the days of urban growth.
Our Tremont series honors the subtlety of forest environments – tall ancient trees, clear streams, and the play of light through dense leafage. They are beautiful when incorporated into study rooms, libraries, and bedrooms, where you'd like to bring a sense of outside calm and retrospection.
The Art of Golden Hour Photography
The Smoky Mountains' photography magic is not only about locations but about timing. Our photographers are experts at taking advantage of those golden hours of sundown and sunrise when the Smoky Mountains are at their full range of glorious color and mood.
Sunrise Over the Smokies
Sunrise photography at Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides special occasions of observing the daily renewal of the landscape. Morning fog, valley fog, and the warm light of dawn combine to make situations perfect for fine art landscape photography. The mountains rise from shadows like a slow-motion unveiling with each ridge gradually being seen as the sun rises higher.
Our sunrise prints preserve these enchanted times when the park is waking up. Early morning's gentle diffused light produces soft contrasts and muted color schemes that suit bedrooms, meditation rooms, and rooms where you'd like to foster calm and contemplation.
Sunset Splendor
Sunset photography in the Smokies produces dramatic skies and warm light that make the mountain landscape a tapestry of golds, oranges, and purples. Western slopes get end-of-day light and generate silhouettes and highlights that accentuate the spectacular topography of this very ancient mountain range.
These sunset prints infuse rooms with vitality and warmth. Beautiful colors and lively compositions are perfect statement items for dining rooms, living rooms,
and offices where you'd like to have an atmosphere of inspiration and nature.
Upgrading Your Room with High-Quality Art Nature Photography
Smoky Mountains photographs contribute something beyond decoration – they establish relationships with nature that can change the very mood of a room. Whether it is home or business decoration, these photographs provide options that are versatile with many styles and interior decoration color schemes.
Residential Décor Uses
In home environments, Smoky Mountains prints fulfill several functions beyond decoration. Oversized landscape prints are used to anchor small rooms and make them appear larger. Natural colors inherent in mountain photography – greens and blues and earth colors and warm sunrise colors – are sympathetic toward interior color schemes yet bring richness and interest to neutral color schemes.
Living rooms are significantly improved by large-format mountain vista photos that become conversation starters and imbue a feeling of grandeur. Since horizontal format is typical of the majority of photographs of landscapes, it works great above sofas and mantels, while vertical configurations work best on halls and narrow wall locations.
Bedrooms are made into retreats when adorned with gentle sunrise or misty morning photos of such places as Cades Cove or Cataloochee Valley. Softer photos create relaxation and provide a soothing environment ideal for sleep and contemplation.
Commercial Space Enhancement
Business environments gain significant benefits from fine art nature photography. Medical offices, law firms, and corporate settings use Smoky Mountains prints to create welcoming atmospheres that help clients and employees feel more at ease. The timeless beauty of mountain landscapes provides a neutral but engaging focal point that appeals to diverse audiences.
Restaurants and hotels find that landscape photography generates an atmosphere that supports the client experience. Large photographs of popular Smoky Mountains locations provide a feeling of connection to the region while presenting visual interest that contributes to longer visits and positive dispositions toward the firm.
Quality and Expertise with Every Print
Our commitment to being the best begins with the photographs themselves and continues through all stages of the printing process. Each of our photographs is carefully selected individually based on artistic and technical merit and aesthetic appeal. We work only with talented photographers who understand the unique chances and difficulties of landscape photography of mountains.
Pro Printing Standards
Every print is created using museum-grade materials and archival processes that are meant to endure and remain true to their colors. We use top-end paper and ink that never fade and are rich and full of color when rightly framed and maintained. Printing partners understand color management is key and do their best to make every print reflect the photographer's original intention.
Large format selections can be used by those seeking dramatic announcement pieces, and smaller prints suit galleries and cozy rooms. Medium format sizes are available so that your desired image can fit perfectly within your desired space.
Mat and Framing Decisions
Proper framing elevates any work of art, and our Smoky Mountains prints are no exception. We can accommodate a variety of matting and framing styles that are appropriate both for the artwork and your sense of interior decorating. From simple black framing that highlights the photography itself to intricate custom framing that achieves museum-level results, we help you achieve the perfect presentation for your home.
Creating Your Ultimate Smoky Mountains Grouping
With a photo series of the Great Smoky Mountains, you can generate a visual essay of varying moods, seasons of the year, and viewpoints of this great landscape. Clients often come at it with a single dramatic photo and then gradually incorporate related works that constitute a unified gallery wall or scattered installation at home or at work.
Seasonal Variations
The Smokies have unique beauty at every season of the year, and our art captures these changes of the season. Spring blooming wildflower spectacles, deep green canopies of summer, great fall color shows, and snowy beauty of winter give a choice at every level and décor type. Seasonal rotation of prints lets you change your space at every season of the year, yet always maintain a connection with this cherished landscape.
Size and Composition Issues
Interior design with landscape photographs is successful when space and image content are both considered. Panoramic big prints are effective when used in very long halls and above furniture; square sizes are appropriate when used at more intimate locations. Vertical images can assist when focusing attention upwards in rooms with very high ceilings.
The visual impact of a picture – based on issues of contrast, color strength, and subject matter – must harmonize with other room elements. Brosseau says strong sunset images are attention-commanding and effective on their own; softer morning images can be clustered with other work or other decorative items.
Investment in Enduring Beauty
Fine art photographic prints are greater than passing decoration -- investment pieces of timeless beauty that may be savored years into the future. Unlike mass-market art prints, each of our photographs presents a unique moment of time that can never honestly be replicated. Natural beauty at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park produces subjects timeless and perennially universal.
Caring for Your Investment
Proper care ensures your Smoky Mountains prints remain lovely year after year. Keeping them out of direct light, controlling humidity levels, and soft regular cleaning preserve the image and products. Care instructions are included with every purchase so you can properly care for your investment.
Taking the Smokies Home
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of America's greatest landscapes, where ancient mountains and pristine wilderness come together and where each season is full of new beauty. Our fine art photographs bring the beauty of nature into your everyday life so that the rooms you occupy are full of inspiration and calm, and bring you closer to timeless nature beauty.
Whether you invest in a lone statement piece or build a complete collection, these prints take simple rooms and turn them into unforgettable rooms that honor the timeless magic of America's greatest national park. Every photo is a daily reminder of the beauty that surrounds us in our natural world and of the need to preserve these special landscapes so future generations can continue to enjoy them.
Visiting and Photographing The Smoky Mountains
For those of us that grew up in the Eastern United States, there was likely a family vacation to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There have always been many opportunities for camping, hiking and other tourist activities, but I have since learned to love the area for its beautiful photographic possibilities. Let’s explore those.
The Park is in both North Carolina and Tennessee. As you head into the Park from the south side, just outside of the town of Cherokee, you will come to the Mingus Mill. This historic 1886 grist mill still functions and is a good place to learn about how mills work. In the fall, it is an excellent location for fall color photos.
The Oconaluftee River follows alongside US 441 as you head up into the mountains. There are several good places to stop along the way, such as at Collins Creek, Kephart Prong Trail, and Kanati Fork Trail. Take some time on these trails and you are sure to find good compositions of the rivers and streams.
Just before you get to Newfound Gap, you will come to the Luftee Overlook followed by the road out to Clingman’s Dome. This is the only place I know of anywhere that is set up so well for both sunrise and sunset photography with a double-wide sidewalk for both people and tripods. For mountain views, it’s the best there is.
As you proceed north and down from Newfound Gap, you will pass the Morton Overlook. The views and photographs from here are also excellent and extremely popular. Next down the road is The Alum Cave Bluffs Trail and the Chimney Tops Trail. Both are great to explore and photograph.
There are quite a few places to stop as you continue down the mountain to the town of Gatlinburg. I have learned over the years to just stop and get out to explore.
You have to take the road into the town of Gatlinburg to get to Cherokee Orchard Road that goes out to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. This is a leisurely one-way loop road. Highlights along the road is Grotto Falls, the Jim Bales barn, and the Ephraim Bales Cabin. There is a lush green feel to this area unlike other areas in the Park.
From the Sugarland Visitor Center, you head west on the Fighting Creek Gap Road to begin your journey to the west side of the Park. There are several Quiet Walkways worth exploring prior to arriving at Laurel Falls. The trail to the falls is slightly uphill and a little over a mile each way. It can be extremely crowded, so plan to get there very early to avoid people being in your photos.
The road changes to the Little River Gorge Road and is joined by the Little River that runs alongside of it. There are a large number of pullouts along the road as you pass Metcalf Bottoms and Meigs Falls.
Just after passing the intersection to Townsend, Tennessee, there is a stone bridge over the river that is one of my favorite places to photograph. This is also where you can go out Tremont Road, which runs alongside the Middle Prong Little River, with an excellent view of trees overhanging the river.
Back continuing on Little River Road, takes you to Cades Cove. This former settlement with fields and old cabins has more photographic opportunities than I can name. My favorite old structure to photograph is the John Oliver cabin, although there are many more. Take the time to learn about the history of this settlement, as it is quite fascinating.
My preferred location to base out of is Wears Valley, as I find it the most centrally placed location to get to a variety of areas in the Park. It is also close to the Foothills Parkway, which may be one of the most overlooked drives with scenic views in the Smoky Mountains. Check it out and you won’t be disappointed.
I recommend mid-April for Spring colors and Dogwoods in bloom. For Fall Color, the second and third week of October are usually good. The trees turn first at the top of the mountains and the changes in colors work their way down. You would just about have to be there for two weeks to get both.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in my opinion, is the prettiest place in the Eastern United States. Experience it again or for the first time!
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