A.T.-Inspired: Laura Partain

Based in Music City, USA, Laura Partain's skills behind her camera and with her subjects have earned her a coveted place within the fabric of Nashville's creative community and beyond. With a career spanning 17 years Partain has had everyone from celebrity musicians to Midwest farmers in front of her lens. Her journey to the Appalachian Trail, which runs through her home state for roughly 75 miles, was years in the making. Here's a guest blog from Laura:

Thru hikers always talk about “the big three" (pack, shelter, sleeping bag), but I had a fourth—my camera. As a professional photographer of 17 years and an avid hiker, it occurred to me that there might be a story for me to explore on the A.T. In the Spring of 2024 I put my freelance career on hold, packed up one of my cameras, and began my long walk to Maine.

Taking inspiration from classic 20th-century photographers and publications, I treated my thru hike like an assignment from a 1950's LIFE or TIME magazine. Using only black-and-white 35mm film and one panoramic rangefinder camera, I shot over 250 rolls of film as I made portraits of and interviewed almost 90 individuals who, too, were walking from Georgia to Maine. This body of work is a mixture of portraits and interviews and documentary-style images that attempt to capture the spirit of thru hiking the trail. 

The unpublished photographs I have chosen for this show speak to the relationship between humans and the environments the trail intersects. Since they are not viewable online yet, this art show will present a unique opportunity to see a selection of photographs from my project. A book is anticipated in early 2026.

Becoming a professional freelance photographer was and is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. The hardest thing I've ever done in a calendar year, however, was to thru hike the Appalachian Trail with my camera. It will forever be a profound chapter in my life both as a photographer—and as a human being. The journey lives on as I continue working with these images, and I'm delighted and honored to be sharing a few of them at Loudoun A.T. Festival this summer.

--Laura Partain

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