Mike Poggioli

"Ansel Adams once said, “A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed.“ When I go out to photograph in these mountains, I feel truly at peace, immersed in their ancient natural beauty. I hope Blue Ridge Dreaming brings some of that same feeling to you – however far you may be from the mountains.

Iʼve spent much of my life living in urban centers, and in 2019 moved to Asheville, North Carolina. I immediately fell in love with the area and found myself driving again and again down the winding Blue Ridge Parkway at sunrise. Itʼs such a dreamy experience: the creamy cloud inversions; the swirls of pink, purple, and golden light; and the stacks of wavy ridges that I never seem to tire of. The parkway offers so many different perspectives of these ancient ridges that there seems to be a new composition to capture around every bend. The photos in Blue Ridge Dreaming depict my attempt to capture the never-ending layers of the Appalachian Mountains."

Originally from just outside New York City, Mike Poggioli came to see photography as a serious creative outlet when he moved to Chicago in 2015 and became enamored by the beauty of the city’s architecture. He then brought his newfound love for cityscapes with him to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he studied clinical psychology. Photography became an opportunity to cultivate mindfulness – a way to see the world with a beginnerʼs mind – in both his personal life and professional practice.It wasn’t until he began a clinical internship in Asheville, North Carolina, that he ventured into landscape photography. During his time there, Mike discovered a passion for capturing the layers of the Blue Ridge Mountains.He has since listened to the call of the mountains by deciding to settle in Asheville.