Exploring Deep South America with James Norbury

Chasing Sunrises

Adventure and travel photographer James Norbury travels across the world to find the perfect shot. Here, he talks about his latest adventure driving through Deep South America – sharing some of the stunning shots he captured – and the reasons why you should absolutely go on a road trip at least once in your life.

Our 8-day road trip took us through Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas to discover the magic of the south: its expansive landscapes, stunning national parks and the eclectic mix of people, food and music that form the roots of this rich culture.

It was a special adventure: a photography-focused road trip in a classic American Muscle Car with one of my oldest friends, the phenomenal @GuyJDavies, a National Geographic published travel photographer.

Capturing your best images across unfamiliar locations becomes an exciting challenge and process. We would spend each evening researching the best photography spots in the area, scouring blogs, articles, posts, and of course sourcing recommendations from the welcoming locals.

Making the most of the transatlantic jet lag, we were up and driving every day before dawn, to find our chosen photography spot and capture the beautiful sunrise colours.

Although you can plan for most things, there are some things that are out of your control. One morning in Louisiana, we awoke at 4am to drive to that day’s chosen location, Black Lake, with ambitions of photographing the sunrise rays beaming through the cypress trees.

We arrived to find the swamp almost completely obscured by a blanket of mist and rain. Through knee-deep mud, we made our torchlit and somewhat laborious way to the edge of the water, stopping briefly to assist Fede Penta –@fpenta– who’d bogged himself in waist deep quagmire and had to be rescued with his own tripod.

As the sun came up, the rain eased and the lake became visible in the soft dawn light. Although we’d been hoping for a crystal-clear morning, the mist created an ethereal, magical ambience, drifting amongst the cypress trees and occasionally punctuated by flocks of birds taking flight.

The images we captured that morning were some of our best from the trip; a reminder that it’s often the unexpected turns that we remember most fondly.

What you don’t see is the hours of planning, the 4am alarm, the long drive and the cold hike to the top.

You don’t see our small team of three huddling together on the side of a cliff in the wind, sharing a complimentary hotel muffin and a flask of tea as we wait for the sun to come up.

But these truly are the moments I live for and partly why I think that nothing beats a proper road trip. Every day you’re moving through different terrain, with new opportunities to explore.

I believe there’s something magical that happens in our human minds when we commit to leaning into the unknown. When we allow ourselves to be curious and playful and open to learning, we see our world, and in turn ourselves, with a fresh perspective. And that is priceless.

And when it comes to The Road Trip, North America is hard to beat, with a spectacular variety of breath-taking landscapes easily accessible and well-connected.

There are few places in the world where you can explore three completely different landscapes in a single day, as well as eating great food and staying in superb accommodation.

I’m currently planning my adventure calendar for 2023, prospecting internet blogs in search of wildernesses to explore.

And although I partly crave the uncertainty and the thrill found on the lesser trodden paths around the world, I will always be drawn towards, and I’m sure will continue to return to, the classic American road trip.

My Osprey backpack choices: