Kristy McMorlan Author / Photographer

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Kristy McMorlan Author / Photographer

The married couple has cultivated a shared passion for photography and discovered numerous ways to enrich their lives together.

Kristy authored her book titled: TREASURES in the Trash. All photos:©️Copyright 2006-2026 Kristy McMorlan-All Rights Reserved This married couple cherishes their quality time in nature, capturing its beauty through photography. My name is Kristy McMorlan, and I oversee the social media aspects of Kristy McMorlan Photography. I have also authored a book titled “TREASURES in the Trash,” which transc

ends the boundaries of a memoir. While my childhood was undoubtedly challenging, I found myself within a religious environment that mirrored its difficulties. Abuse, gaslighting, neglect, and mental health struggles are prevalent in any family situation, not solely within biological families.

09/02/2026

Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah. Bryce Canyon National Park gets all the love but if you want to escape the heat in summer Cedar Breaks is a higher elevation. Cedar Breaks National Monument, perched at an elevation exceeding 10,000 feet, boasts a half-mile-deep, vibrantly colored geologic amphitheater. Cedar Breaks isn’t as big as Bryce. They both have hiking trails. Sadly, we didn’t find any trails to walk through. Bryce has a few trails that you walk through. While Bryce is good for sunrise. Cedar Breaks is great for sunset. They both have rim hikes. They both are in an area where there’s lots to explore. Comparisons can be good for vacations but not necessarily good for relationships. Like comparing our children or husbands. But comparisons can help a person understand. Understand why people react the way they do. Understand what needs healed. In my book, I compared my childhood experiences with my ex-church leadership actions. When I was healing from my traumatic childhood experiences I had to figure out why dormant recessed memories, which had hidden from me, were resurfacing. Why was I having nightmares. Why I was finding myself within familiar circumstances.

09/01/2026

Best viewed large. Lightening over Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah. We saw more lightening than we captured. My son has the best photo of the night. He also had a much newer camera. I was quite smitten with Brian Head and Cedar Breaks NM. Also, the high elevation kept the summertime temperatures nice. Then the monsoons arrived. The first photo had horizontal lightning shooting off to the left. The second photo is easily seen lighting. Three and four was cloud to cloud lightening. The last photo I swung the camera to the sunset. The sun had been down awhile. My husband and I are retired and watch our expenses. Therefore we use older cameras. They work. I also am a one image photographer. All that technical stuff isn’t preferred. Old dogs struggle with new tricks in our case tests us. Sometimes people become stuck the older they become. Hate change. Dislike feeling questioned. They know how something works and it becomes frustrating when it has to be updated. Music changes. Technology updates. Now think about what that can do in a church environment. Throw in narcissistic and codependents people. It can become difficult. I examine what codependency and narcissistic tendencies are in my book.

08/31/2026

Our second visit to Brian Head was just as a thunderstorm was arriving and the sun was setting. The third photo is of Cedar Breaks NM from Brian Head. See the clouds with lightening had that pink tint. We love to storm watch, and a little later we drove to Cedar Breaks to watch the lightning and photograph it. This sunset was beautiful but a little difficult to capture its beauty. By the time the sun actually set it was engulfed in clouds. The 360 degree view was amazing and we loved sharing this with our son. I don’t know if we will ever have the chance to visit again? If not, these two experiences are enough for a lifetime. Have you ever had an experience of a lifetime. Good or bad they usually are short lived and impress upon our lives. Some change us. Most people want to share their experience, somehow. Whether they share in photos, speak, social media, etc. they share. It’s normal to want to share something that impacts our life. I’m no different. I share our photography and usually give you a backstory. My book is the same. Everyone has mental health. We all loose things /people/pets/jobs/relationships we love and go through grief. That grief encompasses depression which is a mental health struggle. It’s totally normal. Most understand grief. Some move through it fast some slow. Nature and being outside aids my mental health. I don’t struggle but my mother did and I think my dad did. Because of my childhood observations I observed grief and something similar to my childhood in an ex-church. It didn’t end well.

08/30/2026

Brian Head, Utah. We were 1,100 feet higher than the summit of Mt Hood, Oregon. We drove to the summit of Brian Head. Who knew Utah had such a place. I didn’t. We were trying to visit the Western side of Utah as we headed home. Home being North Georgia USA. We were ending our 3.5 month road trip. When traveling to Oregon we explored the Eastern side. There are dispersed camp sites near Brian Head. The third slide shows the road to where we parked our RV. My husband will tell you, “I just drive.” Which means I do my best to find places to visit. If I see something on Social Media that looks interesting I will look into it. I did not see this place on social media. This was a happy accident. My husband LOVES Bryce Canyon NP. We’ve been there multiple times. I was looking for something new. Cedar Breaks NM is similar to Bryce and is more on the Western side of Utah. That was the destination: Cedar Breaks. I saw wild camping on my phone app and like usual was directing my husband to the spot. It’s a steep incline!! I didn’t know that. My husband had to put the pickup in 4WD in 4 low to get up the hill. We creeped up the hill. It was that steep! I don’t think those other travel trailers traveled our way to get there. My husband has skills. We visited Brian Head twice. This was our first visit as we waited for our son to drive out from Oregon and meet us. We went back with him, a few days later. People have all kinds of goals and destinations. Some take more effort than others. The goal of my book is to normalize mental health struggles within religious communities. It’s a health issue. I wanted to tell my mother’s story. She had died 30-years earlier. In my perspective, as the child, she was the victim. Gossip should never thrive within religious communities.

08/29/2026

Washington State beaches. We lived in Oregon for over 6 decades. Oregon’s beaches are all public with reasonable access. Washington State had a few fabulous beaches but most are not easy access. They’re different coastlines. Unfortunately, the Pacific Northwest did its normal thing and we encountered mostly cloudy skies. I wanted to explore Washington State’s coastline because it might have been my last chance now that we live 2,500-miles away. We had to move to North Georgia USA to visit Washington State beaches. Beach combing is my husband’s favorite activity. He loves the beach! He loves the sea stacks and rocks. Me not so much because of the sand, wet, and usual chill factor. We have different preferences. That doesn’t make one right and the other wrong. We’re just different and respect each other for our differences. Different isn’t a bad thing. The guidance I received as a child, and in an ex-church, was conform, don’t rock the boat, hide failures, protect someone else’s character flaws. And, tell only half truths. Thankfully my husband and I are open, honest, transparent, and respectful. Steroid shot update: I know exactly where my shoulder is injured. Where the pain originates. I think I probably took my moto a little too far. When life gets tough get tougher, in the last five years after my accident. I did that most of our 3.5 month road trip. As we age it becomes harder to push through the pain. I think the same can be said about mental health. BTW I’m still waiting on test results for the other health concern.

08/28/2026

Made it to my favorite waterfall in Oregon because our son was good to me and drove us there. Unfortunately, it was in the sun. I did the best I know how in taking the photo and editing them. Upper Downing Creek isn’t hard to get to or hike. It’s just tricky to figure out where to turn off the main road. Life is similar. We all have some kind of destination we want to achieve or accomplish. Once you navigate your character traits and challenges because of trauma it’s easier to move forward with less stress. Don’t we all want less stress? I was beyond brave writing my story for God’s glory. I share pretty pictures and frequently share where it was. I’m sharing my life story. Book will be published soon. BTW now that the steroid shot calmed my arm down I know exactly where my shoulder hurts and it’s letting me know it! Sigh.

08/27/2026

Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, nestled in Pacific City, Oregon, is a breathtaking sandstone headland renowned for its towering sand dune, awe-inspiring wave action, and the iconic offshore Haystack Rock. It was our go to beach while we lived in Oregon. It was the only beach we visited on our 3.5 month road trip this year. We were surprised at how much it has changed in and around the parking lot onto the beach. Still a great place to visit and watch the dory’s launch, third photo. Update on my health: the steroid shot has helped with swelling and pain. The first time in 5 years, since my spiral fracture, I slept with no pain. The pain still happens when I use my arm. AKA-life. I’m right handed and I’m not one to sit around. I’m trying to let it rest. Repeat I am trying. At least I’m discovering what movement makes it painful. Before it just hurt. I couldn’t say where the pain originated. Sometimes, the icky (painful) parts in our pasts are the catalyst to being the best version of ourselves. That’s what my book is about.

08/26/2026

Somewhere in Central Oregon. Our son drove us to a place we’d never been. Beautiful views! Narrow road. Probably more of ATV road. Same composition but the second photo is zoomed in. Two of the Three Sisters. I’m trying a steroid shot for my arm. If you’ve ever had one y’all know they hurt before the improvement. If you’ve followed me for a while you might remember I spiral fractured my shoulder / humerus on my right arm about 5 years ago. Had no insurance at the time. The doctor suggested I wait on surgery and see if I would heal without surgery. I had to keep it unmoved for 6 weeks. They checked it at 1 week and thought it was healing without surgery. Today’s doctor confirmed it healed nicely and he would not have known I broke it. I’m sharing to explain the backstory. Halfway through our 3.5 month road trip I hurt. It would come and go. Right arm. Painful to carry my camera, sleep, etc. ASAP upon returning home I went to the doctor who ordered an X-ray. Nothing broken. Arthritis is visible. Had to wait several weeks to see the orthopedic doctor. He did this and that trying to determine where the pain was coming from. Then suggested three options. We’re trying the steroid shot. I may have arthritis and residual swelling from the injury. If I hold my phone so far away I almost can read it and only type with my thumb It’s more doable. But I might be quieter for a bit. Meanwhile, this is why I wrote my book. There are things in our past that can sneak up on us and cause us problems. They might not be ours but another’s. Everyone has Mental Health, and sometimes someone’s illness can pollute other people’s lives. Gossip can be detrimental to people’s lives.

08/25/2026

If you live in the Pacific Northwest and you don’t know about Smith Rock, in Central Oregon, then you must live under a rock. We’ve gone many times. In June, while visiting my husband’s friend, we met other friends at Smith Rock. We decided not to do any strenuous hiking but did capture some images. I never noticed the balance rock in the first photo with Black Butte in the distance. In the second photo the clouds were too low and we couldn’t see the mountains the distance. The third photo I’ve never taken any photos from this angle. The fourth photo I loved the “crack” in the foreground. The fifth photo is a common composition. Sixth is my husband. The last photo we were exploring roads behind Smith Rock. Found where people disperse camp. So, I previously shared I’m working on the second edition of the first published book. I’ve reread that book many times and am still learning, understanding, adapting, etc. to expand my future. It’s like when my husband gifted me my first advanced camera I wasn’t very good. Years later I’m learning, understanding, adapting, etc.

08/24/2026

Mount Jefferson, Oregon. My husband met his friend in kindergarten. Maybe even sooner. They still hang out together whenever possible. They’re 70. We parked our RV at his friend’s place near Madras. Years ago, we drove around the area in search of photography compositions. This year we returned to check out if there was going to be a sunset worth shooting. The clouds were growing thick. But, I could still see Mount Jefferson so I decided to wait it out, just in case. Mount Jefferson hides in the wilderness. From Detroit Lake you can see it looking east. From Coffin Mountain you can see it. If you hike into Jefferson Park you’ll see it with lakes. I was pleasantly surprised I could see it near Lake Billy Chinook. I think early Spring or Late Fall the sun might set behind the mountain. The second photo I could see some color in the clouds and used my wide angle lens. The fourth photo is Broken Top not Jefferson. On a clear day you’ll see several mountains. This sunset was wild. Not typical. It was our only visit this trip because of the rain and clouds. The foreground is sage brush and Juniper Trees. Not so pretty. This is an analogy for looking backwards to provide for the future. People have mountains in their pasts that sometimes blocks their future. We all have had losses and somehow we learn to move forward. I had an orange/ginger tabby. I loved that cat. One day he went missing. I was sad and didn’t know if I could ever handle adopting another cat. We did but not a ginger. Then we were adopted by a ginger cat here in Georgia. Best cat ever! Everyone who meets him loves him. Is he better than my first ginger? I don’t compare because they’re different cats and with different personalities. We revisit Oregon and its mountains and find beauty. Sometimes there’s beauty to uncover in our pasts. My husband and his friend have some funny stories….

Address

Dalton, GA
30705

Website

http://kristymcmorlan.com/

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