Laura E. Partain

05/07/2026

Join Photographer and author Sarah Jones Decker Photography (author of The Appalachian Trail: Backcountry Shelters, Lean-Tos, and Huts) and I for an hour long conversation on the power of using photography to capture the Appalachian Trail. Sarah and I will draw from our thru hiking experiences as well as our work in photography, what led us to thru hiking, and how we ultimately made bodies of work that captured a special moment in the history of the trail.

Q + A to follow. Come hang!
Friday May 15th at 2PM
Damascus Trail Center
Damascus, Virginia

05/05/2026

Mark your calendars for 4PM Friday May 15th at Appalachian Trail Days Festival in Damascus Virginia and join me at the Rock School Auditorium for a free screening of my ILFORD PHOTO (Official Page) documentary, "Laura Partain - A Photographer's Journey on the Appalachian Trail". Pizza party TBD, Q+A to follow, come through!

04/30/2026

NOW STREAMING - Laura E Partain - A Photographer’s Journey on the Appalachian Trail

Enjoy everyone. I worked on this for two years. Book is still in the works, more to come . ❤️

Laura E Partain - A photographers journey on the Appalachian Trail

04/26/2026

Coming soon…

03/10/2026

Award-winning TV and film composer, Robert Duncan | Feb 2026

A recent newcomer to Nashville, the acclaimed composer who notably scored the hit television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Rob requested a photoshoot that felt quintessentially Tennessee. Barns, fences, fields, that sort of thing. As someone who isn’t exactly a newcomer as I enter my 15th year in town, it’s easy to forget just how striking middle Tennessee can be. Rob’s gentle and curious spirit reminded me to reconsider the structures and landscapes that inundate my day to day. As we worked, I was really inspired by Rob’s own awe as we walked around the location. It reminded me to not lose that awe. I knew however that I wanted to merge the feel of Rob’s musical works with the location, which we ultimately joked produced a “barn noir” sort of feel. A lot of people move to Tennessee. Honestly, way too many people. People like Rob however are the people who help make places like Nashville so great. These creative, gentle, and endlessly curious souls who come here humble and open to the powers of creativity, community, and music. You rule, Rob. We're happy to have you here in Music City, so happy. Thank you for pushing me creatively and working with me on this shoot. Thank you to the lovely Justin Hadley for assisting!

03/03/2026

Today marks two years since I departed Springer Mountain in Georgia, and began my walk and project to Katahdin, Maine. It was the most difficult thing I had ever done in a year’s time. It was baptism by fire, water, snow, and one tornado. It was the most sacred use of my time I have ever known. Today as I wade through the madness of modernity, I miss the trail deeply and painfully. Anytime I am having a hard time, I cling to that silly little plastic yellow AT tag, my Katahdin permit with my trail name on it, hug my ratty old backpack, and I especially pour myself into the work I’m carving into a book. It helps me live in the experience day after day, and admittedly I hope you too will get a hiker high from the work.

Thank you to everyone who has watched my video, and thank you to everyone for following along on my adventure as I turn the journey into a book. I don’t take for granted the collective interest. You can support the work on Patreon, or if you’d like to privately donate DM me. You can also support the work by following the project’s account, sharing/liking the YouTube video, and in general just hanging around. Working as hard as a scrappy lil freelancer can on this. More to come, what a trip! 



02/26/2026

New collaboration video with KEH Camera! This project was such a dream and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YhM0eC0fDA

Be sure to like, subscribe, and share the video 💥

Ever wonder what it’s like to hike 2,000 miles with a camera in tow?Join Laura Partain and her Fuji TX-1 on the Appalachian Trail for seven months, through r...

02/26/2026

Spent the first near two months of 2026 in the trenches with my project, but I'm getting back to the ye ole grind that i'm more known for this week. Had a double serving of pro soccer portrait days Monday/Tuesday and an equally lovely short form music editorial today. I'm properly exhausted but a good time was had by all. Feeling really good about this year and am really grateful for each experience my cameras take me on.

Thanks for the location studio snap, ! Your master assisting this week on three sets was a big blessing. 🔥

02/19/2026

This Saturday at 1PM CST / 2PM EST! Come hang and ask us veteran thru hikers all of your Appalachian Trail + Thru Hiking Questions! Talk is hosted by yours truly + Julie "Hootie" Flynn. See yall this Saturday on Facebook Live, Instagram, and Riverside!

02/12/2026

is a book I am creating based on my first person experience of thru hiking the . It merged photo reportage works with portraits and interviews, and captures my experience of the long high trail. It’s in post production and heavily relies on crowd funding, so if you’re into it subscribe to my Patreon! Link in story highlights ⚡️

I think if you would have asked 25 year old me if I would thru hike the AT and make a book out of it, I would have been entirely perplexed by such an absurd question. Though quite honestly, this project has been one of the most exciting and gratifying things I’ve ever worked on. I’m really looking forward to when it becomes a book someday.

In an era of incredible division, it’s my hope that the stories you read open a many hearts and minds. In the words of one of my portrait subjects, “let the trail make you softer.” How good of words are those that extend beyond the reaches of the ceiling of the east coast.

Join my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/u109941378