A Beautiful Day at the Beach

We just finished a very busy summer and fall and now it's time to catch up on things that could wait.  One of those things is to revisit images from the past year.  The shot above was taken during our Cape May Tour last month.  The sunrise was less than hoped for due to a total lack of clouds, but there is always something to shoot.  You just have to open your mind and let it come to you.  The sun was backlighting the incoming waves and the only thing that could have made it any better would have been bigger waves!

Midnight in Palouse

On our last night in Palouse this past summer we were treated to a great evening of clouds with a full moon.  This picture was taken around midnight and with a 2 minute exposure it looks like daylight.  If you look close you will see the movement of the stars.  I did not notice the lighting when I took the picture but what a wonderful surprise when I first reviewed this image on the computer.  

The Midnight Train

Last weekend Denise and I finished another fun photo tour in Cape May, NJ.  This year was our second in Cape May and we are already making plans for a return trip in 2015.  Whenever we do a photo tour we arrive anywhere from a couple to a few days ahead of the group so we can scout to make sure old favorites are still looking good and hopefully find some new locations. 

On my first night scouting I met up with good friend and Cape May resident Charles Ritter.  Charles has lived in Cape May for many years and knows all the best locations and even after a number of years he is still finding new locations.  It looked like sunset was going to be a bust so I suggested to Charles that we  do a little light painting instead.  Believe it or not there is an abandoned rail line deep within the town and these box cars seemed like a great subject for the effort.  

Speaking of light painting,  I will be teaching light painting at Nature Visions on November 15th.  

Click here for more information and to register:  

Wild Wonderful Abstracts II

I just finished a quick edit on last weeks pictures from West Virginia.  We had a really great group of photographers and as usual West Virginia does not disappoint.  

I posted a few of my other pictures over on the Road Runner Blog.  

Wild Wonderful Abstracts

Fall is in full swing in West Virginia and our tour starts tonight.  This week I have been scouting the back roads for hidden gems and found a little known waterfall that I hope we will be able to share with our group.

The image above is one of my motion abstracts.  It was taken on the road to Dolly Sods a couple of days ago.

I will be presenting a program on abstract photography at the following camera clubs this fall.  I hope that if any of the dates and locations are convenient you will come out and see the presentation.


October 20th -  Reston Camera Club
November 12th - McLean Camera Club
November 13th - Charlotte Camera Club

Not Everything at the Asylum is Creepy

One of my favorite locations to shoot is the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.   Being able to shoot there at night makes this great location even better!   Some people love the idea of working in such an environment at night and others seem afraid.  Even after having a couple of abnormal experiences at the Asylum, I’m not afraid and welcome the opportunity to work in such a great environment.   The image above was shot during my last visit a couple of weeks ago.  I used a specialized technique to light paint this small scene.    If this sounds like a fun place to shoot you should consider joining me next May 2nd for a Light Painting Workshop.  Click here for more information and to register.

Lost in Iceland

We were not really lost, in fact we were never lost in Iceland.  We always knew exactly where we were thanks to modern technology.  But the Phrase “Lost in Iceland” comes from my friend Einar who owns Focus on Nature.  Being lost in Iceland is a very good thing when you are a landscape photographer.  Being “lost” means not thinking about the turmoil in the world, politics or other pressures in your life.   It means just being one with the rugged and beautiful landscape that constantly surrounds you in Iceland. 

The photo above was taken in the Icelandic Highlands.  In order to visit the Highlands you must have a 4 wheel drive vehicle and be willing to get off the beaten path.  But the rewards of doing so are tremendous.  

On additional note, our friends at OnOne Software are updating Perfect Photo Suite this fall and we wanted to be the first to tell you about it! We have not had a chance to get our hands on a beta version yet, but the new features sound exciting! Lightning fast RAW previews, improved selection tools, a Smart Photo feature that lets you reedit your photos with previous settings intact are, just a few. Of course there are discounts for existing users and introductory pricing for new users.

Click here to check out OnOne Perfect Photo Suite!