Last month I held my first Instagram contest tied in with my Photography As Art seminars. Drawing from a range of topics I cover in these seminars, I chose color as the focus of this first contest, and the amount of fantastic entries was overwhelming.
In the end, we had to choose a winner, and although it took some time and help from my staff to narrow down these entries, we all came to a consensus on an image we were drawn too.
This capture by Gretchen Shepherd (instagram: @imagesbygretchen) stood out to us as a great use of color, combining off-camera colored glass work muted and reflected in the pond contrasted with the more vivid and brightly colored koi themselves.
Congratulations Gretchen, and thank you to everyone who participated!
Next week I will begin another contest in anticipation of the Photography As Art seminar happening in Boston on July 17th, and I look forward to seeing more of your entries. Follow me on Instagram to participate!
1) Check the Olympic National Park off your bucket list. Do you have a National Parks passport? Maybe it’s time to get one and start visiting the sites of “America’s Best Idea.” The park system is marking its 100th anniversary this year.
2) Check a workshop with Art Wolfe off your bucket list. A UNESCO world heritage site combined with a world renowned photographer, who also happens to be a great teacher and inspiration? Check!
3) The trees. The temperate rainforest has a living standing biomass which may be the highest anywhere in the world. And it is stunningly gorgeous.
4) The coast. The rocky headlands, beaches, tidepools nurturing a living rainbow of colors and textures, offshore sea stacks of the park’s 73-mile wilderness coastline is a rare treasure.
5) Assistants. I am accompanied by terrific assistants to assure that your photographic experience is as rich as your surroundings. The Quinault retreat is manned by my workshop coordinator Libby as well as two experts in Leica cameras, who will have equipment on hand for you to use; Libby, Bill, Yuri, and Anthony will be working the Olympic Peninsula workshop.
6) Friendship. I don’t know how many friendships have formed as a result of these workshops in particular.
7) Vampires. They’re sexy.
8) Water. Water defines Olympic National Park. There’s a reason why the trees are massive and the moss lush; why the rivers are highways of life; why the glaciers are there to sculpt the massive peaks.
9) Wildlife. We may get lucky and see the huge Roosevelt elk that make the Olympics home.
10) Adventuresome learning. I work hard to make sure everyone comes away from these multiday workshops feeling better about and more enriched by their photography skills.
A fever of golden cownose rays glide under the blue waters off the shore of the Galapagos Islands.
Save 20% on any Rays of Gold print purchased this month. These Open Edition prints are printed on EPSON Premium Photo Luster paper using archival EPSON Ultrachrome inks. Art signs the print with a silver acid-free pen. Get more information about our Fine Art prints here.
The last leg of our trip to the Galapagos included Isabela & Espanola islands. Here we were able to capture a variety of the inhabitants of the the islands, from the usual suspects such as groups of boobies and marine iguanas to spotted eagle-rays and the colorful hawksbill turtle, which I photographed above water using my polarizer in the shallow mangrove estuaries. Pairs of albatross and a dynamic Galapagos hawk rounded out this part of our journey.
The photography community has lost a great one in Michael Reichmann. He was a kind and gracious man who shared his passion for photography and education with a worldwide audience. He will be missed deeply by those who knew him as a friend and amiable travel companion.
With his “Earth Is My Witness” project, Art Wolfe presents the highlights of his long experience in photography for the first time in a major retrospective. It is the most comprehensive presentation of his work that has ever been exhibited and it demonstrates his boundless curiosity about the world. The spectrum ranges from exotic themes in subtropical climes, such as a colorful camel market in the Indian town of Pushkar, to the most inhospitable regions on our planet including, for example, the moment at which a polar bear mother and her cubs leave the ice cave after hibernation.
Very few other photo artists can match Art Wolfe who, time and again, comes up with pictures which not only tell a gripping story, but also become icons. Perhaps it is his instinct for just the right moment, the perfect light, the creative use of state-of-the-art exposure technique, and the dialog with his subjects. Art Wolfe’s expertise is impressively demonstrated in the retrospective “Earth Is My Witness”.
The exhibition is an exclusive production by the Städtische Galerie Iserlohn and the Stadtmuseum Schleswig together with the artist. It opens on February 11, 2016 in Iserlohn where it will be open to the public until May 1, 2016. After that, the exhibition will move to the municipal museum in Schleswig and can be seen there from June 2 (opening) to October 30, 2016.
At San Cristobal & Floreana Islands I was able to capture some wonderful shots of the local bird life, and the Galapagos sea lions were all too willing to show off for the camera. I purchased a generic light weight camera housing along the way to ensure I could get these under water shots, although I was admittedly a little weary of putting my new Canon 1DX into the water in a setup that I hadn’t tested before and trust it would not leak, but no guts no glory! The payoff made the risky endeavor worth while as the sea lions gave us quite a show. I also managed to capture schools of fish as well as some boobies looking for a meal.
I couldn’t be happier with what we were able to find on this trip. The local wildlife has been an incredible host for our group.
I had a great week second week of shooting in the Galápagos. We were able to visit some new locations, and highlights included land iguanas, nesting blue-footed boobies, and colonies of frigate birds. As many people know, I’m particularly drawn towards owls, and on this trip we were able to photograph portraits of the rare Galapagos Short-eared owl. Here on the islands, like all of the other species, the Short-eared owls have evolved into bird eaters primarily feeding on the tiny Storm petrels. Galápagos Sea lions stole the show both above and below the water.
Monday is the deadline for the first Instagram contest! We’ve had a ton of amazing entries so far.
A few spaces still remain for my Photography As Art seminar in Houston, Texas. Among the topics we will discuss is color. Show me your best photo that captures the stunning colors of the world around you! Think about color schemes, contrast, and composition – but most importantly have fun!
One lucky winner will have their selected image resposted to my Facebook and Twitter page, and recognized on my blog at www.ArtWolfe.com!
