I started off the month of October by leading a small workshop on the Olympic Peninsula for a handful of intrepid photographers who were ready to be safely out and about. Much of what appears to be fog in the photos is more than likely smoke still heading up north from the many devastating fires in California.
I’m so fortunate to live in such a varied and beautiful location where so many lessons can be taught in one place – from the varied lighting conditions on beaches versus the shadowed canopies of trees along their edge, majestic old-growth trees, and waterfalls to practice longer exposures.
Never be afraid to alter the location around you, as in the shot with the stacked rocks. It’s still possible to stage a scene while staying true to the natural wonders of the location, and in some ways enhance it while getting comfortable with the creative process!
In the photo below, the stacked rocks are not just an attempt to manufacture a subject, or add an interesting foreground element to capture the eye. While both of these things are happening, it’s really the smoothness of the rocks that informs the viewer about the location – the timeless rounded edges that speak of centuries of erosion. it so happens their rounded shape makes them easy to balance and stack.
As mentioned on Tequila Time, here is a gallery of photos from my recent trip to Yellowstone. It was quite crowded, but I did manage to get some shots I’m very happy with!
As always, if you missed any live broadcasts of tequila time we’ve done our best to archive them all on both Facebook and Instagram – check out the TT page to catch the ones you missed! This week we will have to shuffle things around a bit, so Tequila Time will once again be on Tuesday, this time beginning at 7:30 PM. I realize that ends up being late for some of you, but my time is a bit crunched this week between a couple of Pacific Northwest Workshops. Hope to see you there!
If you joined us for Tequila Time (yep – on a Tuesday! This may happen more often as I get back to traveling for workshops and book projects, so stay tuned!) I shared some photos from Bandon, Oregon and our workshop there. Here are more images from that workshop, and I’ll see you next week!
In case you couldn’t make the live broadcast last night, I’m down in Astoria, Oregon leading a small, safe, masked, and socially distanced group on my Abstract Astoria workshop. WHY is Astoria so alluring to me? Find out here -> Tequila time Episode 19
We are also almost all the way finished with Season 1 of Pathways to Creativity. I can’t wait to get started on season 2, but admittedly it’ll be nice to have a break from the recording process! With 3 episodes yet to go, season 1 is already clocking in at nine hours and twenty-two minutes – that’s a lot of talking to my computer!
Rest assured, there will come a time when we are able to travel again! When that happens, know that August is a great time to head north to Alaska, Greenland, Svalbard and Iceland – or south to Australia’s Kimberley and Arnhemland. Since we can’t go right now, take a virtual tour around the globe of images photographed in August and perhaps you’ll be inspired to look to the future and start planning where you might go when we are ready to get back out there!
Due to connectivity issues and concerns we decided to record this episode of tequila time first and then share, to ensure I at least had some new content for you. I’m on the road travelling for the first time in a while – down in Mexico hoping to swim with some big crocs! Enjoy and I’ll see you next week!
One of the last trips I was able to take before travel restrictions tightened up globally was an Antarctica expedition with my good friend Kevin Raber and 28 participants above the Magellan Explorer.
If you have some time, you should definitely check out Kevin’s story on photopxl.com. It’s complete with photos and beautiful video captured on the expedition with interviews and plenty of fun!
Here in Seattle, the days are getting brighter and longer so I figured I would share a quick tip on maximizing that bright, direct light that can be difficult to deal with – but can in fact be turned to your advantage. Enjoy, get out of the house if you can, but by all means stay safe!
Continuing the series of images I have created in the last fifteen years, May is a wonderful month for photography. The colors are bright, the air clear, and the subjects varied. From the Galapagos to Borneo to the temperate forests of the Pacific Northwest, take a visual journey around the globe in MAY!
It seems like an eternity ago, and in a sense it was. In February I traveled with Kevin Raber and Rockhopper Tours to Antarctica. So much has happened in the relatively short time since then that I very nearly forgot about this trip, filled with abundant wildlife and stunning landscapes.
A highlight was a massive iceberg we cruised by at dinner time. Everyone was deep in their dishes when I jumped up, grabbed my camera and ran off. A krill-red smear announced the presence of Chinstrap and gentoo penguins. Against the blue of the iceberg, it was a rich sign of life in this arresting landscape.
Seals, orcas, petrels and some minke whales also came to escort us along our cruise aboard the ship. Enjoy the photos – if you have any questions about them, join me on Thursday for another live episode of Tequila Time with Art and ask away!
