New Photography Blog !

Hello everyone,

I now have a brand spanking new blog at http://josephrossbachphoto.wordpress.com/.

Please be sure to add this new address to your RSS feeds as all of my new blog entries will be posted on this site.

Thanks,

Joe Rossbach

Colorado Private Workshop/Tour Days 7 & 8

Hello everyone,

I am back in civilization for a few hours before it is time to head back into the wilds. right now I am sitting in a small Internet cafe in the town of Ouray, Colorado. After 5 days of shooting in Rocky Mountain National, we have been spending some time in the western area of the state. Colorado National Monument and the San Juan Mountains will be our focus until Monday afternoon before heading back east to Garden of the Gods for a sunset/sunrise shoot before leaving to come back home. It has been an exciting trip so far and we have managed to make some incredible images and have had some great adventures in the Colorado Mountains. For now though, we will be working the aspen stands, wildflowers and mountain basins near Mount Snefells and Owl Creek Pass.

Colorado National Monument was great at sunset and sunrise and we managed to camp on BLM land just outside of the park. I re-photographed my old friend the twisted and gnarled juniper tree I call the "Embrace". I also made some new fresh images from the Monument and the surrounding area. The temps were fierce, 101 degrees at 6:00pm when arrived on the first day. After finishing up sunrise on the second day, we decided to get back to the mountains and so here we are in the San Juan's.

Here are a few images that I have managed to process in the back of the jeep last night at our camp. I will have many more to come in the coming week. See ya in a few days. Joe


Utah Juniper and the Coke Ovens at sunrise, Colorado National Monument, Colorado

Mountains and Rainbow at sunset from Trail Ridge, rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

Silvery Lupine and Aspen Boles, Owl Creek Pass, San Juan Mountains, Colorado


Alpenglow over Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Mills Lake sunset, Glacier Gorge Basin, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Alberta Falls, Glacier Gorge, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colroad

Reflections on Dream Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colroado

Colorado Private Workshop/Tour Days 5 & 6: Rocky Mountain National Park

Hello Everyone,

I am finally getting around to processing images from the past two days out here in Rocky Mountain National Park. The weather has been pretty typical of the region and season, clear and cold in the morning, warm and partly cloudy in the early afternoon and then the thunderstorms build over the mountains later in the day. These weather patterns coupled with the incredible scenery make for some great photographic opportunities. The following images below are from various sections of the park including Trail Ridge, Sprague Lake, Dream and Emerald Lakes, Wild Basin and the western arm of the park. The snow lasted for much longer this spring than in years past and the higher elevations of the mountains are still clothed in white. The snow on the peaks really gives the feel of colliding seasons when you can line up the lush greens of early summer against snow capped distant peaks.

We found a lovely area of Colorado columbines in the Wild Basin area and will be heading back over in the next day or two to have another round of shooting this lovely alpine meadow above Finch Lake. Today, after an afternoon nap, we will be hitting the trail and heading up into Glacier Gorge to shoot waterfalls, cascades, alpine scenic's, and hopefully some nice reflections in Mills or Jewel lakes at sunset. Be sure to check back in the next day or two for some more images and stories from Colorado. All the best, Joe.

Click on any image for a larger view !

Colorado Day 3 & 4

We have been working very hard out here in Colorado. The light has been amazing at sunrise and sunset, and as usual the afternoon thunderstorms roll in every day providing us with overcast conditions to shoot forest scenes and wildflowers. The images below are from Bear and Nymph Lakes, Tombstone Ridge on Trail Ridge, Glacier Gorge and various aspen meadows in the park.

I have been up since 3:00am and must now get a nap before heading over to the Indian Peaks Wilderness to hike up into the meadows and basins around and above Lake Isabelle.

Check back tomorrow for more images !

Colorado Private Workshop Day 2: Great Light

OK, I am feeling almost 100% again and have been in the field almost constantly making images since yesterday afternoon. The light at sunset last night was amazing on Rollins Pass. We set up our cameras on a ridge looking out at mmmm Mountain, 30 -45 mile an hour winds pummeling us. The temps were downright freezing and it was very difficult obtaining a sharp image. I was forced to shoot hundreds of shoots in order to have just a few that were sharp.
At sunrise we headed back up to Mount Evans and spent 4 -5 hours shooting atmospherics and wildlife images. The light was awesome again and my client and myself came away with some really nice images. we are now in Rocky Mountain national Park and are actually getting ready to head up on Trail Ridge to hike out along the Ute Trail in hopes of some good light. Wish us luck !
Here are the top selects from day 2. Enjoy, Joe.

Click any image to enlarge !

Colorado: Day 1

Hello Folks,

Well it has been an exciting 24 hours here in Colorado. We arrived in Denver after a long flight with a stopover in Houston. After getting the rental car and driving up to our motel in Idaho Springs, we were told we could not check in until after 4:oo. Not being one for just sitting around, I decided to head up to Mount Evans to photograph Mountain Sheep and scenic's for the day. Great Images, Big Mistake ! I should know better than to arrive in town from sea level and then 4 hours later be at 14,000 feet. Yep, you guessed it, I came down with a nasty case of altitude sickness and spent the rest of the day with the worst headache of my life. After falling asleep at 7:00 and snoozing through the night until 2:30am, I awoke feeling much better and we decided to head down to Garden of the Gods for a run at shooting sunset. Well worth the 21/2 hour drive !

Today we will be spending the day in the mountains near Rollins Pass shooting wildflowers and mountain scenes. the elevation is only around 11,000 and after sleeping at 7,500 and spending the morning at 6,000 feet, I should be fine.

Here are the first batch of images from the trip. Check back tomorrow, I will have more to share. Joe







Click on any image for a larger view.

Its off to Colorado !

I am leaving for Colorado tomorrow to lead a 13 day private workshop/tour in the Colorado Rockies. We leave Dulles at O"Dark-Thirty and should arrive in Denver around 10:00am. After picking up the rental car and luggage, its off to Mount Evans for 2 full days of shooting landscapes and Mountain Goats. After Evans, the rest of the trip will focus on Rocky Mountain National Park and the Indian Peaks Wilderness. I will be updating the blog almost daily with trip reports and fresh images. Be sure to stop by often to get your Rocky Mountain High !

See you from Colorado, Joe.

Introducing Mountain Trail Photo !

I am very excited to announce that I am part of a new website, Mountain Trail Photo (http://www.mountaintrailphoto.com/)! Mountain Trail Photo is your one-stop source for nature photography inspiration, education, and exploration. There you will find image galleries from the Mountain Trail Photo Team (which is made up of some of the nation's most talented nature photographers); how-to articles and trip reports; information on nature photography workshops; and links to purchase team members' books and calendars. Also, Mountain Trail Photo holds regular nature photography contests, giving participants the opportunity to win prizes and discounts on workshops, and to have their images displayed on the site. With regular updates -- including recent images, blog entries, and new articles every month -- there's always something new to discover at Mountain Trail Photo. Whether you are an avid nature photographer looking to sharpen your skills, or just someone who likes looking at beautiful photographs, this is the site for you!

Great Light at Big Stone Beach, Delaware

Finally back on the Blogosphere ! I have been far to consumed in the past 2 weeks with preparation for upcoming workshops this summer, image preparation a new website and shooting for an upcoming book project to post any recent work. So here we go !

I made these 2 images two nights ago with fellow Photographer Ian Plant and 2 others at Big Stone Beach, Delaware. We were there waiting for the Horseshoe Crabs to storm the beach at sunset and begin their ancient spawning ritual. Well, the crabs never made it, but a thunderstorm rolled through at sunset and pounded us with some of the coldest and heaviest rain I have experienced in may years of shooting outdoors. I hunkered down and waited out the weather in hopes of the sun breaking free before the light faded. Oh and it did break, and right at the most colorful and dramatic time. Here are 2 shots from that wonderful night.

Next week its off to Colorado for 13 days to lead a private tour of Rocky Mountain National Park and Mount Evans. Check back often, as I will be writing trip reports and sharing new images form the field.

Click the image to enlarge !

Featured Workshop Client: Debbi Koplen

Name: Debbi Koplen
City: Vienna
State: Virginia
Country: USA
Website:http://www.debbik.smugmug.com/

BIO:

My name is Debbi Koplen and photography is my passion, which I manage to work into a hectic schedule of being a single Mom with a full-time job. I live in Northern Virginia and work for the federal government as a Contracting Officer. When I get a break the first thing I do is grab my camera! I am interested in all kinds of photography and I try to keep it fresh by frequently attending workshops, lectures, and trying new things. Although intrigued by photography most of my life, I never pursued it much. My real interest was spawned by a brief illness in 2001, which forced me indoors during most of the summer. That led to a craving to be outdoors again, so when I was finally able to get out, the first place I headed was deep into woods-deeper than I’d ever been before. From there, I took up day-hiking which created my desire to capture the beauty that I was seeing for the first time on film. I’ve not been able to put a camera down since then. My father’s lifelong interest in photography made him a natural teacher for me and I am still learning from him. I currently shoot with a Nikon D300 and various Nikon lenses.

Workshop Experience:

I introduced myself to Joe at the Meadowlark Expo and was very impressed with the time that he took with me on that very busy day to explain his teaching technique and how it could satisfy my requirements at my skill level. I signed up for his class on Abstract Photography at Meadowlark and took his Great Falls weekend workshop. Between the two classes, I learned so much not only conceptually but I also developed new hands-on skills in the field. What makes Joe Rossbach stand apart from other instructors is his obvious desire for his students to come away with more skills than when they entered. He pours a tremendous amount of energy towards his students’ needs and unlike many of the other area instructors; he spends very little time behind his camera while out in the field with his students and very little time selling the class on gear and equipment. I look forward to taking many more workshops with Joe in the future.

All images and Text Copyright Debbi Koplen. Click on any image for a larger view.

Shenandoah National Park Blooms and Vistas Workshop - Finished

Just got back home this afternoon from leading our Shenandoah National Park Summer Blooms and Vistas Photo Workshop. The conditions were rather challenging with lots of haze and an early summer heat wave. None the less we all endured and managed to have a great workshop with lots of colorful sunrises and sunsets. On Saturday a thunderstorm rolled through and really cooled things off for about 2 hours and we took advantage of the soft light and hiked down along Mill Prong and shoot for about 2 hours. The rest of the workshop was spent shooting in 4 hour blocks in the morning and afternoon. We visited some of the more scenic overlooks and hiked up to Hawksbill Summit and Little Stony Man Cliffs for sunsets. Sunrises were all spent at various overlooks and shooting in Big Meadows. We also managed to hike down to Dark Hollow Falls in the morning, before the light penetrated the forest, and shoot waterfalls and cascades.
We ran into Jim Clark and his group from GAPW and had a chance to chat in Big Meadows for a while. What a nice guy and great photographer Jim is ! Check out his website at http://www.jimclarkphotography.com/ . Jim will also be working with Mountain Trail Photo Workshops w/ myself and a few other top select nature and landscape photographers this year and in 09. Look for his new book entitled " Between Ocean and Bay: A celebration of the Eastern Shore " . Visit the Mountain Trail WEBSITE to order a copy.
On a side note, I still have 2 spots left for the Photographing Wild Water One Day Workshop this weekend in Great Falls and Scott's Run Parks. Visit my website for registration details and more information or email me at rossbachphoto@hotmail.com to reserve your spot today.
Between instruction and field demonstrations I managed to make some very nice images in the Park. Here is a small gallery of work that I have processed so far. Here ya go, Enjoy.

Click on any image for a larger view !

Deleware Bay Horseshoe Crab Spawning

I drove down to Slaughter Beach last night to meet Ian Plant and Alex Mody for a go at shooting the Horseshoe Crab spawning. This is an amazing wildlife event here on the east coast. Every year around the new and full moons in late May and early June the crabs storm the beaches in hundreds and sometimes thousands to spawn. Ian just wrote a great article on the subject this past month that is up on Nature Photographers Online Magazine, check it out!

Well, the light was rather lack luster and the crabs were not in great numbers on this night. Either way, its was great fun and I came away with a few keepers from the outing. We did long exposures and painted with light. Ian will be there for a few more days and I hope he gets some good conditions and the right light.

Here are my images for the night, now back to prepping for Shenandoah this weekend. Joe

Click on any image to enlarge !

Shenandoah National Park Summer Blooms and Vistas Photography Workshop

Just wanted to put the word out that there are still 2 spaces available for this weekend Shenandoah National Park Summer Blooms and Vistas Photo Workshop ( June 6-9 ).

If anyone is interested in signing up or you have any questions, please send me an email or call us at 410-919-8001. The cost of the workshop is 395.00 per person. We will have location shoots, lectures, presentations, field demonstrations and an all around great time in one of the Mid Atlantic's most beautiful locations.

Here are some images from past workshops to wet your appetite.

Click on any image for a larger view.

Dark Forest

"Dark Forest"

Nikon D200, 70-200mm, raw capture at ISO 100

I wanted to share an image I made this past winter while leading a photo workshop in West Virginia. We found ourselves high in the mountains and it was very cold and foggy. The thick moisture from the fog and the extreme cold caused ice to form on everything. Our bodies, the trees and the road were all covered in the slick stuff. Dark Forest is an image that has been manipulated in post processing. I first started by loading the original file in Photoshop CS3.

Step 1: I created a duplicate layer and apply Motion Blur Filter ( 90degrees at 450 pixels). I then reduced the layer opacity to 90% and applied a mask at 60% over the tree trunks to allow some of the detail to shine trough.

Step 2: I created a second duplicate layer and applied a Gaussian blur at 25 pixels. The opacity of the layer was reduced to 25%. There was no masking done on this layer.

Step 3: I applied a Channels Mixer layers adjustment to the image. The settings were at Red(+80%) Green(-20%) and Blue(+40%)

Step 4: I made 2 more layers adjustments. First, a levels adjustment. I slid the sliders together to create more contrast and the 2 layers adjustment was color balance. I increased the blue channel at +9.

That's it. Here are the before and after photos.

Original Capture

Edited Image

Memorial Day Workshop Images

Just returned home from finishing my last lecture at the Memorial Day Workshop Weekend with Corey Hilz, Bill Folsom and Mark Dilallo. I am exhausted and really looking forward to spending tomorrow with Amber and Phoenix doing absolutely nothing. Here is a collection of images I managed to squeeze out while doing field demonstrations for the group. Enjoy the holiday and be safe, Joe.

click on any image for a larger view

Baltimore Camera Club Lecture and Memorial Day Workshop

Springtime along Hog Camp Branch, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Hello everyone,

It has been a very busy week. I have been stuck in my house prepping images and getting together lectures and presentations for summer workshops as well a processing images from this spring. All in all, I have had some great shoots in April and May and am very excited about this summer. The Shenandoah Workshop should be excellent this year with all the rain in the past couple of months. After that, I have a few local shoots lined up and then it is off to Mount Evans and Rocky Mountain National Park for a private location tour.

Tonight I will be speaking at the Baltimore Camera Club at 7:30. The BCC is a well known and prolific club here in Maryland. I am very excited to able to present to the group some of my work and talk about the creative process behind the making of the images.

The Memorial Day Workshop is of course this weekend, and I will probably spend the better part of Friday putting together images and lecture notes for the weekend. Then it is off to Vienna, Virgina to meet Corey, Bill and Mark for the opening night meet and greet.
Saturday and Sunday will be full of presentations and field sessions. I am sure to be completely worn out by Monday.



Look for the Mountain Trail Photo Portal site in early June. This site will feature the work of the Mountain Trail Press photographers. I will be busy at work next week getting images ready for Ian Plant and writing a few more articles for the launch of the site.

Look for a post on Monday w/ some work and stories from the weekend.

Scotts Run, Difficult Run and Great Falls one day Nature and Landscape Photography Workshop

Our Grand Landscape and Nature photography workshop was yesterday and it was a great time. We had some really nice weather and equally good light throughout the day. We started at Scott's Run Preserve and shot reflections, stream scenic and waterfall images. After that is was over to Meadowlark Gardens for 3.5 hours of class time. We discussed composition, exposure, filters, special techniques, abstract images and post processing techniques.




After finishing up at Meadowlark, we headed over to Difficult Run to have a session on shooting reflections and cascades. Difficult and Scott's Run were really nice after all of the rain we have had lately here in the Mid Atlantic. After a couple of hours and many images, we packed up and quickly shot over to Great Falls to finish the day at my favorite overlook for sunset. The light was sweet and we all had chance to make some really nice images. I instructed each student on the proper use of their graduated neutral density filters and spot metering to balance the light.




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Thanks to everyone who joined in for the day. I will be leading a workshop next weekend with Corey Hilz, Bill Folsom and Mark DiLallo at Meadowlark. I need to get on the ball preparing some new images for my lectures. I have to start getting all the last minute preparations for our Shenandoah National Park workshop on June 6 -9. There are still 2 spots available to any one who is interested. Email me or call amber at 410-919-8001 to register.

Dogwoods and Rustic Fence

Dogwood and Rustic Fence, Southern Maryland

I spotted this scene while dropping my 2 dogs off at the kennells. I decided I needed to return the next morning before the dogwoods went past peak. I was blessed with no wind and a little fog which perfectly complimented the scene. The fence really pull you through the image and the soft light and peak blooms really make this image special to me.



Joe

Shenandoah One Day Private Workshop and Scouting Trip

I spent Friday scouting and shooting in Shenandoah National Park for a spring workshop in 2009. The weather was challenging with thick fog, occasional downpours and windy conditions. With so much rain over the past week and all the fog, I decided to focus my attention on shooting waterfalls and forest scenes. The conditions were absolutely perfect for these subjects on Friday. The hardest part of the day was keeping my lens from fogging up and continually wiping a layer of moisture and rain drops of the front element. I used a garbage bag and umbrella to shield my equipment from the elements. I ended up scouting many locations along Skyline Drive for good locations for a group of 8 -10 clients and then spent the remainder of the day in Dark Hollow Canyon shooting waterfalls, stream scenic’s and inner forest scenes.
After finishing up after dark, I strapped on my headlamp and made the hike out of the canyon and headed over to Big Meadows Lodge to check in and dry off. I didn't do any post processing as I had to get up the next morning at "O dark thirty" to meet the group of clients for the private scouting workshop on Saturday morning.
we had no luck at sunrise, thick heavy fog and heavy rain. We retired to the lodge for breakfast and to wait out the weather. After breakfast we braved the elements and the rain let up, but the fog remained. i decided to take the group down to Dark Hollow Falls. The weather and light conditions were perfect and we all got some really great images. After Dark Hollow, we headed down another trail near Big Meadows to Lewis Spring falls. Lewis Falls drops off into a very deep canyon and can only be photographed from above on a narrow stone ledge. I do plan on making the hike up to the base of Lewis Falls later this year or in the fall. It is to far and grueling of a hike to bring in a workshop group, so I will be going it alone on that one.
After finishing up at Lewis Falls and everyone sufficiently tired from the morning hikes we spent the remainder of the afternoon shooting forest scenic’s and grand scenes from the many overlooks in the vicinity of Big Meadows and Skyland. Around 2:30 in the afternoon the sky began to clear a bit and the fog broke up. We were treated to some really amazing clouds and light for the remainder of the day into sunset. I would like to thank my workshop clients for being so positive and enthusiastic even with the cold, wet weather and challenging conditions. I know everyone came away with some great shots of this beautiful park.
Here are some of my Top Selects from Friday and Saturday. Enjoy, Joe.

Another Dogwood HDR

This is the same tree as the last Dogwood post, only from a different angle.

Spring Dogwood - 5 photos at 1ev exposure intervals (-2 to +2 ), Nikon D200, Tone Mapping with details enhancer.

Check out my new gallery of images over at the Photomatix Gallery -

A discount on the Photomatix Software will be available through me to all of my workshop and classroom students. Details to come in the next few days !

One more HDR, for this week anyway

" Clearing Storm over the Potomac"

5 images at 1ev exposure intervals (-2 to +2 )

Nikon D200, 17-35mm, raw capture @ ISO 100

Tone Mapping w/ Image Enhancing.

Saturation and Contrast in Adobe CS3.

Potomac River HDR

I made this image last fall while leading a workshop in Great Falls National Park. I set my camera to auto bracket at 5 frames for 1 stop each. I have had these images sitting on the external drive for almost a year and now that I am loving playing around with Photomatix, I decided it was a good one for the software.

click image to enlarge !

5 images merged and processed with Tonemapping. Levels, curves, selective color and saturation layers adjustments in Photoshop CS3.

What do you guys and gals think. Let me know.

All the best, Joe

Dogwood HDR

I wanted to try to create some HDR images the other day. Many of my students have been asking about HDR imaging and to be honest, I have not given it very much attention lately. I decided to go ahead and purchase Photomatix and give it a test run. It was raining and overcast all day yesterday, so I decided to seek out some flowering tree's and spring foliage down at my local park. I found a very healthy looking Dogwood and Redbud against some new spring green foliage and thought that this would make for an awesome shot. I set my camera to auto bracketing at 2/3 of stop for 5 images. After finding the right composition and waiting for a lull in the wind, I tripped the shutter 5 times recording my images for the HDR. I then shot a single exposure of the scene to examine the results and compare the 2 images. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with the HDR image. The HDR image really captures the full dynamic range and brought out all the information in the darker woods. WOW ! I will definitely be adding this to my bag of tools as well as offering up instruction on HDR imaging on my photography workshops and tours.

Here are the 2 images. What do you think ?

Dogwood and Redbud - HDR

Dogwood and Redbud- single exposure

Creative Flower Photography One Day Workshop at Sherwood Gardens

We had our one day Creative Flower Photography Workshop at Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday. When I awoke and looked outside, it was very overcast and wet down here in Annapolis. As I drove north towards Baltimore the skies began to clear a little bit and I noticed that it had not rained the night before. I was really looking forward to overcast skies and wet conditions for the class. Oh well, we still made some great images and worked the light as best we could.

I started shooting as soon as I arrived making some multiples and overlays of the gardens. If you have never been to Sherwood Gardens before, I definitely recommend it. In the last 2 weeks of April the gardens come to life with a very impressive display of Tulips, Azalea and many flowering tree's.

After the group arrived we started shooting macro and close-ups before the wind began to toss the tulips about. We then went into making multiples and swipes of the many tulip displays. I ran into Barbara Williams, a Baltimore based photographer who is very active in the Baltimore Camera Club. I was scheduled to speak at the Baltimore Camera Club on Thursday, but was had to cancel due to a death in the family. I will be moving the speaking engagement to later in May.

I will also be speaking and judging at the NIH Camera Club on May the 10th.

Here is a small selection of images I made as examples for the group. Click on any image for a larger view.

Spring has Sprung !

I have been far to busy at home lately to steal away and go shoot this past week, so I decided to head over to Quite Waters Park here in Annapolis the other day. With soft rain and overcast skie's, the light and weather were perfect for recording some of the flowering tree's and fresh spring foliage. No matter where you go there you are. Great photographs are made within and not on location. Here are a few from right down the road from my house. Enjoy, Joe.

Mouintain Trail Photography Workshops

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have been asked to lead photography workshops and tours through Mountain Trail Photography Workshops. Mountain Trail Press which was started by Jerry Greer and Ian Plant have expanded their expertise into the field of location tours and instructional workshops in some of the most beautiful and scenic areas in the United States. I have decided to run all of my location workshops and tours through Mountain Trail in 2009. The remainder of my location workshops for 2008 will also be hosted and administered through Mountain Trail. am very excited and honored to be working along some of the best and brightest nature photographers in the Eastern United States.

I will update my workshops page in the next few days with all the information and links for registration. I will be working closely with Richard Bernabe in the next couple of months to put together the schedule for 2009. I am planning on offering many more location workshops and we will be branching out to areas in New England, the Smokie Mountains and even a couple out west in Utah and Arizona. Please email me to be added to the mailing list when all tours and workshops are announced.

Great Falls Spring Workshop Conclusion and other spring workshop listings

We finished up our Great Falls Spring Workshop on Sunday afternoon. We had an absolutely great group of students and came away some really nice images. The workshop started at first light on Saturday morning and we were greeted with some nice light at Mather Gorge. All the spring trees in the park were blooming and the Bluebells were also putting on a nice show. After shooting our fill of landscapes along Mather Gorge, we headed over to Bull Run Regional Park to photograph the annual spring Bluebell profusion. Conditions were perfect when we arrived with bright overcast skies and lots of dew. I introduced the students to multiples and montage techniques, as well as macro images. After 2+ hours, it was time to head over to Meadowlark Gardens to give the group a presentation on processing techniques with Lightroom, HDR and Photoshop. We also went into great detail on using graduated ND filters at sunrise and sunset, HDR imaging, and special techniques for creating abstract images. The rest of the day, was spent in the gardens. Sunday morning brought an even more dramatic display of light at Mather Gorge. The rest of the day was spent in the same fashion as Saturday, and with soft overcast light, we turned our attention from shooting the grand landscape to macro ,multiples, montages and details at Meadowlark and Bull Run.

On a side note, I still have spots available for this weekend class on Adobe Lightroom at Meadowlark Gardens. Click herefor more details and payment options.

Also, our one day workshop at Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore Maryland still has a few spots available. Sherwood has an amazing display of Tulips and flowering trees and can not be beat at this time of the year. We will be working on creative techniques in macro and abstract imaging. Click herefor more details and payment options.

Here are a few of my keepers from the workshop. Enjoy, Joe.

Click on any image below for a larger view.

Great Smokey Mountains

I just finished up putting the finishing touches on a huge magazine submission with images I made last spring in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I will be leading a photography workshop in the spring of 09 in the smokies and am planning on heading down for a few days of scouting, shooting and prepping in general for the future workshop. Here are a few select images from 07 spring in the Smokies. Enjoy, Joe.

Click on any image for a larger view.

“Multiples Exposure” – Technique for creating impressionistic abstract images

I first learned of multiple photographic techniques while visiting a local photography exhibit. I kept asking myself, how were these images made? After getting back home, I did some research and found a few photographers who were experimenting in this type of photography. After a few months of reading as much information as I could find, I headed out into the field and starting putting theory into practice. I find this style of photography to be completely impressionistic and at times totally unpredictable. It is a lot of fun experimenting with all types of subject mater from trees, flower portraits and even grand landscapes. While this style and technique may seem luck of the drawl, it is after a bit of practice and experience quite predictable.

The techniques I have learned over the years include panning, swirling and zooming multiple exposures. Many of these techniques can be replicated in computer software such as Adobe Photoshop, but I prefer to create the vast majority of my abstract images in camera. I feel it has a more fluid and organic feel than multiples created in post capture software. Pre-visualization is important and will come with time. As you begin to develop your personal vision, you will recognize subject matter and techniques that work well together. Be patient and keep shooting and experimenting and you will begin to see the image before you ever trip the shutter. Let’s get going with some tips and techniques to get you started in the world of abstract impressionist photography.

Metering the Image/Pre-visualization

I find that overcast light works best for creating multiples, although the warm soft light of sunrise or sunset can also be quite nice for multiples and montage effects. Working under these lighting conditions is quite easy as far gaining exposure is concerned. I like to keep my camera set on aperture priority and 3d matrix metering. Using a digital camera will allow you to take a test exposure and look at your histogram to see where your exposure falls. Changes can then be made using the (+/-) compensation on your camera. Its really that easy. In the past, some amount of math and compensation was needed for each individual exposure when stacking images in camera. With the multiple exposure functions in most modern digital cameras, Auto Gain is built into the custom function and the camera will take care of this compensation for you.


Multiple Exposure Techniques



An example of a 10 exposure multiple of flowers,
moving the camera in a random movement for each shot


Panning – Moving the camera up/down or left/right over the course of two or more multiple image exposures. Make sure to follow the natural flow of the subject matter. For example, when shooting trees, you would want to move the camera in and up or down motion for each shot.


An example of creative Panning at 2 second, moving
the camera in an upward motion.

Zooming – Using a zoom lens it is possible to make beautiful bursts of color while racking the zoom in/out during the course of exposure. It is best to use a shutter speed in the range of 1/2 second as far up to 2 seconds the majority of the time. It helps me to begin the zooming before I trip the shutter in order to have a smooth and even effect throughout the course of the exposure.

An example of Multiple Zooming, Zooming the lens
out for each exposure - a total of 6 shots


Multiple Zoom - Same as before, except using the multiple exposures function. For each image in the multiple, simply zoom in or out and then trip the shutter. Remember to refocus the image on each shot.


Another example of multiple exposure panning. I used
a 3 way pan/tilt head for acurate movement up and down

Swirling - Moving the camera in a circular motion around the subject. This technique is best executed using a tele-photo lens with a tripod collar attached to the body of the lens. With the lens mounted on a tripod, loosen the lens color and move the camera in a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation for each image. To keep a central point of focus through the image, try slightly recomposing the subject in the same position of the frame for each shot.


For this shot, I rotated the camera in a clockwise
direction for each shot over the coure of 8 images

Good luck and have fun.

Orange Azalea Abstract

Nikon D200, 70-210vr, 25mm extension tube,10 exposure in camera multiple, raw capture, ISO 100

This is an example of an in camera multiple exposure abstract. Using my 70-210 vr and my 25mm extension tube allowed me to closely focus my camera on this beautiful Orange Azalea at Brookside Gardens. I wanted to create a soft abstract representation that was more about shape, color, line and design. With my lens attached to my tripod with the lens collar, I was able to twist the camera in a circular motion over the course of 8 exposures. For the last 2 shots of the multiple, I shot an image sharp at f5.6 and then defocused the 10th exposure at f2.8, thus creating this effect. These types of images have been selling well through the stock agency as well as fine art prints, so I always try to produce new and exciting images in this effect.

Please feel free to chime in and let me know what you think. All the best, Joe.