“When a pine needle falls in the forest, the eagle sees it; the deer hears it and the bear smells it...”
Join me for Coastal Brown Bears in Alaska- July 25-Aug 1, 2021 . This will be a unique experience at a world class lodge with fantastic opportunities to photograph these amazing grizzlies in their natural environment.
I was delighted to find out that Ed Short won the NVPS Ollie Fife Image of the Year Award. Above is his winning image of a Snow Monkey captured on one of my Winter in Japan Photo Tours. Ed and his wife Valerie both attended the workshop and both created some very beautiful images. Ed’s winning image has a lot going for it— I love the soft background, the head turn and the snow falling. BTW, it isn’t as easy as some folks think to create an image like the one above. Huge congrats Ed!! I want to share some words about the image from Ed.
From Ed:
This image of a baby Macaque was captured on our last day at the monkey park in in Feb 2018 while traveling with Denise Ippolito and Paul McKenzie. This year had been unseasonably warm without much snow. Fortunately, Denise and Paul always allow multiple days in one place. For wildlife this is particularly important. Often the first day in a place like this you are shooting nonstop with excitement which doesn’t result in your best images.
Each evening, Denise visited to review culled images with my wife and I. Paul provided tips on where to shoot within the park and behavior of the monkeys. All these coaching sessions are apparent in the image you see here -- shallow depth of field, tack sharp, appropriate shutter speed to capture snow falling, and most of all patience to wait for just the right moment for this little monkey to turn its head.
Ed Short
It has been awhile since I have opened up Photoshop and had a relaxing morning with my coffee and images. It almost felt like old times… Anyway, I thought I ‘d share this peacock image since it appealed to me. To create it I duplicated my image, converted the top layer to black and white then changed my blend mode, added a layer mask, and so on.
The original capture was in NYC while scouting with Scott Vincent. We had some good times back then. I haven’t seen Scott in years, but I try to keep up with him on Facebook.
To learn more about creative edits check out my eBook “The Creative Art of Photography”
Palouse Region
When I first started going to the Palouse Region (located in the northwestern United States) I was immediately drawn to the red barns. Every time I found one, it was like hitting the jackpot! Each and every barn had its own style and story. Many of the old barns show the years as they have not been fully restored, as is the case with the barn above. I am not sure if this barn is still standing, I haven’t visited it in years as I had to do some wire removal. Usually I don’t mind telephone wires and try to include them as part of the image (see directly below) but the wires on the barn above were too distracting.
Palouse Region
The early morning light on the barn above made me smile wide! I remember everyone trying so hard to photograph this one without the wires. We had limited access as we did not want to trespass and because it was so early we did not want to wake anyone by asking permission so we photographed it from the road. I personally felt like the wires were a nice touch and I worked hard to line them up to walk the viewer through the scene.
Palouse Region
The above barn was photographed using a longer lens and from a good distance down the road. I loved the curved road, fence and the horses but this barn owner does not want anyone near her property (the horses get startled) so we stayed far away and only for a few moments. I am always trying to make sure that the horizon line doesn’t line up to ride the top of the barn.
Palouse Region
The 1916 barn above is a bit of a distance and I don’t always visit it. I learned the story of it from the owner last year. She told me that the barn was built by the Cunningham family and they had built a homestead across the street from the barn, the homestead burned down in 1917 and the family packed it in and moved to California.
Palouse Region
I have many different versions of the well photographed barn above but I always liked this one best. Each year the truck is in a different position or the fields look different and of course the clouds are different too. This barn reminds me of what I refer to as the Palouse Flag—red barn, blue skies and white puffy clouds.
Palouse Region
The barn above has had a recent roof replacement and that is why I chose this close-up view of the barn that I photographed several years ago. It shows the open slats and dilapidated roof that I loved so much. I was so disappointed when the owners repaired it.
Palouse Region
This red barn is one that I have wanted to photograph from a different angle for many years. There was a crew of men working on the yard and I went up and asked if I could walk down the driveway to get a better angle—they said that I was welcome to photograph the barn from the driveway and could get as close as I wanted.
Palouse Region
I photographed the above barn from the road area. I liked the curved foot path and the two posts. The barn is a beauty. The owners have since roped off the area and they do not allow visitors anymore.
Every time I visit the Palouse I uncover another hidden gem or have time to explore the many secrets of the area. Finding and photographing red barns is a fun adventure. Just be respectful of the property owners. I have never met a more welcoming group of people in my life. I am looking forward to my August trip this year.
Happy Memorial Day and to those men and women who sacrificed on our behalf-thank you.
Palouse Region
Years ago when I first visited the Palouse Region, (south eastern Washington area) I had made mention of my travels. Several of my photography friends that had been running workshops there were eager to help out and share locations. I said thank you but that I wanted to explore it on my own. I think they understood. Anyway, I asked two good friends Lynn Fulton and Cheryl Slechta to accompany me on this trip. So we headed to the Palouse region to find all the hidden barns and gems that the location had to offer.
Within our first twenty minutes of exploration, I got a ticket for speeding! Yikes, it was long lonely road and I was going too fast. A nice police officer pulled me over, ticketed me and we had a nice discussion about the area. So much for the open road…After shaking off the ticket we went scouting for barns. Lynn helped me navigate and Cheryl kept her eyes peeled.
In one of the old towns that we passed we found a bunch of old farm equipment and shacks, but I needed to go to the bathroom. Cheryl, Lynn and I went looking for a restroom. As I drove around helplessly looking, I went down a dirt road, hoping it led to something. Oh boy did it! I was so happy when I saw this abandoned old farmhouse come into view.
I noticed that the sky was turning grey and it looked like a storm was approaching. The clouds were moving faster and faster and I had envisioned them over top of the old farmhouse at any moment. I started to run up a nearby slope to try to position the storm clouds above the house. The lighting was incredible. As soon as things lined up I took several shots. Within minutes the clouds had dissipated and the scene was finished.
The name Little House on the Prairie comes to me every time I see this shot. It brings back fond memories of when my daughter was six years old and we use to watch the TV series Little House on the Prairie which was based on the Laura Ingalls Wilder's series of "Little House" books. My daughter would sometimes cry when she watched the bullying or sad scenes-she was and still is very sensitive, so we would snuggle up on the couch, wrapped in a blanket to watch the show. Those sure were some good times!
Thanks to Joe Subolefsky for asking me to talk about this shot in a recent comment.