May 2009

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Beauty Within

by RR Jr on May 28, 2009

This past weekend was the start of the 2009 art show schedule for me at the 28th New Paltz Art and Crafts Fair. I love these events as it gives me the opportunity to meet and interact with lots of new people, get real-world feedback on new images, and of-course gain new customers and patrons.

As usual, there are lots of questions about cameras, printing, technique, places I’ve visited, what motivates me, and how I make a living doing what I love. I go out of my way to answer each and every one of them because I don’t really believe in secrets, and my passion for what I do leaves me no other choice. I believe it is this passion and motivation that helps anyone achieve their goals, not some “secret” or special knowledge that one must guard selfishly.

If there was one theme this weekend it had to do with the surprise of many when they realized that my landscape images where of local places, and how I managed to find “beauty” in locations not normally associated with grand landscapes. That the Hudson River could look so different from what most only know from their everyday perceptions was overheard repeatedly. When asked, I always answered that it is more than just the image for me, but about learning and discovery; about the world, but also about myself. My best images reflect what I see and seek in life, what I want to convey to others, and what is most important about the process, the experience.

“The true journey of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having fresh eyes.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

While many travel to far away places to find beauty, it is all around us, especially here in our backyard. But most importantly, it is within us, and it is how I try to approach my photography regardless of where I am. My list of landscapes to visit around the world is long, but whether I get to them all or not doesn’t matter. What does matter is continuing to use the language of photography to say something meaningful, and for that we only need inspiration.

I’ll be at the White Plains Outdoor Art Festival this weekend where I’m honored to be the featured artist, so I’m looking forward to another good show. Most of my images will be shown in canvas, so it’s back to printing and mounting non-stop for the next few days. Stop in if you can, otherwise see you here after the busy weekend!

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Home > 2009 > May

Spring Workshop Report-Mohonk Preserve

by RR Jr on May 19, 2009

I had a great time this past Saturday as 7 students joined me for my Spring Hudson Valley Photo Workshop. Single day workshops can be quite risky with regards to weather and other unpredictable conditions, and I’m always apprehensive the week leading into one. One advantage however, is being able to change locations at the last minute to provide students with the greatest potential for favorable light and subject matter. So after scouting several locations during the week, and checking the weather forecasts regularly, I chose one of my favorite places, the Mohonk Preserve in upstate NY.

With a meeting time of 5:15AM, it was a normal start for me, and I was quite inspired to see most students waiting and ready to go when I arrived at our meeting location. Sunrise is all about light, so our first destination was the Millbrook Ridge trail, offering bird like views west from the Catskill Mountains to the mid Hudson Valley directly east of us. After a short but steep climb (not exactly what the students described it as…) we were ready for whatever nature had to offer and she didn’t disappoint. Once I had made suggestions as to where to find the best vantage points and angles that make for good images, students dispersed along the ridge to find vistas and subjects they preferred. Rising 2000 ft. above sea level, the Shawangunk Ridge provides awesome views!

I prefer to give students space to experiment and find the things that inspire them to setup a composition. I then move from student to student, helping them in whatever area I feel can best improve their photography. This is where the real fun begins for me since I’m just as excited about the moment as they are, and love seeing the smiles on their faces as they realize how much fun they’re having as well.

We then headed to the Coxing Kill (stream) area to photograph waterfalls, streams, and maple forests. Our final destination was Minnewaska State Park and site of the 20+ ft Awosting Falls, which was at full capacity due to the recent spring rains. Students again dispersed and improvised quite well given the changing weather, which was now cloudy and starting to drizzle. Again we tried different ideas, and I gave suggestions for working in challenging weather and lighting conditions.

We then headed back to my studio where we had a well deserved lunch, and I then developed a few of the students images in Lightroom. I also gave a slideshow presentation of some of my latest images, explaining the creative process I follow when working in the field. As always, I was happy to answer questions covering everything from sensor cleaning, to lens selection, and printing. Nine hours after our early start, everyone seemed like they had a perfect day – I know I did. A big thanks to all of the students.

For a great and totally different perspective, student Clark Thompson has written about his workshop experience on his own blog – read it here.

View photos from students here.

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Home > 2009 > May

NY Times to Feature an Image

by RR Jr on May 15, 2009

I’m proud to announce that this Sunday’s (May 17th) print edition of The New York Times will feature one of my Hudson Valley landscape photographs. It will be used in a special Hudson River 400th Advertorial celebrating the voyage of Henry Hudson. While I haven’t seen the layout, they requested a fairly large file, so I’m hoping it will be put to good use! I’ll get a credit and website listing as well, so I’m curious to see how much traffic it generates on the website.

I made this image a several years ago while on a hike up Breakneck Ridge, a very dramatic and scenic viewpoint in the Hudson Highlands. I had just purchased a Canon 5D (which I still use quite frequently), and I was very eager to use it in my favorite locations. I didn’t shoot too many in this direction because the sun was fading fast, but there was something about the geometric lines together with the color in the foreground, clouds, and river that I was really attracted to. The moon, tiny as it is, was pure luck (there’s that word again…). I’m glad I took the time to really work the composition vertically though, as this has become one of my most popular images.

I’ll be at the newstands early on Sunday – after the sunrise photo hike of course.

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Featured Print: Sunrise, Lost City

May 14, 2009 Craft

After several attempts, this image is the final result of my recent “self-assignment” to create a new photograph for the Mohonk Preserve’s yearly benefit auction. Titled “Sunrise, Lost City, Mohonk Preserve”, my goal was to capture the dramatic feel and nature of this location, and on my last visit, I think I’ve come pretty close. [...]

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Thinking Big

May 11, 2009 General

I’ve recently started a new book called “The Think Big Manifesto” by Michael Port and it’s turning out to be another great source of inspiration. There was one passage that resonated with me immediately because I could relate to it so easily, and I thought I would share it with you here. “When we take [...]

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Realistic HDR Photography

May 5, 2009 Craft

High dynamic range photography, otherwise known as HDR, has become extremely popular these days given all of the tutorials, videos and books I see more and more of on the internet. I’ve even seen other photographers denouncing hdr as though somehow it’s “cheating” or not worth the time and effort to learn. Yet as I’ve [...]

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