Shawnee Photography Workshop: August 23-25, 2019

Early morning fog  mists the edges of a small lake within Shawnee State Forest. Fragrant water-lily, Nymphaea odorants, blankets the water's surface.

If you've read this blog much, you've likely heard talk of the amazing Shawnee State Forest in southern Ohio's Adams and Scioto counties. Indeed, the prior post mostly deals with this place. I've been to this area a lot; it's my favorite region of the state. The biodiversity is mind-numbing, and it's all encased in exceptionally scenic habitats.

Debbie DiCarlo and I are doing one of our field-based photo workshops here on August 23-25. This is a time of riches, photographically speaking. We will also seek out some of the lesser known creatures - read on for a few examples. We've got a few spaces left, and would love to have you. All of the details are RIGHT HERE.

Shawnee and vicinity hosts a bounty of butterflies. Twenty-five species or more would not be surprising on a good day. This is a red-spotted purple, one of the showiest butterflies and one that is quite common here.

This region is botanically superb, with 1,000+ native plant species. Thus, the animal diversity is staggering. Cardinal-flower, Lobelia cardinalis, should be in good shape at the time of the workshop and it draws spicebush swallowtails (seen here) in big numbers. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are also frequent visitors. We may be able to see some very interesting "albino" cardinal-flowers as well.

A focus of this workshop will be moths and other creatures of the night. It's easy to draw moths to properly illuminated sheets, and that's what we'll do. This is an Io moth, one of many species that make for fantastic moth portraiture shots. We should see a stupefying array of moths, and learn solid techniques for photographing them, as well as interesting ways of viewing these creatures.

If you want photos that few people have, this may be the workshop for you. Part of our nocturnal pursuits will involve caterpillars and we should find many, of numerous species. Most caterpillars are nocturnally active, the better to avoid daytime predators such as birds. This is a black-spotted prominent, an utterly fantastical bag of goo. We found it on last year's Shawnee workshop, within sight of the lodge and cabins (where we stay). It was just one of many exceptionally photogenic cats that we encountered.

We also have an EXTREMELY COOL photo opportunity arranged, that will wow you and anyone you share your work with, but I'm not saying what it is for now :-)

Again, for full details and registration info, CLICK HERE.

West Virginia photo workshop! May 6 - 9!

 The iconic mill at Babcock State Park in southern West Virginia.

Debbie DiCarlo and I are leading what promises to be a fantastic photo foray in one of eastern North America's most scenic regions, the New River Gorge and vicinity in southern West Virginia. We've got two or three open spots, and would love to have you. Dates are May 6 thru 9, and base camp is the charming little town of Fayetteville, West Virginia.

Established in 1978, New River Gorge National River in West Virginia encompasses over 70,000 acres of land along 53 miles of the New River. The New River is actually among the oldest rivers on Earth! It's a rugged, whitewater river that flows through deep and spectacular canyons, carving a deep and long gorge in the Appalachian Mountains. And we will be there to photograph oodles of things - sunrises/sunsets from majestic overlooks to waterfalls and cascades. From showy wildflowers to unique plant species in boreal-type bogs. And yes, the New River Gorge Bridge and the equally famous Glade Creek Grist Mill too!

For workshop details and to register, CLICK HERE.

Mountain streams such as this are commonplace, and you know we'll be photographing some of them.

Mountain gaps as seen from near the summit of Babcock State Park.

A four-toed salamander marches through mosses. This region is very rich in salamanders, birds, plants and other biodiversity. We'll see lots of flora and fauna, and capture much of it with our cameras.

A week in Ohiopyle country

As always, click the photo to enlarge

Water rushes over Cole Run Falls near Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania. This region is rich in beautiful water features, and many of the streams are traced by thick stands of great rhododendron, Rhododendron maximum.

I was in this area all of last week, co-instructing a photo workshop along with Debbie DiCarlo. It was our third expedition this year, and more are to follow. CLICK HERE for a complete listing and descriptions. Finally, our Facebook page features trip reports and images, and IS HERE.

We have a lot of fun on these trips, and hopefully everyone learns a lot - and returns with some great images. While there may be a theme - waterfalls and wildflowers on this one - we'll ignore nearly nothing, and try our hands at many types of imagery.

Just one day after I made the first image, last Monday, this is what Cole Run Falls looked like on Tuesday! A snowfall commenced early Tuesday morning and continued throughout much of the day. We didn't mind. It was a rare spring snowfall, and a chance to capture some gorgeous landscapes capped with snow.

Water rushes around a boulder in a small mountain stream - name unknown, at least to me. We were driving by and had to slam on the brakes and get out for some photos when we saw this scene.

A long exposure streaks the waters of a rushing brook, its waters swollen by recent rainfall. Ohiopyle State Park and vicinity is an extraordinarily beautiful place at any time of year, but may be at its aesthetic best in early spring. April showers fill the streams, and the area's numerous waterfalls cascade torrents of water. We're definitely planning on repeating this trip next year.

The never-ending winter of 2018 had the spring flora a bit tardy, but plants were beginning to pop. This large-flowered trillium, Trillium grandiflorum, was in fine fettle, one of scores covering a wooded slope. Most were not yet open, but would be in a "normal" spring. Nonetheless, it was not hard to find showy specimens.

Red trillium, Trillium erectum, was just coming on and we found a few showy flowers. Next spring, with luck, this patch will be in full bloom. Not only is it in the shadows of the amazing Cucumber Falls, but the colony features a number of cream-flowered plants.

A striking feature of the violet flora are huge numbers of the showy round-leaved violet, Viola rotundifolia. In places, drifts of plants covered trailside banks.

A diminutive Carolina spring-beauty, Claytonia caroliniana, springs from a mossy bank. For a middle Ohioan flatlander, it's nice to see this species of high elevations. It is quite localized in the Buckeye State - NE Ohio - and I seldom get to clap eyes on it, at least compared to our abundant Claytonia virginica. Note the plant's fat egg-shaped leaves - quite different than the narrow straplike leaves of C. virginica.

We weren't really after birds, at least photographically, but certainly saw and heard plenty of species. This is a broad-winged hawk, which I shot on our Monday scouting expedition. The group got to see and hear them on another day, fortunately.

While encamped on the banks of the Youghiogheny River along some turbulent rapids, awaiting kayakers and flyby common mergansers (the latter nest along local streams), this Louisiana waterthrush flew in nearly at our feet. We were ready, and able to make some images. We also saw and/or heard black-and-white warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, yellow-throated warbler, pine warbler, and a real heavyweight, the Swainson's warbler. The latter seems to be fairly common along local streams.

Finally, the rushing waters of the "Cascades", turned to silk courtesy of a 10-stop neutral density filter and 30 second exposure.

If mountains, waterfalls, stunning streams, birds and flowers tickle your photographic fancy, think about coming with us to Ohiopyle in 2019.

Hocking Hills photo workshop: February 20-22

One of the most scenic regions in the Midwest is the Hocking Hills of southeastern Ohio, and late winter (really, early spring!) is a great time to be there. Debbie DiCarlo and I have planned a field-based photo excursion for February 20-22, and we'll visit some of the most scenic spots. Debbie is a sensational landscape photographer (many other genres, too), and an excellent teacher. Both of us love to work with photographers of all levels, especially those just finding their photographic feet.

To learn more about Debbie and her work, visit HERE. For details on the Hocking Hills trip, CLICK HERE, and for a list and descriptions of our other trips, GO HERE.

Following is a tiny pictorial sampler of Hocking Hills highlights, with brief commentary. Hope you can join us!

The Hocking Hills region is noted for its spectacular sandstone features. This is the inside of Rock House, a sensational cathedral of brightly colored rock.

The boulder-strewn lower gorge at Conkles Hollow. There are numerous gorgeous sites such as this, and winter is perhaps the best time to capture their beauty photographically.

Graceful evergreen hemlocks, Tsuga canadensis, give the Hocking Hills much of its character. Myriad hemlock-lined streams create numerous landscape photography opportunities.

Waterfalls abound, and winter can be the best time to shoot them. Depending on temperatures, spectacular ice formations can occur. Open water or ice, either situation is stunning.

Nearly 80 species of ferns can be found  in Hocking County, and some, such as this maidenhair spleenwort, Asplenium trichomanes, are evergreen. Late winter botanical photography opportunities abound, and we'll learn lots about flora and fauna on this excursion.

Believe it or not, the Milky Way can look like this in Ohio. There are dark skies in the Hocking Hills and if clear skies prevail, we'll try our hands at astrophotography. This is a fun photographic art form with techniques all its own, and DiCarlo excels at capturing the night sky.

CLICK HERE for details, and to register.

Photography Workshop: September 20-22!

A gorgeous Lake Erie sunrise pinkens the sky behind the historic Marblehead Lighthouse, one of the most picturesque signal towers on Lake Erie.

I made this image last September, during a photography workshop instructed by David FitzSimmons and myself. Our base of operations was the beautiful lakefront town of Lakeside, which is not even five minutes from this lighthouse.

The aforementioned Dave FitzSimmons, nearly kneeling in the surf creating silky wave images. This September 20-22, Dave and I will be back and doing the workshop again, this time joined by the inimitable Art Weber, founder of the National Center for Nature Photography. Dave, as some of you know, is the creator of the Curious Critters book series. All of the workshop details are RIGHT HERE.

A juvenile Herring Gull poses in early morning sunlight, in between working on its scaly meal. Had the bird only turned its head about 10-15 degrees my way, the photo would be that much better.

The great thing about a photography workshop at Lakeside is the sheer diversity of subjects within a stone's throw of base camp. After the group finished shooting a glorious sunrise at East Harbor State Park, we turned our lens to this cooperative gull.

Fringed Gentian flowers appear to be spun from cobalt silk. The frayed petal edges lend a nice touch. Just 15 minutes from Lakeside is one of Ohio's finest remnant prairies, and it has plenty of these gentians and many more botanical subjects. The gentians, especially, are great fun to photograph but require good technique for quality images.

Growing with the gentians is this, the Riddell's Goldenrod, one of our rarest goldenrods and a true prairie species. It is one of about 100 species of vascular plants discovered and described to science from Ohio.

In addition to learning lots about photography, and getting much practice on a wide array of subjects, we'll also learn lots about natural history.

It's not just flora and fauna, though - Lake Erie abounds with all manner of manmade subjects, such as this massive lake freighter. It is the John D. Leitch, which was launched in 1967, and refitted in 2001. When it left the docks in 2002, it was the largest self-loading freighter on the Great Lakes. I made this image from the pier at Lakeside; the freighter was taking on limestone from the Lafarge quarrying operation not far to the east.

Here's last year's group, wrapping up a good session with lots of photos made, of scores of subjects.

Another sunrise, this one from the beach at East Harbor State Park.

Please sign on if you are interested in advancing your photography skills, and getting exposed to some really cool subjects that you might not otherwise see. Between Art, Dave, and myself, I'm sure you'll learn plenty of new tricks.

All the details are RIGHT HERE. More on Lakeside can be FOUND HERE.