spring

Looking Ahead: Springtime in Texas

I’m pleased to announce the Hill Country Photo Roundup, another workshop I’ll be teaching with veteran photo instructor and native Texan Jennifer Davidson in one of the most beautiful and culturally rich regions of Texas.

If you’ve been to Hill Country before, you’re already in on the secret, but if you were like me, I had a different idea of what this region outside of Austin and San Antonio had in store before my recent visit. The Hill Country has hills, true enough, but it has so much more: wildflowers, cypress-lined rivers, rock plateaus, barbecue, dance halls, and even schnitzel.

We will be based in Fredericksburg, a Texan town rich in German heritage that is a mecca for artists and wine-lovers. The location will allow us to make day trips throughout the region to photograph through barbecue smoke in Llano, search for cowboy culture in Bandera, the “Cowboy Capital of the World,” and kick up our heels as we click our shutters at the Luckenbach dance hall.

We will photograph Enchanted Rock at dawn, a beautiful pink granite formation, and float down a crystal-clear river lined with the graceful roots of cypress trees. And, if Mother Nature is kind to us this March, our vistas will be brightened with blooming wildflowers.

In between our photo excursions in the region, we will have ample time for one-on-one critiques, two group reviews, multiple lectures, and socializing to get to know your fellow photographers.

I hope to see you March 15th-20th, 2016, in Texas! To find out more and register, click here.

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Holiday Special: Make your deposit by December 31st and receive a 5% discount off of the total workshop fee!

Buds on grape vines in Oregon Willamette Valley

On Newsstands: The Oregon Trail to Pinot Noir

Last month, just as buds were appearing on vines, I explored Oregon’s wine country while on assignment for 1859 Oregon’s Magazine. Head to newsstands to pick up an issue of this Pacific Northwest magazine and get inspired to take “The Oregon Trail to Pinot Noir.”

1859 Magazine Spread

Road Reconsidered article shot for 1859 Oregon’s Magazine, May/June 2015 issue.

1859 Magazine Spread

Road Reconsidered article shot for 1859 Oregon’s Magazine, May/June 2015 issue.

For more images from Oregon’s Willamette Valley, see outtakes here.

Ephemeral Beauty

A dusk shot of the Jefferson Memorial framed by cherry blossoms.

A dusk shot of the Jefferson Memorial framed by cherry blossoms.

And just like that, they’re gone.

The few glorious days when the tidal basin in Washington DC is swathed in a low-lying pink cloud has passed this year. Like thousands of other people, I couldn’t help myself from wandering in awe and snapping shot after shot of blossoms framing monuments. Navigating the crowds, I was trying to follow the advice I had given in a blog post I wrote a few years ago for the Intelligent Travel blog on photographing the cherry blossoms….patience.

If you ever have the opportunity to see the cherry blossoms in DC, I say do it. Despite the hype and the hoards, it is magical and oh so fleeting!

A magical walkway of light pink blossoms in Washington DC.
The Washington Monument framed through cherry blossoms at sunset.
A couple enjoys sunset on the Tidal Basin with the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial in the background.
My cherry blossom blog post was featured on the National Geographic home page last weekend.

From the Archives: Spring Dreams

A photograph taken before the Washington National Cathedral was damaged by an earthquake show spring blooms framing a fog-enshrouded tower.

A photograph taken in 2009 (before the Washington National Cathedral was damaged by an earthquake) shows spring blooms framing a fog-enshrouded tower.

I’m busy backing up my photo archives and I came across this shot of the Washington National Cathedral from 2009. Unfortunately the tower is currently covered in scaffolding while repairs are underway to fix damage from the 2011 earthquake, but I love the way the fog made the cathedral look early that spring morning. Although the cherry blossoms get so much attention in Washington DC, there are blooming bushes and trees all over the city that make for lovely springtime photographs. I don’t know if these particular trees are in bloom yet this year, but here is to hoping the city will be bursting with color soon!