November 2013   

CHILLIN’ OUT IN ICELAND:  A landscape of inspiration…

I recently returned from three weeks of photographing one incredible breath-taking scene after another in a land of geo-thermal hot springs, mountains and glaciers, lava fields, and cascading waterfalls.

Exploring this astonishing island with its many unique regions is a photographer’s dream.

VISUAL OVERLOAD

SKAFTAFELL NATIONAL PARK

A most memorable place was Skaftafell National Park, a nature preserve in the southeast. Renowned for its mild climate and sunny days in summer, the scenery around Skaftafell is full of stark contrasts. Jagged mountains with glacier-topped peaks flank expanses of rocky terrain and iceberg covered beaches. Quartz- and opal-lined lava caves are interspersed with waterfalls and rushing glacier-fed rivers. providing an exceptional pictorial experience for any photographer.

More than 10 percent of Iceland is covered in glaciers, including  Vatnajökull, an ice cap covering 8 percent of the country’s surface in the southeastern portion of the island. The runoff from the massive glaciers feeds a number of magnificent waterfalls, many of which you can explore by walking right up to them and feeling the cool mist wash over you. We were able to climb above some of the falls to get a bird’s eye view looking down. Some you can even walk behind, like Seljalandfoss, a 200-foot set of falls that look magnificent as the sun sets over the Atlantic.

HORSIN’ AROUND AT THE ROUND-UP

Highlighting our trip was a two-day, annual roundup of Icelandic horses, a traditional event in the Icelandic highlands for the local farmers and their horses as well as city-dwellers who travel to the countryside to participate.  The horse has been honored for over 1,000 years in Icelandic culture. Icelandic laws are strict to keep the native breed pure. With their thick coats and gorgeous long-manes, Icelandic horses are a unique breed.

In summer, they live a wild existence in the grassy highlands, roaming free, grazing, and raising their young. Each September, they’re rounded up to a main location to be herded to a central corral for sorting, and returned to their owners who care for them through the winter months. The process of sorting is a celebration unto itself as inebriated farmers embrace their fellow horsemen partaking in singing old folk songs and drinking throughout the day.

The grand finale is a frenzy of laughter, beer drinking, and Icelandic dancing and folkloric music, the celebration lasting into early morning hours. Experiencing this festive spectacle with both young and older generations of Icelandic culture delivers an awesome dose of madness!

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TOPAZ WEBINAR

If you missed my recent Topaz Webinar don’t miss the video now on YouTube. It will get your creative juices flowing! Learn some new Topaz Tips for post-production to turn your raw files into beautiful works of art.

TOPAZ SPECIAL!!! Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
For the first time ever Topaz will be running a promotion on the Topaz Complete Photography Collection, which includes all of our products. The Complete Collection will be sold for $199.99, which is almost 50% off the normal price of $379.99. The sale will run from November 28th through December 2nd.
Follow this link to Topaz Software Use promo code: blackfriday2013

Also, you can receive a 50% discount on TOPAZ B&W Effects, Nov. 5-19th  (Purchase Topaz Software)  I will be incorporating TOPAZ software as well as NIK  software in my upcoming April 2014 workshop.

For the past several years, I’ve lead tours to photograph the Wild White Horses of the Camargue, on the southern coast of France. These indigenous, high energy and affectionate beauties are one of the oldest breeds of horses. As they thunder along the marshes at the water’s edge of the Mediterranean Sea with their majestic, white, wind-blown manes, this spectacular sight promises the horse lover an experience unlike any other.

In May of 2014, I will be revisiting the Camargue to host another sensational workshop with the added bonus of photographing the mares and their foals. We will also experience the Guardians, the spirited, trident-wielding, French “cowboys” who seem nearly as wild as the horses they ride, proudly preserving their ancient way of life. The workshop tour offers not only fantastic photo shoots but also post-production sessions working with our images.

For full Itinerary and Registration visit: WILD WHITE HORSES OF THE CAMARGUE 2014

My April 2014 “HOW to WOW” workshop is filling fast with only two few spaces left. Working from our images taken during our workshop photo shoot,  I will introduce new & exciting techniques using various software programs for creating dramatic fine art imagery… Sign up now to reserve your space!

For full Itinerary and Registration, visit: HOW TO WOW: MASTERING THE CREATIVE FLOW

I will be a guest presenter at the upcoming Canadian Imaging Conference & Trade Show, held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on April 26th through April 29th, 2014!  I will be conducting a session on my “How to Wow:  Mastering the Creative Flow”.