The Photography Teacher Nobody Wants

The Photography Teacher Nobody Wants

I just thought that this would be a great way to close out the year. I sure didn’t write the words written in the linked article, but I sure have lived them in the many, many years of my photography. All of the “older” photographers out there will know what the author is talking about, and all the “newbie” photographers are sure to learn whether they want to or not. There is no short cut to great photography. …but after traveling to different countries and 49 of our great states here in America in pursuit of the next “great” shot, I can tell you that “learning” is awesome. Enjoy the coming New Year of 2014 and go out and get some “Experience.”

Fall Colors in the Great Smoky Mountains

Tags

atkinson, cades cove, dixie, fall colors, photography, smoky mountains, tennessee

I recently made another trip to the Great Smoky Mountains to try to capture the Fall Colors. Here are a few that I manage to take during the last week of October and the first week of November 2013. Additional images from this trip may be found on my web site at: Photographs by Dixie

Early morning mist in Cades Cove

Early morning mist along the ridges above Cades cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park looking towards Hyatt Lane from atop a knoll along Loop Road. Hyatt Lane is below mist in the foreground of this photograph for those who are familiar with Cades Cove.

Early morning mist in Cades Cove

Early morning mist in Cades cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park looking back towards Hyatt Lane from atop a knoll along Loop Road. Hyatt Lane is lost in mist to the right front in this photograph for those who are familiar with Cades Cove.

Fall Colors along Little River

Little River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Little River Road between Townsend, Tennessee and the Sugarland Visitors Center.

 

Early morning mist in Cades Cove

Early morning mist in Cades cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park looking back towards Hyatt Lane from atop a knoll along Loop Road.

 

Deer Feeding Time in Texas

Tags

axis deer, deer, hill country, San Antonio, texas, white tail

Axis deer in the Hill Country of Texas being fed corn. There are also some White Tailed deer in the mix as well. I used my GoPro Hero3 planted right in the middle of the feed to capture this video of the deer eating.

Fourth of July – an American Celebration

Happy Birthday, America. Music by the US Army & US Navy Bands as we take a video tour from coast-to-coast.

Link to my photography web site:

• photographs by Dixie

Yellowstone National Park

Scenes from Yellowstone National Park and surrounding areas including Virginia City, Montana.

Gallery Link: Yellowstone National Park

 

Great Smoky Mountains – A Short Photo Tour

I just added a short video of the Great Smoky Mountains to Youtube.

Links to my Great Smoky Mountains National Park galleries:

• Great Smoky Mountains in the Spring
• Great Smoky Mountains in the Summer
• Great Smoky Mountains in the Fall
• Great Smoky Mountains in the Winter
• Great Smoky Mountains in Black & White

Bass Harbor Light, Acadia National Park, Maine – Framed Canvas

Bass Harbor Light, Acadia National Park, Maine
10″ x 15″ rolled canvas framed (GV003-BH1015-132-9483-FS04-Marble2)

This is a unique framing package selected to show off the Bass Harbor Light to its fullest. The framing package includes double matting with a wooden fillet separating the two mats. These are placed inside both a frame and a stacker frame. The outside frame dimensions are approximately 27″ x 22″ (outside dimensions may vary slightly).

Gallery Link: Acadia National Park

Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway ~ Framed Canvases

Tags

132, 9483, adobe, FB03, fudge, MabryMillWheel

 

Mabry Mill Wheel, Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia
10″ x 15″ stretched canvas framed (GV004-MM1015-9483-132-FB03-Adobe-Fudge)

This unique framing package was selected to show off the Mabry Mill Wheel to its fullest. The framing package includes double matting with a wooden fillet separating the two mats. These are placed inside both a frame and a stacker frame. The outside frame dimensions are approximately 27″ x 22″ (outside dimensions may vary slightly).

Gallery Link: Blue Ridge Parkway

Kevin Costner & Modern West

Tags

Charleson, concert, Kevin Costner, Modern West, music, Music Farm

Kevin Costner & Modern West

Since I stayed up too late after going to the Kevin Costner & Modern West concert at the Music Farm in Charleston, South Carolina last night, I decided not to go to the Audubon Swamp Gardens to shoot as previously planned. Instead, I stayed in and worked some of the iPhone images from the concert last night. As it turned out I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were a few that I could do something with despite the distance and that there was a lot of smoke in the air and bright lights were shinning right into the lens. The smoke was strange because no smoking is allowed. I didn’t see a smoke machine, but there must have been one somewhere. I mention the smoke because I had to shoot everything sans flash because the smoke just reflected the flash right back into the lens.

My daughter, Kari, treated me to the concert for which I am most grateful. I am not one to go to a lot of concerts because I am really not into fighting crowds. However, this was a small, intimate venue and the crowd was not bad at all. Except for a few rude people pushing by everyone to get closer for photographs it was not bad at all. There really wasn’t a bad standing place in the Music Farm at all. All-in-all a great show. I should also mention that Sara Beck opened the show and then returned to sing another song and a duet with Kevin Costner.

After the  show was over, Kevin Costner returned with a bottle of champagne and a glass and pored himself a drink and then toasted the crowd. I thought it was a very nice gesture. After we left the Music Farm after the show, we had to walk by the tour bus. While there we were lucky to get to see Kevin Costner again and he was gracious enough to pose with Kari and a number of other fans for photos.

Color versions of the photos:

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

Tags

Durango, photo trip, Silverton, train

Durango & Silverton #481

I highly recommend that any photographer who gets an opportunity to take one of the photography train trips offered by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to do so. I did my trip in May 2010. The September 29-30, 2012 23rd Annual Fall Photo Train event and registration information is found on the D&S Events Page. I suggest that you get your reservations in early because my trip was completely booked. I made the trip by myself, but had many friends by the end of the event. I was also lucky because there were a number of train “experts” in the carriage with me and provided me with a lot of background and history about the Durango & Silverton as well as other old trains in the southwest.

Night shoot at the D&S train station in Durango, Colorado

During my trip with the D & S, arrangements were made by the hosts to have a nighttime shoot the night before the train ride. Models and lights were provided and we were able to shoot for several hours. Releases were also provided for the models so you can use the photographs commercially. Since there were numerous photographers, the flashes were manually fired while we did our best to time our shots to the flash countdown which became quite interesting.

Old 481 pulling in to take on water

The highlight, of course, was the train trip the next day to Silverton. Both going and coming the train would stop and let all the photographers out and we would set up while the train backup to do a pass-by so we could photograph it as it chugged by. I suggest that you also take a video camera and extra tripod to capture the beauty of this steam beast as it passes by with smoke rolling out the stack and with the whistle blowing.

I went on my trip in the spring, but the late summer early fall is by far the best. I have made the trip in late summer (not one of the special photography trips) and the colors are better during that time of the year. Regardless, I do not think that you will be disappointed no matter the time of year you are able to make the trip. If you aren’t a train lover at the start of the 52-mile round trip, you will be by the time it is over. The one warning that I will give you is be ready to take a long hot shower and clean your gear after the trip. After all, it is a coal-burning steam engine and all that beautiful smoke coming out the stack has to settle somewhere.

You can see other photos from my trip in my Durango-Silverton Gallery on my website.

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