Gordes-Provence
Category Archives: Topaz Clarity
Pisa-Cinque Terre June 23 – June 28 2016
There is still time to for the adventurous photographer to join me on this workshop to Pisa and the Cinque Terre
Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Field of Miracles is a walled 8.87-hectare area located in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, recognized as an important center of European medieval art and one of the finest architectural complexes in the world. The Field of Miracles is considered sacred by the Catholic Church. The square is dominated by four great religious edifices: the Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistery, the Leaning Tower and the Monumental Cemetery. Partly paved and partly grassed, the Piazza of Miracles is also the site of the New Hospital of the Holy Spirit, which houses the Sinopias Museum and the Cathedral Museum.
Anyone Gelato by the Leaning Tower
The name Piazza dei Miracoli was coined by the Italian writer and poet Gabriele d’Annunzio who, in his novel Forse che sì forse che no (1910), described the square as the “prato dei Miracoli,” or “meadow of miracles”. In 1987, the whole square was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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My best images come with a story – Tuscan Memories
Tuscan Photographic Workshop Tour June 18 – June 23, 2016
San Gimignano in the Mist
The best photographs are often accompanied by the memories that are attached to the image. Your own personal metadata is what makes your images and traveling so important.
This was a wonderful morning image that I captured in 2013 in Sangimino, Italy and is one of my favorite memories.
What makes it my favorite is the smile it brings to my face when I see it. We had arrived and could see the village in the soft morning light before sunrise. Everyone knew it was going to be a great shot. Once I parked the van, everyone dashed of a few steps ahead of Jan and I. Craig, Charlie, Steve, and Bob headed off into the tall wet grass to try to find a vantage point to shoot from and Jan gave me a look that still makes me laugh every time I see this image. There was a little farm road that went up and off to the left of the wet grass, it took Jan and I to this great (and dry) vantage point. As we watched the light change we captured this wonderful sunrise. The men eventually came out of the wet brush and onto the farm road to capture Sangimino from what I think of as Jan’s vantage point.
A journey shared is a journey remembered.
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Tuscany June 18 – June 23 2016
Sunrise anywhere on the planet is always a great time to start shooting. The rain and mist mixed with this morning’s soft light in Michigan would have made for great location shooting. With a little luck we will have a variety of weather for the Italian and French workshops coming up in 6 weeks.
Awakening – Montepulciano, Italy
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Perspective using Photoshop’s Transform tool – Charleston’s Spring Wisteria
It doesn’t matter how many times I walk the historic streets of the Battery in Charleston, there is always one window or doorway that stands out a little more than the rest. This historic window on Meeting is always beautiful, and this year I was able to capture it with the perfectly blooming wisteria transforming it.
Wisteria Window – Battery Park, Charleston
Using the transform tool I was able to change the perspective of this window. To boost the color and contrast I used Topaz Clarity.
Wisteria Window – Battery Park, Charleston
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Castle of Angels – Rome
Yesterday I was going through images to see what might work for the Art Fair jury process and the this early morning image of the Castle of Angels popped out. I had processed the image a while ago and it has been in the back of my mind for some time. I think the B&W version will make a nice jurying image.
The image has a little noise in it and used Topaz DeNoise 6 to eliminate the noise.
Castle of Angels – Rome
Castle of Angels – Rome
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Click here to get to my Links page for the 15% off discount code for any of the Topaz products
Topaz DeNoise is designed to let you shoot anywhere in any light and still get crisp, clear and noise-free images. Specializing in extremely noisy high ISO images, DeNoise removes distracting image noise while preserving image detail, giving you the image you wanted without the noise you don�t.
Carnival in Venice – February 18-24 2017
One of my favorite images in Venice to photograph is the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, commonly known simply as La Salute, is one of the largest churches of Venice and has the status of a minor basilica. It stands in a prominent position at the junction between the Grand Canal and the Bacino di San Marco on the lagoon.
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, Venice
When I am on location shooting with clients the two questions I am asked the most are why I pick a location to shoot and why I return to many of the same locations over the years.
The answers to both of these questions are simple. Foregrounds matter! The locations provide some of the most exceptional foregrounds a photographer can capture no matter what the weather conditions. This allows each group to come home with images that can hang on their wall. Often when we are shooting in the morning and evening the magic happens and we capture some of the best sunrises and sunsets that I have ever seen.
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Val d’Orcia, Tuscany – June 18 – June 23 2016
Early morning mist and cypress trees in the Val d’Orcia create breathtaking images that have keep bringing me back over the years. This region is has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site which will help ensure that this area will stay natural and not be overdeveloped.
Morning Mist Val d’Orcia
This June I will be staying with the group in a small village that has ancient mineral springs used by the Romans and the Etruscans before them. There are a couple of spot left and I hope you can join me.
Tuscan Photographic Workshop Tour
June 18 – June 23 2016
$950.00/ Limited to 8 Students
Click here to get to my Links page for the 15% off discount code for any of the Topaz products.
Big Sable Lighthouse – Aug 14-17
Big Sable Lighthouse is one of our country’s best kept lighthouses and a gem along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
HDR Pano Big Sable Lighthouse
This image was shot a few hours after sunrise. To preserve the highlights and shadows I merged three separate exposures to create HDR files. To create this panoramic, I merged 2 HDR images. The HDR and Panoramic files were created in Lightroom.
As a Michigan resident and photographer, I am grateful for the hard work put in by the members of Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association to restore and maintain Big Sable, Ludington North Breakwater, Little Sable, and White River Lighthouses. Visit their website www.splka.org and take the time to explore their organization and lighthouses on the east coast of Lake Michigan.
Hope you can join me this summer to photograph some of these wonderful lighthouses.
Lake Michigan Lighthouse Workshop Tour
Aug 14 – 17 2016
$495.00/ Limited to 8 Students
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Has anyone seen Randy?
During the workshops I want everyone to capture great images, have fun, and be safe. When we are on location I have photographers at every skill level join me, and I make sure to line up great locations that you do not have to be a mountain goat too get to. Some of the clients are in top physical shape and extremely adventurous, and I do not want to tell any of them that they can’t venture off from the group and explore the wonderful locations. Some like to go a little further then others. When they do this, I just tell them that they have broken off from the group for a little while and when they come down the can rejoin us.
Has anyone seen Randy?
Photographic Workshops 