Category Archives: Announcements

Loose Ends and Random Thoughts

“Haunted By Waters” Spruce Flats Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

The image above was taken in April of this year in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. This is an excellent example of what I try to teach my students when photographing waterfalls: We are not taking a portrait here. We are creating a landscape image with a waterfall as one of the elements. Walking up on the rocks and filling the frame with the waterfall would have been an easy thing to do but the end result would have been boring and banal. This composition includes the waterfall as a crucial element – as well as the primary focal point – but the image has an elegant visual design that goes beyond being just a portrait or documentary photo. Primarily, the flow of the stream and the placement of the rocks below the falls gets the eye moving back and forth through the frame giving it a dynamic quality that a static portrait would lack.

“Haunted by Waters” is a new addition to my Smoky Mountains Galley and depending on the conditions, is a location we will be visiting on the Smoky Mountains Autumn Workshop in October.

WORKSHOPS

Speaking of workshops, there are two new workshops listed for the first quarter of 2014. For the 4th straight year, Ian Plant and I are leading another tour to Patagonia on March 10 – 19.

For the very first time, I am offering a Winter in Yellowstone photo tour and workshop in February that will combine the very best winter landscapes with wildlife photography. Jackson Hole professional wildlife photographer, Jared Lloyd will be my partner on this trip.

I’m sorry to announce that Arches and Canyonlands, Utah in November is now full, as is Acadia in October. Joe Rossbach and I still have a few openings for the Tetons in September so let me know if any of you have questions about this trip.

Photographer Christina Donadi has written a detailed review of my Smokies workshop from this past spring. Check out the rest of her blog for more excellent photography!

TRUE MODESTY

Last week I was listed as one of the top 100 travel photographers in the world for 2013 by ChiliSauce, a travel blog in the United Kingdom. When I made the announcement on Facebook and Twitter, as a courtesy to the the owner of the blog, I made the announcement with a controversial preface: the words, “For whatever it’s worth…..” This was met by more than a few emails and private messages by annoyed fans and followers. Most began with a mocking, “For whatever it’s worth….” and eventually got around to making the point that I was not being grateful or gracious about the “honor.” For whatever it’s worth, you’re acting like an ass.

Look, this is not merely false modesty on my part. I do appreciate being listed with at least 99 other very accomplished photographers. But the list is just one person’s opinion and there are some very conspicuous names missing as well as some people I’ve never even heard of. So that’s what it is, one person’s opinion and that’s about what it’s worth. Sorry to offend.

So now I’m off to Africa for two weeks. I’ll try my best to post some crappy phone images here as well as a report or two on how I’m doing. Be sure to Subscribe to Earth and Light to keep up with my latest travels realtime.

May 13, 2013 | 3 Comments

Posted in Announcements, Essays, General, Images | Tagged Acadia, Argentina, Chile, composition, Creativity, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, landscape photography, Nature Photography, North Carolina, Patagonia, Tennessee, Wildlife, Winter, Yellowstone National Park

Incredible Iceland in Pop Photo

“Behind the Falls” Southern Iceland’s Seljalandsfoss on a bright, sunny evening.

I have a new article published in the May issue of Popular Photography magazine entitled Incredible Iceland. That’s their title, not mine. My preferred Warming up to Iceland was a bit too cute for them, I suppose. Anyway, the article begins on page 50 with the above image as the opening spread. The colors in the magazine are printed rather dark and dull, so enjoy this version before you read the printed word.

“Behind the Falls” at Seljalandsfoss was created during last year’s Epic Iceland tour and it was my favorite take from this location. I experimented with different shutter speeds, as I usually do, and this one – 1/250 of a second – projected the look and feel for which I was aiming. I really like the cascading water effect rather than the smooth, silky look of a longer exposure for this image. I’m often asked about “rules” concerning exposure times when handling moving water. No, there are no rules but I do have a few guidelines.

First, and this is strictly personal, I prefer to keep some detail and texture to the water. Long exposures that turn moving water into featureless white blobs smeared across the image frame do absolutely nothing for me. I want to keep the water’s texture and detail while still creating the illusion of motion.

Second, the heavier the water, the shorter the shutter speed. This goes back to what I just said above. It’s much more difficult to retain that texture and detail with heavy, fast whitewater than lighter water flows.

Third, since I am almost always much more interested in how the image will make people feel rather than how it will look, I want to ask myself how the choice of shutter speed will affect its emotional impact on the viewers. My own experience and emotional reaction to the scene will dictate that choice. For example, large waterfalls that move heavy volumes of water project power and rage and I want that emotional trigger embedded in the image so that viewers can feel that power, rage, or fury too, even if they can’t feel the ground vibrate or hear the cascade’s thunderous roar. A faster shutter speed seems to express the heaviness of the water and by extension, its power as well. Conversely, slower shutter speeds express lightness, grace, and fragility. Waterfalls and cascades with gentle water flows or elegant, stair-stepping design characteristics project an air of fragility and grace. That’s how I want those images to feel to my audience.

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April 25, 2013 | 4 Comments

Posted in Announcements, Essays, Images, Uncategorized | Tagged Creativity, Iceland, landscape photography, waterfalls

Recent Interview: Patagonia, A Photographer’s Paradise

Cordillera del Paine

I recently conducted an online interview with Dan Moughamian, an author of books, videos, and articles on Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Lightroom, as well as many plugins from Nik Software, onOne Software. He also runs the popular and informative Colortrails website, a great source for photography news, tutorials, photographer interviews, and inspired art.

We discussed a little about my history with Patagonia, what makes it so special, my recents trips, and even the food.

You can read the full interview here:

http://www.colortrails.com/patagonia-a-photographers-paradise-with-richard-bernabe/

The dates for the 2014 Patagonia workshop have been announced and we have already begun accepting registrations. More info here:

http://www.richardbernabe.com/patagonia_workshop2014.htm

I’m headed out to the Smoky Mountains later this week, then Florida and Namibia, Africa in May. Stay tuned to this blog for updates from these locations!

April 9, 2013 | 2 Comments

Posted in Announcements, General | Tagged Patagonia

Patagonia Adventure IV Comes To An End

Some of our clients having a light party yesterday morning at Torres del Paine, Chile under some impressive mountains. Image © Ian Plant

Ian and I ended our Epic Patagonia Photo Workshop this afternoon and are now resting comfortably in Calafate, Argentina. I am flying home tomorrow morning and images will be forthcoming. We experienced some of the best light we’ve ever seen down here during the past ten days. But then again, Patagonian light is always amazing. To keep up with some of the recent images from this trip, be sure to subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss a thing.

Patagonia 2014 is scheduled for March 10-19, 2014 and we have taken registrations already. Let me know if you have any questions about next year’s event.

March 27, 2013 | 6 Comments

Posted in Announcements | Tagged Chile, landscape photography, Nature Photography, Patagonia, workshops

New Earth and Light E-store

The new Earth and Light E=store has officially been launched, although it is, and will be, a work-in-progress for quite a while. There are lots of things happening behind the scenes with new videos, phone and tablet apps, tutorials, plus 2 or 3 new eBook additions every month. Things will be changing quickly over the next few months so bookmark the site and check back often.