Celebrating 2013, Part 1

I promised larger images from our Happy New Year blog. Much of the website has been updated (but there is always more), so, let’s start with the first four pairs from our 2013 workshops. Don’t forget to click the link to read more after the second pair of images …

Arnie and I do not get to shoot a lot during our workshops. That is why we go two or three days ahead, not only to scout and make sure locations have not suffered some disaster since last year, but to have our own, quiet time to photograph.

We did our first weekend workshop right in our back yard, Durham, North Carolina, that abuts our town to the east. The workshop was called Through This Lens, in honor of our base at a great photo gallery and probably the only one between DC and Atlanta. There is a lot of wonderful rehab going on in Durham, so there is a rich combination of old, new, and amazing textures.

Arnie was drawn to the combination of reflections and reality on the side of a building and created this rich, visual palette.

I found textures and patterns in a snaggle of what looked like a bygone type of bed springs in an old building awaiting rehab..

We brought our first two groups to Cuba, Her People & Culture, and Arnie and I found it the most incredible place to photograph. What we read about Cuba does not hold a candle to the real deal. As Arnie says, “Whatever you read about Cuba is both true and false.” You really have to go there to understand this large, island nation. We were welcomed by all and through our contacts, had access to some fascinating locations.

I met this gentleman who sat on his throne with a dignity that belied the hard times he had experienced. He was a welcoming host and a wonderful subject.

As a car lover (me, too), Arnie did not want to do the standard, ho-hum images of 50s automobiles; he wanted to put them in context as a daily part of Cuban life.

Charleston, a Southern Belle is always a popular workshop, and this was no exception. with its old-world, gracious charm, plantations, and cityscapes, our groups always find much to photograph.

Our workshops are long, fun, and intensive, and one evening, one of the group said to the others, “Well, the light’s gone; let’s go get warm and eat.” Meanwhile, one of our participants

Happy New Year 2014

This year, I actually gathered our favorite images, both Arnie’s and mine, before the end of the “old” 2013 for our yearly patchwork mosaic. We will follow up with a few blogs describing some of these images and what our inspiration was for them.

Meanwhile, we wish you a very …

Some you may have seen some of these from assorted travel blogs. Some will be new to you. And as noted above, they will all appear in the next few blogs.

We look forward to seeing you in 2014! Check out our calendar.

For more information on our workshops, go to Barefoot Contessa Photo Adventures.

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Blue Skies, Who Needs’em Reprise 02

An Update to a 2010 Blog

Where has the time gone. I thought is was just last week that I posted Part 1.

We have been spending some time in NH in the town my ancestors started in the 1700s. There has been great weather for most of the time, along with some terrific clouds, but for photography, as I wrote in the last installment of this blog, I prefer inclement weather.

When we were in Cuba last February and March, we saw some pretty dramatic skies. This image was made along the Malecòn in Havana, where the winds come off the Straights of Florida and dash the waves against the sea wall, sometimes so much, that the road is closed. I got drenched getting this shot, but it was worth it! Blue Skies, Who Needs’em!

We spend a lot of time on the Outer Banks. It is in our back yard. The light is ever changing, and the skies run the gamut. I love the contrast between a dark, stormy sky and the light sand of the dunes. Every time we go, the shapes are different, as are the clouds and colors.

The light in Tuscany is marvelous. In the late afternoon, with rain clouds coming in, the combination is stunning. This light lasted a mere few minutes, if