Chincoteague Workshop Report

Last week I lead 4 day workshop at Chincoteague Island. We had had great weather after an overcast evening shoot the first day. Even though it was overcast the group enjoyed getting within touching distance of the Chincoteague ponies. A couple of quick passing showers later we decided to go for a group dinner. After that every field trip we made over the next 3 days was filled with good opportunities. 

Great Egret Landing

This was one of those opportunities. Generally Great Egrets use a stealthy approach to get to their prey. However, this egret really performed for us. It pranced and jumped around for almost 45 minutes. I made sure everyone photographed it for a little while. Some moved to photograph other birds. That's when I pulled out my camera for about 5 minutes and let off a few bursts to capture the action. I was quite pleased to get this image from a 5 minute shoot. Several of the participants came away with gorgeous photos that I saw in the feedback sessions.

Apple, Lion and I

Autumn Tree Tops, Shenandoah National Park, VA. 

Last November I was contacted by a photo producer from Apple. They were interested in 6 of my images for possible use as a desktop and/or screensaver for their new OS called Lion. My first thought was that this could be another internet scam that would somehow involve me giving some money. Then I read the email again. It seemed genuine. It so happened that one of my clients husband works for Apple and he was able to confirm that the person contacting me was actually an employee. Now I was excited! While I have licensed images before, this was a high profile client. I provided JPG's of all the images they had requested to see. A couple of months later I heard back. They were interested in seeing large version of one of my images. So I provided another JPG. A couple of months later they wanted to see the largest size JPG. Seems like they were really interested in this image. I provided the full size JPG. And a couple of weeks ago they contacted me to purchase the image for a desktop and/or screensaver option. The paperwork was done last week and the sale is complete.

When you upgrade to Lion this fall or buy a new mac once the new OS is released, look for my image (the one above) and make it your background :)

Upcoming Workshops and classes:

April 23 - Spring Flowers Workshop (VA)
April 28-May 1 - Chincoteague Island Workshop (VA)
July 16 - Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Field Session (Washington D.C.)

July 30 - Digital Nature Photography One-day Workshop (Chincoteague Island, VA)
September 24 - Digital Nature Photography One-day Workshop (Chincoteague Island, VA)
October 6-9 - West Virginia Fall Workshop (Davis, WV)
October 22-23 - Autumn at Great Falls Workshop (VA/MD)
November 18-20 - Chincoteague Island Workshop (VA)

View full 2011 workshop schedule...

Lower Antelope Canyon

One of the hardest things to do in photography is to come away with an unusual photograph from locations that have been photographed to death. While the unusual photograph may be hard to find, with a little effort and creativity you can try and come away with something that is (at least) different.

Lower Antelope Canyon in Arizona is a classic example. We see so many images from there. The one thing I have found people consistently do, is oversaturate their images from this location. Don't get me wrong, that may be their interpretation and that is the way they choose to present their artwork. I respect that. The point I am making is this gives the wrong impression to people who have not visited the location. The colors are pretty amazing and depending on the angle of the sun and how bright it is, the reflected light in the canyon can be unbelievable.

Cormorants in the fog

Last week I was in Florida doing some bird photography. I made over 6,000 photographs of various species of birds and a few landscapes. Don't be taken aback by the number. When photographing wildlife it is quite common to come away with a large number of photographs. Between anticipating the action and shooting in burst mode the number climbs rather quickly.

When presented with a foggy morning I have a tendency to go into landscape mode. This is generally a good idea as birds don't let you get too close. Thus, may not be visible through the fog. But not it Florida! This is because the birds are more habituated to humans and allow us to approach a lot closer.

Creative Interpretations - The new e-book is here!

I am thrilled to announce the release of my first instructional e-book called "Creative Interpretations". The e-book can be purchased via my website at - http://www.nikhilbahl.com/photography_ebooks.html. It's only $10! If you do purchase it, I would love to receive any feedback you may have.

Here is the description of the e-book:
Photography is all about interpretation. From focal length to aperture and shutter speed, to composition and post-processing, a photographer makes many decisions that interpret the subject. The subject can be presented in an atypical manner that may challenge our perceptions or by delving into the abstract, the viewer can be left guessing as to what the subject really is. In this e-book, Nikhil takes you into the realm of conceptualizing and interpreting the scene that is to be captured by the creative photographer. Using his photographs and experiences as examples, Nikhil shares many ideas and offers plenty of insights on how you can reach a new level of creativity with your photography.

Chincoteague Workshop Report

The last workshop of the year was probably the best in terms of the light we had. All 3 days were a treat!

I have mentioned that Chincoteague remains one of my favorite locations to photograph. It's very challenging to switch from photographing the wildlife to a landscape and then a detail shot. Not to mention the ocean which is a lot of fun to photograph. You really need to know your camera gear to maximize the opportunities.

I made the next three photos the morning before the workshop started.

Mid-Atlantic Photography Expo this weekend

I will be sharing a table/booth with my friend and fellow photography Bill Folsom at the Mid-Atlantic Photography Expo (Nature Visions) this weekend. If you will be at the expo please stop by and say hello.

More info on the expo can be found at http://www.midatlanticnaturephotographyexpo.org.

We had some nice conditions last weekend. Leading a field session I made sure the participants were taking advantage of the situation. I managed to take 15 exposures in 3 hours. This photo is not bad considering that :)

Misty Potomac, Great Falls Park, Virginia