Last weekend, I spent the day at the Reynolda Gardens of Wake Forest University, along with a number of other photographers. We all just wanted to get out and shoot, and the Reynolda Gardens are an amazing place to explore with the lenses of your camera. The 300 acres property was gifted of to Wake Forest College in the late 1940s for its new home in Winston and is now part of Wake Forest University. There are about four-acre formal garden with a number of large green houses. And honestly, there is no better company than a bunch of fellow photographers. We met at about 8am and stayed until noon, then of course had a quick bite to eat and great conversation full of photo tips and tricks. Flowers are not my favorite subject, but it’s always good to shoot outside of your comfort zone and try new things. I’m currently still trying to find my favorite subject, and exploring will be the only way to discover it.

Reynolda Gardens is located at 100 Reynolda Village, Winston-Salem, NC 27106

Floyd VA; What a place to be on a Friday night!   A good friend and a fellow photographer, Paul Salazr invited me to join him, and do some street photography.  Whenever I get a chance to pick up the camera I almost always say yes. So off we went to Floyd, it’s about an hour and a half from my house. Now what you have to understand is that I am a rock and roll kinda guy growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, and bluegrass I thought that was something you cut with a lawn mower, what the heck I am going for the pictures?  The best I can describe what happens on a Friday night is similar to what you would see if you have been to New Orleans’s Jackson Square, basically a bunch of musicians get together and play. If I saw one person with an instrument I saw fifty. It all starts at The Floyd Country Store; a true country store where you will find a dance floor and a stage where different groups setup.  There’s only a small fee to sit and listen or dance. But I am there to do street photography, not dancing.  This is where it gets interesting… all around the main drag you will find small groups of musicians.  As I watched a group of older gentlemen playing, a young girl asked if she could join them and the response is sure sit right down. She sat down pulled out what I believe to be a mandolin then they asked her what song she wanted to play and what key. She named a song and off they went playing, she started sing along to the music. After about 15 or 20 songs later the girl politely excused herself, packed up her instrument up and moved on. Not twenty feet away a gentlemen was sitting on a bench playing fiddle and just having a great time. As I moved from group to group to get some shots, I found myself enjoying the music so much I was forgetting to take pictures. After about 3 hours I did mange to take a few.

This was my first attempt at shooting humming birds. I have had sugar water feeders out around my home since early spring, the birds are feeding heavily on them now, to get ready for their migration. This shoot was set up using a 70 to 200 mm lens, set to aperture priority the f stop was set to f5 with a –1/3 compensation speed was aporx 1/1000. The first step was to take all of the bird feeders down, so they would naturally be drawn to the only one I had set up. I used a silk flower with a small feeder behind it, both are hanging from fishing line. The whole setup was placed in open shade, were a feeder normally is.  Within in a few minutes, my little guys started showing up for the food, and my photo shoot.  Unfortunately, I was only able to shoot for about 1 hour before it got way too hot (that’s North Carolina weather for ya, in August).  I definitely plan on doing more weekend shoots like this, right in my own backyard.

While on my trip to New York, I took some time to head across the border and visit Niagara Falls, Ontario.  This picture was taken at the Butterfly Conservatory, which is North America’s largest establishment of this kind.  I was pressed for time, and only had about an hour to explore, but I was able to get some great shots.  There were literally thousands of butterflies, anywhere you looked you would see a different kind.
For those of us who live in North Carolina,the Magic Wings Butterfly House is a similar establishment and is located in Durham, North Carolina.  There also is the Butterfly Station and Garden, at the Danville Science Center, in Danville, Virginia.  Both of these places are great, especially because they are less crowed than Canada’s conservatory, but they do not have nearly as many species of butterflies .  So if you’re ever up north, take the opportunity to head over to Canada and check it out.

Niagara Falls, New York.  I took this picture from the Canadian side of the Falls, specifically Niagara Falls, Ontario.  This amazing natural wonder was in my backyard for many years, but it is not until you leave something, that you realize just how amazing it is.

This past week I was in Rosce, New York to help a friend with the workshop, which we put on. We were out scouting on location and came across this beautiful doe and her fawn. The doe stood guard while her fawn moved about three feet away from us and into the woods.  Later that day, we returned and shot a model in the same scenic spot.

All of the Photography groups are very active and eager to help fellow photographers gain knowledge of the craft. I belong to all of them and try attending all meetings.

The Triad Photography Meetup Group

http://www.meetup.com/triadphotographygroup/

The main goal of this group is to become better Photographers. We all Teach and Learn from each other. All areas of photography are included.

The North Carolina Photography Group

http://www.meetup.com/triadstrobist/

Photographers from all levels of experience meet and learn from each other. This group is based in the Triad area, and focus on portraiture and strobist techniques.

Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association

http://www.cnpa.org/index.php

Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association was founded to

promote nature photography in the Carolinas, to help conserve and preserve the diverse natural ecosystems in the Carolinas and to educate others interested in nature and wildlife photography.

Triad Outdoor Photographers

http://www.triadoutdoorphotographers.com/

The Triad Outdoor Photographers provide an environment for both amateur and accomplished photographers in the Piedmont Triad. They gather and share their knowledge and enthusiasm for photography; particularly outdoor photography.

Piedmont Photography Club

http://www.piedmontphotoclub.com/

The Piedmont Photography Club hosts a wide variety of activities. They meet twice a month. One meeting is usually an informative program while the other is a contest.

Bokeh Photography Club

Meets every Wednesday morning at 8:00 in the back room of Tex & Shirley’s in the Friendly Shopping Center in Greensboro NC. Images displayed there, as well as the Tex & Shirley’s in High Point, are from the club members.

Photoshop Quick Tip

Hey Guys! I just posted a new link that explains the new tutorials that I have available on the site.  Take some time, check it out, and let me know what you think!

Tucson Photographers & Models 2009

July 25th & 26th I will be heading up to Roscoe, New York for another one of Bill Lemon’s great photography workshops.  We will have 6 models, and 10 photographers to capture some great images of them.  The photographers will be working in a group atmosphere with the master himself, Bill Lemon, and will also have one on one time with each model, and of course I’ll be there to assist Bill and the photographers with whatever they need, and give a few pointers of my own.  When the workshop comes to a close I will be heading back to my old stomping ground of Western New York to visit my family and friends.  Who knows, maybe I’ll take some pictures of my old backyard natural wonder, Niagara Falls!