It’s been a busy, challenging and fun summer.

My summer weekend workshops at Winterthur, Chanticleer and the Chicago Botanical Garden all sold out and got rave reviews; now return visits are on the drawing board. My recent illustrated lectures at The New York Botanical/Zoological Photographic Society and The Westchester Photographic Society attracted large crowds and I’ve been asked to come back in the spring.

Now I am gearing up for a series of new learning opportunities for you this fall. Here’s what will be happening in the weeks ahead:

Kiku

I will be at the New York Botanical Garden on October 3, doing a one-day workshop
on “The Power of Natural Light;” and again on October 24-25 for a weekend workshop
on “Photographing Fabulous Fall Flowers.” The first will help you analyze and utilize any lighting situation you may encounter and the second will focus on the amazing annual Kiku Exhibition of Japanese chrysanthemums, as well as the lush floral borders around the grounds. For details and to register, go to http://conted.nybg.org/conted.php?cat_id=10048&level_id=ALL, then scroll down to find these listings.

Kiku

On October 9-11, I will be at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington D.C. to offer a “Flower & Sculpture Photography” workshop.

Flower and Sculpture Photography

We’ll start with a illustrated lecture on Friday evening, which is open to the public. Then we will spend the weekend immersed in exploring basic and advanced floral close-up photography techniques, as well as finding imaginative ways to photograph sculpture in this capital garden setting.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Workshop

During two Saturdays at the peak of autumn color, on October 31 and November 7, I’ll be giving a photo workshop at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden called “Capturing Fall Foliage with a Digital Camera.” This workshop is filling up quickly. For a full description and registration information, go to http://www.bbg.org/edu/adult/, scroll down to Oct. 31 and click on the + on the left.

Fabulous Fall Flowers

On November 1, I will offer a one-day workshop, “Fall Foliage at the New York Botanical Garden,” for Workshops@Adorama, the huge camera and electronics supply store on 18th St. in Manhattan. The workshop includes a review session on November 8. For details and to register, go to http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?op=WS_AllenRokach_110109.

My fall plans will be capped with lectures/workshops I will give on three very exciting Travel Dynamics International cruises. The first two are parts of “From the Shores of Morocco to Patagonia: A Grand Voyage to West Africa, the Cape Verde Islands, and South America,” starting Nov. 10. My focus in these lectures will be on nature and travel photography because we will be seeing some of the world’s most spectacular landscapes—from huge sand dunes to frozen glaciers—plus lots of exotic birds, and many historic destinations and distinctive peoples.

The Power of Natural Light

The first leg of this voyage, which goes until Rio de Janeiro, is being co-sponsored by the International Center of Photography. In addition to the general lectures, ICP participants will get special on-site photographic instructions plus individual consultations and group critiques. For details and to register, go to the ICP website at http://shopping.icp.org/school/continuing/course.html?category_id=24&product_id=32239.

From the Shores of Morocco to Patagonia

The second leg of the voyage goes from Rio de Janeiro to Patagonia. Then the third cruise, which immediately follows these two, is “Antarctica Discovery” starting Dec. 10.

I hope you will be able to join me at some point on these exciting learning cruises. It was great fun to meet so many avid photographers and offer lectures and photography instruction on my previous cruise with Travel Dynamics International, “Fabled Islands of the Mediterranean: From Barcelona to Athens.” By the end of that cruise, everyone’s photography improved – even those who only had simple point-and-shoot cameras, and at the end of the cruise, all participants received a memory stick with images all of us had taken. Contact me if you have any questions.

Chicago Botanic Garden

Feb. 19-21: Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida. You can view the online catalog at http://www.boktowergardens.org/dl-images/program_web.pdf; scroll down until you find the listing. Registration is by mail only.

March 7-10: Chicago Flower Show. My workshop will focus on digital photography techniques; stay tuned for details.

March 12-13: Chicago Botanical Garden; I will be offering a workshop on macro photography.

April 8-11: Dallas Arboretum will sponsor my workshop on “Photographing Texas Wildflowers” to be held in the Texas countryside.

May 14-16: Winterthur Museum & Country Estate in Delaware.

White Sands

In January, 2010, I am planning to once again offer one of my most popular nature photography workshops in New Mexico. The first few days will focus on photographing birds at Bosque del Apache, one of the premier wintering locations for huge flocks of snow geese, sand cranes and other wild birds. Then we will shoot the uniquely dramatic New Mexico landscape as we move to and spend a few days at White Sands National Monument. The preliminary dates are Jan. 16-24. Please contact me by October 31 if you are interested and want more information.

I mentioned previously that I spent a week in Iceland and fell in love with its majestic landscapes, fascinating geology—that was my first career before I got hooked on photography—and profuse birdlife. I am in the process of planning an Iceland photo workshop next June in collaboration with Focus on Nature, a local organizer of photography workshops in Iceland. I will let you know if the exact dates and details as soon as I have them. Contact me if you are interested.

I am also in the process of planning a photo workshop in Alaska next summer in collaboration with the Anchorage Botanical Garden. This workshop will feature garden and wildflower locations in fabulous mountain settings. Stay tuned and contact me if an Alaska workshop would interest you.

As you know, Senator Edward M. Kennedy died recently. His passing reminded me of a connection I had with him years ago. Back in the late 1970′s, Kennedy was working on a book called “Our Day and Generation,” which compiled his thoughts and speeches on a variety of timely topics. The book was illustrated with photographs taken by many photographers. I had the honor and privilege to be asked to contribute two photographs that were used in the book. In addition, he bought some of my prints for his personal collection. As they say, six degrees of separation.

Looking for a very special gift for someone in your life? Consider these:

• Registration in one of my workshops. Contact me if you need advice on this.
• A custom archival print of one of my images. Most of the images in the Portfolio section are available. Please contact me for more information. Orders received by November 1 will be sent in time for holidays in December.