What a wonderful spring and summer it has been! I had a chance to see quite a few “old friends” at repeat workshops in Texas, Delaware, Virginia, Washington D.C., Kentucky, Chicago, and Pennsylvania. In addition, I met many amazing new participants at these same workshops as well as at new venues such as the Maine Media Workshops and the Clark Institute of Art in Williamstown, MA.

In addition, I’ve been contributing a series of illustrated articles, written with help from my wife Anne Millman, for the Adorama website. (Adorama is a major photographic supply store and online resource; I’ve taught quite a few workshops through their Workshops@Adorama.) I think you’ll enjoy taking a look at them so click on the titles:

5 FALL FOLIAGE PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

SHOOT BETTER ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAITS

GEARING UP FOR CLASSY CLOSE-UPS

CLOSE-UPS: GETTING A SHARPER IMAGE

AFTER-CAPTURE TECHNIQUES FOR CLOSE-UPS

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS: TO POSE OR NOT TO POSE PEOPLE, PART 1

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS: TO POSE OR NOT TO POSE PEOPLE, PART 2

TAKING PICTURES THROUGH GLASS

Now I am gearing up for a colorful autumn. On the calendar are return visits to the United States Botanic Garden in Washington D.C. and the Bernheim Arboretum in Louisville, KY. Plus, for the first time, I’ll be offering a weekend workshop at the Vero Beach Museum of Art in Florida.

But the most exciting news is that I am launching a new series of longer workshops at nature locations around the country, offered under the banner of Allen Rokach’s Center for Nature Photography. The first one will be “Fall Color on Coastal Maine,” at the stunning Acadia National Park from October 25-30. I’ve led many workshops there and this is the perfect time of year to be there. The colors are gorgeous and photograph magnificently in the soft, misty light. And the rugged coastline, gem-like lakes and pristine islands we will visit are a nature photographer’s dream. See the details below. (Also on the drawing board are week-long workshops in California’s Death Valley National Park in late February and at Great Smokies National Park next fall. Stay tuned for more on those.)

Another new initiative is foreign trips built around my photo workshops. The first one, sponsored by the Rocky Mountain School of Photography, is “Storybook Holland: Focus on Flowers” from April 21-30, 2012. Although this workshop is scheduled for next spring, I want you to know about it now since it takes place during Floriade 2012, an international horticultural expo held in the Netherlands only once every 10 years. If you want to see and photograph this eye-popping floral exhibition, as well as Holland’s magnificent gardens and delightful countryside, be sure to save the date and register early by clicking here. You don’t want to wait ten years for your next opportunity!

Please see the listings below for details and tell your friends. Whether you are a returning student or a new participant, I hope to see you at one or more of these workshops to learn, have fun together and renew or build our connections.

All the best,

Allen Rokach

Click on each title for a fuller description of each lecture and workshop:

 

• October 14: Lecture and Audio-Visual Presentation on 35 Ways to Photograph a Flower at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington D.C.
• October 15 & 16: Focus on Flowers: Discover the Beauty in Flowers and Gardens, a digital fall weekend workshop at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington D.C.
• October 21: Lecture and Audio-Visual Presentation on The Power of Natural Light in Louisville, KY.
• October 22 & 23: Bernheim Ablaze, a digital fall weekend workshop at the Bernheim Arboretum, Louisville, KY.
• October 25-30: Fall Color on Coastal Maine, a week-long intensive digital photography workshop in Acadia National Park.
• November 19 & 20: Focus on Nature, a weekend digital workshop at the Vero Beach Museum of Art.

SAVE THE DATE!

     April 21-30: Storybook Holland: Focus on Flowers, sponsored by the Rocky Mountain School of Photography. This foreign travel digital photography workshop will focus on the amazing Floriade floral extravaganza and other prime floral locations at the peak of the Dutch bulb bloom.

For further information and to register, click here.

I’ll be offering this public lecture and audio-visual presentation at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington D.C. It will demonstrate how digital imaging has revolutionized photography and liberated photographers to limitless possibilities. This lecture is geared for both the budding and seasoned photographer. It will serve as an introduction to my weekend workshop and if free for workshop participants.

For further information and to register, click here.

The huge conservatory at the United States Botanic Garden is an ideal environment for photographing a wide variety of flowers. We’ll have access to the conservatory early in the morning before it opens to the public so we can focus on mastering macro-photography techniques with your digital camera. This intensive two-day workshop is designed for all photographers who want to improve their images of floral close-ups and groupings. The workshop will also include training in after-capture photo editing techniques so bring your laptop.

For further information and to register, click here.

This free lecture and audio-visual presentation will explore how every kind of natural light can be used to enhance photographs of nature, landscapes, gardens and flowers. It will be given in Louisville, KY in conjunction with the weekend workshop at the Bernheim Arboretum, (see below).

For further information and to register, click here.

Timed for peak of fall color at the Bernheim Arboretum, Kentucky’s most beautiful landscape near Louisville. Through lectures, field sessions, review critiques and individual consultations, this intensive two-day workshop will guide you toward the mastery of all aspects of nature photography including the best use of natural light, capturing motion and reflections, achieving brilliant color, composing with purpose and exploring after-capture techniques to help you realize your aesthetic vision.

For further information and to register, click here.

Maine’s Acadia National Park is New England’s wilderness wonderland – a sometimes subtle, sometimes dramatic landscape of rocky coast, churning tides, wind-swept trees and soaring cliffs softened by ocean mists, mirror lakes and fascinating tidal pools.

This unique field workshop takes you to Acadia’s top nature settings during the peak of fall foliage, adding spectacular color to this majestic landscape. Outings include a boat excursion to nearby Baker Island, renowned as a uniquely pristine natural environment.

We’ll explore Acadia National Park through lectures, two daily field trips, review sessions, and individual consultations.  You’ll receive in-depth instruction on all aspects of nature photography:

• photographing in all kinds of weather and light;
• composing with clarity and purpose
• shooting water images, from reflections to crashing waves;
• integrating land, sea and sky;
• creating dramatic close-ups;
• individual problem-solving;
• learning how to get most out of your equipment for photographing nature PLUS
• special attention to the creative potential of digital equipment during and after capture.

 

Workshop limit: 15 participants

 

For further information and to register, click here. To view images of Acadia National Park click here.

In this two-day digital photography workshop, we’ll explore the fascinating and diverse natural environments in and around Vero Beach, FL: beaches and other coastal areas, meadows, wetlands, woodlands, and ponds. Through lectures, field trips, review sessions, and individual consultations, you will receive in-depth, individualized instructions on all aspects of nature photography: landscapes, flowers, trees, birds and anything else that comes our way. The emphasis will be on developing an aesthetic vision and learning the techniques to make that vision a reality. That includes guidance on the limitless possibilities of digital photography: everything from making the best use of light and creating exciting compositions to achieving appropriate exposure and using after-capture techniques to enhance your images.

For further information and to register, click here.

Winter is drawing to an end and that means a busy and exciting spring full of lectures and workshops around the country.

Actually, this was not a winter of hibernation for me. I gave my lecture/audio presentation on The Joy of Photographing Flowers at two Florida venues: in January at Harmon Photo in Orlando and in February at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. Both had a full house and lots of enthusiasm. I also ran two Florida workshops: Camelias Galore! At Leu Gardens in Orlando and Discovering the Beauty of Floral Photography at Bok Tower Gardens in conjunction with my exhibit there. It was great to meet many new photographers and also reconnect with old friends who came to study there with me.

In between, Anne and I took a wonderful and very photogenic trip through Southeast Asia visiting Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. I’ll be posting my photos of those locations in my “New Shoots” soon.

For now, let me tell you about some of the great opportunities to improve your flower and garden photography in the months ahead. In addition to focusing on the particular strengths at each location – orchids, wildflowers, roses, flowers in the landscape – I am emphasizing how to make the most of your digital equipment. Since each camera is different, it’s vital to learn the menus and settings that will give you the results you want. In addition, we take time to look at the potential of after-capture computer techniques that will enhance your images.

I’ll be returning to some favorite locations – the New York Botanical Garden, Winterthur, the United States Botanical Garden, the Chicago Botanical Garden, Chanticleer and the wildflower capital of central Texas.

I’m also offering workshops at some new destinations and I hope these will give you a different experience. I’m especially proud of being listed with the prestigious Maine Media Workshops, where you’ll have a chance for a more extensive week-long learning opportunity. In addition, I’ll be doing my first workshops the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA, known for its orchids; the Norfolk Botanical Garden with its fabulous roses; my first spring workshop at the Bernheim Arboretum in Louisville, KY; and the Clark Institute of Art in Williamstown, MA.

Please see the listings below for details and tell your friends. I hope to see you at one or more of these workshops to learn and have fun together.

All the best, Allen

Upcoming Workshops

• May 14-15: Photographing Spring at Winterthur a digital photography weekend workshop at Winterthur, Wilmington, DE
• May 20: Lecture and Audio-Visual Presentation on Thirty Ways to Look at a Flower at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, Norfolk, VA
• May 21-22: Capturing the Rose: An Advanced Macro Photography Workshop at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, Norfolk, VA
• May 28-29: Focus on Flowers, a spring weekend workshop at the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, Louisville, KY
• June 5:Capturing the Beauty of Roses, a one-day workshop at The New York Botanical Garden, for Workshops@Adorama with a review session on Monday, June 6, 2011 5:30 — 7:30 p.m. Check back for the link.
• June 12-18: Focus on Flowers, a week-long intensive workshop on close-up flower photography at the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, Maine
• July 15-17: Lecture and summer weekend workshop at the Chicago Botanical Garden
• NEW July 22: Lecture and Audio-Visual Presentation on Focus on Flowers: Discovering the Beauty of Flowers and Gardens at Chanticleer: A Pleasure Garden, near Philadelphia, PA
• NEW July 23-24: A Summer Photography Weekend Workshop at Chanticleer: A Pleasure Garden, a weekend digital photography workshop near Philadelphia, PA
• July 29: The Power of Natural Light, a free evening lecture and audio-visual presentation at the Clark Institute of Art in Williamstown, MA
• July 30-31: Focus on Nature: A Summer Photography Workshop, a weekend workshop at the Clark Institute of Art in Williamstown, MA
• October 14-16: Lecture and fall weekend workshop at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington D.C.
• October 21-23: Lecture and fall weekend workshop at the Bernheim Arboretum, Louisville, KY
• October 28-30: Lecture and fall weekend workshop at the Chicago Botanical Garden

I’ll be returning to the Winterthur Garden and Estate in Wilmington, Delaware to offer a digital photography workshop at the peak of one of the most spectacular spring blooms in the east coast. We’ll find a heavenly mix of woodland azaleas and rhododendrons plus peonies, irises and possibly roses at this time. All that plus the wonderful fresh greens of Winterthur’s stately trees, lush ferns and an aquatic garden. Our focus will be on capturing the spring bloom making the most of our digital cameras. There will be time for instruction on the finer points of digital photography, including after-capture techniques, and to review your images and suggest ways to improve them. More information is available at Winterthur’s website.

I’ll be offering this lecture and audio-visual presentation at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, Norfolk, VA. It will demonstrate how digital imaging has revolutionized photography and liberated photographers to limitless possibilities. It will be open to the public and also serve as an introduction to my weekend workshop. For details and to register, go to http://www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/programs-events/calendar/events/518

This advanced in-depth digital workshop on photographing roses will cover every aspect of close-up techniques using the Norfolk’s spectacular Bicentennial Rose Garden. Through demonstrations, one-on-one instruction and daily critiques, this workshop will provide instruction in using macro equipment & electronic flash units and will explore creative approaches to sharpness, composition and light. For details and to register, go to http://www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/programs-events/calendar/events/519

Timed to take advantage of the Bernheim’s beautiful spring bloom, this workshop puts you in Kentucky’s most beautiful spring landscape. In this two-day intensive workshop targeting advanced beginner to serious photographers you will learn techniques to capture the essence of floral macro-photography with your digital camera. The workshop will also include training in “after capture” photo editing techniques. For more information and to register, go to http://www.bernheim.org/photoWorkshop.html

Photographing close-ups of flowers is both fascinating and endlessly challenging. In this week-long workshop for intermediate and advanced students using digital cameras, I’ll help you discover and capture the amazing and beautiful miniature world found through floral macro photography through a series of classroom presentations, critiques, discussions and on-location outings to fields and meadows along the Maine coast. For details and to register, go to http://www.mainemedia.edu/workshops/photography/focus-flowers

This is a lecture and audio-visual presentation that opens the weekend workshop I will be giving at Chanticleer: A Pleasure Garden, near Philadelphia, PA. For more information and to register, go to http://www.chanticleergarden.org/workshops.html.

Summer is the perfect time to explore Chanticleer: A Pleasure Garden, renowned for its variety of flower beds, water gardens, woodlands and other world-class settings. This workshop takes place at the peak of the summer bloom and gives us outstanding opportunities to enhance our photographic skills. Through lectures, field sessions and review sessions, you will receive in-depth instruction on making the best use of natural light throughout the day; mastering floral close-ups; portraying flowers in their garden setting, including the lotus water gardens; and understanding the technical potential of digital cameras and after-capture techniques for achieving creative outcomes. For more information and to register, go to http://www.chanticleergarden.org/workshops.html.

In this lecture and audio-visual presentation will explore how every kind of natural light can be used to enhance photographs of nature, landscapes, gardens and flowers. For details and to register, go to http://www.clarkart.edu/visit/event-detail.cfm?ID=15530&CID=29