Hocking Hills Workshops Announced for August and October

I'm happy to announce that I will be presenting two weekend workshops at The Inn at Cedar Falls in Hocking Hills, Ohio; one for August 16-18 and the other for October 25-27, 2013. The August workshop will be directed toward intermediate level photographers and emphasize natural light portraiture, garden macro photography and advanced digital editing/workflow.

The October program will be more for beginning level photographers who are new to DSLR photography. Field instruction will be emphasized on composing and exposing for the fall landscape in Hocking Hills State Park as well as basic digital edit and file management workflow.

These workshops are a blast to present. I keep my students on the move and busy but everyone has a lot of fun.

For more information on pricing and how to register, please see http://jimcrotty.zenfolio.com/photography-workshops

Home to the Hills | Spring Renewed

I wanted to share some of the incredible experiences I had upon returning to the Hocking Hills of Ohio, from April 17 - 23. I love returning to this region because it is where my love for nature photography first got started, many years ago. It's also where I teach best because I am so familiar with the landscape and subject matter. For me Hocking has become more of an old, best friend versus just another location to visit and photograph. The added plus last week was the opportunity to once again serve on the judging panel for Shoot the Hills and have the opportunity to speak and present my work to the public in attendance at the weekend event. 

This was the 10th year for Shoot the Hills. It's growing in popularity every year, drawing photographers from all over Ohio and the surrounding states. Funds raised go to support educational and preservation efforts within Hocking Hills State Park through Friends of Hocking Hills. Friends and fellow Photographers Barb and Jerry Jividen play a big role in both Friends of Hocking Hills and Shoot the Hills along with a dedicated group of hardworking volunteers, many of whom are also long time friends. The biggest project spearheaded by Friends of Hocking Hills was in working with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in rerouting the section of State Highway 664 to the far side of the parking area for Old Man's Cave. This was a HUGE improvement and highly beneficial, not only in terms of pedestrian safety but in eliminating the road noise issue down in the gorge and the run-off/deterioration from the almost constant traffic. 

This year's entries during Shoot the Hills were just as impressive as those of years past. The winning images have been posted on the Friends of Hocking Hills Facebook page for Shoot the Hills. It was also a blast to be included in the list of guest speakers on Sunday morning. I've uploaded the PDF version of my slide show presentation - "Photography as Personal Journey" - for online viewing. The images I showed and talked about were mostly captured during the last two years with landscape imagery of coastal South Carolina and Hilton Head Island well represented. It was interesting to note the number of email messages I received following my presentation from Ohioans planning summer trips to Hilton Head and wanting tips on where to photograph nature and landscape subjects on and near the Island. I partially joke that I should be on some sort of commission/recognition program with the Hilton Head Chamber of Commerce based on how often I answer such emails and how my images of Hilton Head are encouraging visitors to look beyond golf and restaurants as a reason to visit and vacation. I am happy to play some small roll in perhaps preserving the natural beauty of the area and to help others see that is well worth protecting. 

The other very rewarding experience of my recent trip back to Hocking Hills was in presenting another fun-filled workshop on nature photography, based at my home in Hocking, The Inn at Cedar Falls. I hosted a great group of energetic and talented photographers, many of whom were new to Hocking Hills. We had the opportunity to explore perfect spring conditions with wildflowers and waterfalls. This time around it was just a one-day workshop but still a ton of material and time teaching in the field resulted in more than a full day of nature photography. I am happy to announce that I have already reserved the meeting space at The Inn for two weekend workshops, one in August and the other in October. The dates are August 16 - 18 and October 25 - 27, at The Inn in Hocking Hills. I'm also working on arranging for a one-day workshop in Dayton - most likely Cox Arboretum - prior to the August program in Hocking Hills. Please email me if you would like to be added to my early reservation list. The cost of the weekend programs is $325 per person which includes guided instruction in the field and on the trails, classroom instruction on my favorite techniques for digital editing workflow, most meals and a complete workshop handbook. I anticipate both weekend programs in Hocking Hills to fill-up fast. Usually about half of my attendees are repeat workshop participants (and great friends too!). 

Following my recent April workshop and Shoot the Hills last week I made time for a full day on my own out on the trails, capturing and composing the landscape that I've come to know so well. I do this because I make a point not to shoot on my own when teaching workshops. When I teach, I teach. When I shoot on my own, I shoot on my own. Just to have one day alone on the trails does amazing things in revitalizing my spirit and energizing my creative soul. It's what I love to do best and I am always, always thankful for the opportunity. Below are just a few of the images I captured during my spring visit back "home" in Hocking Hills, Ohio. Enjoy! 

           

Retro Texas Style | Johnson City

The smaller towns in the rural areas of Texas are definitely not lacking in character, history and personality. They're kind of the antithesis of the urban sprawl taking place outside the larger metro areas such as DFW, Houston and San Antonio. Most seem lost in time with storefronts and town squares straight-out of a 1950's black and white sitcom.

In the Texas Hill Country these little towns veer over toward the eclectic, in large part due to the more artistic influence of nearby Austin. They are fun to explore and photograph. The following is some of the retro architecture discovered in Johnson City, Texas.

Broken and Weathered | Character Remains

It's interesting how visual artists gravitate toward certain subjects and how that attraction and subject matter can change over the years. This is why original work is more than just pictures on a wall or a computer screen. Once you follow a photographer or painter for a while their works become more of a dynamic connection between artist, viewer and story. You begin to see much more than what meets the eye. That's also why I've always thought it to be a bit off-putting to group all artists as unsocial introverts. Those who have an honest commitment to their work are actually quite the opposite. They're constantly reaching out to connect.

Nature subjects and landscapes represent the foundation from which I've built my love of photography. I always return to that foundation even while pursuing other subjects such as commercial assignments, product, portraits, etc.

However, over the last three years or so there's been a certain subject area that is more and more represented in my stock library of images -  man-made subjects found in rural locations that are weathered and worn, particularly abandoned homes, signs, cars and other items often overlooked as eye sores and "junk." With each of these finds are multifaceted stories - stories of a life or a family; of personal history that seeps into the very ground the dramas played out upon. The echoes in shadows and dimming light at sunset that retain witness to the trials and tales of generations.

There's a certain beauty to all that rust and peeling paint. Objects exposed to years and seasons, the elements revealing an aged "essence." Character evident in the bare brokenness.

Recently I came upon a wealth of these subjects during a road trip from Dallas to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Southwest Oklahoma, near Vernon, Texas and in Snyder, Oklahoma. I had traveled up that way to photograph wildlife and landscapes in the Refuge, which I was able to accomplish. However (as is often the case) it was what I didn't have in mind that became the primary focus of my trip.

Mostly flat and rural, the landscape in that area is subject to dramatic shifts in the weather and almost constant wind. There's a subtle feeling of being almost lost in time - of being left behind - to the old farms and homesteads, of people who stopped for a while and then passed on to other more populous places further west. It's as if the 1930's made an indelible impression up and down every rural route that crisscrosses this section of Oklahoma.

Old, weathered cars and buildings are often used as props and backdrops for outdoor portraits, especially high school seniors. It's the contrast of youth with the aged objects that makes so many of these portraits work so well.

Why these subjects hold more appeal for me today than perhaps say 20 or even 10 years ago isn't due so much to me feeling old. I like to think it has more to do with going through certain experiences in life, maybe being slightly broken and exposed to the elements. A peeling away to an essence, a truth that's more lasting. Maybe not as fast and shiny but a wisdom of character that prevails.

It was just last night that I had a conversation with a good friend from high school. We talked about brokenness and the building of character and courage. It's one of those universal laws that applies to nature, life and faith. He mentioned how it also applies to sports teams too, particularly how the big name college football teams that go undefeated for more than a season or two eventually are much more likely to fold and collapse once they face serious opposition. They go too long without being humbled.

You've got to put yourself out there to be broken, weathered and worn. Maybe to be initially pushed aside and overlooked. But with patience and hope something so much more begins to shine through. That's what I look for. That's what catches my eye.