| A different fall foliage season
People visiting Vermont this year for fall foliage were not able to go to two of the most popular farms near my home. It is sad but as usual a few jerks ruined a great thing for everyone. Unfortunately it was more than a few. Many of them weren’t serious photographers, at least at one location where Instagramers crowded a narrow dirt road, blocking cars from driving the road. They park everywhere, parking on grass and one bus even moved traffic cones from a neighbor’s driveway so he could park the bus. I was there last year when there had to be 200 people jammed on the road and it was too much. The town closed the road and it made national news.
The other location hasn’t been discovered by the Instagram crowd but has been a popular place for photographers since the 1960’s. Forrest Gump ran past the farm, the Budweiser Clydesdales did a commercial there and it was the opening scene for the Chevy Chase movie Funny Farm. But again, too many idiots disrespected the property and residents. They would make tons of noise near the house before sunrise, buzz the house with drones and jump fences and leave trash in fields where livestock roam.
Residents were pretty happy that the roads to the farms were closed during prime foliage season so it looks like it will happen again next year. Fortunately I know enough other farms in the area where I can take my workshops and there are no crowds and we have permission to be on the property. We even got to photograph a beaver swimming through some nice color.
When you are out making photos, please don’t be one of the jerks.
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| | My new book is out
I’ve been working for a while on creating a Vermont book and I finally finished Vermont Barns & Covered Bridges. It is a 122 page 8x8” softcover book filled with some of my favorite Vermont photos. It has over 130 photos and I segmented it into two parts, shockingly one part is barns and the other is covered bridges. Since all of the barns are privately owned, I decided not to publicize their locations, see rant above. You can get a digital preview of the book on my website at https://lorenphotos.com/gallery/barns-bridges-book/ |
| | | Northern Lights and ice cave in Iceland |
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I still have openings for my annual February workshop in Iceland to see the Northern Lights and venture into an ice cave. I can tell you they are two of the most exciting natural things on earth to photograph. Standing under the open Icelandic night sky and seeing light dancing past the stars should be seen by everyone. And walking inside a glacier and photographing the caves that are made by summer rivers is one of the most unique things you can do. The light coming through the ice is a magical blue and the photos are incredible. Many people think it is too cold in February to be traipsing around Iceland but since we stay on the southern coast where the Gulf Stream flows the temperature is usually in the 30’s during the day and mid 20’s at night. Of course we’ll also photograph massive waterfalls, great landscapes and all that is Iceland. This may be my last winter Icelandic adventure, so don’t wait any longer. Click here to get more info
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A Namibian trip to remember I made a spectacular trip to Namibia in Sept. to host a workshop. It is a special place and one that frequently gets overlooked in Africa. It is just north of South Africa and only got their independence from that country in 1990. The country has all of the big animals: lions, elephants, giraffes, zebra, cheetah, leopard, etc., and we photographed them all. But more than the animals it has amazing landscapes. The whole country is pretty much a desert and they have some of the largest sand dunes in the world. In one part when the early morning or late day sun hits the sand it turns orange. I had been researching and wanting to photograph Namibia for years and especially one place, Deadvlei, which was a lake but dried up 800 years ago. Trees that were growing then are still there, dead but they don’t rot due to the lack of moisture. It is about a mile hike over sand dunes to get to it and the day we went there was a nasty sandstorm that only happens about twice a year. I was still wearing a large, clumsy walking boot due to my broken ankle this summer. I knew it wouldn’t be a fun hike but I was determined to do it. I put on an extra ankle brace and popped extra Alleve and was ready. I had our local guide and photographer take the rest of the group and I ventured out. The wind was blowing pretty hard at the start but was soon blocked by the dunes. I got to the location about 30 minutes after the others, my tripod was my cane. It was worth the journey, there is no other place that looks like it. You can see more photos on my website journal - https://lorenphotos.com/gallery/namibia-2/ |
| | | Be sure to join me in Florida in March
After getting back from Iceland in February I’m next heading to Florida in March to photograph springtime and especially birds as they flaunt their breeding plumage. It is a sight to see as birds change colors, gain extra feathers and act crazy to get a mate. We’ll also see birds on the nest and young hatchlings. I know some great places where we’ll get very close to the nests without disturbing the birds. We’re starting on the east coast, near my Florida getaway home, and then moving west to the gulf coast and more exciting locations. It will be a fun trip and will feel good to defrost. I’m actually in Florida now and have new posts on my journal at https://lorenphotos.com/gallery/journal/ I hope you can join me in March, you can get more info at https://lorenphotos.com/product/florida-spring-workshop/ |
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Catching sunrise in Acadia The perfect location for a photography workshop is Acadia National Park in Maine. Acadia is a special place, the unique rocky shore, Cadillac Mountain, pristine ponds, old buggy trails and beauty everywhere you look. It is a favorite place for photographers and tourists, so we’ll go before the summer crowds arrive. We'll be based in Bar Harbor and making daily journeys into the park including lighting up Bass Harbor lighthouse. Join me June 3-7. Click here for more info |
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| | Get updated on Loren's newest workshops and seminars You can now get a notice when Loren adds a new workshop, seminar or tour to his website. Click here and go down to Workshop Notifications
Visit my gallery When you are in Vermont visit Focus Gallery at 1 The Green, Woodstock, VT.
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