Packing up

We're getting ready to go - our flights leaves early tomorrow morning. We'll be in the Canadian Rockies for the next few days. Can't wait!

Ruby Beach

I'm feeling a bit guilty about neglecting my blog this summer. I'm sorry about that. I try to make sure my priorities are in the right place when my children are home from school... and that means that I'm most likely to be found in the pool or the park during the day. I love having my kids home during the summer, but it means that I have very little time for wilderness photography - or updating my website or blog.

I hope you'll all put up with my absences until the end of August, when the kids are back in school. I'll have quite a lot of catching up to do - but I can't complain. This is what life is all about.

I did manage to process a shot a few weeks ago... this one is from our trip to Washington state. Ruby beach is fantastic - and the light was awfully nice that night. :)

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer - wherever you are.

Today in Brief

Showers for grownups, breakfast, beach, lunch, beach, pool, showers for kids, dinner, bed. A bit of sunburn despite enormous amounts of sunscreen. Five miles of hiking between parking lots and beaches. Six very happy and very tired children. We're having a fantastic time - but for some reason, I don't feel like I'm on vacation. :)

We did get some fun pictures - which I'll process when we get home.

Thanks for your very kind words...

We've been getting some really fantastic comments about our recent seminar, and I want to thank all of you who attended the workshop and emailed or blogged about it. Positive comments from participants are more important to us than all the advertisements in the world.

Suprada Urval and Aaron Burdick wrote some really kind blog posts about the seminar, and some of our other students responded to our requests for comments:

Frank Damon - "I think the 2 day class on iHDR by Jay and Varina Patel is absolutely superb. I loved every minute of it as I was learning new techniques based on some information I had already dabbled with in the past, but had no knowledge how to utilize it to make such beautiful images. This class has inspired me to go out and learn more and really apply what I have learned to my everyday photography to make them more beautiful and unique without over-doing them, as some are prone to do. Jay and Varina are extremely knowledgeable and committed to make sure that each and every students learns about iHDR before leaving class. Their patience, intelligence and commitment to help students is their mantra, and it really paid off."

Jorge Rapadas -

"Worth every penny because:
1. Husband and wife team are both photographers and Photoshop experts.
2. Practically hands-on since we were only around 14 [students].
3. They are nature photographers and all their examples are right down our alley.
4. I consider them the Ansel Adams of color photography and both highly qualified to teach.

Their basic approach is teach basics of HDR photography and use the raw file as a negative."

Several other students left positive comments for us as well, and we are working to get them up on the references section of our websites. It was an absolute pleasure to teach this group of students in California. Everyone was very focused and I was pleased with how quickly our students picked up on the concepts. Thanks to ALL of you! We are looking forward to our next class in August!

And special thanks to Jorge for comparing us to Ansel Adams - we don't deserve it by any stretch of the imagination, but it's still awfully nice to hear. ;)

PhotoBards.com

It was a real pleasure to answer questions for an interview with Michal Vitásek at www.photobards.com the other day. The interview is already online. I'm honored to be included alongside some of the best landscape photographers in the world today. Check out the other interviews, too - I'm sure many of you have seen the work of some of these masters. You can leave a comment if you'd like.

We are heading for Michigan tomorrow, so if I don't have a chance to write again - Happy Independence day to all our American friends this weekend!