Last time, I wrote about The Passion of Photography. This time, after showing some images from our recent trip to Charleston, SC, I’d like to take that a step further and share a beautiful letter from one of our alumni that speaks to that passion.

For those who don’t know, we just returned from a private workshop in Charleston with three of our alumni, all of whom are passionate about photography. Being December, we didn’t have to get up as early or stay up as late to catch the beautiful light! Please note that all of these images are copyrighted by the individuals, as noted in the image metadata, and used with their permission.

In fact, it was raining so hard on Friday, our first day, that cats and dogs were an inappropriate description. It was more like dinosaurs and pterodactyls. The storm drains in the city could not keep up with the deluge. There were reports of almost four inches of rain during the 24-hour period. Flood warnings had been issued, but we were still running a workshop, and not photographing was not an option.

Arnie and I discussed the proposed schedule, subject to our participants’ approval. There was one area we recommended — an old, burnt-out church, with scattered grave stones that beg for dark, moody light. A rainy day was perfect for us. Our group was enthusiastic, so we passed out our supply of large, “golf” umbrellas and took off.

When we first got there, it was raining lightly, and everyone protected their cameras with plastic “tea cozies.” Rain jackets were enough for the moment, but that soon changed as the front came through. The rain was torrential and driving. There was no chance of shooting up at the old columns. We all dashed to grab our umbrellas and wrestled with holding them while making camera and tripod adjustments. Everyone laughed and sloshed through the puddles, happy with what they were getting. Arnie and I worked with each of our participants and helped them refine their vision of what they wanted to photograph. We couldn’t have been prouder of some of their images. I was thinking how their passion for photography was not dampened by the exceedingly damp conditions. I can’t imagine how the conditions could have been wetter!

With many of the streets of Charleston closed off around the Market area, we found a warm pub, had a leisurely lunch, and talked shop before heading back to the inn to do some imaging. There was no question of another shoot that day. That was OK, since in response to the weather forecast, Arnie and I had given our little group two extra sessions, one after the evening reception the day before, and the promise of a session Sunday morning before we all left for home.

The next day, while it was much cooler, the sun promised to peek out now and than, and we headed off to one of our favorite plantations. The fact that the sun was not out was perfect, as the light was soft and devoid of harsh shadows.

I love the old buildings here and the treasures I find within. As I was walking by this window, the old strips of cloth caught my eye in a way they had never done before. There was just enough light to bring out some of the detail inside, so while our alumni were doing an assignment around the corner, I grabbed my tripod and made this image.

For the afternoon session, we headed down to Edisto Island and the famous boneyards there.

Set on a private plantation that was given to the State of South Carolina, this is a marvelous place to photograph. By this time, the sun had come out and along with the tide, was still too high for our beach photography, so we explored a little bit of the plantation, including this commonly photographed hole in the tabby wall. (For those who don’t know, tabby is a concrete-like mixture of lime, sand, water and oyster shells and mimics nature’s coquina stone found in Florida.) Every time I see images of this scene, I see distracting elements through the hole and was determined not to fall into the same trap. Trying to get in exactly the right position to avoid the usual hazards was challenging, but I managed to get a “clean” image.

Low tide was approaching, so we walked through a maritime forest down to the beach. Here, bleached skeletons of trees stand sentinel along this part of the coast, often with the surf swirling around their roots. It is both bizarre and fantastical. It’s eerie and elegant. It is a place of contrasts.

I talked with a gentleman who is part of the park and who camped here 30 years ago. He remembers that where the ghostly trees are now standing in the surf, he was sleeping on dry land. Not only were the oaks alive, but there was much more maritime forest between his campsite and the ocean. Man has intruded by adding fill, and the new, filled land changes the currents. Here, those currents have eroded a lot of the beach, and with it, the trees that once stood high and dry, their roots buried deeply in the earth.

Our alumni were enthralled, as they were challenged to isolate their subjects and find a different view. Arnie and I are always after our students to avoid the Joe-Schmoe stance. You know the one … walk up to a scene, raise the camera, and go “click” with no thought that it’s the same shot so many others have done on vacations. So to demonstrate, I lay down in the sand with the camera as low as I dared to foreshorten the beach, then overexposed the image a bit to give it the high-key effect that I wanted to speak to these ghostly trees. By taking advantage of the side lighting, I could use the long shadows in the foreground, making a natural vignetting.

To show them a different effect, Arnie went the other way, literally and figuratively, and shot into the light to take advantage of the strong shapes and shadows. He has used this technique for years in commercial work, and it lends itself equally well to landscapes, or in this case, seascapes.

Inspired by our approaches, some of our group went off to shoot with side lighting, as I had done; others seeing the cool effects of shooting into the light experimented with that. We had them use their foot zooms in combination with their lenses to get the look they wanted.

As we worked with them, we were able to get a few shots of our own, using various techniques to achieve the results we had in mind …

It was an amazing afternoon, and it was wonderful to hear the enthusiasm the three of them had for what they had found, the images they had made, and the chance to photograph in such an amazing location. We headed off to our final dinner together and shared lots of laughs over the two (was it really only two?) days we had spent together.

Before we took off for home the next morning, we drove out to the cemetery. Actually, it is several cemeteries, but the one we chose was the one with all the Confederate graves and memorials. One that struck us all was a series of white stones for the crew of the Confederate States Submarine H.L. Hunley that sunk in a bizarre accident, taking all lives. The plot was given by the family of the submarine builder Horace Lawson Hunley who was lost with his crew.

We are privileged to meet and work with many wonderful people … of all ages, from all parts of North America, with different levels of photographic experience. What binds them is the love of and passion for photography that Arnie and I have. When people leave our workshops, we get wonderful letters and e-mails thanking us. Occasionally, we get a particularly moving letter, such as this one. And yes, it is used with full permission of the author …

“I hope all is well and the workshops are as productive as ever. I write to you to thank you again for the knowledge and inspiration imparted at the workshop. Unfortunately, I’ve run into a bit of a life issue. In August I lost my job. My wife and I were scrambling to count up our savings getting ready for a few months of a tight budget. In the midst of being unemployed, I was forced to sell my photography equipment. At the time, my passion and joy of photography, although at its peak, paled in comparison to keep my family afloat. I’m happy to say that I’ve received an offer from a company which I intend to accept. But the purpose of my note is to thank you for the lessons I learned about photography and more.

“I have been very busy and have not shot any images since summer until this past week. I had sold “the dream kit” – my D700 and the best lenses and flashes made– even my camera bag. The only thing I didn’t sell was my Bogen tripod. I took my wife’s camera, its so-so 18-70 kit lens, the tripod, and trotted around the city for an afternoon. In the wake of losing the equipment that took years to acquire, I didn’t think I’d be able to produce images like those we took in the workshop ever again. Using the tripod (making up for a slow lens) and then afterward working with Lightroom, I was able to grab some decent images to work with. As I worked, I simplified, I isolated, asked myself –what drew my attention to the scene and slowed down as if I were working with film again.

“Without your inspiration and lessons I wouldn’t have held onto the tripod and probably wouldn’t have grabbed my wife’s “lesser” camera for the afternoon. I thank you, because while the expensive stuff helps, it’s the core of what we do with the camera that makes the difference — the emotion and the expression we put into the image.

“For that – I thank you.”

It goes back to, “It’s not the camera; it’s what you do with what you have.” That’s what the passion of photography is all about. Putting your emotions into your images. And I am pleased to note that the author of this beautiful letter is gainfully employed and really enjoying the new work place with its co-workers and surroundings.

Workshop Updates

We already have a lot of sign-ups for our 2010 workshops.As of this writing, there are three rooms left at Cotton Tree Lodge for People & Culture of Belize. One is for the whole of the workshop, and two require a move mid-week. The Lodge, however, will move everything for you if you pack up in the morning. We’ll obviously be out in some exotic location.

One of our alumni wrote to say the gallery wasn’t working. It is now fixed! Sorry for those who found Xs instead of images!

Meanwhile, remember that we have Early-Bird specials for our new participants. Check the PayPal page for the cut-off dates for those.

As we always urge, if you are even contemplating joining us for one of our workshops, make your room reservations now. One of the B&Bs that hosts some of our New England Fall Foliage participants is already full … of our people! You can always cancel later if necessary and not pay any penalty! If “our” inn or hotel is full, or if you prefer to stay elsewhere, we always have links to other choices.

Non-photographing spouses and SOs are always welcome to join us. The 2009 season saw a number of them, and for 2010, we already have a dozen returning. We go to some great locations that they enjoy, even though they aren’t photographers themselves.

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Dates Set Alumni-only Workshop to Yosemite

Some of our alumni have been asking for some time now to have an alumni-only tour. Our first one will be to Yosemite National Park, December 8-12, 2010. It is only open to those who sign up for a regular workshop in 2010 or who have done four workshops with us. Applications and deposits are due July 8, 2010. We are in the process of putting up a page, but the PayPal information is already posted.

Monthly (ish) Newsletter

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