Two Old West Photo Workshops Coming Up in 2015

Do you like to make images of the Old West - and cowboys and horses? If so, I have two workshops coming up that I know you will enjoy:

Casper, WY "Old West Shoot"
and
Telluride, CO "Ghost Towns, Waterfalls and Fall Landscapes"

The horses above are just two of our models in Casper!

In Telluride, CO, we'll be photographing ghost towns. I took the shot above in Bodie State Park (great ghost town) in California. We'll use the same HDR techniques in Telluride. That is, make an HDR image that does not look like HDR.

For HDR, I still recommend Photomatix. Click here to get a discount on Photomatix.

Photographing landscapes and waterfalls are also on the schedule for Telluride. In and around picturesque Telluride, I'll share with you long exposure techniques, which I used for the above photograph that I took on a past Mt. Rainier photo workshop.

In Casper, we have a very, very special shoot – complete with a horse and cowgirls – in the world famous Wonder Bar. That's where I took the above photograph last year. Great fun!

On both workshops, we'll be chasing the light – the main element in every photograph. There will also be plenty of time to process our images.

Yes, we will work hard, but we will also play hard.

I hope to see you in the Old West.

Click here to see all my photo workshops.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Click here to see my e-books and on-line classes on landscape photography.

Photograph the "Old West" on My Casper, Wyoming Photo Workshop

I am gearing up for my "Old West" photo workshop in Casper, Wyoming later this year. Can't wait, and I hope you can join the fun.

Fun? I run a lot of workshops, but this one will be a ton of fun, as illustrated in this video.

I took the opening image for this post on my previous Casper photo workshop. Yes! We got a horse in the Wonder Bar, and we'll do it again - for you!

In going though my files, I came across some of my favorite Old West images (from a shoot in Spearfish, SD) along with some captions. Enjoy.

Reflecting on the day. The most important element in a photograph is the mood, feeling or emotion. I created the mood in this photograph by “painting” the cowgirl with the light from a $5 flashlight. My goal was to create an image with dramatic shadows. Shadows are the soul of the photograph.

Lone rider. I like the feeling of  freedom that this image captures. That’s part of being a cowboy.

Looking for her. I am drawn to faces. It was the intense look on this cowboy’s face that inspired me to make this photograph. To add to the artistry of this image, I removed the color. When you remove the color from a photograph, you remove some of the reality.

Best friends. The eyes are the windows to the soul. It was this cowgirl’s beautiful eyes that first drew me to make this photograph, but then I noticed the look and “feeling” in the dog’s eyes. Both subjects seem to be having the same feeling, so I included both of them in my frame.

Daybreak on the range. I like shooting at the crack of dawn, capturing dramatic silhouettes against the rising sun. I like to challenge myself to make pictures in these high contrast situations, as the light changes very, very fast.

Good morning, pardner. The perfect silhouettes of the horses and cowboys drew me to make this photograph. Silhouettes add a sense of mystery to a photograph.

After the storm. I like the way the dark clouds create the mood in this image. Not every picture needs to be taking on a bright, sunny day.

Heading home. This cowboy was riding as fast as he could. To convey the sense of speed, I used a photographic technique called panning, which blurrs the background but keeps the rider in sharp focus.

Ride 'em cowboy (and cowgirl),
Rick

Images of the Old West

I am gearing up for my June 2015  Casper, Wyoming Old West Photo Workshop.

In going though my files from past workshops, I came across some of my favorite photographs of the Old West, and decided to add some captions. Here ya go, pardner.

Opening image: Waiting for you. The longing eyes of this cowboy are the main subjects of this photograph. As in many of my images, I try to capture the mood and feeling of the subject – the most important element in a photograph.

Above: Riding hard, riding the herd. Cowboys don’t just ride hard, they ride herd – riding along with the cattle or horses. I feel as though this image captures that togetherness.

Above: Boot and spur. Detail shots help to tell the story, and as a photographer, I am a storyteller.

Above: Trail boss and greenhorn. To me, the ruggedness and confident posture of the cowboy in the foreground says, “trail boss.” The silhouette of a younger and thinner cowboy in the background says, “greenhorn.”

Above: Yee-ha! This cowboy’s “yee-ha” said it all!  Putting him slightly out of focus adds a sense of mystery to the image.

Above: End of the day. I actually took this picture at the end of a long day of photographing this cowboy and cowgirl. They deserved a break, alone and quite by a pond.

Above: Mystery cowboy. By including only the shadow of the off-camera cowboy in my frame I added a sense of mystery and drama to the image.  Not being able to see the cowgirl’s eyes also adds a sense of mystery to the image.

I hope to see you on my Capser Photo Workshop!

Explore the light,
Rick

What's New? Master Landscape & Seascape Photography on-line class! Save $10 with this code: landscapes.