Today's Guest Bloggers: Tim Vollmer and Marketa Kalvachova

Photograph © Tim Vollmer
The talented Tim Vollmer and Marketa Kalvachova are today's guest bloggers. I invited this dynamic duo to post here after seeing some of their wonderful photographs from Iceland - where they, Kevin Pepper and I will be doing a workshop in 2013. Take it away Tim and Marketa.


Iceland is a photographer’s paradise that does not lack for camera-toting enthusiasts of every hue and genre. I moved to this awe inspiring country  seven years ago and it is here where I met my wonderful wife, Markéta Kalvachová. Soon after we met we established a common bond, sharing the same love for Iceland and Greenland, which I believe we clearly portray in our photography.  


Photograph © Tim Vollmer

For us, just viewing the aurora borealis is a life-long dream. And to capture them with a camera is both a thrilling and awe inspiring experience. In the winter time here in Iceland (October-April) we go searching every night to capture this amazing light festival. For years now we offer Winter Photo Tours in Iceland so that we can share this passion with out students. During this 6 Day tour you will have the chance to capture the Aurora Borealis which will span the south coast of the country from Reykjavik to Jökulsárlón, engulfing some of the most photogenic locations along the way. 

Photograph © Marketa Kalvochova
I also love the Icelandic horse. The Icelandic horse is a breed of horses developed in Iceland. Developed from ponies taken to Iceland by Scandinavian settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries.

Photograph © Tim Vollmer
Travellers can meet Icelandic horses anywhere along the road. It is graceful and inspiring theme to photograph in all seasons and weather conditions.

Photograph © Marketa Kalvachova
Iceland unusually suited for waterfalls. This small island country has a north Atlantic climate that produces frequent rain or snow and a near-Arctic location that produces large glaciers whose summer melts feed many rivers. As a result, it is home to a number of large and powerful waterfalls.

It is fascinating to capture waterfalls like in this case waterfal Öxararfoss in National park Thingvellir.

Photograph © Tim Vollmer

Situated along the mid-ocean ridge of the Atlantic Ocean, Iceland is a geologic "hot zone" with volcanic eruptions, fissure eruptions, shield volcanoes, pillow basalts, glaciers, geothermal features, and more. This island is also home to a variety of thermophilic life, inhabiting numerous geothermal features such as hot springs, mudpots, geysers, and fumaroles. Iceland's geothermal features are driven by the nature of its geologic setting. The combination of a plate boundary and a hot spot are the features that have created Iceland. The geothermal area of sulphur fields and hot springs Seltun in the wilderness Krysuvik.



Our company organizes photo workshops and photo tours in cooperation with international renown instructors in Iceland and Greenland. Rick Sammon will actually be joining me on one of these tours. We would love to have you join us. You can see that tour here.


 


See more of Tim and Markéta’s


Websites:

http://www.timvollmer.de

http://www.marketakalvachova.com



Facebook: 

Tim-Vollmer-Photography 
Marketa-Kalvachova-Photography



Tim Vollmer & Marketa Kalvachova
Varmahlid 12
810 Hveragerdi
Iceland
Phone: 00354/8462410
E-Mail: tim-vollmer@gmx.de



Atlanta HDR/Model Photography Workshop

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All photographs in the post © Glenn Taylor.

My friend Glenn Taylor and I are doing an HDR/Model Photography workshop in and around Atlanta: March 1st to 3rd, 2013. Cost is $500.00 per person for the workshop.


When Glenn showed me the pictures you see here, I said, "We gotta do a workshop."


Here's the info:
• Friday Night: Glenn and I will give short presentations after a group dinner.

• Saturday:
AM: HDR and Model Shoot at the South East Railway Museum.
PM: Glenn and I will help you with image processing.

• Sunday:
AM: HDR and Model shoot at Old Car City
PM: Glenn and I will help you with image processing.

• Shoot me an email to get on the list!


Suggested hotels:

Hilton Atlanta Northeast

Wingate by Wyndham
Rick

Soon Come: Sunset Saturday

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We had another spectacular sunset here on the Hudson River last night. We shoot here on my Croton Creative Workshop.

The sky was so spectacular that we decided to make a quick movie on shooting sunsets. It's Part I. Part II to come. Be sure to select HD before watching the movie.


One tip from the movie: Always look back, as illustrated above.

Both images with my Canon 5D Mark III.

Top image: Canon 24-105mm IS lens - my favorite lens.

Bottom image: Canon 17-40mm lens - which I picked up after selling my 16-35mm lens, which is more expensive than the 17-40. This lens is perfect for wide-angle photography if most of your shooting is outdoors.

So what about Sunset Saturday? I'm looking for great sunset images to share here on my blog. Hey, you'll be more famous! Just send a link (link only - not the photo), to me via my email address. In the email give a brief description of the image. Please keep it short and sweet.


Here's one of my favorite sunset photographs. It was not taken in Croton on Hudson, as you might have guessed. I took the shot in Rajasthan India.

Explore the light,
Rick

ND Filters Are a Must for Waterfall Photography

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I took this shot yesterday at the New Croton Dam, which is one of the locations on my Croton Creative Workshop.

I used a Tiffen 2-8 stop ND filter to get a low shutter speed for the "soft and flowing" water effect.

Below is an uncropped shot w/out the filter.


Here's a movie on the use of the filter - another Rick's Quick Tip.

Other gear used for the photograph:
Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24-105mm IS lens and Induro AT114 Tripod.


Explore the light,
Rick