Mountains on my Mind

November 7, 2023

I recently returned home from the Italian Dolomites. I can’t tell you how recharged I feel. I absolutely love the Dolomites, the area is a perfect blend of mountains, quaint villages and rustic charm. In the fall you also have the gorgeous larch trees that add so much to the scenery. I am missing my time there and cannot wait to get back.

I have been watching a lot of silent hiking on YouTube. One of my favorites is Harmen Hoek. He only has about 20 videos but I have already watched everyone twice! He inspires me to get out in nature and enjoy the natural beauty as much as possible. On You Tube- @HarmenHoek

So, this post is inspired by the Dolomites, the silent hiking channels and my yearnings. I have been fortunate enough to see and photograph a few mountain scenes and I know I’ve shared them before but maybe I can inspire you to go out and be in nature.

One of my favorite photo shoots was completely unexpected. We set up to shoot at a lake, but we got socked in by the fog. I followed the only light in the sky, and it led me to this pano shot.

Dolomites Are Magnifico!

October 28, 2023

I’m heading home now from an amazing trip to the Italian Dolomites. The Dolomites, also known as the Dolomite Alps, are a mountain range in northeastern Italy. Before our time in the Dolomites, my friend Michael Zajac and I spent some time in Venice Italy. I hadn’t been to Venice in years, and it was great to get back there. First stop- gelato followed by a gondola ride down the Grand Canal. As much as I enjoyed my time in Venice, I was anxious to get to the Dolomites.

The Dolomites have a magical allure with their mix of jagged mountains, alpine terrain, beautiful lakes, atmospheric fog and of course the larch trees. The quaint villages are filled with charming homes and lodges; most of which have geraniums or petunias adorning every window.

There is a rustic feel to the area that creates a sense of stepping back in time. Not only did I enjoy the photography, but I also enjoyed my short walks through town stopping at the local market or sitting at an outside café having a cappuccino and vanilla crème-filled croissant, it was just lovely. From my hotel balcony in Cortina, I watched as a local sheep herding dog moved a flock of sheep into a coral. The dog was so efficient, and I could have watched him for hours, but he made quick work of his job.

The three images below show how the light can change in the early morning. When I first set up (pre-dawn) the blue tones and the slight fog were great. The light was just coming up and there was some alpine glow starting to show on the mountains. Then the sun rose and the pink colors filled the sky. After a the pink show the light hit the tips of the mountains creating a fiery glow. It was magical! Plus, we were some of the only people there.

This year, I had planned on doing a few hikes on my own that I don’t usually do with the group. On our first couple of days the weather reports were not good. It called for rain and fog the entire time we were there. Thankfully, I never put too much faith in those reports and always go ahead with my plans just in case. The weather could not have worked out better, we had lots of clouds, foggy and drizzly conditions that added to the already saturated colors and interesting backgrounds. BTW, the weather changes here on a dime.

I chose not to make this a B&W as I loved the slight green and blue tones, that helped to set the cold moody tone for the image.

When we first arrived in the Dolomites, the larch trees that cover the mountain sides were just starting to turn colors. Their rich shades of yellow and orange were at peak on our last few days. Larch trees are deciduous, their needles turn yellow then different shades of orange before dropping. I imagine in a week the autumnal show will be over.

During our stay, we visited Lago di Carezza, it was my first time there. I am glad that I had the opportunity to see the alpine lake which is also referred to as “rainbow lake.” It’s a beautiful emerald lake that is lined with spruce trees and the peaks of the Latemar Mountain. I read that there are Arctic Char in the lake, but I am not sure I believe it. On our scouting trip I was able to capture the shot above, however, on our early morning return visit we got fogged out of our anticipated shoot. So my shot above is really just a compositional practice shot…next year I plan on going back and having another try at it.

One of the funniest shoots was at a lake that was owned by a duck. Well, at least the duck though it owned the lake. After an hour of it swimming in and rippling the calm water in front of us, and then quacking so loudly it startled us, we decided she owned the lake, and she wanted us to pay her for our time there. We had no food with us, but it seemed her tactics had worked in the past. I decided to photograph her and put her in the center as she was clearly the center of attention! That night we waited until sundown —the color ended up being a no show! Still, I’ll remember my time with the duck fondly.

Pano of the alpine hut Locatelli Rifugio Locatelli. Drone shot.

I am already looking forward to next year’s visit to this amazingly beautiful alpine location. I’ve decided to fly into Venice as the drive is more scenic and it’s a straight run. Folks wishing to spend a few days in Venice before the tour can do so easily. I can provide the logistical information needed. For more info on this tour or to sign up —CLICK HERE.

Alaska’s Eagles in Winter - Feb 12-16-2024

October 11, 2023

This trip begins in Homer Alaska. We will be going out to Katchemak Bay and surrounding areas each day to photograph these majestic birds in their natural environment via boat. We will need to flexible to take advantage of local conditions. Snow is always a plus! We will either do (two) 2-hour boat trips or (one) 4-hour boat trip daily, depending on weather, tides and local conditions.

This trip will be led by A Creative Adventure tour leader -Donna Bourdon. If you don’t already know Donna get to know her virtually here.

Cost $5700.00pp.

*No need to rent a car. Donna will supply a group transfer to and from the airport.

Alaska’s Bald Eagles in Winter

Not included: your airfare to and from Homer, AK through Anchorage and back. Lodging and all personal items. All meals and beverages except breakfast--it is included with your lodging, Tips for the boat captain.

Included: Photo instruction, a short informal meet & greet with slide program to get you acquainted with conditions, camera settings, etc.. All boat fees and boat-related expenses (excluding tips), ground transportation to the dock and back to the hotel each day. Five full days of photography from either the boat or on land.

February 12-16-2024

Five days $5700.00. Limit 5 participants

Workshop Leader-Donna Bourdon

*As always with wildlife photography there are no guarantees but this trip is fantastic and the opportunities are tremendous! Itinerary is subject to change due to local conditions, weather, etc…

A detailed information sheet with gear, lodging, and travel recommendations will be sent to all participants.

Deposit Information:
A non-refundable deposit of $2,000 due now to hold your spot. Final payments are due September 15, 2023 via check or wire transfer only, fees on both ends are the responsibility of the participant. Credit cards will not be accepted for any payment other than deposit. Full payments are always welcomed via check or wire transfer . All checks made payable to: Denise Ippolito LLC.

Please be sure to check your calendar carefully and to check out my Workshop Policy Page.

Note: Purchasing travel insurance is strongly recommended.

“Honestly, it was one of the best wildlife photographic experiences of my life and I feel like I was able to capture some of the best images ever as well. On a scale of “1-10” I would rate it a NINE - only because there should always be room for improvement and I feel like you and Donna as instructors and myself as an aspiring photographer should always push ourselves to improve and grow as we move through life.

With that said, it was about as perfect of an experience as you could ask for AND a very challenging experience, especially for those not comfortable with capturing birds in flight. I happen to have a LOT of experience in this area so it was just pure FUN for me - I was comfortable with my camera settings, had a plan for every shoot as to what I wanted to focus on capturing, etc, etc. There were certain individuals in our group for which it was a bit intimidating and for those individuals, Donna was FANTASTIC in working with them and helping them achieve that comfort level with their equipment and associated techniques required to capture quality images. Not only would she work with them one on one in the field, but she would also always be calling out to the group regarding the light and setting adjustments as well as making sure that we were in the right positions to capture the best images. She spent time with those that needed it the most and let others of us pretty much just do our thing, but at the same time was always nearby if we had questions. ”

— Christian, a participant on the “Alaska Eagles in Winter Tour” hosted by Donna Bourdon

Photoshop Enhancements for Flowers by Denise Ippolito

October 7, 2023

Introduction

I was inspired to write this new eBook following a recent blog post I wrote titled “No Need to Guild the Lily.” After publishing that post, I received multiple emails asking for more images and how-to techniques. Many of the people writing in were happy to see me sharing a more natural look for my processed flower images. For the most part, many of my Photoshop techniques have been discussed previously on my blog and even in my other eBooks. But recently, I have refined my processing quite a bit. So, for this writing, I wanted to share some of those new thoughts along with the step-by-step tutorials. Also, at the time of this publication, I am working with Photoshop Version: 24.7, 2023. If you are using another version of Photoshop there may be some slight differences. There are five very detailed sections in this book.

Most of the images contained in this book will be labelled as either Before or After. This allows everyone to see what I am dealing with before I start working on an image. I find this approach to be very helpful in conveying my ideas. When you see an image labelled with the word Before it will signify that an image is straight-out-of-camera with absolutely no enhancements or editing, please keep this in mind when viewing the photo. After, will mean that I have processed the image and it is my final version which also includes resizing for the web, adding my signature and sharpening. I’ll be working in Photoshop and sometimes bringing my images into Camera-Raw from Photoshop, please keep in mind this is not a Photoshop 101 lesson book.

Available only though A Creative Adventure HERE.

Wild Sojourns Nature Awards

October 6, 2023

WildSojourns Nature Awards PHOTO CONTEST ~ YOU GOTTA BE IN IT TO WIN IT!

CALL FOR ENTRIES - NOW Open for entries now through November 10th 2023

The *WildSojourns Nature Awards* invites photographers of all levels, from amateurs to professionals, to submit their best wildlife photographs captured across the globe. With cash prizes totaling $18,000

How to Enter: https://wildsojournsnatureawards.com/contest-details/

– Register as a member of WildSojourns Nature Awards

– Pay the entry fee.

– Upload up to 25 photos into any of the following categories:

Birds, Animal portraits, Macro world, Animal behaviour, Animals in Habitat, Creative Nature, Landscapes, Under Water and Humans v/s Nature.

Categories

WS1 – Birds

WS2 -Animal portraits

WS3- Macro world

WS4- Creative nature

WS5- Animal behaviour

WS6- Animals in Habitat

WS7- Landscapes

WS8- Humans v/s Nature

WS9- Under Water

– A maximum of 25 images can be uploaded across categories per entry. You can upload all the images in one category also. One person can have multiple entries if they wish to upload more than 25 images.

Meet the judges: https://wildsojournsnatureawards.com/judges/

I’m honored to be one of the judges of this prestigious contest. Alongside of me will be Melissa Groo. Just a side note- we are the only two female judges and we are the only US judges. Grant Atkinson and Kiran Poonacha —I have always admired their work. They will also be on the judges panel.