[psychdoc]

Last weekend I took a photo workshop at Smoky Mountains. Some photos below and a description of the workshop after that:
This was my first workshop and it certainly was something new for me. Some thoughts
-# As expected, I was the only Pentax shooter
# 10 people in the group, maybe 5 with full frames, my K5 with Pentax lenses seem to do just fine among the CaNikon crowd. Unlike the people on forums, nobody there really cared a hoot what you were shooting with...Nobody
even asked 'why Pentax' not even the photographer doing the workshop
# We had to be at the meeting point at 6am everyday and then we carpooled to the sunrise location and pretty much shot pics all day till sunset and ended around 8pm. Doing the workshop in the Smokies meant you could shoot in
areas of the forest/streams that were in shade even in mid afternoon due to heavy cover from the trees.
# Unless you are pushy and asked questions, the photographer would just get you to the right place at the right time and just be around-was fine for me but a newbie would have been lost.
# I had purchased Cokin filters but never really used them. This workshop did help me with that. Also helped with choosing the right lenses in a given situation and suggestions on composition. I had rented the Pentax DA* 300mm lens to shoot the mountain ridges as they recommended but it was so windy that I stuck to the 50-135 which was a joy to shoot with, ended up using the former to shoot parrots at a bird sanctuary nearby. I had also taken the 15mm and the 12-24. Ended up using the 12-24 and 50-135 for 90% of the time.
# The best part of the workshop was really being with photographers who were really excited about taking photos.
# Cost was 499 dollars. Thursday 7pm through Sunday 8pm; only thing included was the photographers experience and teaching; The only con was that 10 people was a little bit too many but it was not too bad. Btw, the
photographer's website can be seen at Bryanhansel.com [P.S: Pic #3 below was actually the 12-24 not the 15mm noted]

Attached Images

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

   

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

[sergysergy]

I am not sure how good or bad you were before the workshop, but some of those pictures are beautiful
I love the one with the red leave and the waterfall.

[jimr-pdx]

Sounds & looks like fun! Great images of hills and autunm color. And of couse:"pretty bird! Squawk!"

[Marktax]

P.S: Pic #3 below was actually the 12-24 not the 15mm noted" -- I thought so. The 12-24 is awesome, and better than the 15 and even the 14. Was there no PP instruction? If not, you sure know how to make images pop. These have outstanding clarity.

[psychdoc]

Was there no PP instruction? If not, you sure know how to make images pop. These have outstanding clarity.

No PP instructions other than telling us not to over saturate the colors. I shot RAW+JPEG. Have not had time to look at RAW processing yet. The light was beautiful [some days]; I just increased clarity, sharpness and vibrance in the JPEG to various extents as I generally shoot in the 'Bright' setting which does not have too much color saturation so I can decide how much to add later. For web images, the JPEG's are more than enough.

[gtis]

Hi
Great photos,first and fifth for me
Neil

[psychdoc]

Hi
Great photos,first and fifth for me

Great images of hills and autunm color. And of couse:"pretty bird! Squawk!"

I am not sure how good or bad you were before the workshop, but some of those pictures are beautiful

Thanks for comments!

Hard to judge myself. but I have been shooting for about 5 years as a hobby. Did not know much about use of GND filters which the workshop helped with. Since I don't use anything other than Lightroom for PP I don't spend much time on PP. All in all, the main thing about doing the workshop was learning to use a telephoto for landscapes which I had not done much. Mostly used wide angles for landscapes. The workshop helped me see the possibilities of using telephoto to capture part of a landscape scene.

[luftfluss]

Photos 1 & 5 are my favorites - they're breathtaking. I like the waterfall shots, too, but IMO the white, amorphous blobs of the water interrupt my enjoyment of the pics.

"All in all, the main thing about doing the workshop was learning to use a telephoto for landscapes which I had not done much. Mostly used wide angles for landscapes. The workshop helped me see the possibilities of using telephoto to capture part of a landscape scene." - I really appreciate this. I'm a proponent of trying to single out an aspect of the landscape to train my lens on. A significant number of my landscape shots are taken with lenses ranging from 35 - 200mm. I cringe a little bit when I read of someone asking for a recommendation on a landscape lens, and nearly every responder suggests an UWA.

[psychdoc]

Photos 1 & 5 are my favorites - they're breathtaking. I like the waterfall shots, too, but IMO the white, amorphous blobs of the water interrupt my enjoyment of the pics.

Thank you. As for the waterfall shots, yeah the slow shutter look of water can get distracting, cliche etc but its fun for a while when taking it, especially when one has not done much of that kind of shots

A significant number of my landscape shots are taken with lenses ranging from 35 - 200mm. I cringe a little bit when I read of someone asking for a recommendation on a landscape lens, and nearly every responder suggests an UWA

True. A wide angle has its place, but I think its good to vary the focal lengths and get new perspectives when one tries to 'single out an aspect of the landscape' than trying to get everything in. Probably old stuff for those who have been shooting for a long time but helpful for those of us relatively newer.

[Kerrowdown]

My word that first image is a bit special, you need to print that one large and hang it on the wall.

[psychdoc]

My word that first image is a bit special, you need to print that one large and hang it on the wall.

Thank you.
I had limited myself to printing an 8x10 landscape book once a year with my favorite photos of that year. This will be my first to print large enough to hang on a wall.

[Na Horuk]

Great photos! These workshops can be quite good! Thanks for sharing your experience with it

[psychdoc]

Great photos! These workshops can be quite good! Thanks for sharing your experience with it

Thank you!

[gor80]

I Totally agree with you - no matter what camera you shoot Canon or Nikon PENTAX - always shooting photos only.
It is a vision of a man makes to transmit the atmosphere and the events that he look at the paper (computer screen)