"Seeing Tahoe" Photo Workshop in May 2013

“Seeing Tahoe” Photography Workshop

First weekend in May, five great photographers joined me and my co-leader Jon Paul from the Jon Paul Gallery, for a Photo Workshop “Seeing Tahoe” in South Lake Tahoe.  Spring is a beautiful time with nature reviving and aspens clothed in very faint new green.  In the higher elevations, winter was still full in swing and not surprisingly, on the last morning we woke up to light snow fall even at lake level.  The weekend was jam-packed with activities starting on Friday late afternoon with a gallery visit at the Jon Paul Gallery to get inspired by Jon Paul’s beautiful images exhibited there.  Jon guided us and answered questions, and we plunged into an animated discussion on a variety of topics from how to shoot a great landscape to post-processing our digital files.

Over dinner in town, we got to know each other and shared our experiences and preferences in our photographic work.  Driving back to our accommodations, the sun was just setting and some of us rushed out to the beach to capture the blue hour over the calm water.

Knowing that sunrise and sunset offer the best light for landscape photography, we left both days for the shooting locations way before the sun rose when it was still pitch-dark – leaving the house before 4:30am is not for the faint of heart!   Headlamps ready, on the first morning we walked about 20 minutes to our location while on the second day, tripods went up in the dark right outside the cars.  As the light came up, we were rewarded with beautiful scenes from the grand landscape to the intimate close-ups of nature renewing itself.  In the quiet morning as the birds began to sing, the clicking of cameras was the only man-made sound.  We tiptoed through frozen grass marveling at the beautiful patterns of leaves and grasses backlit by the raising sun.  We captured the still snow-covered mountain reflection in the water moving out tripods and cameras around for the best angle.

Chris capturing water reflections

Beth, Alice and Jon

Since it was too early in the year for the spring flowers in the meadows, we practiced what I call ‘creative photography’ by experimenting with panning and zooming while the camera is open. The collective creative energy was inspiring and we learned from each others examples.

We finally made it back to town by about 11am for a hardy breakfast at Red Hut Café – well deserved and hungry.

After a bit of downtime with downloading and a short rest, we were on our way up the Eastern Shore of the Lake by 2:30p and stopped at many locations even as a drizzly rain started to make things a wet affair.  Pulling out raingear most important for our camera gear, the new growth of snow flowers, grasses and brush around the beaver  pond offered intimate close-ups as the drops rippled the surface of the pond.  Mr. and Mrs. beaver nowhere to be seen except for the effects of building a dam and creating this beautiful oasis.

Exotic snow flower - 

we learned that this is a fungus raising its beautiful head.

Raindrops are falling on my head....

Alice, Dan and Jon taking in the scene and talking about how to photograph in the rain.

Chris lost in the landscape

Alice, all bundled up to stay dry.

 Dan with great camera rain gear.

Chris having fun even when it rained.

Dan and Alice during a quick stop along the way.... using their cell phones to capture the scene.

We found a gorgeous spot for sunset and the clouds added interest to our images.

Thank you, Jon Paul, for your insight and gentle teaching.  It was great spending the day with you!!

The next day – very early morning again – found us out at the iconic spot overlooking Emerald Lake.  Clouds partially obscured the setting moon and we marveled at the scene as the light came up. 

Early Morning at Emerald Bay

As the sun made its way over the clouds, we photographed the creek with its waters from the snow-melt rushing over the boulders.

Chris zooming in ...

Alice and Beth in Hope Valley along the Carson River

Don't disregard comfort while shooting!

Sun, rain and clouds persisted throughout the day as we drove over Luther Pass into Hope Valley and ended another full day of images and learning with a great dinner at Sorenson’s Resort.  

Probably to all of our surprises – although I have experienced snow even later in May in Tahoe – we woke

up to snow on Monday morning with Echo pass having chain requirements that persisted to the time of departure.  So the northern route through Incline and Highway 80 seemed to be the better bet to meet the return timelines.  Although several inches of snow had fallen over night, the ground was already warm enough for only leaving wet slush – so everyone safely drove home.

I stayed a bit longer capturing this misty scene as the snow turned into rain.

Misty light over the Tahoe

Reflecting on the weekend, I am always grateful when my workshops participants are so inspired and inspiring.  Helping those who are newer to photography learn some new ways to see the scene in front of us, mastering their gear better and becoming more comfortable is rewarding to see.  Having an experienced photographer capturing landscape practically in the dark of the pre-dawn and noticing that the camera can ‘see more’ than our eyes through cumulative light capture is thrilling.  Sharing creative ideas of capturing images even when the light is not optimal or just ‘playing’ with the camera not knowing whether panning will yield any interesting image, always inspires me.  We can all learn from each other and the workshop setting is ideal to experience this. 

Thank you to all of my participants and to my co-leader Jon Paul for a wonderful weekend, great camaraderie, and beautiful images and memories to take home.

Reaching up among the Giants

Til next time,

Meggi

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Please check out my next Lake Tahoe Photography Workshops In October:  

"Tahoe in Fall Colors" 

on my Photo Workshop page.

in combination with a Wildlife Photo Workshop in the desert beyond Reno:

Cheetahs - at 60 miles per hour

Majestic and unforgettable - the best opportunity outside Africa!

Registration deadline for both Photo Workshops is September 1, 2013.

Yellowstone-Teton Video

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Video by Scott McKinley

Watching this beautiful video only strengthens my believe that we must put our efforts 

to preserve all nature around us, must fight against the forces 

that are callous and don't care whether the planet is diminished 

only for the good of mankind.

This short video won Grand Prize - Best of Show at International Wildlife Film Festival 

in Missoula Montana! 

Published on May 5, 2012

Video by Scott Mckinley Productions, Produced for Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for Ad campaign. Licensed music by Kenny G.. This short video won Best of Category at the International Wildlife Film Festival in Missoula Montana! The majority was shot on location in Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park and The National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

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I hope you enjoyed this journey to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons - 

Majestic places in all seasons around the year.

Please join me in my upcoming Photo Workshops:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things 

you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

~ Mark Twain~

Copyrigth M. Raeder-Photography

See Tahoe Through the Eyes of Renowned Fine Art Photographer Jon Paul Spring is a beautiful time in Tahoe and Hope Valley – Explore Tahoe’s hidden places with renowned Tahoe Fine Art Photographer Jon Paul, owner of the Jon Paul Gallery and Wildlife Photographer Meggi Raeder. Date: May 3-6, 2013 Early Bird Registration til Jan 15, 2013 Pl see all details here.

Amur Leopard                  ©M. Raeder-Photography

Spring Wildlife: Cubs, Pups and Kittens Wildlife Photography at its Best An amazing opportunity to photograph wildlife babies:  wolf pups, fox kittens, lynx kittens, Badger pups and more! Come face-to-face with these wonderful babies! Date:  June 28-July 1,  2013 Optional Activities June 25-27, 2013 For further details pl click here.

Til next time,
Meggi

Travel TidBits: Hot Air Balloons

Travel TidBits:  Reno Hot Air Balloon Festival

“For more than 29 years people from all over the world has chosen to spend a September weekend mornings at The Great Reno Balloon Race, taking in the spectacular sights and sounds of this unique event.  Balloonists come from all 50 United States, as well as internationally from Brazil, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Greece, England and Israel, to name a few.  This event will be colorful, amazing and will stay I your memory for a long time.

The nation’s largest free hot-air balloon festival, The Great Reno Balloon Race, will paint the sky again September 2011 at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park. What began with just 20 balloons in 1982 has grown to showcase more than 100+ balloons and pilots from as far away as New Zealand and Switzerland. On average, 140,000 spectators from all over the world come to share in the wonder of this three-day event. “


http://www.renoballoon.com/pdfs/2011/grbr_brochure_2011_final.pdf

This is how the organizers describe this event and I can only agree that the Reno Hot Air Balloon Festival is a feast for the eyes and for the camera.  Rising at 4am, seeing the Glow Balloons and the Dawn Patrol as they gracefully sail into the morning sky was so memorable in the first year that I have returned again and again and captured many great images.  For more of my images please visit my web gallery on the Reno Hot Air Balloon Festival and see the images from the early morning and Glow Balloons!  

This year I am offering a Photography Workshop during this weekend in Reno which includes to only 2 mornings at the Balloon Festival, but also a visit to Sand Harbor on Lake Tahoe and the exciting visit to the Animal Ark to see the cheetahs run - a fantastic opportunity to see these magnificent animals in action outside Africa.


But back to the balloon festival:

Even with a festival that big, spectators can wonder through the fields and between the balloon as they are being set up and the hot air from the blowers slowly fill the balloon until they are ready to carry the basket.  Witnessing 150 balloons raising to the sky and gently floating against the morning sky is fabulous.  And then the games start where the balloonists are racing to catch the hare, a pink balloon with big bunny ears.

And of course as with all events, there are crafts people and lots of good food for sale so no one needs to go hungry or without coffee after getting out of bed at an ungodly hour!  


And as the morning progresses to 10am, the show is over for the day since the mountain winds start to blow making navigation of so many balloons unsafe, only to do it again the next morning!  

So this leaves the spectators with a whole other day to enjoy Reno and its surroundings. 

My favorite spot for the day is at the Tahoe shores at Sand Harbor, a beautiful beach on Lake Tahoe.  A picnic and rest on the beach is rewarding after such an early morning!


Another must for me is the Animal Ark, a sanctuary outside Reno for animals who need a home.  Nestled in the desert area, the tiny turtle, the Siberian tiger, a mountain lion and fabulous sleek cheetahs all found sanctuary for life.  But there are also 2 young bears that are trained to hopefully be able of being released to the wild once they can care for themselves.

If you are intrigued, 

please check out my next Photography Workshop 

(September 9-12, 2011) held during this event at Reno 

plus an extra attraction of 

seeing cheetahs run at the Animal Ark Sanctuary.

Please contact me at mraeder33@gmail.com  or call 650-326-4570

Up, Up and Away!

Travel TidBits: Tahoe

Travel TidBits: Tahoe in the ‘in-between’ Season


It’s Monday, May 9th, and I am looking out of my window and it is snowing heavily!!

I love the mountains, the Lake, the smell of pine trees and hearing the crunch of the needles under my hiking boots. I have come up from the valley every Spring over the last many years not for the winter ski season or for the summer but in the ‘in-between’ seasons that is so pristine: In May, the aspens are just sprouting their light green leaves, the creeks and rivers are full of water tumbling down with white splashes, the wildflowers are just beginning with the occasional flowering dogwood along the American River, and in Owens Valley the cows have just dropped their first calves. In October, the aspen leaves whisper in the wind and the yellow/red color sparks between the green pines, the pinecones are starting to drop and nature is getting ready for the winter. The hike up to Eagle Lake and a picnic up there watching the merganser ducks on the lake and occasional raptors soaring high up in the clear autumn air is breath-taking. In both of these ‘in-between’ seasons, the crowds have thinned in South Lake Tahoe, everything is at a slower pace and seems to be breathing before the onslaught of the next season.

To experience this again, I drove up on Friday to visit familiar places and add new destinations.
Along highway 50, Bridal Veil Falls tumbled down the granite and was of course a perfect stop along the way with new leaves greeting the traveler.

Driving up the American River, the first dogwood was just starting to bloom.







The American River is swollen from the snow melt and tumbles down the granite bolders

Reaching South Lake Tahoe, I visit Jon Paul’s Gallery  and admire his latest nature images - stunning scenes from Tahoe and surroundings but also from other national parks and wildlife. Jon Paul is in the gallery and it is good to finally connect a face with the photographer whose work I have loved for a long time. Sunset finds me at my favorite spot at Zephir Cove and the colors were gorgeous.

The next day, I drove over Luther Pass (7700 ft) where the snow was still on the high plateau and the aspens had not awakened yet.

Descending into Hope Valley, I stopped at a wildlife viewing area but in midday only melting snow and not yet green meadows greeted me. But when looking closely, nature was starting to renew its cycle. The first yellow wildflowers kept close to the ground to avoid the still cold wind and some early red leaves erupted from the barren ground.

Following yet another tumbling river, I descended to Owens Valley which was lush and green with lots of cows on the pasture. Here the Aspen were full of budding leaves, the shrubs were starting to bloom and the temperatures were lovely.

Along the Eastern foothills of the Sierra passing horse pastures, seeing deer munching on new growth and flocking to the water in water-logged meadows to quench their thirst.










Puffy white clouds over the sprouting aspens and the wide landscape were gorgeous in the early summer sun.

Approaching Genoa, the road was lined with cars. The yearly Cowboy Poetry Festival had mobilized the tiny town and cowboys and cowgirls from all the surrounding communities had descended on Genoa, and everyone was decked in cowboy gear – boy, did I feel out of place! Cowboys and poetry?!? Since the reading only started later in the afternoon, I did not hang around but had a great sandwich at the Country Store listening to the tales being spun at the other tables!

On my way back to Hope Valley and Tahoe, I stopped at Sorenson’s, an icon in Hope Valley and not to be missed for their excellent Berry Cobbler with ice-cream and of course a good cup of coffee.

Sunset found me again at Zephir Cove but this time the wind was blowing in gale force and I had to protect my lens from the flying sand – sandblasting not advised for sensitive equipment! But the clouds over the lake were fast moving and menacing – storm was on its way.

… and the next morning I woke up to winter wonderland!

It's May and who would have thought my car would be covered by 4 inches of new snow!   But they say, nature up here is unpredictable in the mountains.  I walked around in untouched whiteness which by noon time was gone - luckily, since I had to drive home over Echo Pass (7700ft) but the roads were dry by the time I reached it.  And of course as soon as I was in the valley, everything was green again.  Did I just dream of winter?

Well, it was a great weekend getting away from it all, breathing the fresh mountain air, hiking up to Eagle Falls where the snow prevented me from going on to Eagle Lake. Photographing to my heart's delight and coming back refreshed.