Spring Waterfall Workshop

Jelly Mill Falls Dummerston Vermont

Weekend of May 17-19

Every year, as winter starts to break, I begin to worry about my annual spring Waterfall Workshop.  Will there be enough spring run-off and rainfall to fill my favorite local waterfalls and will anyone sign-up to join me as I revile in our early spring’s greatest attraction, our spectacular falling waters.

The Flow

Dummerston Falls

This year a sparse winter snowfall has led to a sluggish run-off, but that has been thoroughly off-set by heavy and persistent spring rains. With my workshop just two weeks from now, I have begun scouting regional waterfalls, old favorites like Chesterfield Gorge and Pond Brook Falls as well as locations which will be new for this year’s workshop, such as Jelly Mill Falls in Dummerston Vermont.  So far, the water has been strong, but every year is different.  Heavy water flow can be dramatic but can also overwhelm the detail in some falls.  Seasons with slower flow provide the opportunity to appreciate sinuous patterns in the falls as the water weaves over and around the underlying rock. Conditions are looking great, but it is always about getting the most from whatever nature provides.

The Victims

My second worry is whether anyone will show up for the workshop.  I have never advertised my classes and workshops but have gotten the word out through Facebook and my blogs.  

Chesterfield Gorge Upper Cascade

I set a limit on my workshops of no more than 7-8 participants.  Sometimes I have fewer, often due to last minute cancellations, but I don’t take it personally.  I would enjoy shooting the falls even if I had only one participant.  It is always a great excuse to spend time exploring the falling waters and that one person would get a lot of attention!   That said, this year I have room for a couple more photographers and they are welcome to get in touch.  Here is the plan.

Frye's Measure Mill Wilton NH

Lower Purgatory Falls, Wilton NH

We will gather Friday evening, May 17th, around my dining room table, for a chance to meet everyone, and review our plans. It will be my opportunity to assess the varying levels of photographic experience among the participants and consider how everyone can be accommodated.  I will discuss key elements of the photography of flowing water, including the importance of a sturdy tripod, a cable release and, of course, a polarizing filter.  We will also have a chance to plan Saturday’s schedule.

Garwin Falls, Wilton NH

All day Saturday, and Sunday morning, we will explore some of our region’s most dramatic waterfalls, I typically devote much of Saturday to the marvelous group of falls in Wilton New Hampshire. Wilton has a wonderful collection of waterfalls all conveniently located, including Purgatory Falls, Tucker Falls the dramatic series of cascade at Garwin Falls.   Saturday evening, we will gather again around my dining room table for pizza and discussion of the day’s experiences. We will also have a chance for review and gently critique many of the images from the day’s shooting and plan Sunday morning’s explorations.

Stickney Brook Dummersto Vt

Sunday morning, we will gather again for more falling waters.  We will begin with waterfalls in Chesterfield.  Then, for the first time, we will venture over to Vermont exploring the falls in Dummerston and, if time permits, the waterfall in the quintessential New England village of Green River.  I will let you all escape, by noon, exhausted but with a camera full of wonderful waterfall images.

Pond Brook Falls Chesterfield NH

It should be an exciting weekend and I’m looking forward to sharing many of my favorite spots and techniques.

The entire program including snacks and an informal dinner will be $195.  Please get in touch if you want to get on the list for this year’s workshop, or if you have any questions.  In the meantime, I will be spending my days gleefully scouting the falls.

Jeff Newcomer
www.partridgebrookreflections.com

jeffn49@myfairpoint.net

603-363-8338

Digital Photography in the Glorious New England Spring

Fryes Measure Mill Falls, Wilton NH

On the Mississippi, New Orleans

We have escaped the cold and snow on our southern road trip.  I love the New England winter, but by March I have found that I am ready for a little warmth and a jump-start on spring.  After two weeks we have settled into a nearly week-long stay in warm New Orleans. Neither Susan or I have been to the big easy before, so we have enjoyed a great time touring, eating and hearing some wonderful music.  On the way we stopped in Lexington Kentucky, Nashville Tennessee and Memphis.  At present we plan to head home along the Gulf Coast and then reluctantly head north up the Blue Ridge.

Singer-Song Writers at Nashville's Listening Room

We are having a great time, but I’m looking forward to getting back home for my spring photography programs.  In addition to sharing a few images from our trip so far, I wanted to let everyone know about my plans for the spring.  When we get home, these programs will be coming on quickly, and given the limited size of the classes, I want to get people signed up as soon as possible.

You can contact Keene Community Education for my Intro to Digital Photography Course and directly with me, at jeffn49@myfairpoint.net, to get signed up for the exciting Spring Waterfall Workshop.

Introduction to Digital Photography: 

Description

Digital photography has greatly expanded our ability to capture images that reflect the beauty of the natural world. Yet to capture the best images, one must still appreciate how to achieve the optimal exposure in various situations through the interaction of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.  Techniques for nailing sharp focus with both automatic and manual controls are also needed along with an understanding of the capabilities and controls of your camera.   These aspects of photography will be covered as well as the essentials of strong composition, which will be addressed through discussion and constructive feedback of your own images. In addition to the four classes, two field trips to local areas of beauty and interest will be scheduled based on class consensus.  Please bring your camera and manual. Limit: 15

• Date: Tuesdays April 9 to May 7, Tue., (no class 4/23)
• Time: 6-8 pm (8 hrs.)
• Location: Room 326 at Keene High School
• Instructor: Jeff Newcomer
  jeffn49@myfairpoint.net

$122.00

Contact Keene Community Education at

https://www.keenecommunityed.org/

·         (603)357-0088

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Spring Waterfall Workshop 

Weekend of May 17-19

Garwin Falls, Wilton

Spring is some weeks away, but it is time to begin thinking about the spring runoff and the seasonal rains which hopefully will be invigorating our many regional waterfalls.  I am an enthusiastic fan of waterfall photography and there is no better time to capture the excitement than in the early spring.  

This year I will be following my usual, time tested, schedule.  We will gather Friday evening, May 17th, around my dining room table, for a chance to meet everyone, and review our plans. It will be my opportunity to assess the varying levels of photographic experience among the participants and consider how everyone can be accommodated.  I will discuss key elements of the photography of flowing water, including the importance of a sturdy tripod, a cable release and, of course, a polarizing filter.  We will also have a chance to plan Saturday’s schedule.

Over all day Saturday, and Sunday morning, we will explore some of our region’s most dramatic waterfalls, from the marvelous group of falls in Wilton New Hampshire, to some lesser known falls in Chesterfield and Gilsum.  Saturday evening, we will gather again around my dining room table for pizza and discussion of the day’s experiences. We will also have a chance for review and gently critique many of the images from the day’s shooting and plan Sunday morning’s explorations.

2017 Workshop

Sunday morning, we will gather again for more falling waters.  I will let you all escape, by noon, exhausted but with a camera full of wonderful waterfall images.

It should be an exciting weekend and I’m looking forward to sharing many of my favorite spots and techniques.

To allow for individual attention, the workshop is limited to only

 8 participants.  The entire program including snacks and an informal dinner will be $195.  

Get in touch as soon as possible, by email or phone, to get on the workshop list.  I look forward to seeing you. And in the meantime, stay warm.

Oak Alley Plantation Up-River from New Orleans

Jeff Newcomer

www.partridgebrookreflections.com

jeffn49@myfairpoint.net

603-381-8393

Fall Foliage Workshop Weekend

Green River Bridge, Vermont

Fall Foliage Workshop
October 12th – 14^th, 2018
Monadnock Region and Southern Vermont

The weather is finally cooling a bit and I’m beginning to see the early traces of color in a few of our trees.  I hate to see the summer pass, but it is good to feel the first signs of autumn’s arrival.  This summer has been hot and hectic, but now that our various trips are out of the way and all the commotion around Abigail’s wedding celebrations has past, I can finally grab a breath and prepare for New England’s most beautiful time of year. 

Md. Sherri's "Castle"

Autumn also marks the beginning of my teaching schedule.  First up, is my Introduction to Digital Photography Course which starts on Tuesday evening, September 19^th.  As always, the course is offered through the Keene Community Education Program and includes 8 hours of classroom discussion and two photoshoots.  We are fully book but if you are interested you could check with the Community Education office for late cancellations.

Third Annual Fall Foliage Workshop

I am especially excited about my Third Annual Fall Foliage Workshop.  As before I will be offering the program on the weekend after the Columbus Day weekend, this year, October 12^th-14^th.  Conditions vary from year to year, but I have found good color on these days and, by avoiding the holiday, we have escaped much of the crowds.     

Gathering Around the Table

2017 Workshop

Our base of operations will again be around my dining room table in Spofford, NH.  I will host the participants at my home on Friday evening for snacks and a discussion about photography in general, and the specific opportunities and challenges of foliage photography.  Based on the conditions, It will also be time to plan the shooting for all day Saturday and Sunday morning.  













Saturday 

Saturday, we will head out early to explore as many different locations as possible.  My goal. Will be to place the group in beautiful locations and then help them get the most from the opportunities. Depending on the state of the color we may travel west to some of my favorite locations in southern Vermont, such as Guilford and the magic village of Green River, or we may explore the hills and farms around the Monadnock region including my own village of Chesterfield.

In the evening, we will return to the dining room table for an informal feast of pizza and some gentle critiquing of the day’s shoot.

Hancock New Hampshire

Sunday Morning
We will head out again Sunday morning for more of our exploration of color, and I will finally let people go around noon. I promise you will come away exhausted but thrilled with the experience.  I look forward to sharing my love for photography in this special time of year.

Autumn Festival, Townsend Vermont

The three-day program is $195, including the delicious snacks and an elegant pizza dinner.  Currently there are a few spaces left in the workshop.  To keep the numbers manageable, I try to limit the participants to less than 6-7.   Please get in touch as soon as you can, by email or phone, to assure your place on the workshop list. If you are coming from outside of the area, I can send you a list of some the best local accommodations. 

• 2017 Fall Foliage Workshop
• 2016 Fall Foliage Workshop
  
  
  
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Introduction to Lightroom Classic – AND the Transition to Photoshop
Six Tuesday Evenings January 8th - February 12thMonadnock Imaging, Main Street Keene New Hampshire

And don’t forget to plan for my Introduction to Lightroom Course coming up in January and again being offered at Monadnock Imaging in Keene NH.   This year I will be adding a fifth evening class covering the transition from Lightroom to Photoshop.

Jeff Newcomer
www.partridgebrookreflections.com
jeffn49@myfairpoint.net
603-363-8338  

2017 Fall Foliage Workshop

Autumn Smoke, Chesterfield

Last weekend I ran my second annual Fall Foliage Workshop. Despite the spotty color, we had a wonderful time exploring the beauty of our New England autumn.  We enjoyed the color, where we found it, but also sampled the special character of our region during this unique time of year.

Yellow Climber, Chesterfield

I was concerned about how the weekend would turn out.  I returned home from a magical three weeks in Italy only two days prior to the beginning of the workshop.  I had heard disappointing descriptions of the quality of the fall color this year and, from a distance, and with unreliable email service, I wasn’t able to confirm whether any of the people who had signed up for the workshop still planned to show up.  On top of all of this, was my devastating level of jet-lag that was made worse by a disaster-filled sleepless thirty-hour trip home from Venice.  Enough whining.  I experienced a remarkable three weeks in Italy, including much time with our kids and their wonderful partners. I then came home to a great, but exhausting, weekend with a group of people who were as excited to learn about their cameras as they were in capturing the autumn color.  How can I complain.  Now that I am rested and readjusted from Italian time, I can celebrate the photographic opportunities that I have experienced in the last month.

Steggiano, Tuscany

Over the last three weeks I have shared just a few of images from the first half of our Italian trip.  Rome, Tuscany and Florence contributed much to the nearly 5,000 images from the trip, and in later articles I will share some of my favorites from the rest of our tour.  This week however I wanted to present a few pictures from the Foliage Workshop.

The Conditions

Greeting, Roads End Farm

In our corner of New England, the peak time for fall foliage is usually around the Columbus Day weekend, and, as I did last year, I scheduled my 2017 Foliage Work shop for the weekend after Columbus Day.  While touring Italy, I began hearing dire descriptions of the disappointing fall color, and as I drove back home from Logan Airport, the disappointment seemed justified.  While many trees had totally lost their leaves, many others had barely begun to change. Even though It was possible to find occasional trees with bright foliage, overall the colors seemed dull and brown.  I returned home late on Thursday and only had Friday to scout for color.  I was trying to decide whether I should travel north or south, before my class arrived for our first session Friday night.  Considering all the bad reviews of the conditions, I also wondered whether anyone would actually show up.

Through the Veil, Chesterfield

The Class

Foliage Class, Gilsum

Happily, nearly everyone arrived for our first session Friday evening.  I had five people for the workshop, which is a nearly ideal number.  I would accept a couple more, but these workshops are all about personal instruction and feedback.  My frustration is that I can’t always be at each participants side to answer questions, and as a group grows, this becomes more of an issue.  

Roads End Pasture : Linda

Fountain Seat, Newfane, Robin and Steph

As always, my group varied in terms of experience and expertise, but they all possessed the most important quality, which is excitement about learning how to improve their photography.  Friday night, around my dining room table I discussed tips for better foliage photography, but I also reviewed some key points that contribute to optimal exposure and strong compositions.  I always worry that I might be boring some of my more advanced students, but it has been my experience that most benefit from this kind of review.  Many of the questions that I get during the workshops often seems to come back to these basics.

Gilsum Stone Arch, Robin

 Many of my participants are still trying to learn how to control their cameras, how to make exposure adjustments in aperture control mode, how to use ISO settings, how to control depth of field, and steady the camera for the sharpest images. Complicating this was the fact that my participants were shooting a variety of camera models, including Canon, Nikon, Sony and Olympus.  With all these different cameras, it was a struggle for me to figure out how to perform basic functions in four slightly different ways.

We broke up Friday evening with some rough plans for the next day’s itinerary, but the only thing that we could be entirely sure about was that we would all meet Saturday morning at 7:30 in my driveway. 

Saturday

I always say that, despite the conditions, there is always something to shoot in New England, and this foliage workshop was a valid test.  I knew we could find areas of color, but I decided to direct our tour to spots that would provide interest beyond just colorful trees.  

Chesterfield Cemetery : Robin

As it turned out, on Saturday, we were able to stop for some areas of nice color, but our travels also included the Chesterfield Center Cemetery, the horses at Roads End Horse Farm, Madame Sherri’s “Castle”, the Dummerston Covered Bridge, the classic village of NewFane Vermont and a traditional small village fair in Townsend Vermont.  It was a full day.  The weather started overcast which was great for capturing the rich color of the foliage without reflections.

Hot Corner, Chesterfield NH

As the sun came out, it was time to show how a polarizing filter can cut through the reflections and how trans-illumination can make even dull foliage ignite with color and brilliance.  In between all this digitizing, we also managed to squeeze in a lovely lunch at the Top of the Hill Barbeque in Brattleboro.

It was a full day.  We were exhausted, but it wasn’t over.   We all returned to my house in the evening for Pizza and a chance to review the images from the day.  There was some great stuff and I was happy to see improvement in technique in the pictures as the day progressed

Sunday

John and Linda Porcupine Falls : Robin

Sunday morning, I let everyone sleep later and we gathered in Keene at 8am.  Our morning included a visit to Stonewall Farm in Keene, and then a trip up to Gilsum where we took the short hike to Porcupine Falls.  Again the goal was to find places of interest that would not depend on the brilliance of the foliage.  We finished the day shooting the Gilsum Stone Arch Bridge a short way along the Ashuelot River.  We could have gone longer, but weekend responsibilities called, and, of course, there was a Patriots game to watch.

Sunday Rain Zoom, Chesterfield, NH

Porcupine Falls Trail : Linda

Everyone seemed to enjoy the workshop and I have been seeing some amazing images coming up on our super-secret Facebook page that Manisha created.  Most importantly I think everyone finished the workshop with a desire to learn more, and given the endless potential for growth that digital photography provides, I could ask for no better outcome.

The Foliage Group, Md. Sherri's : Linda

I look forward to my up-coming Introduction to Digital Photography course next month and my Lightroom Course in January.  Just recently there have been some major changes in the options for using Lightroom.  Creating considerable confusion, there are now two different versions of the program from which to choose.  I’ll try to sort it all out for you in my class.  I’m excited that Keene’s Monadnock Imaging has offered to host my class in their store.  It will provide room for more participants and will eliminate the need to struggle over Chesterfield Hill in the dead of winter.  I’ll be announcing the dates soon.

I enjoy the workshop format and will be offering my Waterfall weekend this spring.  Other possibilities include a winter workshop and possibly one on night photography. 

Stay tuned

Jeffrey Newcomer

partridgebrookreflections.com