11 Feb
2013

Posted in: Assateague, Chincoteague, Workshops
By Ian Plant    9 Comments

Chincoteague Photo Boot Camp

I just got back from a weekend Photo Boot Camp which Joe Rossbach and I led in Chincoteague, Virginia, located on scenic Assateague Island. We had a great time with our clients, shooting Chincoteague’s wildlife and scenery. This first workshop was so popular and filled up so fast, right before we left we decided to schedule a second Photo Boot Camp for March 9-10. That class is already half full, so if you are interested in joining us for an intense weekend of learning and fun, I encourage you to register soon! In the meantime, I’d like to share a few of my images from this weekend’s event.

We got up early on the first day to photograph sunrise. The wind was howling and the seas were angry, a perfect combination for some dramatic photography. Although everyone was cold, everyone had a great time photographing large waves crashing on the shore, backlit by the rising sun.

Later that afternoon, we found some of the famous wild ponies of Assateague Island. For this image, I positioned myself with the sun behind the pony, allowing the warm sunset light to create a glowing fringe around the horse. Backlighting is one of my favorite techniques, and it is something we discussed in great detail and practiced during the workshop.

The next morning we found some snow geese sleeping in a pond. I used a half second exposure to blur the ripples, helping to intensify the dawn colors reflected in the water.

In the evening, right before we concluded the workshop, we came upon some tundra swans swimming past the reflections of trees in the water. We used the reflections to create pattern-based images, such as the one below. One of the techniques we discussed during the workshop was the importance of thinking about the abstract shapes and forms created by compositional elements, a process which is critical to making images such as this.

Joe and I hope you can join us for our next Boot Camp in March. We promise to pack as much photo learning as possible into this intense, educational two-day event. Don’t delay, register fast to secure your spot!

About Ian Plant (334 Posts)

Ian Plant's photographs and instructional articles have appeared in a number of books, calendars, and magazines, including Outdoor Photographer and Popular Photography. Ian writes a regular blog column for Outdoor Photographer online, and he is the author of numerous instructional eBooks and digital processing tutorials. Ian leads several photo tours each year.