Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Workshop Alumni Photo Contest Winner


"Bison in the Snow" by Charles R. Smith
Congratulation, Bob!

The WINNER of a 20x30-inch framed canvass print from
The Photo Touch in Loveland, Colorado.

Voting was extremely close. The difference between the winning image and the one that came in fourth place was less that 1%.
  • 2nd Place - "Ptarmigan in Flight" - by Rob Haman
  • 3rd Place - "Sunrise at Sprague Lake" - by Tim Visser
  • 4th Place - "Zebra Silhouette at Sunset" - by Jim Codington
To view these images and others - Click HERE.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

You can't make this stuff up . . .

I hope you enjoy the following post that I recently receiver from a friend . . .


We are familiar with a
Herd of cows,

A Flock of Chickens,

A School of fish,

And a Gaggle of geese.


However, less widely known is
A Pride of lions,

A Murder of crows


(as well as their cousins the rooks and ravens),


An Exaltation of doves or larks,

And, presumably because they look so wise:

A Parliament of owls.


Now consider a group of Baboons. Baboons (according to the email I received) are the loudest, most dangerous, most obnoxious, most viciously aggressive and least intelligent of all primates.

And what is the proper collective noun
for a group of baboons? 
Believe it or not . . . a CONGRESS!


 A CONGRESS OF BABOONS!

That pretty much explains the things
that come out of Washington!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Upcoming Events . . .

I just updated the schedule for my upcoming appearances, workshops, and seminars. Click HERE.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

It Happened Yesterday . . .


It happened yesterday, Tuesday, November 6, 2012. I witnessed what was, in my opinion, a travesty and unequivocal miscarriage of justice that was perpetrated, not only upon my friend Lee Skinner, but upon the people of Colorado. It took place in Longmont, Colorado, in Boulder County Court overseen by Judge Karolyn Moore.

My wife, Lori Huff, had been called as a potential witness for the defense. I simply decided to go along to provide moral support. As a witness, Lori was not allowed inside the Court and had to sit outside in the waiting area. With little more to do than sit around and twiddle my thumbs, I elected to go in the court and observe justice in action. Was I ever mistaken . . .

Lee Skinner, my neighbor and good friend, had been fined $200 by Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) for allegedly allowing his dog to chase a mule deer buck. The charge had been brought about as the result of his neighbor, a Mr. Hall, contacting Boulder County Animal Control who in turn contacted CPW.  Mr. Hall, in an email to the CPW District Wildlife Manager, wrote that he had observed Lee’s dog harassing wildlife.

My friend, believing the charge to be unjust, decided the best way to clear his name was to challenge it in court.

The following notes reflect my observations of testimony given by the prosecution, the defense, and the Judge’s decision . . .

It’s important to keep in mind that Lee was ticketed for allowing his dog to harass wildlife. Either his dog harassed the mule deer and he was guilty as charged, or it did not harass the deer and the charges should have been dropped.

Based on testimony, another dog very similar in color and build to Lee’s dog, roams free in the area. This other dog, owned by one of Lee’s neighbors, happens to be the mother of Lee’s dog.

Several issues were presented by both sides, some relevant, some not. However, what is important is that Mr. Hall was presented a number of photographs, along with a video, depicting Lee’s dog and the almost identical neighbor’s dog. Basically, Mr. Hall was unable to identify either dog in the pictures. Not only that, Mr. Hall’s eye-witness accounts of the circumstances surrounding the incident were, in my opinion, questionable.

When asked by the defense, “Did you see Mr. Skinner’s dog chase the mule deer?”
Mr. Hall replied, “No.” In fact, he went on to describe that the dog in question actually went in the opposite direction from the deer and where it was headed.

Judge Karolyn Moore, in her ruling against Lee Skinner, addressed several issues touched upon during the trial. Not one of them were relevant as to whether or not the dog in question actually belonged to my friend, or for that matter even harassed the mule deer.

During the trial, no evidence was ever presented that the dog in question chased or harassed the mule deer. More importantly, no evidence was ever presented that the dog in question actually belonged to Lee Skinner.

In my opinion, this trial had more to do about Colorado Parks & Wildlife winning, than it did with justice being served.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

EVERYONE WINS!




A CONTEST WHERE EVERYONE WINS!

Rocky Mountain Photo Adventures celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012. As the year nears its end, I can think of no better way of celebrating 25 years of leading photography workshops, than by honoring our alumni and automatically entering their images in a photo contest and YOU ARE THE JUDGE (and that also includes all alumni). FORWARD THIS POST to all your friends. The more people voting, the better it is for all.

The best thing about it is that everybody wins by simply participating. 

Ever since we put a website on the internet, participants have been encouraged to submit photos made during workshops. I would then select a few images and upload them to that website. Those images are now part of this contest and can be viewed on the alumni pages of our Rocky Mountain Photo Adventures website.  Click HERE.

YOU & YOUR FRIENDS ARE INVITED TO VOTE!



Here's how to vote:
Step 1 - Simply go to our website:  www.RockyMountainPhotoAdventures.com
Step 2 - Click on ALUMNI in the navigation bar.
Step 3 - View all four galleries (Africa, Alaska, Canada, Lower 48) and pick your favorite image (select only one).
Step 3 - Email the photographer's name and image description to me:  wlee@rockymountainphotoadventures.com


VOTING ENDS MIDNIGHT, FRIDAY,
NOVEMBER 16, 2012.


The photographer of the winning image will receive a 20x30-inch, framed canvas print of that image from The Photo Touch.  A $265 value.

That's not all . . .
Every person voting, will receive a $25 coupon from The Photo Touch that can be applied to the purchase of either a 20x30-inch framed canvas or framed aluminum print . . . and, you can order directly from their website.

There's more . . .
Thanks to Dan Sawusch, owner of The Photo Touch, all of my friends, and that includes you, can now purchase the finest photographic prints the industry has to offer at their special Enthusiast Level pricing. This is a substantial savings over standard retail pricing!
Simply tell 'em, "Weldon sent me."

LET THE VOTING BEGIN!


Sunday, September 30, 2012

"Ghosts of the Past"


American Elk - Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado


This image represents the many herds of elk that once roamed the mountains and valleys of Rocky Mountain National Park. While elk can still be found in the Park, thanks to the Park’s Elk Management Plan, their numbers are but a ghost of bygone days.

According to a reputable source, well over 1,000 elk have been shot and killed, both inside and outside Park boundaries, pursuant to this Plan. In addition, much of their food source has been fenced off forcing large numbers of elk to leave the Park - also a part of their Management Plan. Unfortunately, it does not end there. The implementation of elk contraception has also reduced the numbers of elk in the park.

A Rocky Mountain National Park brochure printed in August, 1991, reported the following elk numbers, “As many as 4,500 elk in summer may dwindle to 1,500 during winter . . .” A current statement on the Park’s website has this to say,“Concentrations of 3,200 elk in summer may dwindle to 1,000 during winter as elk migrate to lower elevations and move to areas outside the park.” Based on their own count, it’s easy to see that elk numbers are down.

I spoke with a gentleman during the elk rut in 2011, who commented that his little six year old daughter wanted so badly to see some elk, but so far in the two days they had been there had seen none.
 Does Park management not know that millions of visitors come to Rocky each year in anticipation of seeing herds of wild elk? Imagine the affect this will ultimately have on the local economy, which is already not the best.

As a photographer, it is bad enough to find fewer elk when I go into the Park, but now I have to contend with fences in the background.

We must speak out and let Park Service personnel know that we are watching.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

"Moraine Park Coyote"


Coyote  -  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

I made this image last week in Moraine Park while guiding Alan Montgomery from Texas. Earlier this week, Lori and I conducted our annual Colorado Fall Wildlife photography workshop in Rocky Mountain National Park. I will be posting images from this workshop as soon as I find time to process them. Right now, I'm preparing for our Wildlife & Photoshop workshop/seminar, which starts tomorrow.


Thursday, September 13, 2012

NANPA Road Show Colorado


This is what Road Show participants can expect to see.

The Colorado NANPA Road Show is only a week away and Mother Nature is cooperating. Aspen trees are once again working their fall magic. The mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park are being transformed into blankets of gold, as the sound of bugling bull elk fill the valleys.

As host for this event, I will be sharing many of the techniques I have learned over the years photographing our wild brothers and sisters.

Here’s what’s in store for you . . .

In Search of the Winning Image
One of the things I have learned is what it takes to consistently produce a winning image. During the Road Show, I will reveal the biggest stumbling block photographers face in this process. Not only will I show you how to eliminate it, I will also show examples.

The Digital Darkroom: Making of a Symphony
Ansel Adams said, "The negative is the equivalent of the composer's score, and the print the performance." This takes us to step two in producing a winning image. During this segment you will learn the equivalent Photoshop techniques that Adams used in his chemical darkroom to transform negatives into a performance. Using a few simple techniques that I will reveal, you will be able to transform those digital files into performance masterpieces.

The Power of Photography: Using Your Photos to Safeguard Life on Planet Earth
It is my belief that we, as nature photographers, have a responsibility to protect the biodiversity of planet Earth and the integrity of its natural ecosystems. In this segment, you will learn how to use your images to create visually based programs to educate peopl and further the protection of our wild brothers and sisters.


That’s not all. There’s more. An entire segment will be devoted to . . .
Critiquing on the Wild Side
This portion of the Road Show will feature image critiquing that's fun, revealing, and perhaps even inspiring as participant's images are digitally projected and critiqued for everyone's benefit. Each participant will bring a selection of three images, preferably featuring wildlife subjects, stored on a memory stick, for this session.


Click on the following link for details and to register:

Whatever you do, don’t miss this special event.
Sign up today!