Appalachian Summer
Jim Clark and Keron Psillas
in the Mountains of West Virginia
4-Day Program: $900
July 17-20, 2008
Lewisburg, WV
REGISTER: COURSE IS FULL
© 2008 Jim Clark
This workshop explores the summer season of the Appalachians in the remote region of southern West Virginia. What makes this workshop special is that we'll be photographing in areas far from the maddening crowds. Here, while visitors are welcomed, photographers are rare. No one will be looking over your shoulder. Your instructors are both natives of West Virginia and they each love to share their love for this most wonderful region of the United States.
On the agenda will be a day exploring the most photographed grist mill in the country - the Mill at Babcock State Park. We will explore the mill from every angle and search for other summer specialties in the park. This will be a morning shoot, with lunch at the park and upon our return to Lewisburg, we'll reconvene in the classroom for a participant image critique session. This will also give you an opportunity to ask questions about any facet of nature photography, from the technical, to post-processing and printing, to the business of this craft. We'll depart after the session to photograph the fading light of a summer's day.
© 2008 Jim Clark
During the workshop, we will also journey a bit north to photograph along the Highland Scenic Highway, which is one of the most scenic byways in the country. The Highland offers imposing vistas of the valleys below, which are often shrouded in early morning fog. With no commercial traffic allowed on the highway, we should have the highway to ourselves. Nearby is the scenic Williams River, which we will explore as well. We will also concentrate on photographing the abundant species of wildflowers and butterflies along this stretch of the highway.
Throughout our journey we will be surrounded by national forests, which will provide additional opportunities to capture an Appalachian sense of place. In addition to the waterfalls and lush forest landscapes of the Monongahela National Forest, we will explore the Falls of Hills Creek and the unique wetland ecosystem of Cranberry Glades Botanical Area.
© 2008 Jim Clark
On this day we will be spending all of our time in the field, but we'll have "tail-gate" sessions planned to discuss various topics related to nature photography, including proper use and selection of tripods, compositional guidelines, etc. Throughout the day, you'll also learn about the natural history of the area we are photographing.
Around the historical community of Lewisburg, we will focus on covered bridges, country landscapes, and the town itself. To top it off, just south of Lewisburg is the imposing Sandstone Falls on the ancient New River. The waterfalls, although small in height, stretch completely across the New River. These are half-day trips and we'll return to Lewisburg to once again have participant critique sessions in the classroom.
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About Jim Clark
About Keron Psillas
© 2008 Jim Clark
