George DeWolfe's PercepTool 2 Released

Atlantic Light Works and Reindeer Graphics have announced the release of PercepTool 2(tm), a Photoshop add-on suite that performs High Dynamic Range (HDR), Tone Mapping and Perceptual Effect operations on digital photographs. Compatible with both Windows and Mac platforms using both 32- and 64-bit processing, it operates in Photoshop CS4 and CS5 (Photoshop Extended required for 32-bits/channel). PercepTool 2(tm) works with both B&W and Color images in 8-bits, 16-bits and 32-bits.

PercepTool 2(tm) may be downloaded only from API guest instructor George DeWolfe's website. . For those who have purchased the original PercepTool(tm) the upgrade cost is $75. The full version is $150.

Southern Adirondack Fall Tour - Chasing the Color

Our first tour based in the Lake George region area offered a diverse selection of photographic sites, from grand panoramic overviews to intimate riverscapes and waterfalls to macro opportunities. API staff instructor Mark Bowie, who photographed this area extensively for his three Adirondack books, guided participants from one special site to another.

We persevered through strong sun and wind on the first day, making some nice images of Lake George from the Top ‘O the World and Rodger’s Rock State Campground. The shooting conditions improved progressively over the next couple of days. We shot a quaint, unnamed waterfall cascading off a hillside, then splitting into two channels as it winds through Lake George Wild Forest. We photographed fall foliage along the Hudson and Sacandaga Rivers, and a dramatic misty sunrise over the confluence of the Hudson and Schroon Rivers near Warrensburg. All this followed by peak fall foliage reflected in a still pond high on a wild mountaintop. Absolutely immaculate conditions!

With an experienced local guide, enthusiastic participants and the wealth of autumn beauty around the “Queen of American Lakes”, the tour was great fun, with lots of nice image making. We’ll be back!

Adirondack Fall Workshop - North Country Color!

Our first workshop based in the North Creek/Indian Lake area of the central Adirondacks proved to have a bounty of photogenic sites. For three days we immersed ourselves in the Adirondack autumn beauty. We were greeted by a spectacular sunrise over Lake Abanakee, with colorful clouds reflected in the mirror-like water. A deer swam across it, a loon glided through the colors. On another morning fog hung low over the colorful mix of evergreen and deciduous trees lining the shore. We looked looked down on the fog from an overlook with a panoramic view of the mountains to the east. Along the Indian River the foliage created fanciful foreground elements against the dark water. And at night, the Big Dipper hung just above the quaint railroad station across the road from our hotel.

API staff instructor Mark Bowie led interactive sessions with tips and strategies specific to photographing autumn. He also covered digital workflow in Lightroom and Photoshop, and techniques for creating multiple exposure images, including panoramas and high dynamic range images.

With so many opportunities for great photography in this region, the wonderful hospitality of the Copperfield Inn and conference facility, we hope to host another workshop here soon. There’s so much to explore!

Our First Retreat - A Great Success!

The retreat gang and our Wall of Expression









How much better can it get? That's what Mark and I kept asking ourselves. Six days of sharing the goodwill and creativity of an Adirondack retreat. Beautiful images, poignant moments, lots of laughs, solitude. So many memories...

The Nature of Possibility Retreat that just ended at The Woods Inn was the first of its kind for API. It far exceeded our expectations. We were so excited to participate with eleven accomplished photographers in the goal of exploring ourselves and our relationship to nature through images, writings, conversation. We feel that we have truly found a format that goes beyond the typical workshop, into the realm of personal creativity and exploration.

Thanks to The Woods Inn for providing an absolutely perfect environment for immersing ourselves in the Adirondacks and the creative life!

We are so excited to see how we can improve and extend the concept next year. We think that every accomplished photographer should have an opportunity to experience what we did over these past six days...

Call for Entries - Indian Lake Community Photo Festival

It’s time again for the Community Photo Festival at Indian Lake theater! This year's theme is LIFE IN MOTION. The festival will curated by Adirondack photographer Nancie Battaglia. Participants may submit up to 5 photographs. Please send all submissions by email to photo@indianlaketheater.org by September 27th. The festival will be held at the Indian Lake Theater on October 11th at 7:30 pm.

See the event poster here.

Hello Lake Placid!

What a great time we had at API's first workshop in the Olympic Village! The Adirondack Photography Weekend in partnership with Adirondack Life magazine was held August 27-29 at Northwoods Inn. The weekend was a great success, capped-off by near-perfect weather conditions for the duration.

photo by participant Peter Johngren

API instructors Mark Bowie, Joe LeFevre, John Radigan and staff assistant John DiGiacomo were joined by Adirondack Life staff members Betsy Folwell, Annie Stoltie and Kelly Hofschneider, for a very fun and informative weekend of photography field trips, presentations and Q&A. Northwoods Inn proved the perfect venue for this event, which we hope will become an annual affair.

Don't miss out on this one next year! We can't wait to do it again...

Adirondack Waters Sublime!

A pastel sunrise over Shaw Pond before we were chased away by a thunderstorm… high clouds creating a soft box over the rocks and spray of Buttermilk Falls… puffy clouds colored pastel blue and pink by the setting sun, reflected in Lake Abanakee, later evolving into a crimson stream over Lake Adirondack. And there were fluffy afternoon clouds mirrored in Lake Durant… and boldly lit sunset clouds reflected in a nearby pond, where, the following morning a patrolling beaver slapped his tail in annoyance at us... and an unforgettable 1:30am image of the Big Dipper reflected in one of Durant’s quiet bays. The scenery and the ever-changing summer light combined to make these Adirondack waters especially enchanting.

API staff instructor Mark Bowie led lively, interactive sessions with tips and strategies specific to photographing the diversity of Adirondack waters. He also covered digital workflow in Lightroom and Photoshop, and techniques for creating multiple exposure images, including panoramas and high dynamic range images. With so many photogenic waters nearby, a knowledgeable guide, and receptive and talented students… it was a fabulous workshop of creative image making.

Our First Light of Midnight Workshop

Photo by Sue Schwer

As the late night images materialized on the projection screen, participants gasped, “This is fun!", "This is nuts!", "This is neat!”. It became the catchphrase of the Photographing the Night Landscape workshop led by night shooting specialist Mark Bowie in Inlet. Surely, participants go home excited about their images from each of our workshops, but here they were absolutely astounded at the beauty and mystique of what they captured in the dark of night. Mark led sessions on capturing long exposures with only natural light, as well as painting with artificial lights: from streetlights, head lamps, mini flashlights, one million candlepower flashlights, on-camera flash, speedlights, and flash extenders. The depth and breadth of Mark’s coverage of nighttime photography exposed them to the many opportunities of capturing the natural landscape in the context of the heavenly skies. If you haven’t photographed much at night, consider joining Mark for our next night workshop. You’ll see: It’s fun! It’s nuts! It’s neat!

Watch for Mark’s new e-book, The Light of Midnight: A Guide to Photographing the Landscape at Night, available soon through our website as a downloadable .pdf file.

API Director's Exhibit Opens in Blue Mt. Lake

Natural Resonance, API director John Radigan's first exhibit of all-new work in several years, opened today at Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts in Blue Mt. Lake, NY. The exhibit consists of twenty-two prints from John's recent Adirondack work. The exhibit runs through Saturday, August 21, with a reception taking place from 6-8 pm on the final day. See the arts center's website for gallery hours and other info.

API has partnered with the arts center on several programs in the past, and we are a proud sponsor of the upcoming juried photo exhibit, Diversity Through Many Lenses, which will take place August 25 through October 10.

What A Weekend In Ithaca!

Photo by Rick Tyrseck

From Mark Bowie and Joe LeFevre after their workshop Spring Waterfalls of the Finger Lakes:

"Spring in the Finger Lakes region, where over 200 waterfalls swollen by recent rains plunged through deep gorges and over rocky ledges. We based ourselves out of Ithaca, centrally located to many of the region’s most spectacular waterfalls. We visited Taughannock Falls, the highest in New York State, and Watkins Glen State Park, whose numerous cascades sluice through dramatic gorges. In Havana Glen we photographed Eagle Creek Falls as it leaps over a rock precipice into a bowl-shaped basin adorned with greenery. We also visited Hector Falls, She-Qua-Ga Falls, Aunt Sarah's Falls, and, in Robert H. Treman State Park, the magnificent Lucifer Falls. The resulting images reveal that each is its own microcosm, with a distinctive personality."

Joe and Mark led lively, interactive sessions with tips and strategies specific to photographing waterfalls. They also covered digital workflow in Lightroom and Photoshop, and techniques for creating panoramas and high dynamic range images. Premiere photo locations, knowledgeable guides, and receptive and talented participants… these key ingredients came together for a fabulous weekend of image making.

API and Adirondack Life Team-Up for Big Lake Placid Weekend!

API and Adirondack Life magazine are teaming-up to bring you a fun and informative weekend — a celebration of photography — in the Olympic Village! This is a wonderful opportunity to experience the unique beauty of the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks and learn first-hand from leaders in nature photography and regional publishing the latest tips, techniques and guidelines.

The Adirondack Photography Weekend takes place August 27 thru 29 at the historic Northwoods Inn in downtown Lake Placid. There is a $100 discount for early registration for this event. We expect this event to draw a lot of interest so don't wait to sign-up!

For full detail visit the event page by clicking here.

Adirondack Life Announces Photo Contest Winners

Hot off the press! The winners of the annual Adirondack Life Photo Contest have been announced! You can see the award-winning images in the March/April issue of the magazine, or online. API is again proud to provide sponsorship for the contest, in the form of a certificate redeemable for the tuition cost of our annual Adirondack Fall Photo Workshop. This years event will take place at the Copperfield Inn in North Creek, NY. Click here for details.

Call for Entries - Diversity Through Many Lenses

Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts in Blue Mountain Lake, New York is now accepting entries for their first annual national juried exhibit entitled "Diversity Through Many Lenses". API is proud to sponsor this inaugural event by providing a $500 prize to be awarded to the creator of the Exceptional Nature Image.

Deadline for entries is May 24. Click here to see the prospectus.

Adirondack Life Magazine: Mark Bowie on Light Pollution

Don't miss API staff instructor Mark Bowie's very informative article on light pollution, Let There Be Dark, in Adirondack Life magazine this month, where he explores man's ever-increasing impact on one of the most enduring and magical pieces of our heritage, the night sky. The article is reprinted on the magazine's website.

Mark is excited about his first API workshop dedicated to night shooting, which will take place August 1-4 in Inlet, NY at the one-of-a-kind Woods Inn. Don't miss this special opportunity to learn from an authority on the special requirements of shooting in low light. Details can be seen here.

Staff Instructor Carl Rubino at Lake Placid Center for the Arts

API staff instructor Carl Rubino will be leading two workshops for LPCA as part of their Winter & Spring schedule.

"Improving Your Photography - The Basic skills" will take place Saturday, May 22. This is a one-day workshop for photographers who want a better understanding of the basics of photography. Covers a host of topics including: composition, exposure control, natural lighting and other essential skills so as to improve your photography dramatically.

"SLR Photography - Beyond The Basics" is a two-day workshop for photographers who want to go deeper into the art of photography, expanding their understanding and use of composition, portrayal of motion in photography, creative use of shutter speed and depth of field, selective focus, lens choices and other techniques, and perhaps, venturing into fine art photography. The workshop will take place Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20, respectively.

For more information on these workshops visit the LPCA website . And don't forget that LPCA members are eligible for a discount on API programs! Click here for details.

BRRRR! - Winter Fun with Mark Bowie

Photo by Greg Craybas

With temperatures plunging to -16 degrees one night, followed by -20 degrees the following morning (an API workshop record!), the endurance of both photographic equipment and participants at the Adirondack Winter Workshop, led by Mark Bowie, were tested to the limit.

The participants proved a hearty lot and came away with some nice images despite the trying conditions. And as usual, the warmth, hospitality, and great food provided by the Woods Inn were excellent. It’s a fabulous place from which to run a workshop; nice accommodations with access to numerous scenic field locations.

Mark challenged participants with indoor sessions on strategies and techniques specific to photographing the Adirondack winter, including creating panoramas and high dynamic range imagery, resulting in a free-flowing exchange of creative ideas. Re-connecting with old friends, meeting new ones, and feeding off one another’s artistic abilities highlights API workshops. And from this one we came away with a common bond about which we’ll embellish for years: how we persevered through extreme Adirondack weather!