Gift Certificates Now Available Online

We now have gift certificates available online. They are $250 and usable toward the deposit on any API program in 2013. A great gift for that photographically-inclined special someone!

To purchase click here.

Winter Workshop and Upgraded Discounts

We’ve just announced the winter workshop for next year. Once again, the festivities will take place in the Olympic village at Northwoods Inn. There is a new, lower price for this event, so don’t miss out!

Also, our discount program has been streamlined, with larger discounts being offered for 2013. See the details here.

Schroon Lake Autumn Photo Workshop Highlights

Our Schroon Lake Region Fall Color Workshop on October 12-14 was a great success with 8 participants!  I just wanted to reflect on the highlights of the trip, as I'm writing in from a fish and chips shop in Tasmania, Australia, where I'm doing some trekking and location scouting for other photo tours I lead. The autumn color was very vibrant this year, with ideal conditions for leaves to turn vibrantl, with there being cold nights and plenty of moisture. Our group was based out of the cozy Silver Spruce Bed and Breakfast, which is very historic and charming - parts of the house date from the late 1700's!

On friday evening we arrived to Schroon Lake village, then hurried over to the town of Adirondack to photograph the shoreline of Schroon Lake at sunset. On Saturday, we witnessed an incredible sunrise over Schroon Lake, then had a bountiful home-made breakfast at the B&B, including home-baked muffins, coffee cake, omelettes, pancakes, and more. Since the peak foliage was a week or so earlier than usual this season, we drove on a large loop day tour around the Port Henry and Ticonderoga regions, where there was still very bright autumn color.  One of my new favorite views is from Belfry Mt Firetower, after an easy .3 mile walk, where we photographed snow-dusted Adirondack High Peaks mountains beyond the yellow autumn color of the forests below. More highlights this day included macro photography of frost on flowers, Mt. Defiance's view over Lake Champlain and Fort Ticonderoga,  farmscapes around Ticonderoga, and leaf covered country roads near Lake George.

  Sunday the weather was rainy, but that was ideal for us as I gave a brief indoor session on photo post processing, then spent the rest of the day at some enchanting mossy forest streams in the nearby Pharaoah Lakes Wilderness area.  My favorite photo from this day was certainly the long exposure (30 seconds) images of swirling foam patterns in idyllic mossy cascades along Crane Pond Rd.  So, we had a diversity of photographic subjects and styles, which we learned through an enjoyable weekend in the Adirondack Park's outdoors!  Everyone came away with some great images, and some new photographic skills and refreshed creative vision!

I look forward to next year's trips - come join us on one, and learn photography the best way, through one-on-one situational instruction in the field with a professional Adirondack photographer!

p.s. - Here's a link to the Flickr photo album my group decided to form, featuring photos from the weekend to show and share with each other!

A Classic Retreat

To set aside time and immerse yourself in the craft of photography amidst the serenity of the central Lake Country is, to us, the ultimate Adirondack photographic experience — and the essence of our signature Retreats.  API director John Radigan and staff instructor Mark Bowie guided participants on this week-long artists' retreat, where we explored in-depth the beauty and emotional allure of this special place.  Participants worked on daily assignments, which culminated in a presentation of their week's theme.  Viewing others' work through their eyes is an incredible way to enhance one's own photography.  To track our progress images were printed and posted daily and an e-book showcasing everyone's imagery and writing was produced.

The Woods Inn, in Inlet, was once again our home.  With gourmet food, fantastic hospitality and a waterfront location offering so many photographic possibilities, they are the perfect hosts.

The Retreat format is an unrivaled success and the heart of our offerings.  Watch for more of them as next year's schedule is announced.  And sign up as soon as possible; they fill quickly! 

Adirondack Fall Fantastic!

The northern Adirondacks were ablaze with fall color for API's 6th Annual Fall Photo workshop, led by Mark Bowie.  Based out of the Northwoods Inn in Lake Placid, Mark led field excursions to lakes, ponds, rivers and woods decorated with classic Adirondack fall foliage.  Morning mists lingered over the waters, softening the colors to pastels.  The area's great variety of hardwoods set amidst evergreens makes it unique in the Northeast.  The mountains were carpeted with multi-hued blankets.  The waters reflected them.  With the abundance of color, the great challenge lay in crafting unique autumn images that resonated with meaning.  Mark led the group in exploring many different field and post-processing techniques: creating panoramas, abstract images, layer masks, and multiple exposures for focus stacking and contrast control.  The possibilities for great imagery were as plentiful as the fall colors.  Both are what makes this region so special as an autumn destination.

Special thanks to the Northwoods Inn for their fabulous meals and for being such gracious hosts.  Watch for more fall events on next year's schedule, to be posted soon.

Announcing “Adirondacks: A Place to Dream”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Adirondack arts and cultural organizations host three-day extravaganza

Lake Placid, NY, August 20, 2012---Arts and cultural organizations from throughout the North Country have joined forces for a three-day event, September 7-9 in Lake Placid, designed to explore the power of place that, for more than a century-and-a-half, has drawn some of the world’s greatest artists, filmmakers, musicians, photographers and writers to the mountains of the Adirondacks to create. Dubbed “Adirondacks: A Place to Dream,” the multi-media program features the collective contributions of some of the most important voices in the Adirondack arts.

The event kicks off with a reception and lecture, Friday, September 7^th at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The program continues with lectures, presentations and displays on Saturday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the High Peaks Resort. At 6 p.m. on Saturday, activities shift to the Palace Theater for an Adirondack silent film screening and then to the Northwoods Inn at 9:15 p.m. for an evening of Adirondack music and storytelling. The program will conclude on Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Adirondack Community Church with a consideration of spirit featuring a Mohawk storyteller.

The event is chaired by Bob Bullock, president of the Albany-based NYS Archives Partnership Trust; Marianne Patinelli-Dubay, an environmental philosopher with the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Northern Forest Institute; and Gary Smith, owner of the Northwoods Inn in Lake Placid and board member of the Archives Partnership Trust and event co-sponsor, the Lake Placid Institute for the Humanities.

The program was developed through the collaborative efforts of the Adirondack Center for Writing, Adirondack Community Church, Adirondack Life Magazine, Adirondack Museum, Adirondack Photography Institute, Archives Partnership Trust, Lake Placid Film Forum, Lake Placid Institute, and the SUNY College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry’s Northern Forest Institute.

Other sponsors include High Peaks Resort, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Mountain Lake PBS, and North Country Public Radio. The program is supported by the New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities; a grant from Julia Cadbury in memory of her husband, the late Warder H. Cadbury, a passionate, lifelong devotee of the Adirondacks; and an anonymous donor.

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, go to the program’s website at www.adirondacksaplacetodream.com or call the Lake Placid Institute at (518) 523-1312.

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The Wonder of the Night Landscape

Recent technological advancements in digital photography have opened a new frontier for photographers — photographing the landscape at night.  

API staff instructor, Mark Bowie, an expert on night photography, led an intensive 4-day and night workshop based in Old Forge.  He introduced students to the many possibilities for capturing details simultaneously in the landscape and sky — vibrant images full of color and atmosphere.  In classroom sessions he covered how to determine exposures, focusing in the dark, painting with light, and how to shoot diverse subjects – from wild landscapes to cityscapes to natural subjects lit by artificial lights, which the Adirondacks offer in abundance.  Students photographed Orion reflected in the Moose River, as a thunderstorm flashed in the distance.   They shot dark clouds streaming over Brown’s Tract Inlet, with the surrounding tamarack bog glowing green, lit by nearby streetlights.  They shot a dock and gazebo, their lights glowing warm beneath the Big Dipper set a rich blue sky.  At 11pm, they photographed spiders in their webs, backlit by the lights from a nearby restaurant.

The possibilities at night are limitless.  That we can capture the nocturnal beauty in images is amazing.  If you’d like to learn how, watch for our future night workshops and seminars.  And watch for the release of Mark’s second e-book on night photography, NIGHT EXAMPLES: Images, Concepts, Techniques, set for release this summer.

Red River Paper Joins Us

We are pleased to announce a new corporate partner, Red River Paper. We will be utilizing their fine products during our retreat programs, as well as making samples available at our workshops.

We look forward to working with Red River in the future!

Adirondack Arts: A Place To Dream

API is proud to take part in a first-of-its-kind event, Adirondack Arts: A Place To Dream. This three-day exploration of Adirondack cultural heritage takes place in Lake Placid September 7-9. Staff members Mark Bowie and John Radigan will be joined by emerging photo artist Shelby McGill in presenting an interactive look at the past, present and future of photography in the Park on Saturday at 11:00 AM.

Please consider attending this worthwhile event to help ensure its bright future!

For more information visit the event website at adirondacksaplacetodream.com/.

Fall Color With Johnathan Esper

We're very proud to have Adirondack Life contributor and international tour leader Johnathan Esper as a new addition to our staff! Johnathan's first foray into the field for us will be as leader of the Schroon Lake Fall Color Weekend tour program. This is also our first visit to that popular Adirondack area.

Johnathan is sure to infuse the weekend with his contagious enthusiasm. This is a weekend you won't want to miss!

An Opening In DeWolfe/Radigan Retreat

The Contemplative Landscape Retreat has been sold out for months, but as luck would have it there has been a cancellation, so we have an unexpected opening. The retreat programs up to this point have always sold-out, so this is a great opportunity for someone....

Don't hesitate on this one...

20% Off On Night Landscape Workshop

We are extending the registration deadline and offering 20% off the registration fee for the Adirondack Night Landscape workshop with Mark Bowie, which will take place July 29 thru August 2 in Old Forge, NY. See more on this program by clicking here.

Canoe Tour Registration Extended and Discount

Our canoe tour was a big hit last year, so we added an extra day to make it even more fun this time around!

We've decided to extend registration and offer an additional 10% off on registration fees (up to a maximum total discount of 20%).

Take advantage of this special offer and don't miss out on the fun!

Price Reductions

Due to the continuing global economic uncertainty, which shows little (if any) sign of abating anytime soon, we've decided to reduce registration fees on many of our remaining 2012 events. All of our existing discount programs remain in effect. The price reductions are effective immediately. All you need to do to take advantage of the opportunity is call us at (518) 478-8592 and register for a program...

Announcing the API Skills Programs!

We've had many requests over the years for shorter, skills-oriented training to complement our multi-day field workshops. We're happy to announce our first skills offerings in 2012! Many of these programs are taking place at the beautiful, new View facility in Old Forge, NY.

Skills programs are designed to give you training focused on some specific topic, such as basic macro photography or the use of Adobe Lightroom, presented by an API expert.

Here's what we have planned so far this year:

Digging Deeper with Macro - June 9

Getting the Most from Adobe Lightroom - June 10

How to Photograph the Landscape at Night - June 16

New Possibilities with Cell Phone Photography - July 19 & 20 

Better Photographs - The Basic Skills - August 9

Beyond the Basics - Taking Control of Your Camera - August 10

For information about these new programs, visit the Skills Programs section of our website by clicking here.

API Alumni Winners in the 2012 Adirondack Life Photography Contest

Image by Susan Kiesel

The results are in! API was well-represented in this year's Adirondack Life Annual Photography Contest. Three of our alumni were chosen for awards this year! 

Susan Kiesel won Third Place Wildlife for her image "Bull Moose, Helldiver Pond", Zack Clothier won Second Place Color with his image “Windswept World” and Beth Moore won First Place Black and White with “Seventh Lake”.  An honorable mention also goes to Michael J. Powers for “French Gentian and Crab Spider” A big congratulations to them!

To see the winning images, visit the Adirondack Life photo contest page here.

Once again, the Grand Prize winner took home a coupon redeemable for the tuition cost of an API workshop. This year's top winner was Chris Tennant for his image "Sunrise at Connery Pond". Congratulations Chris!  We're looking forward to meeting you this fall.

Wonderful 1st Winter Workshop in Lake Placid

Despite this year’s mild winter in the Northeast, we had an enthusiastic group for our annual winter photography workshop, led by API staff instructor Mark Bowie. There are always compelling images to be made up north, and though there was little snow, Mark’s group experienced a fabulous sunrise over three of the Adirondacks’ most prominent and snow-capped peaks: Mt Marcy, Mt Colden and Algonquin Mountain. There were intricate ice formations along the edges of the open Ausable River. And under overcast conditions in the Cascade Lakes valley, dramatic black and white images were made from the details of towering cliffs, boulder-strewn slopes and the birch-lined waters.

Mark led comprehensive image analysis and critiquing sessions and new instructional sessions on innovative processing techniques, including extending depth of field through blending multiple focus exposures. Many thanks to the class, whose reward for their optimism, sharing and creativity was great image-making and new friends.

Joe LeFevre Wins in International Contest!

Bandon Beach Sunset

With his image “Bandon Beach Sunset,” API staff photographer Joe LeFevre recently won one of four first place prizes in the Share the View international nature photography contest sponsored by the Audubon Society of Greater Denver.  In addition, two more of Joe’s images gained highly commended status in the contest and were listed in the top 250 images.  The first annual contest was open to nature photographers world-wide. To see the prize winning photos and the top 250 images click here.

2012 Schedule Announced!

We're proud to finally announce our 2012 calendar of events! It's been tough going with computer crashes and other exciting things conspiring to get us way behind this year. But we think what we've come up with is better than ever!

Some of the details are still being finalized, but the dates are set. See the workshop/tour schedule here, and the retreat schedule here.