by hankinslawrenceimages | Feb 23, 2015 | Workshops
Yellow Trillium & Purple Phacelia © 2009 Patty Hankins
Today is your last chance to save $ 100 on your registration for my Spring in the Smokies workshop. Prices go up tomorrow.
I would love to have you join me from April 26-30 in my favorite national park at my favorite time of year for this landscape and nature photography workshop. If you’re wondering why I’m offering this workshop in April – be sure to check out my Top 5 Reasons to Photograph in the Smokies in the Spring.
If you have any questions about the workshop – drop me a note and we’ll find a time to talk to see if this is the right workshop for you.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Feb 20, 2015 | Flowers, News, Wildflowers, Workshops
Some of you have heard me talking about how wonderful it is to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the spring for years. It’s my favorite national park – and late April is my favorite time of the year to visit. But just in case you haven’t heard me raving about the Smokies in the spring, I thought I’d share my top 5 reasons to photograph in the Smokies in the spring.
5. The entire park is open!!! Several of my favorite sections of the park including the Motor Nature Trail and the road to Clingman’s Dome are closed in the winter. By late April, everything in the park is open and I can photograph sunrises like this from the parking lot at Clingman’s Dome.
Smoky Mountain Sunrise © Patty Hankins
4. You can cause a Dogwood Jam!!!! If you’ve been to any of the national parks known for their wildlife, you’ve likely been caught in a bear jam or moose jam (a huge traffic jam caused when people see photographers along the side of the road with their cameras on tripods with long lenses). While bear jams are pretty common in the Smokies too, it’s the only park where I’ve caused a Dogwood Jam when I was photographing some dogwood blossoms in the woods with my long lens. About 10 cars parked behind my car, and several people came running over with their cameras asking “Where’s the bear?” You can just imagine the looks on their faces when I told them no bear – and that I was photographing the dogwood blossoms.
American Dogwood © 2013 Patty Hankins
3. Mountain streams!!! One of the wonderful photographic subjects in the Smokies is all the wonderful flowing water. From mountain streams to waterfalls, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of photographs of water just waiting to be taken in the park.
Smoky Mountain Stream © Patty Hankins
2. Great no-hike photo opportunities!!! There’s nothing like hiking in the mountains and seeing scenes that most people never see. When I’m in the Smokies, it’s not uncommon for me to hike a few miles up and back on a trail. But you don’t have to take long hikes to find wonderful photo opportunities in the park. All the photos in this article were taken within 100 feet of the side of the roads in the park.
Crested Dwarf Iris and Star Chickweed © 2009 Patty Hankins
1. Wildflowers!!!! My top reason for visiting the Smokies in the spring is the wildflowers. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most biologically diverse places in the country. There are literally hundreds of different wildflowers that bloom in the park from March through October. The peak bloom and what the Smokies are best known for are the Spring Ephemerals the bloom briefly in the spring, usually in late April.
Yellow Trillium & Purple Phacelia © 2009 Patty Hankins
I am really looking forward to trip to the Smokies this spring. Bill and I would love to have you join us for our Spring in the Smokies workshop from April 26-30.
Early Bird Registration for the workshop ends on February 23 – and the registration fee will go up on February 24. So register now and save if you want to join me in the Smokies this spring.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Feb 15, 2015 | Virginia, Workshops
Bill and I taught our landscape photography workshop earlier this month at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague National Seashore. We had wonderful weather, fantastic students and incredible photographic opportunities. Saturday nights sunset was probably the most incredible sunset I’ve ever photographed. I can’t ever remember seeing so many intense colors in the sky and reflected in the water as we saw that night.
We photographed sunset from the boardwalk at the middle of Wildlife Loop. We hadn’t photographed a sunset from there in years – but I suspect we’ll head back to that spot again.
Here are some of my photos from that evening in the order I took them. And before you ask – yes I did edit the photos – but not very heavily – these really were the colors we saw that night.
A bare tree silhouetted at sunset – with a bald eagle perched in the branches.
Sunset at Chincoteague NWR © 2015 Patty Hankins
Sunset at Chincoteague NWR © 2015 Patty Hankins
Sunset at Chincoteague NWR © 2015 Patty Hankins
Sunset at Chincoteague NWR © 2015 Patty Hankins
Assateague Light at Sunset
Assateague Light at Sunset © 2015 Patty Hankins
Sunset at Chincoteague NWR © 2015 Patty Hankins
We had a wonderful time at Chincoteague NWR this past weekend teaching our workshop. We haven’t set the dates for our Chincoteague 2016 workshop – but chances are it will be in early February. If you’d like to be among the first to hear about our other workshops this year – and our 2016 workshop at Chincoteague – just sign up for my newsletter. I can’t promise you we’ll have another sunset like this one – but you never know 🙂
by hankinslawrenceimages | Jan 9, 2015 | Workshops
Bill and I often get asked – why do we teach our landscape photography workshop at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague National Seashore in the winter? After all – we’re going to a beach – wouldn’t it be better to go in the summer?
Not really – winter is actually my favorite time of year to head to Chincoteague and Assasteague. And here are my top 5 reasons why
5. NO BUGS! Chincoteague and Assateague are famous for all the mosquitos and horse-flies in the summer. Kind of what you’d expect when you’re visiting a marsh and a beach – lots of annoying biting insects. I have never gotten bitten by bugs in the winter at Chincoteague and I’ve never had to cover myself with Deep Woods OFF!
Snow Geese at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge © 2013 Patty Hankins
4. LOTS OF BIRDS! Located along the Atlantic Flyway, thousands of migrating birds visit Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in the winter. Several of the marshes, ponds and waterways are located near the refuge roads, so I’ve been able to photograph many birds without needed a super long lens (I usually use either my 70-200mm or 100-400mm lens when photographing birds at Chincoteague
3. CONVENIENT LOCATIONS: Most of the places we’ll be photographing are within 100 feet of where we’ll be parking our cars. So if you get cold, you can jump back into the car to warm up before continuing to photograph.
Chincoteague Sunset © 2013 Patty Hankins
2. SHORT DAYS: In early February, the sun comes up at 7 AM and sets at 5:30 PM. In June, sunrise is at 5:40 AM and sunset isn’t until 8:30 PM. So in the winter, you can sleep in a bit, grab a cup of coffee and still photograph a wonderful sunrise. And in the evening, you can photograph sunset and still have ordered dinner and drinks at my favorite local restaurant Bill’s by 7 PM.
Sign at the Visitor Center at Chincoteague NWR
1. NO CROWDS! Most people visit Chincoteague and Assateague in the summer, so crowded beaches and long lines at the park entrance are the norm. We’ve never had to wait in a line in the winter and it’s not uncommon to see less than 20 other people in the entire park in the winter. Even the National Wildlife Refuge System recognizes that while summer is peak tourist migration season, winter is peak waterfowl migration season.
Bill and I still have a few spaces left in our February workshop in Chincoteague. We’d love to have you join us on Feb 6-8. If you have any questions about the workshop or if it’s right for you, drop me a note and we’ll find a time to talk.
by hankinslawrenceimages | Dec 16, 2014 | Workshops
This is the photography workshop I’ve always wanted to teach. I fell in love with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park the first time I visited. My love for the park has grown with each subsequent visit.
April in the Smokies means peak wildflower season, wonderful streams and waterfalls surrounding by bright green foliage and hopefully beautiful sunrises. Really, does photography get any better than this?
Join Bill and me for 3 ½ days of photographing in my favorite National Park at my favorite time of year.
This workshop is for you if you . .
- Appreciate beautiful places and capturing their memories
- Enjoy spending time in nature
- Embrace the opportunity to spend time with and learn from like-minded photographers
- Seek personal guidance as you improve your wildflower and landscape photography skills
- Have the vision but can’t get your gear to cooperate
At the Workshop you will . . .
- Have a great time photographing in the magnificent Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Compose photographs that allow you to share what caught your eye in the field
- Express your vision
- Capture the beauty you see in your photographs
We’ll be based out of Gatlinburg, Tennessee and start our time together on Sunday evening to go over the schedule and a few details for the workshop. We’ll photograph in the park from Monday through Thursday morning. Some of the locations we’ll be photographing at include Cades Cove, Clingman’s Dome (weather permitting) and some of my favorite wildflower locations.
We won’t just be photographing in the field. Each day we’ll gather mid-day for talks on subjects such as “What Caught Your Eye”, “Sharing a 3-Dimensional Scene in a 2-Dimensional Image” and “What Is that Wildflower?”. Bonus! You will also have a private consultation with one of us about your next steps on your path to becoming a better photographer. We’ll end on Thursday morning with a slideshow of participant photos from the workshop.
We’re limiting the workshop to 7 participants to ensure that we’re able to give each of you the personalized attention you should get in a photography workshop.
All the details including registration information is available on my website.
Not sure if this workshop is right for you? Drop me an email and we’ll find a time to talk.
I’d love to have you join me in the Smokies this spring.
Hope to see you there
by hankinslawrenceimages | Nov 15, 2014 | Workshops
Snow Geese at Assateague Light © 2013 Patty Hankins
Bill and I are heading back to Chincoteague, Virginia for a photo workshop in February 2015 – and we’d love to have you join us.
Chincoteague Sunset © 2013 Patty Hankins
The workshop will be held on February 6-8, 2015 and includes 3 photo shoots at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateauge National Seashore in Virginia. We’ll also hold discussions of “What Caught Your Eye” and “Sharing a 3-Dimensional Scene in a 2-Dimensional Photograph” at a local hotel.
Pony at Chincoteague © 2013 Patty Hankins
The workshop is limited to 6 participants to make sure that everyone gets the help and assistance they need.
Sunrise at Chincoteague © 2013 Patty Hankins
All the details for the workshop and registration information is on my website.
Hope to see you in Chincoteague in February.
