Monthly Archives: October 2014
During the Smoky Mountain workshop the colors were amazing and it was hard leaving the smoky mountains with the colors in their peak. On Saturday I display at a the Christmas craft show at Divine Child in Dearborn Michigan. The last couple of years I have been in Italy teaching in November and it will be good seeing old friends at the show.

Fall colors along Little River Road in the Smoky Mountains
The unprocessed image has nice color but it does not quite have the punch that I enjoyed that morning.

Unprocessed Fall colors along Little River Road in the Smoky Mountains
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2 Comments | tags: Charleston Photographic Workshop, Digital Photographic Workshop, Paul Christopher James, Smoky Mountain Photo Workshop, Topaz Clarity, Topaz Labs | posted in Cades Cove, Dogwoods, Fall Colors, Fall Smoky Mountain workshop, Fog Bow, Greenbrier, Little River Road, Photoshop CS6, River time exposure, Smoky Mountain Photo Workshop, Smoky Mountains National Park, Topaz Clarity, Tremont
My mornings on location can bring amazing results. Earlier in the week we visited this lake hoping to capture mirror reflections at sunrise but the winds had kicked up making the lake choppy and even though that morning was beautiful I had to revisit this lake to capture this soft fog and mirrored sunrise.
Often clients and friends ask why I revisit these beautiful places? My answer often brings a smile when I tell them that I revisit these beautiful locations to capture them under the right lighting and weather locations. When I revisit an area like Pictured Rocks I will always explore and scout out new locations to shoot but there are locations that I will go back to every time I am in an area.

Sunrise in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The unprocessed image of this misty morning on this mirror lake is pretty sweet but processing this image with Lightroom and Topaz Clarity brings the feel and look closer to what we actually saw that morning.

Sunrise in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Raw image
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Leave a comment | posted in Antelope Canyon, Fall Colors, Michigan photographic workshops, Nik Software, Photographic Workshops, Pictured Rocks, Smoky Mountain Photo Workshop, Smoky Mountains National Park, Southwest Photo Workshop, Topaz Labs
The storms passing over Lake Superior created these wonderful waves crashing along the shoreline at Pictures Rocks.

Storm surges along pictured rocks
Using the Lightroom 5.6 develop module and Topaz Clarity I was able to bring out the greens in the Lake Superior waves.

Raw Images of storm surges
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Leave a comment | tags: Digital Photographic Workshop, Michigan Photo Workshops, Nik Software, Smoky Mountain Photo Workshop, Topaz Clarity | posted in Adobe CS6, Fall Colors, Michigan photographic workshops, Paul Christopher James, Pictured Rocks, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Storm Surges
The Munising Pictured Rocks area is great area to explore waterfall falls. When exploring the water falls it is fun to climb around and explore all angles. When exploring Memorial falls it was fun climbing in behind the falls and shooting out to capture some of the yellows in the fall colors.

Memorial Falls – Pictured Rocks
The image below where I am shooting into the fall is the typical image you see of Memorial falls. It is a nice image but does not have the character of the image above where I am shooting out of the falls.

Memorial Falls – Munising Michigan
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Leave a comment | tags: Charleston Photographic Workshop, Digital Photographic Workshop, Nik Software, Paul Christopher James, Smoky Mountain Photo Workshop, Topaz Clarity | posted in Barns, Fall Colors, Memorial Falls, Michigan photographic workshops, Nik Software, Paul Christopher James, Pictured Rocks, Topaz Labs
Last weekend I participated in my last outdoor art fair of the year and after having a day at home I headed to Munising and Pictured Rocks to capture a great sunset. It has been a long season and nothing refreshes me like a great sunset.

Pictured Rocks Munising Michigan
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Leave a comment | posted in Michigan Photographic Workshop, Pictured Rocks, Pictured Rocks, Topaz Clarity
From the 26th through the 29th of October I will be back teaching in the Smoky Mountains one of our great national parks. The image of Sparks Lane was captured this april when the dogwoods were in full bloom and I am anxious to see it in its fall color.

Sparks Lane Simplify 4 Spring 2014
Throughout the smoky Mountains there are historical landmarks of the families that lived and raised their families in this area which help us make a connection with our past and sometimes our present. Last weekend I spent a few minutes with friend who’s last name is Sparks and asked if they had any connection to the Smoky Mountains. It was not surprising to find out that their family had moved to southern Indiana from Tennessee.
In October when I am capturing images on Sparks lane in the Smokies it will be fun thinking of the Sparks family members who I have spent time with capturing images of the masked characters at Carnival in Venice and at the top of St Peters Coppola in Rome.

Sparks Lane CR2 raw image Spring 2014
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Leave a comment | tags: Nik Software, Paul Christopher James, Smoky Mountain Photo Workshop, Southwest Photo Workshop, Topaz Clarity, Topaz Simplify | posted in Cades Cove, Dogwoods, Fog Bow, Greenbrier, Gregg Cabin, Gregg-Cable house, Lightroom 5.6, Little River Road, Photographic Workshops, River time exposure, Smokies, Smoky Mountains Institute, Smoky Mountains National Park, Topaz Clarity, topaz simplify, Tremont, White Rainbow