Intro by Skip Cohen

Last month Lauren Hefferon shared some of her images from her recent trip to Patagonia. Along with the images was a short travel log describing some of the different highlights of the trip.  

What I love most about working with Lauren and Osian Lindholm is their enthusiasm not just for imaging but travel. This isn't just a career or job for either one of them, but their passion for life.

Lauren described the trip as the most beautiful place she'd ever been in thirty years of travel! These images I'm sharing here are screen shots from her original post. They only scratch the surface of the beauty on this trip. Check out the link to her Flickr gallery at the end of  her travel log. Then, put this trip on your bucket list! 

All the landscape/scenic shots in Lauren's gallery were captured with Panasonic's LUMIX LX100. It's one of my favorites - great optics, 4K video, easy to use and even easier to travel with.

When you love what you do, you do it well. There's a reason by these trips win so many awards each year! If you'd like to find out more, just pick up the phone and call (617-640-4837) Lauren directly or, email her, Lauren@ciclismoclassico.com.

These aren't just trips, but experiences of a lifetime!

Note: On my request, Lauren extended the early sign up bonus she refers to at the end of the post from November 25 to December 14. It's a great savings on a trip of lifetime.

by Lauren Hefferon

Intro by Skip Cohen

It's a new tip from Ossian Lindholm and great advice on the ingredients in this beautiful image from Argentina. This image was actually captured on one of Travel Vision's Argentina trips. It's a perfect example of the stunning landscape, but also tells you a little more about Ossian.

Imagine how much you'll raise the bar on your skill set spending a week traveling with Ossian, Lauren Hefferon and the Travel Vision/Ciclismo Classico team. More information is just a click away.

by Ossian Lindholm

​As a landscape photographer, we all need to capture the best images at whatever time of day the scene we love is available. However, there's very little that beats the "golden hour" of sunset or as many of you call it, "sweet light".

This image was captured  at Salinas Grandes, the Salt flats in Northwest Argentina during a recent Travel Vision Journeys trip. It's one of my favorites and while I won't deny Mother Nature gave me some help, there were plenty of things in my control.

First, shooting with a wide angle lens captured the feeling I wanted.  Second, a low camera angle together with the time of day brought out the shadows and gave the image texture.  Third was my tripod, not only for help with a longer exposure, but to make sure my horizon was level, which is especially important when shooting wide angle.

In a workshop I taught earlier in the year, my style of teaching was described as,

Increasing your visual awareness and to intuitively use the camera to connect, compose, enhance and expand your mindfulness and personal vision...By embracing serendipity, we will enjoy the fine art of wandering and we will connect more intimately with our natural surroundings.

Take the time with each image you capture to connect with your surroundings. Capturing great images isn't as much about timing as it is about taking the time. Think through what you're seeing and remember, your camera is only a tool to help enhance your mind's eye.

It's time for a new classic tip from Ossian!  These short tips always have the same goal - to help remind you of techniques to create stronger images and build your skill set. When you put them together, you've got a pretty solid set of ideas to help you raise the bar on the quality of your images, regardless of your specialty.

Ossian Lindholm is an outstanding artist, educator and also one of Argentina's leading environmentalists. He wears a lot of different hats, including teaching while being a guide on some of Travel Vision Journey's most impressive trips. He's part of the team responsible for receiving National Geographic Traveler's 50 Tours of Lifetime for 2015, with Vision and Vine coming up next month.

Imagine how much you could raise your skill set after spending a week shooting with Ossian! To follow the schedule for upcoming trips, just click on the image below!

​by Ossian Lindholm

In travel photography you’re often caught in situations that you just didn't plan. You don’t have the control of a studio or a planned shooting session. You have to work with whatever you have in your skill set and hopefully camera bag.

For example, we all know when shooting landscapes, ideally you want a tripod to avoid any camera movement. But, what happens if you’re in a boat? Added to the challenge, the boat is sailing and the waves are moving the boat all over the place. Using a tripod would only make things worse, because you’d convey all the boat’s movements to the camera.

So what would you do in front of this magnificent glacier in Patagonia?

First: Select a high shutter speed. If you can go up to 1/1000 great! If you’re using a telephoto lens try to shoot at an even faster shutter speed.

Second: Use your body as a steady camera system with your legs a little bit flexed to avoid the vertical movement of the boat.

Third: Shoot fast and get a lot of images. Because the boat is sailing, your framing will be constantly changing. You don’t have time to think through composing each image. So, shoot a lot and edit later to find the best image.

This photo was taken in Lake Gray in front of Glacier Grey in Parque Nacional Torres del Paine in Patagonia, Chile during our “Myth Mountains and Mammals Photo Trip”

Intro by Skip Cohen

Always great tips and stunning images. This new tip from Ossian makes the moon the star of each shot with some solid tips to help you get the right exposure and create stunning images of your own.

As I always remind everybody, Ossian is an amazing teacher and guide. Think about how the quality of your images would improve spending a week with him on a tour. Keep track of his whereabouts with a click on the link below. His next trip is in November with Vision and Vine, but you'll find all of the scheduled trips thus far on the Ciclismo Classico/Travel Journeys website.

by Ossian Lindholm
​
Having an evening sky filled with a full moon isn’t just a great attraction for lovers and wolves. It’s especially incredible for photographers and every artist wants a great shot of the moon.  I thought it would be helpful to share some of the “secrets” of great moon shots.

Everything starts with a good telephoto lens, preferably a 300-500mm along with a tripod. Next you have to meter the light reflected off the moon’s surface.

In order to do that I put my camera in manual exposure mode. I set the camera to spot metering. When I’m ready to capture the image, I point my camera at the moon, being sure it's in the center of my view finder.  I choose the correct exposure value I want and click the shutter.

Try and always choose a lower ISO and higher shutter speeds. The earth rotates and so the moon is always moving in the sky.
​ 
Just a reminder: Once you’ve metered the light on the moon, remember, it will be the same throughout the night. You don’t need to change the exposure value and can just enjoy taking pictures of the full moon.

Intro by Skip Cohen

It's another classic tip from Ossian and a reminder of another great time of day for incredible light - before sunrise. I love these short tips. Put them together and you've got a pretty serious set of ideas to help you raise the bar on the quality of your images, regardless of your specialty.

Ossian has a terrific trip coming up in November and there's still time to get on board and take advantage of the FOS (Friend of Skip's) discount of $1000/couple. Just click on the tab below to find out more.

by Ossian Lindholm

So often beginning photographers and even seasoned professionals wait for the sun to capture the images they want most. We all know what I call golden light and a lot of you refer to as sweet light.  It's that magical warm light during sunrise and sunset that sets a landscape a glow.

Well, just before sunrise there's a different quality in the light, the blue hour.  I've captured some of my favorite images at this time of day.
 
The photograph above  was taken 45 minutes before sunrise.  It was an especially lucky morning, because the scene was lit by the light of a full moon.  The shadow of the rock was the result of the moonlight. 

I was at a location in Argentina called "Campo de Piedra Pomez."  It's a volcanic formation at high altitude, 11,400 feet in the Andes of the northwest.  It's was a cold morning with temperatures dropping well below freezing around 14F. I created the image with a thirty second exposure, shooting wide angle at f6.3, ISO 400 at 10mm. 

Fortunately I had two essentials pieces of gear with me, my tripod and a warm jacket!

Intro by Skip Cohen

I love the way Ossian always brings us back to the basics of creating great images. Seriously, it's not rocket science, but so often we're rushed to get the image we want and so many photographers don't think things completely through. 

Ossian has another tour coming up in November to Argentina. It's the Vision and Vine Tour and one of National Geographic Traveler's 2015 50 Tours of a Lifetime. Travel Vision Tours, thanks to their founder Lauren Hefferon has also put a special FOS (Friend of Skip's) discount out there of $1000 per couple. To find out more, just pick of the phone and give her a call.

An incredible tour with a small group, the Argentina landscape, great accommodations, food, wine, new friends and time with Ossian as your guide and instructor when you need help - it's a "tour of a lifetime". Just click the link below for more information or call Lauren Hefferon directly at 617-640-4837.

by Ossian Lindholm

We've all tried to photograph landscapes when the sky is simply blue. Sometimes the images are still great, but when a few clouds roll the scene becomes so much more dynamic. Put a few clouds in any landscape and it becomes more interesting. 

But, I want to share a key point with today's tip: If those clouds in your image are spectacular, take the time to feature them in the most creative way.

Remember one of the basics rules in landscape composition: avoid putting the horizon in the middle of the image. It's the old Rule of Thirds and it's so appropriate here. Divide your frame into thirds and put the horizon in the upper third or in the lower third.  I know this is basic to so many of you, but I've seen so many images when the artist forgot the rule.

With the image above, putting the horizon in the lower third gave me the ability to make the clouds the star of the shot. Then, I used a polarizer to increase the contrast of the clouds against the deep blue sky.

This image was taken in the Colome Winery located in Salta province in the north west of Argentina. Located at almost 7000 feet above sea level, it's one of the highest altitude vineyards in the world. Here they produce some exquisite wines:  an outstanding Malbec and the famous Torrontes white wine. That's also a fun part of our Vision and Vine Tour, tasting these incredible wines and visiting the vineyards! 

Intro by Skip Cohen

It's another stunning image and a great tip from Ossian Lindholm. While the instructional side of this is pretty simple, the part that will make your images more professional is learning to see the light. My good buddy, Joe Buissink, has talked about how he often looks at things in everyday life when he's out. He'll often hold up two hands with his thumbs and index fingers, making a cropping square and then say "click" in the back of his mind as he's observing a scene. 

Learning to see the light. along with understanding composition and exposure, are just a few of the things you'll enjoy on a trip with Ossian. There's a great trip coming up, Vision and Vine, November 5 - 13 in Argentina. And, don't forget, along with photography comes great food, learning about some of Argentina's finest vineyards, great hotels and the comradery you only get with a small group of travelers.

Lauren Hefferon, founder of Travel Vision Journeys and Ciclismo Classico has created a special FOS (Friends of Skip) $1000 per couple discount. It's only available for a short time, so you need to contact her directly if you've got an interest. This is a pretty amazing trip. "Vision and Vine" made National Geographic Travelers Top 50 Tours of a Life Time for 2015 and when you hear more about the trip, it's easy to understand why. 

Finding out more about the trip is just a phone call to Lauren away - 617-640-4837.

Intro by Skip Cohen

It's another outstanding tip to help you build your skill set from Ossian Lindholm. I love the point he makes about the need to practice, because it applies to every specialty in professional photography.

Ossian will be on another Vision and Vine tour coming up in November. What an experience to be shooting with him for a week in Argentina. Just click the banner above for more information. This is an amazing trip and one of the few recognized by National Geographic Traveler as one of the top 50 tours of a lifetime!

by Ossian Lindholm


So often I meet a photographer who wants to do more wildlife photography, but believes you have to be in the wild to get great images. The truth is, there are incredible images just waiting to be captured in virtually every zoo in the world. 

Zoos and reserves are terrific places to practice and experiment with composition, exposure and different focal length lenses.  I always suggest to my students they practice any place they can find wild animals. It's also a good exercise to just watch the animals before you start shooting. Pay attention to how they move, their behavior and their personality, especially when interacting with their peers. 
 
While it might be more exciting capturing an amazing image in the wild, having a telephoto lens while observing animals in the zoo can still be rewarding. And, as a practice session, it's obviously easier. The more you practice the better prepared you'll be and have the skill set when the opportunity comes along in the jungle. 

I took the photo above of a cougar in a reserve that belongs to the National University of Tucuman in the Northwest of Argentina. Everything looks like it was a shot in the wild, but if you look carefully you'll see a small piece of fence between the animal's legs.  I could have easily removed the fence with Photoshop, but I always like to remain true to my reputation and profile. I am a documentary photographer of nature and always presenting accurate imagery is very important to me. 

The specs on this image were f 6.0  1/800 ISO 3600  500mm.

The image below was caught in the wild, making all the practice over the years pay off. While it wasn't a difficult image to capture, time is always at a premium before a wild animal moves away and changes the opportunity. As I've written before, consistency in your images is all about constant practice and knowing everything about your gear, especially each lens.

This image was captured from a boat in Pantanal, Brazil. It's a jaguar in the wild shot at f 6.3  1/800 ISO 1000 at 500mm.

Interested in a wildlife experience of a lifetime? Check out the Patagonia Wildlife Adventure with Travel Vision Journeys and Ciclismo Classico. This is about penguins, dolphins, big cats and dozens of other species. They have two trips coming up this January and March. More information is just a click away.

Intro by Skip Cohen

This might just be one of my favorite tips and images from Ossian to date. He's captured a stunning image but become a philosopher as well, giving us more to think about than just the beauty of the scene. I love the fact that this image is from a part of the world he's passionate about as well, his native Argentina.

He's got an amazing tour coming up in November with Vision and Vine, November 5 - 13. I know he's an outstanding teacher and artist, but imagine spending a week with him with a camera in your hands. Think about how you'd learn to look at things, like the landscape, a little differently than the way you do now. 

This trip is recognized as one of National Geographic Traveler's 50 Trips of a Lifetime. Just click the banner above to find out more.

Now and then there's a landscape scene that unfolds in front of me, but instead of the natural beauty of the land, the object I want to feature has been made by man. I've grown to love some of the roads I've traveled, especially when they make a statement like the one above in Patagonia, Argentina.

There are few things more fascinating that the way a road can cut through the landscape. But, there was also something else I thought about.  Every road is an adventure. Each road represents the discovery of new lands, new friends and even our hopes and dreams. 

When I get a road like this, I love to use a telephoto lens. This image was captured with a 200mm lens, just after sunset with a spectacular sky adding to the beauty of the image and giving it even more impact. It was shot at 1/125, f5.6 at ISO 200. 

Just click on the camera and sign up for Ciclismo Classico and Travel Vision Journey's free newsletter and you've got a chance to win a LUMIX LX100. It's an amazing camera recently described by Lauren Hefferon, noted traveler, tour creator and artist/photographer as the ideal travel camera.

Read Lauren's review of the LX100 clicking on any of her images below.