Category: Travel Photography

Happy 100th Birthday Grand Canyon National Park!

February 26, 2019
environmentGeneralLandscapesNational Parksnational parksnature photographyRichard MackRichard Mack PhotographyRichard Mack's BlogSunrisetravelTravel Photography

Today marks the 100th Birthday of Grand Canyon National Park! It has been 19 years since I was last at the Grand Canyon. As anyone knows who has seen this magical place it is awe inspiring when you see it for the very first time. Breathtaking, spectacular, unbelievable, remarkable, enormous, spiritual are just some of the words used to describe this place. I have only been to the South Rim nineteen years ago for New Year’s Day 2000 with the family. We enjoyed the momentous passing of the millennium sitting on the hood of the car (to stay a bit warmer) watching a starlit sky filled with more stars than the kids had ever seen before. It was a magical night knowing the passage of time was marked on the calendar, used by most of us today, by a millennium.

It is the second most visited national park (behind Great Smoky Mountains National Park – which yes I have a book on…) and because of these massive numbers of people at the park, it faces challenges of over use, management of the Colorado River system that fails to adequately adopt strategies for the protection and restoration of native animals, as well as cultural resources and wildlife habitat, sound and air pollution, mining just outside the park, and yes the effects of climate change are already apparent in the park.

I have not been to the north rim or even down below the rim more than a few hundred yards. It is on my list of things to do, along with visiting some of the Native American sites along the canyon. Here are four images from my last trip there for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s sunrise back on Jan 1, 2000. Yes, before digital.

Enjoy,

Richard

International Color Awards

March 9, 2018
International Color AwardsNature Photography AwardRichard MackRichard Mack PhotographyRichard Mack's BlogTravel Photography

Once again this year I have been honored by having several images selected as a nominee in the International Color Awards. The International Color Awards is the leading global award honoring excellence in color photography. Now in its 11th year, this celebrated event shines a spotlight on the best professional and amateur photographers in a prestigious annual contest. It is always humbling when you win awards on the global stage. This draws from close to 50,000 submissions from around the world.

It is an honor to be a nominee for the third year, once in the second annual, three in the 10th Annual and now three more in this the 11th Annual Color Awards.

Annual: 11th Annual International Color Awards
Photographer: Richard Mack – USA
Expertise: Professional
Position: Nominee
Category: Architecture
Title: Portugal Hallway

Outdoor hallway in Faro Portugal.

Niagara Falls in Winter

Annual: 11th Annual International Color Awards
Photographer: Richard Mack – USA
Expertise: Professional
Position: Nominee
Category: Nature
Title: Niagara Falls Moment

A moment in time caught at Niagara Falls in winter.

Annual: 11th Annual International Color Awards
Photographer: Richard Mack – USA
Expertise: Professional
Position: Nominee
Category: Wildlife
Title: The Dance

An evening dance by two Great Egrets landing on the island trees shared by dozens of Great Egrets and others.

2015 Quiet Light Workshops

February 7, 2015
Great Smoky Mountains BookLake Superiornature photographyPhotography ToursPhotography WorkshopsQuiet Light PublishingQuiet Light WorkshopsRichard MackRichard Mack PhotographyTravel PhotographyWorkshops

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Lake Superior

I am pleased to announce the Quiet Light Workshop schedule for 2015 with three workshops I will be leading, two in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and one in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore along Lake Superior!

Quiet Light Workshops offer Photography Workshops focused on nature & landscapes, travel and trips to some of the best places in the world. Geared to the amateur and advanced amateur photographer looking for the chance to learn from experts in the field. Our photo workshops are designed to take you to some of the best landscapes in the world. During each workshop you will have ample time both in the field and in the classroom to hone your skills with your camera and in the digital world of photography today. Learn tips on Photoshop and converting your images into great looking prints, workflow management, color balances and color calibration to get consistent results in your work.

These are hands-on, in the field workshops with Richard. You will be in surroundings that get your creative juices flowing and will serve as a wonderful photographic classroom. At the end of the day, images will be reviewed and discussed as a group. Techniques will be shared and Richard will work with each of you to improve upon what you’ve shot. The take-away from this workshop will be a better knowledge of how to make your equipment work to the best of its ability, a new understanding of composition, lighting, filters, etc. and a plethora of tips to make your images get the “wow” response.

Do you have a place you’d like to see one of our workshops in? Let us know!

Workshop Schedule

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Spring Wildflowers
April 23-26, 2015

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Michigan
September 10-13, 2015

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Fall Colors
October 22-25, 2015

For information about each of these workshops just click on the links. Each workshop is limited to twelve members so sign up fast! check out more at Quiet Light Workshops!

Look forward to seeing you!

Richard

Winter in Great Smoky Mountians National Park on the borders of Tennessee and North Carolina.

The Summer of Projects

September 17, 2013
GeneralJill Bucknernew projectsPrintsSavannahtravelTravel Photography

This summer has been filled with many projects for a variety of clients. The folks at AbbVie have been great to work with and I shot people in the studio for them for two different campaigns. I also did architectural and lifestyle images for The Whitman in Savannah along with tourism images of the area. There were projects for retailers and a few musicians for their upcoming CDs. And of course work on my next book project Twenty/Ninety-Five about all five of the Great Lakes.

In Georgia I was part of the team to shoot architectural and lifestyle images for The Whitman, a historic mansion across from Forsythe Park which has been meticulously renovated and is now a beautiful event space for corporate events, weddings, family gatherings and anything you can imagine. We had over 40 people on set the days for those shoots as art directors, and talent for the production. You can view some of those images on the Whitman website.

While in the Savannah area I also shot many images for use in tourism marketing and fine art prints. As this project was in conjunction with Jill Buckner we both explored the city. It is always interesting to shoot a city or area you don’t know because you must do some research into what is around and how to portray it in the best way. It is also a joy to explore a place for the first time and record your impressions of the place so others may want to enjoy it as well. We shot the old historic part by the river front to the new bridge across the river and a few shots of the shipping and harbor area. In addition we went to the ocean beaches and the Atlantic Coastal areas and of course went to the famous Wormsloe State Park and Bonaventure Cemetery.

To see more of the tourism images from the area you can use this link. https://www.mackphoto.com/BlogImages/Savannah/

There were a lot more projects we don’t have space to talk about now but will in the future.

But I have to say the highlight of the summer was my son’s wedding! He and Kelly married on the shores of Lake Michigan at Illinois Beach State Park on a beautiful summer’s day in July.

Enjoy,

Richard Mack