Unleash your photographic vision. See creatively, capture fresh perspectives, and develop a distinctive style in landscape imagery.
Share
Updates From the Field: Crested Butte Wildflowers and more! πΌ
Published 1 day agoΒ β’Β 6 min read
Hi Reader,
We hope you're having an amazing summer!
We just wrapped up our Crested Butte workshop, and what a trip it was! We spent our days in Jeeps chasing a stunning alpine bloom. It was a powerful reminder of how rewarding it can be to push the boundaries of exploration.
Wildflower Tapestry by David
That theme of investing in our ability to explore has been a big focus for us lately. On a personal level, we've spent the last six months recommitting to our health and fitness, which has been a game-changer for our energy in the field and our mental health. And in that same spirit, we're excited to share that we're finally getting our own dedicated adventure vehicle, a long-time goal that will give us so much more freedom to find and create new work.
This month's newsletter is all about finding creative opportunity in challenging conditions. We share ideas for using harsh mid-day light to your advantage, and we've curated a few articles (including a fantastic guide to twilight) designed to spark new ideas.
Warmly, David Kingham and Jennifer Renwick
β¬οΈ More exciting updates, creative tips, and photos below! β¬οΈ
Creative Insights
Finding the Spotlight: Dramatic Wildflowers in Harsh Light
Weβre taught to avoid harsh mid-day light, but it can be a powerful creative tool. Instead of waiting for overcast skies, I've started hunting for intense sun to create dramatic, studio-style portraits of wildflowers.
The secret is finding a brightly lit flower against a dark, shadowed background.
1. The Natural Spotlight
Look for a flower "on stage" in a single beam of sun, with the area behind it in deep shade.
The Trick: Position yourself so the background is pure shadow. Meter your exposure directly on the bright petals. This tells your camera to expose for the flower, which plunges the already-dark background into blackness and makes your subject pop.
β
2. The Backlit Glow
Position yourself so the sun is behind the flower. This works beautifully with translucent petals, making them glow from within.
The Trick: Getting low often helps you place the flower against a distant, dark background (like a shaded hillside). Again, expose for the flower itself to capture that intense, colorful glow against the dark.
β
Post-Processing: You can enhance this effect even more in Lightroom. Use an inverted Radial Filter to select the background around the flower and subtly decrease the Exposure or Shadows and Contrast, making your subject stand out even more.
Next time you're out in the bright sun, don't put the camera away, go on a spotlight hunt!
Workshop Opportunities
With summer in full swing, our eyes are already turning to the incredible light of autumn. For those of you planning a fall photography adventure, we wanted to shine a spotlight on a rare opportunity to join us in the field this year.
We still have two spots available for our California Coast workshop this November, a perfect chance to end your year with a transformative creative experience. Our 2026 schedule is nearly full, so this is one of the last chances to work with us in the coming year. Explore all the details below and claim your spot!
β 2025 Workshops with Open Spots
βCalifornia Coastβ βποΈ November 17-21, 2025 (2 Spots just opened!)
In addition to our scheduled group trips, we offer Private Workshops tailored to your specific learning goals, location preferences, and schedule. Whether you're seeking intensive one-on-one mentoring or want to arrange a custom trip for your small group, we can design the perfect photographic experience just for you.
We love finding articles and videos that teach us something new or simply inspire us to get out with our cameras. Here are a few that caught our eye this month:
What do a modern Banksy piece and Plato's Allegory of the Cave have to do with your photography? In this fantastic, thought-provoking article, Anna Morgan explores how developing a "deeper quality of looking" can challenge our perceptions and help us find more meaning, with or without a camera in hand.
by David duCheminβ βIf you think 'contrast' is just about light and shadow, this article by David duChemin is a must-read. He dives into how finding differences in color, size, texture, and even concepts (like old vs. new) is the key to creating more captivating images. A powerful reminder that what we choose to think about in the field directly shapes the interest in our final photograph.
By Sarah Marinoβ βSarah has written a wonderful guide that perfectly captures why twilight is one of her favorite times to photograph (it's one of ours, too!). She uses stunning visual examples to walk you through how a scene and its light progresses. By breaking it down into distinct phases like the Blue Hour and the deeper Nautical twilight, she makes it easy to understand the magic you can find when you have the patience to stay out just a little longer. This is a fantastic resource for learning to see and capture these quiet, moody moments.
Join us at the Moab Photography Symposium
The Moab Photography Symposium holds a special place in our hearts. For me (David) personally, it's where my own journey toward becoming a more expressive photographer really took shape.
This isn't your average photography conference. It's an intimate and thoughtfully curated event where the entire focus is on fostering creativity and personal vision. It's a community where thoughtful conversation and connection are valued just as much as the presentations themselves.
We're honored to be presenting alongside an incredible group of photographers we deeply respect, including Guy Tal, Michael Gordon, Charlotte Gibb, Chuck Kimmerle, and Bruce Hucko. Jennifer and I will be sharing presentations that go to the heart of our teaching philosophy:
David: The Quiet Conversation: Finding Your Voice in the Landscape
Jennifer: Exploring, Connecting, Creating: An Uncharted Path to Mindful Photography
What a week in Crested Butte! Our recent wildflowers workshop was a whirlwind of color, drama, and creative problem-solving.
With the bloom arriving weeks early, our 4x4 Jeeps were more essential than ever, allowing us to chase the color to higher elevations that others couldn't reach. The reward was pristine fields of alpine flowers and even a dramatic morning thunderstorm that made for epic skies. Helping our students capture it all was a joy, and their incredible images below speak for themselves.
Ready for an adventure like this? Our 2026 Crested Butte workshop has a few spots remaining. Because we're limited to just six seats in the Jeeps, it will go fast!
Image by Keith Lisk
Another great workshop taken with David and Jennifer! Both are wonderful instructors and their consistent guidance was highly appreciated. The use of high-clearance Jeeps allowed the group to reach locations offering the best photo opportunities. Great scouting work that allowed us to see breathtaking views of mountain ranges and slopes filled with wildflowers as far as an eye can seeβ¦ The βRethink Landscapeβ software package which was given before and presented during the workshop was a pleasant surprise. It is a combination of presets and tools within Lightroom that allows a photographer to approach the image processing in a new and very unique way. It becomes a new tool within Lightroom that offers a new workflow which unlocks features that I did not know were possible. The role of Photoshop in the workflow is further minimized! I am very thankful to David for his hard work to create the Rethink Landscape and offering it to the workshop attendants. Overall, a great workshop that will both improve your photography and create lasting memories of Colorado during wildflower season above 10,000 feet. Highly recommend! β Jacob
Image by Kate Kennedy
Image by Kirk Fry
Image by Keith Lisk
Image by Kate Kennedy
Image by Kirk Fry
Update Your Email Preferences
We value your inbox and want to ensure youβre receiving the content that matters most to you. Here are your options:
π§ Adjust Your Settings
βUpdate Preferences: Customize the type and frequency of emails you receive from us.
π Pause or Unsubscribe
βPause Newsletter: Temporarily stop receiving our newsletter but stay on our mailing list for important updates and announcements.
βUnsubscribe: Completely remove yourself from our mailing list. (Weβll miss you!)
π¬ Weβre Here to Help
Having trouble with your preferences? Reply to this email, and weβll be happy to assist.
Hi Reader, We hope you're soaking up these last beautiful days of spring and looking forward to a wonderful summer ahead! May was an inspiring month for us. We spent a good portion of it in central Utah, leading a fantastic workshop and then taking some sought-after time for our own explorations around Capitol Reef and Factory Butte. The landscapes there never cease to amaze. We left there rejuvenated and invigorated with our photography time, and enjoyed the opportunity to slow down and...
Spring greetings Reader, We hope you're having a productive spring and enjoying the transition into warmer times! This month, we have been focused here in Colorado, working hard on creating our new workshop schedule and fixing up our trusty truck and trailer before we head out to Utah next week. Jennifer's finger is healing well, and she's been working hard at work with physical therapy to get it back to normal function. Life on the road isn't always easy, and this month has been a testament...
Spring greetings Reader, We missed you last month! February and March were such a whirlwind for us that we had to skip our newsletter, but weβre excited to be back with updates. February saw us return to our winter home in Death Valley, where we led two fantastic workshops. One highlight was taking a group deep into the backcountry via Jeeps, which is always an incredible experience! We were truly humbled to hear from many attendees that it was the single best workshop they had ever attended....