Bryan Hansel Photography » Winter

Waterfall Workshop Recap

Bryan — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:58:02 +0000

Nine photographers joined me for a Spring Waterfall Photography Workshop this last weekend. In a busy schedule we photographed many of the major falls along the north shore of Lake Superior during a oddly cold and blizzard like spring storm. During the workshop, we experienced weather down to 19F and up to 40F. It snowed 6 inches. The wind blew northeast down Lake Superior, which drove 8 to 10 feet waves into the Minnesota shoreline.

After the first day of shooting, the group met for an image review. Everyone got impressive images! Although, I didn’t shoot as much as I would normally shoot when out on my own, because I was helping out the other photographers, I did manage to get a few pictures. The above picture is my favorite on the Caribou River.

In all, we photographed the High Falls of the Pigeon River, Flute Reed River, Fall River, Cascade River, Temperance River and Caribou River. The waterfalls ranged from the biggest (and wettest from the spray) in Minnesota to a few smaller ones. In three days, we put in about 25 hours of photography, image review and lessons. I’m still tired.

Thanks, Anne, Becky, Jeff, Jill, Keith, Mica, Micheal, Megan and Tom, for coming. Your images looked great!

Share and Enjoy

This is a post from Bryan Hansel Photography. Respond and ask questions at Waterfall Workshop Recap.

Foggy boreal forest in a late winter drizzle

Bryan — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:35:30 +0000

I was waiting for a day like today. The weather was a perfect 40 degrees F, and drizzle was falling through a light fog. The perfect conditions for the picture I wanted at George Washington Pines near Grand Marais, MN. Over the last couple of years, the Forest Service has cleared out the underbrush at the pines, which significantly simplified the forest. Instead of a forest with messy underbrush, it’s now just a forest of tree trunks. That provided me with the perfect opportunity to make these dreamy forest images. The fog helps isolate the tree trunks for simple vertical lines.

I shot the forest for several hours and came back with over 100 compositions. These eight are my favorite. I created the dreamy effect in camera. I did white balance, contrast and color corrections in the digital darkroom. There’s lots of snow over the hill, and it’s going to create a massive spring run off!

I have two upcoming workshops: a Spring Waterfall Workshop and a Waterfall and Moving Water Photography Seminar.

Share and Enjoy

This is a post from Bryan Hansel Photography. Respond and ask questions at Foggy boreal forest in a late winter drizzle.

Sun Disk Behind Fog

Bryan — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 02:08:14 +0000

The sun, veiled behind a thin layer of fog, rises over Lake Superior. Paradise Beach, Minnesota. (110216-46)

Share and Enjoy

This is a post from Bryan Hansel Photography. Respond and ask questions at Sun Disk Behind Fog.

And Then There’s Pink

Bryan — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 01:54:22 +0000

Tonight, I went to the Five Mile Rock beach to shoot the sunset. It was a beautiful sunset and great scenery, but somehow I couldn’t get into the the location. So, just after the sunset I rushed to another place that I checked out earlier in the day. The picture is in the header. After awhile of watching the sunset’s pink, I rushed to the harbor for the twilight and got the two photos below. I can’t decide which I like best.

And then there’s pink.

Share and Enjoy

This is a post from Bryan Hansel Photography. Respond and ask questions at And Then There’s Pink.

Ice Trapping Ice

Bryan — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 18:14:19 +0000

Recently, a southernly snow and wind storm pushed lots of pack ice to our shores. At Paradise Beach, which is northeast of Grand Marais, the pack ice froze fast to the shore. At places the thick ice extends out over 50 yards. I found this great ice gully capturing sheet ice broken up by a slight Lake Superior swell. It was 0F when I took the photo. Brrrr.

And another one from the other day:

Share and Enjoy

This is a post from Bryan Hansel Photography. Respond and ask questions at Ice Trapping Ice.

Winter in the Rockies eBook

Bryan — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 17:44:42 +0000

Darwin Wigget is a photographer that I love. His images are amazing and capture the spirit of the wilderness in the Rockies. His winter images capture the essence of winter. Today, he released Winter in the Rockies, an ebook with some of his best winter images and explanations of how he took them. He also gives instructions of how to keep your gear working in winter, which is similar to what I teach in my Winter Photography Workshops.

Winter in the Canadian Rockies – Print & Process is available now as a downloadable PDF for just $5 USD.

Special Offer on Craft and Vision PDFs

For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code ROCKIES4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Winter in the Canadian Rockies for only $4 OR use the code ROCKIES20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST January 22nd, 2011.

I recommend this book for all my workshop participants. Reading about the concept that I’ll teach ahead of time will make them click.

Share and Enjoy

This is a post from Bryan Hansel Photography. Respond and ask questions at Winter in the Rockies eBook.

Winter Photography Workshop

Bryan — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:59:30 +0000

In the winter, the combination of all day golden-hour light, sea fog, ice and open water make Lake Superior’s shoreline and tributaries the premier winter photo destination in the Midwest. The best month to photograph the area is February, because the sun sets and rises over Lake Superior and the rivers are solid ice which allows for exploration.

When: February, 10 to 12, 2012
Workshop Fee: $250/person
Lodging From: $99/night
Dining: Meals will be available in our Lakeside Dining Room and Poplar River Pub
For Reservations: Call 218-663-7212 or 1-800-2LUTSEN (258-8736)
More Info
Winter Photography Workshop Package

Weekend Activity Descriptions

This workshop combines classroom time with plenty of field-work time and a final review. You’ll learn photography techniques for landscapes, how to stay warm in February temperatures, and how to keep your camera running in the cold. There’s plenty of time for one-on-one instruction with the small group size.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10
Meet at 7PM for introductions and two classroom presentations. The first discusses how to stay warm. The second presentation focuses on keeping your camera gear running in the cold temperatures.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11
The day starts early with a morning session on the Lake Superior shoreline photographing the sunrise. Then we will break for breakfast which is available at the main lodge or on your own. We’ll assemble after breakfast for a brief classroom session and then head back out into the field for a full-day adventure. Box lunches may be ordered at the front desk. Depending on the weather, we may hike deep into a canyon of a North Shore river to photograph frozen waterfalls, or we may visit multiple locations warming up in the van before we venture out. After sunset, we will break for dinner. After dinner you may use the classroom to sort through the day’s pictures. Bryan will be around until 9PM to answer questions and give feedback.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12
We assemble before sunrise in the Main Lodge lobby to head out for a sunrise photography session. Breakfast will be available at the main lodge or on your own. Then we head out for more photography. The workshop ends at 1PM.

Required Photography Equipment

Camera: A SLR style digital camera or a point and shoot that allows you to manually set your shutter speed and aperture is highly recommended, but other cameras will also work.

Filters: A polarizing filter is highly recommended. Two and Three Step ND Grads with Holder and rings for your lenses. Learn more about filters for this workshop.

Other Suggested Equipment: Bring a tripod, your camera’s manual, and a laptop computer. Call for recommendations.

Share and Enjoy

This is a post from Bryan Hansel Photography. Respond and ask questions at Winter Photography Workshop.

Northern Landscapes 2010 Calendar

Bryan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:59:54 +0000

I wanted a calendar of my favorite images from, mainly, the last year, so I put one together. It’s available for purchase. You should check it out and buy my Northern Landscapes 2010 Calendar here.

You should follow me on Twitter Here.

Share and Enjoy

This is a post from Bryan Hansel Photography. Respond and ask questions at Northern Landscapes 2010 Calendar.

Iced In

Bryan — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 13:53:42 +0000

I landed on a big piece of cake for this picture. Pretty fun to sit down on ice and let the gentle waves rock the floe.

Share and Enjoy

This is a post from Bryan Hansel Photography. Respond and ask questions at Iced In.

Kayaking in Ice

Bryan — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:07:36 +0000

Still a bit of ice out on Lake Superior. My online Gravatar is similar to this, but I’m canoeing. I’m trying to make a kayaking one to replace the old canoeing one. Not sure if this is it, but still cool.

Share and Enjoy

This is a post from Bryan Hansel Photography. Respond and ask questions at Kayaking in Ice.