Tom and Cree just returned from their Iditarod Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. We were delighted to have clear weather for our flight into the Rainy Pass Checkpoint this year. We had a glorious scenic flight into the Alaska Range and terrific access to the dog teams when we landed.
To see photos of the Iditarod Workshop, check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Tom and Cree will be at home in Alaska for a few weeks. It looks like there will be a strong aurora event around March 21, and they may head to the arctic for it. After that they are trading in their snow boots for sun hats as they head south to their annual Costa Rica Rainforest Workshop.
FREE EVENT: Join us for our free online presentation on Aurora Photography: March 18 at 6 pm Denver time. Tom and Cree will share our favorite tips for shooting and editing aurora images with the TBPW community. Everyone is invited! Send us a note here for the invite, or leave a comment below requesting the link.
Tom and Cree just returned from Arctic Alaska on their Arctic Lights Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. We were delighted to have aurora for three nights of the workshop. In addition to the Northern Lights, our group photographed the Enchanted Forest, landscapes in the Brooks Range, reindeer, dog mushing and ice sculptures.
To see photos of the Arctic Lights Workshop, check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Tom and Cree will be at home in Alaska looking for aurora and photographing the Last Great Race for our Iditarod Workshop at the beginning of March.
FREE EVENT: Join us for our free online presentation on Aurora Photography: March 18 at 6 pm Denver time. Tom and Cree will share our favorite tips for shooting and editing aurora images with the TBPW community. Everyone is invited! Send us a note here for the invite, or leave a comment below requesting the link.
Openings on a photo expedition on the opposite side of the world. We have a special Antarctica Workshop that will travel below the Antarctica Circle, a place so remote that few boats go there. When: December 2027.
Want to visit Alaska in the summer when all the animals are out and the flowers are blooming? Alaska Kenai Explorer. Whales, Sea Otters, wildflowers, calving glaciers and beautiful mountain scenery. July 7-12, 2026
Tom and Cree just returned from Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falkland Islands and are sharing the highlights with you. We were delighted to have calm seas and weather for this workshop. Our group photographed penguins, whales, seals and icy landscapes over a period of 17 days at sea. We will be returning to Antarctica again in 2028 (more below)!
To see photos of the Antarctica and South Georgia Workshop, check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Tom and I will be at home in Alaska looking for aurora and winter wildlife for the next 5 weeks. We will be heading out for our Arctic Lights Workshop and the Iditarod Workshop at the end of February.
FREE EVENT: Join us for our free Winter Image Celebration: February 18 at 6 pm Denver time. Submit 3 of your best photographs from this winter to share with the TBPW community. Everyone is invited! Send us a note here for the invite, or leave a comment below requesting the link.
Tom and Cree just returned from Botswana and are sharing the highlights with you. We were very excited to have had terrific opportunities to photograph hippos on the Chobe and lions at the Okavango Delta. The early rains this year gave us the chance to photograph animals splashing and leaping though water for the first time in Botswana.
To see photos of the Botswana Photo Workshop, check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Tom and I have been out photographing aurora in Arctic Alaska for the last week. This week we are photographing a few local events in Alaska and then hope to make it to the Kenai Penninsula before Christmas. On Christmas Day we fly to the tip of South America to start our 21 day Antarctica & South Georgia Photo Tour
FREE EVENT: Join us for our free Bol Holiday Gift Guide: October 10 at 6 pm Denver time. For this annual event we share our top gift ideas for photographers. Everyone is invited! Send us a note here for the invite, or leave a comment below requesting the link.
Tom and Cree just returned from the Greece Photo Tour with Strabo Photo Tours and are sharing the highlights with you. We were very excited to have had two portrait shoots while on the tour. We also really enjoyed the authenticity and hospitality of the people in this more remote part of Greece.
To see photos of the Strabo Greece Photo Tour, check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Tom and I will be heading to Botswana for our annual Africa Workshop. If we are lucky we will photograph Mr. Special – our favorite resident male cheetah at Splash Camp. For the month of December we will be enjoying a break in Alaska while we photograph aurora and spend some time in our favorite spot for Eagle Photography – Haines, Alaska.
Tom and I celebrate great photos from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For October we chose an image from our Acadia National Park Workshop. The image was taken by Karen Adair on a sunrise shoot at Otter Rocks. Karen is a graphic designer and photographer from Oregon. You can see more of her work here.
Congratulations to October 2025 ‘s featured photographer – Karen Adair
The Story…
We were shooting the stars. It was beautiful. I felt like I got the shot and then I stopped. The light was changing and starting to dilute. It was loosing the more emotional part of the light. I thought I would just enjoy the sunrise
I turned and saw the rocks in front of me. There was a beautiful opening in the rocks. I turned my tripod 90 degrees and there it was. It was beautiful.
Tom started walking over and he was shooting next to me. I photographed him in front of the sun. Then he walked away.
I was so in love with the glow of the sun on the rocks and the little window that caught the sunbeams. The color was just glorious. It was a beautiful palette.
There was not a lot of color editing. That was all natural color that was there. I masked the rocks to bring the exposure up on the rocks but did very little else.
October 2025 Photo of the Month
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon 7ii
Lens: 14-24mm at 17.5mm
Aperture: f16
Shutter: 1/80
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation: -1
Sieur de Mont
About Photographing in Maine
Inspiring. The nature and the beauty are infinite.
There was such a calm watching the waters. Even watching and hearing the crashing waves was calming. The solitude and quiet of the woods was heart-filling.
The color is brilliant. They are mind-blowing. Even though we did not have the peak colors I recalled from being there before, they were still there. The seasons seem to be shifting anyway. It felt like the peak colors may have been earlier.
The coastal villages were familiar to me. It reminded me of spots on the Oregon Coast. It is a respectable culture. I was happy to watch the fisherman go in and out of the harbor. I did not know that the buoys were a signature to each fisherman. That was neat to learn about.
Karen’ s Tips for Photographing Landscapes
1) Rather than trying to get a good photo, I connect with what I am seeing….what is grabbing my attention. Is it the red tree among all the golden and green ones? Is it the power of the wave crashing on the rock?
A lot of time it is emotion. What did I feel when I saw the sun come up in the rocks? Then I try to connect to that with my camera. I am not looking for a shot. I am trying to express what I see and feel in the scene. What moved me. How will the camera see that?
Landscapes are how nature inspires and moves you. Imagine how the camera will see that.
2) Post is such a great way to put the cherry on the top. It allows you to draw out the part of the image that captivated you in the first place. I am grateful for my 35 years of background using PhotoShop.
3) A lot of times when I am not feeling or seeing something, I just put my camera down and chill. I just take it in.
When we were at Jordan Pond I got the shot but I couldn’t see where I wanted to go next. I decided I would just find a spot along the lake and enjoy the view of the trees across the lake. The density of the trees was beautiful. The water in front of the trees was beautiful. I just wanted to stand along the shore and take it in.
I looked down and there were all these bubbles and brightly colored leaves. I thought, the bubbles would make a great background. I found a couple of beautiful leaves by the shore. I let them drop into the bubbles to give it an element of randomness.
Jordan Pond
On Karen’s Horizon:
Oregon Coast: King Tides at South Shores
Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park
Smith River
Toketee Falls in
Our group at Otter Rocks
Workshop Openings:
Join us for more Coastal Photography on the Kenai Fjords National Park July 7-12, 2026. Calving glaciers, Sea Otters, Whales, and beautiful scenery near Seward and Homer, Alaska. 4 Spaces Available. Learn more
Tom and Cree just returned from their Acadia National Park Workshop in Maine and are sharing the highlights with you. Highlights of the workshop were photographing crashing waves at Otter Rocks and trying a variety of slow shutter speed techniques. We even had clear skies for a night shoot this year.
To see photos from our Acadia National Park Workshop, check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Tom and Cree will be heading to Greece to photograph the fall harvest with 10 lucky photographers. We’ll check out the shipwreck at Zakynthos and watch fishermen bring in their daily catch. After that we are off to Botswana for our annual Africa Workshop. If we are lucky we will photograph Mr. Special – our favorite resident male cheetah at Splash Camp.
Tom and Cree just returned from their Ouray Fall Colors Workshop in Colorado and are sharing the highlights with you. Tom says there was more fall color on Red Mountain Pass this year then he has ever seen. Highlights of the workshop were the abundance of color in the groves including so many orange and red aspens this year.
To see photos from our Ouray Fall Colors, check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Tom and Cree will be heading Greece to photograph the fall harvest with 10 lucky photographers. We’ll check out the shipwreck at Zakynthos and watch fishermen bring in their daily catch. After that we are off to Botswana for our annual Africa Workshop. If we are lucky we will photograph Mr. Special – our favorite resident male cheetah at Splash Camp.
Tom and I celebrate great photos from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For September we chose an image from our Greenland Photography Workshop. The image was taken by Eric Lacey in the Greenlandic town of Ilulissat. Eric is a landscape and travel photographer from Boston.
Congratulations to September 2025 ‘s featured photographer – Eric Lacey
Eric sharing his portraits with the locals
The Story…
We were out walking the town of Ilulissat with Tom and Odd. We photographed whatever caught our eye. The colorful buildings were interesting and we tried to compress them. We came down to the bottom of the hill and we could see the water. There was a dog kennel nearby. I was looking at the puppies.
I heard the words, “Take Picture.” I turned around and there were two little girls behind me. I said “Oh, do you want me to take your picture?” and she said, “Yeah!”
So I started taking pictures of her and her friend. I went over and sat down to show them the photos. I started taking more photos and more children started coming out of the houses and they all wanted to have their pictures taken.
The girl who I first heard, was the only one who seemed to have any English skills. She understood me pretty well. I tried to get her name, but I couldn’t understand what she said.
I am very intimidated by taking pictures of adults. But it is very easy for me to interact with children. The interaction with the kids was very unexpected. It was spontaneous. I wouldn’t have asked them to pose, but since they raised it first, I was very willing.
The photo may not be my favorite photo of the trip, but it is the one I will remember the most. I really enjoyed the interaction.
I wasn’t exactly sure what reception we would get in Greenland. I learned that the Inuit are a very proud and open people. They were very respectful. We were in a taxi and the driver said, “We respect everyone who respects us.”
September 2025 Photo of the Month by Eric Lacey
EXIF Data:
Camera: Canon R5
Lens: 100-500mm at 100mm
Aperture: f10
Shutter: 1/1250
ISO: 400
Arches of Ice near Ilulissat, Greenland
About Photographing in Greenland
Greenland was never on my bucket list…..until I saw the photos that you and Tom got on your last trip.
The icebergs were phenomenal. The shapes of the iceberg were surprising and beautiful. We got one night of sunset, as opposed to dimer light. Most of my favorite photos came in the sunset. It was an unforgettable trip for us.
The landscape is beautiful but kind of sparse. The tundra is different for those of us who do not get up North regularly.
After showing my photos to other people, they all want to go there now. It is only 3.5 hours from Newark to get to Nuuk.
Fall colors in the tundra near Ilulissat
Eric’ s Tips for Photographing Icebergs
My #1 tip is to shoot wide. I did not own a super wide lens. I bought one two days before going on the trip. I did not think I would use it that much.
In the past I have been disappointed because it makes everything look so small. With the icebergs they are so big, and you can get so close that it works great. I am usually a big scene landscape photographer and use the 24mm range all of the time.
2) Shoot in high speed. Because we were on a moving boat we were shooting very fast. The foreground ice chunks in the scene would move by very quickly. I shot regularly at 10 frames per second. This helped me to position the foreground elements in my final selection.
3) Look for foreground icebergs with a submerged portion. The water is so clear that you can see the definition in the underwater icebergs. Tom brought up a photo during the image review with a beautiful submerged iceberg. This became one of my focuses for the rest of the trip.
4) Not about icebergs, but engage every child you see when walking by.
Iceberg Arch with Foreground Ice
On Eric’s Horizon:
South Georgia, Antarctica, Falklands
South Africa
Peru
Utah Landscapes
Japan
Eric and Kim close to a large iceberg
Workshop Openings:
Join us for more Coastal Photography on the Alaska Kenai Explorer July 7-12, 2026. Calving glaciers, Sea Otters, Whales, and beautiful scenery near Seward and Homer, Alaska. 4 Spaces Available. Learn more
Tom just returned from Disko Bay in Greenland after leading two photography workshops and we are sharing the highlights with you. Tom says there was more ice in the water surrounding the town of Ilulissat then he has ever seen. Highlights of the workshop were the abundance of massive icebergs and the variety of moody skies for backgrounds.
To see photos from our Greenland Photography Workshop, check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Tom and Cree will be heading to the Rocky Mountain High Country to photograph yellow aspen trees with a workshop group at the end of September. For the next few weeks Tom and Cree will be exploring the Alaskan wilderness by canoe. Chances are they will be off grid for awhile.
Our Iditarod Workshop for 2026 is starting to fill up. Photograph Northern Lights and the Last Great Race during the best month for winter photography in Alaska. Rental packets available for warm clothing and boots Read more
Our new workshop Alaska Kenai Explorer has space available: July 7-12, 2026 Calving glaciers, whales, snow capped mountains, eagles and more. This is a workshop with easy walking. Read details
