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 I celebrate great photos from photographers on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For February we chose an image from our Arctic Lights Photo Workshop. The image was taken by Laura DeSimone in the town of Wiseman, Alaska. Laura is from Fernley, Nevada and is known for her photos of flowers and rodeos. You can see her work here.
Congratulations to February 2026 ‘s featured photographer – Laura DeSimone
Laura on the Middle Fork of the Koyokuk in Alaska
The Story…
Tom was outside and he told us through What’sAp that the sky was blowing up with aurora. We grabbed our gear and ran outside.
It was amazing. The full moon was so cool because it just shown through the aurora. It illuminated the foreground and everything around us.
We set up our tripods next to the rest of the group. We were waiting for the evening aurora tour. We were on the road in front of the lodge. Off to the side there were all sorts of trucks. I shot to the north to avoid the trucks. The remove tool and auto were my friends in editing. I also added a little bit of texture to the entire image.
When we see aurora in Nevada it is faint, like a cloud. You really can’t see it without a cell phone. In Alaska you could see the shapes of it with the naked eye. I could see the shapes in the sky.
My glasses frosted up. So I just put them in my pocket and I was shooting blind.
I really appreciate Tom letting me use his jacket. That really saved me. I had my good down parka with me but it would not have kept me warm at -40. Tom loaned me his big yellow Feathered Friends jacket. I had 2 down parkas on, a fleece jacket, two long underwear tops and a t-shirt. With all that on I felt like the Michelin Man. I stayed warm the whole time.
February 2026 Photo of the Month
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon Z8
Lens: Nikon 14-24mm at 14 mm
Aperture: f2.8
Shutter: 5 seconds
ISO: 640
Manual Mode
Texture in new snow on the Dalton Highway
About Photographing in Arctic Alaska
It was so much fun! The snow, the shapes of the frozen trees. The textures in the snow. I have never experienced cold like that, but I didn’t feel cold.
It was a great adventure. We were in an extreme environment. I had boots on that felt like Frankenstein boots. They worked.
I totally got into the frozen forest. The shapes were interesting. I wondered how the trees live when they are covered with so much snow and in such extreme temperatures. I loved the textures in the snow and how the wind created lines on the snow. The blue sky and the white of the trees made me in awe. I already want to go back
Historic cabins under the aurora in Wiseman, Alaska
Laura’s’ s Tips for Aurora Photography
1) Point and shoot. It is like shooting the Milky Way. You’ll be shooting long exposures. WIth aurora you want to try to stop the activity in the display by using just enough shutter speed but not too much.
2) Shoot a ton. You want to have a choice of foregrounds and displays.
3) Good luck if you have glasses on. They are kind of useless when covered with frost. I would bring contacts next time.
On Laura’s Horizon:
Iceland
Svalbard
Death Valley – Superbloom & Milky Way
Laura shooting from the dog sled
Free Event: Aurora Photography: an online presentation with Tom and Cree. Learn everything you need to know to photograph and edit the aurora on Zoom. Wednesday, March 18 at 6 pm Denver time. Send us a note to get the link.
Workshop Openings:
Tom Bol Photo Workshops is headed back to Antarctica in 2028. We will be navigating below the Antarctica Circle with Polar Latitudes – a place where few boats go. Penguins, whales and stunning icy landscapes. Just a few spaces left!
Explore Alaska this summer with Tom and Cree. Daily boat rides keep the walking to a minimum. July 7-12, 2026. Calving glaciers, Sea Otters, Whales, and beautiful scenery near Seward and Homer, Alaska. Learn more about our Alaska Kenai Explorer Workshop
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 I celebrate great photos from photographers on our workshops by selecting a Photo of the Month. For January we chose an image from our Antarctica and South Georgia Workshop. The image was taken by Teri Manchen on a zodiac excursion to a Macaroni Penguin colony. Teri is a wildlife photographer who splits her time between Ohio and Florida.
Congratulations to January 2026 ‘s featured photographer – Teri Manchen
Teri and Chris Manchen on South Georgia Island
The Story…
We were in Hercules Bay on South Georgia Island and we went around the corner to a small cove. None of the other zodiacs came over to that location. Both boats in our photography group made it over. It was towards the end of the photo session and we had not found many Macaroni Penguins to photograph yet. I really wanted to see them.
There were fur seals in the cove and Macaroni Penguins were everywhere we looked.
There was a whole group of them. The boat was rocking. I zeroed in on a group of penguins that were all clean and all walking in the same direction. I liked that the lichen on the rocks matched the crest on the penguins. This is the only photo I got where all of the penguins were looking up and facing the camera.
January 2026 Photo of the Month
When I was editing the photo I had to work on the eyeballs a bit. They have bright red eyes and they were originally pretty shaded.
My ISO was pretty high because it was dark and overcast in the cove. I used the denoise function in Lightroom to take care of that.
The Macaroni Penguins were pretty cute. I like the bright yellow color of their crest.
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon Z9
Lens: Nikon 600mm 6.3
Aperture: f6.3
Shutter: 1/2000
ISO: 5000
Exposure Compensation: +1.0
Chinstrap Penguins in Antarctica
About Photographing in South Georgia and Antarctica
I love Antarctica. It is so pristine. It was amazing to be there. I probably missed a lot of the iceberg photos. We had just been in Greenland and saw a lot of icebergs. I felt like I had that piece and focused on the penguins instead.
South Georgia was quite amazing. Every turn you would take there was a new aspect. It was super fun because the penguins would create a mile long trail to the colony. I wondered if it was worth walking a mile. Then I walked to the end and said it was the most amazing thing I’ve seen in my life.
I wish I had taken more videos to show how it was. When we were on the water in South Georgia and we were seeing penguins all over, there was always a beautiful landscape right behind the penguins. If I was shooting penguins with my 600mm I missed the landscape.
Seeing so many Humpback Whales was crazy. The lunge feeding was incredible. I have also never seen so many flukes before.
The weather in the Drake was perfect for us. I was nervous and brought a bunch of different medications but did not need it. I have seen other people posting about the Drake Passage and was very happy that we had the weather that we did. There was no sea sickness on the trip.
It is definitely a bucket list trip. It was unbelievable.
King Penguins walking in the snow on South Georgia
Teri’ s Tips for Photographing Penguins
1) So happy I brought the 600mm lens. I used it 70% of the time. It focuses well and at 6.3 you can still create good bokeh.
2) Make sure there is a good background behind the penguins. I like blurry backgrounds or something that shows a mountain scene.
3) I shoot mostly in wide area large focus mode. The camera does the work and catches the eye for you.
4) I used the side lean to get low. We were not able to sit, squat or lie on the ground because of animal safety. I just leaned to the side and got as low as I could.
5) Shooting in the colonies was more difficult. I was always looking for good interaction between birds or for chicks.
Humpback Whale fluke in Charlotte Bay in Antarctica
On Teri’s Horizon:
Black Bears in Alaska
Patagonia in Spring
Bears of Lake Clark
Banff in Canada
Africa and Asia
Teri in a Chinstrap colony in Antarctica
Thank you for reading our Photo of the Month posts! We’d love to know what you think about them. Send us a note.
Workshop Openings:
Tom Bol Photo Workshops is headed back to Antarctica in 2028. We will be navigating below the Antarctica Circle with Polar Latitudes. Join the Interest List here.
Want to photograph wildlife from a boat in Alaska this summer? We have space available on our Kenai Fjords National Park Workshop July 7-12, 2026. Calving glaciers, Sea Otters, Whales, and beautiful scenery near Seward and Homer, Alaska. Learn more
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 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 and I celebrate great photos from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For August we chose an image from our Redwoods & Rocky Coastlines Workshop. The image was taken by Suzy Onysko at Lagoon Creek Beach. Suzy is a wildlife and fine art photographer from Ohio. You can see her work featured on Susan Onysko Photography.
Congratulations to August 2025 ‘s featured photographer – Suzy Onysko
Suzy photographing at slow shutter speeds on the beach in Crescent City, California
The Story…
We went to Lagoon Creek in the afternoon and wow it was windy! I started out with a tripod, trying to capture the fast-moving waves and sea spray with the sea stacks in the background, but honestly, I wasn’t feeling it. Then I remembered something from a talk earlier that day: Tom Bol said he loves shooting water at 1 second because it keeps just enough texture to stay interesting. Normally, I go with much longer shutter speeds to get that dreamy, soft, gooey look in water, so this felt totally new to me. And that’s exactly why I’ve traveled with the Bols for 15+ years – there’s always something new to learn!
So I switched my camera to manual, cranked up the f-stop, lowered the ISO, and set my shutter speed to 1 second. Loved it instantly! And best of all – no need for that 10-stop ND filter I lugged along. 🙂 I set a 2-second delay so I didn’t need the cable release, parked myself in one spot, and just played with the waves all evening, timing the shutter to see how different wave patterns would transform the image.
At first, for about half an hour, everything came out in these gorgeous midtone grays – perfect for black and white. Then as the sun dropped, the mood shifted. Suddenly, beautiful golden highlights lit up my moody blue water, and the whole scene just glowed. In this photo, what I really loved was the reflection of the sun shimmering in the sand – such a beautiful combo!
I knew I was onto something when I looked up an hour later and realized I was facing the opposite direction of everyone else. Usually I’m the queen of FOMO, but I was so entranced I didn’t even notice!
Processing was easy in Lightroom. I hit that magical AUTO button, used the Adobe Landscape profile, set a Cloudy WB, and then spent some quality time zapping about a zillion dust spots. Lightroom has really come a long way! My little secret trick was using the Adaptive Sky – Blue Hour Preset. Lightroom thought my waves were clouds (ha!), so by lowering the opacity I ended up with these gorgeous, rich blue tones in the water.
August 2025 Photo of the Month by Susan Onysko
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon Z9
Lens:100-400mm at 100mm
Aperture: f32
Shutter: 1 second
ISO: 64
About Photographing in the Redwoods
This was my second time on the Redwoods Photo Workshop with TBPW and I can honestly say that it’s one of the most challenging places I’ve ever photographed. The first time you go, you’re just overwhelmed by the sheer grandeur of the trees. Figuring out how to photograph them so that the images actually capture their scale and power. That’s the tricky part. I don’t think you really understand how hard it is until you’re standing right there in front of them.
Most of the spots we photograph in the Redwoods are low light, which means a tripod is a must if you want clean, sharp files. If you’re not used to shooting with a tripod – practice! 🙂 For me, it’s especially frustrating because most of my photography is handheld or with a beanbag from a safari vehicle in Africa. Switching gears to “tripod mode” definitely takes patience.
The coast in California and Oregon is absolutely lovely. Of course, I always dream of those gorgeous, cloudy, colorful sunsets (and even stayed extra days in Oregon hoping for one!), but alas… Mother Nature had other plans. Oregon was socked in, and other days I had completely clear skies. So, I went the black-and-white route instead. I ended up thrilled with my slow-water images from this trip. The best part is that the photos from my second trip look completely different from my first. That’s the beauty of returning to a place – you never know what magic you’ll find.
Surfline at Lagoon Creek
Suzy’ s Tips for Photographing at the Coast
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of tripods. But… in my opinion, they often make the difference between a snapshot and a wall-hanger. 🙂 At the coast, a tripod really helps when you want to play with different shutter speeds to capture the mood of the waves – whether that’s silky and soft or crashing and powerful.
One of the highlights of this trip was when Cree found some AMAZING starfish for us to photograph. It was so much fun to see during the image showcase at the end how many variations people captured: starfish with soft waves, starfish with crashing waves, starfish close-up, starfish with big sweeping scenes. The creativity was endless!
As for me, the moment I had pulled out my trusty infrared camera and a polarizer I was completely absorbed in photographing tidal pools. I loved the way the kelp and sea plants transformed in infrared – they had this wonderful, otherworldly texture. I guess that means I’ll just have to go back another time for those starfish… not the worst problem to have! 😉
Tidepool in Infrared
On Suzy’s Horizon:
Grand Teton National Park
Ouray with TBPW
Australia
Botswana
Falklands, Antarctica and South Georgia with TBPW
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
