I've driven by this front porch many times and never stopped.  There was always some reason.  But this day there was nice light and nothing on the porch but a lone chair.  I stopped and took the photograph.  I wanted something plain and simple and in black & white.  Got it!

I've missed a few months with no 'news' items.  My new year's resolution is to lose weight.  Uh, no....wait a minute.....it's to post a news item and new images at least once a month. Now...that's more like it.  Latest image is a Black & White image and you can expect more this coming year.  I've been keen on B&W photography much more lately as digital photography makes it so much easier.  Oh, and it allows me to be more creative in my conversions too!  Anyway, Happy New Year!  Bob

I am a co-owner of a photography workshop business here in New England (www.nephotoworkshops.com) and some of our attendees wonder why we always ask them to get up for sunrise.  The photo beside this article is how the day started but the photo at the link here is a great example of why we get up early!  The best light for a photographer is early morning and evenings.  So, why not take advantage of that!  Today was one of those exceptional mornings but if you're not there you won't get the shot!

My photography career has brought me to some great places around New England to photograph & explore. Me & my business partner Don T have turned our New England Photo Workshops business (www.nephotoworkshops.com) into a small company that helps photographers to learn about all aspects of photography. Most of all though we (and they) get to enjoy some great locations that only New England can offer. Most of my images are taken right here in New England! I really enjoy doing what I'm doing and hope you enjoy my work! Thanks, Bob

I haven't posted here in a while since I've been so busy with my company  (www.nephotoworkshops.com) with Don Toothaker so I thought I'd post some of my favorite images.  Yup, lighthouses!  How can one go wrong with lighthouses? They're so 'iconic' and interesting to photograph that it's always something different with the various weather and conditions here in New England.  In order to capture the best that each lighthouse has to offer a photographer should visit the lighthouse frequently and wait it out.  Meaning stay from the afternoon into the evening as the changing light can provide some interesting variations. 

I'm busy planning workshops for next year (www.nephotoworkshops.com)  but wanted to offer my Robert Ring Scenics 2012 calendar for sale.  These wall hanging calendars are made from very good quality stock here in the USA.  The size is 8½x11 with spiral binding and hole for hanging.  I'm sure you'll enjoy it in your office or home!
Thanks, Bob Ring

Don Toothaker & I just completed a long weekend photoraphy workshop (web site: www.nephotoworkshops.com) on Cape Cod with base of operations at Provincetown.  I've added three photos to the 'New England' portfolio from that workshop.  There's no other place like Cape Cod here in Massachusetts!  But, now we move on to our fall season and prepare for a photo workshop in Vermont.  We've been to Vermont many times and have chosen places that really illustrate Vermont at it's finest.  The foliage should be better this year than last as the state received plenty of rain (arguably too much).  Fall is my favorite time of year!

Summer in New England this year has been unlike many before it. The sky & clouds have been dramatic more often than not even when the temp is in the 90's.  I've been real busy working on our New England Photo Workshops(www.nephotoworkshops.com) as we grew from 3 last year to 7 scheduled this year.  Don & I have been fortunate to have some great friends join us in the various locations in Maine, Massachusetts & Rhode Island so far this year.  I've added four photos to my scenics web site where a couple were taken during workshops & two were not.  Scouting locations is a year round job!  Am looking forward to the fall as that means I get to go to Cape Cod (after the vacationer rush is over) and Vermont for foliage.  Hope you had a great summer!

Just had an evening rain storm here in Massachusetts. Really glad that winter is finally over! I went out the next morning to Rockport & Gloucester to check out the clouds & ocean waves and shot a lot of photographs as the ocean & sky was really dynamic. The message for any photographer is that bad weather can make for great photographs as shown here. The other note is that these types of scenes lend themselves to great black & white images as well.

Well, so far it has been quite a winter.  The avg winter season snowfall as recorded in Boston is about 42 inches and we've passed 60 inches so far.  As I type this we're in the middle of another storm that will bring 3-8 inches depending where you are by the end of the day.  The news though is about a foot more tomorrow will have fallen.  Two days, two snow storms. And so it goes!  So, for a photographer winter is usually quite gray & boring.  Not the case this year! 

Winter for a photographer is a perfect time to be 'thinking' in Black & White.  Historically, all photography was originally monochrome (or black & white) so it's really the foundation of photography but all too often it gets left behind.  I enjoy B&W images and especially enjoy prints in B&W.  A good black & white print provides one with the 'classic' look of an old photograph. 

I know what you're thinking. Why not October in Vermont? Well, yes I'll be in Vermont in October as well. I just went up to Vermont with Don T. to prepare for our upcoming workshop (www.nephotoworkshops.com) that begins on October 8th. Vermont is really wonderful anytime of year and has lots to offer for both the photographer & the tourist. I just loaded 3 new photos from yesterday's trip onto the web site and think that they really speak to a few highlights of Vermont.  One is of an old non-working farm (http://www.robertringscenics.com/photo/oldvermontfarm/) and the other two photographs of a stream and a waterfall can be found here: http://www.robertringscenics.com/photo/texasbrook/ and here:  http://www.robertringscenics.com/photo/vermontwaterfallone/.

Last weekend I was along the mid-coast of Maine working with some great photographers in a photography workshop called Lighthouses & Lobsters Photo Workshop that was run by myself and my friend Don (www.nephotoworkshops.com).  What a great area to enjoy and photograph. Great weather and great locations.  All of the photographers in this workshop worked diligently for two straight, and very long, days.  We even had a chance to enjoy some Maine seafood in a couple of harbors.

My wife & I spent a week on the mid-coast of maine in late July at our timeshare (Samoset Resort). I did my usual 'thing' and took photos around the area and captured some nice moments. One shows a small schooner returning to port in Camden Harbor (http://www.robertringscenics.com/photo/cruising-into-camden/).  Another is a photo (http://www.robertringscenics.com/photo/rain-storm-moving-through-penobscot-bay/) I took from the top of Mt. Battie while I watched a rain storm roll by and through Penobscot Bay one afternoon. The third one I've added is of some boats just before dusk in Rockland Harbor (http://www.robertringscenics.com/photo/lightblue/).  Thanks for looking. Bob

Myself & Don Toothaker of New England Photo Workshops (www.newphotoworkshops.com) just completed a 3 ½ day photo workshop in Acadia National Park with 11 great photographers.  We hit all of the 'classic' locations in sun & rain but also explored some hidden gems.  This National Park is certainly a joy to behold in any weather and any season.  I can't wait to go back again!

Started out in the afternoon at Portland Head Light and ended up at Nubble Light late afternoon.  The waves all day were driving into the shore.  Not a common occurrence for a June day along the Maine coast but it made for some great photos!

It's Lupine time here in New England and many a photographer are driving to various locations to capture them.  In fact, this weekend a Lupine Festival is being held in NH.  The forecast is for showers & storms but there should be breaks in between.  This shot is a small field a few miles from my home.  I do enjoy the purples and made sure this image really captured the saturated colors. 

Took a drive to Cape Cod in early May where the day started out with rain but the forecast was for it to clear. My photos include overcast and bright blue skies with great clouds for a good "mix". I've loaded 3 other images from the trip to my New England gallery and will be adding more. One of my favorites is the one of the red boat on the sand in Chatham. The area was great with calm waters and really exemplifies what one would think of "the Cape" .

I was up at the Bar Harbor area preparing for our nephotoworkshop.com  June workshop in Acadia.  Don T & I were taking photos around the Bar Harbor downtown area and spotted this moose on the roof.  He was all lit up at night.  Couldn't miss him day or night!

I took a break from the computer (!) and went out to Essex, Massachusetts with my friend Don.  Our goal was to head towards Manchester-By-The-Sea for some coast line photography but we never got past a historic farm known as Cogswell's Grant in Essex.  This 18th-century farmhouse overlooks the Essex River. The owners who purchased this property in 1937 spent more than 50 years of collecting mostly objects with their original finishes and New England histories. We had rain and cold weather until mid-day when the clouds finally broke.  A photo of the Cogswell's Grant buildings is shown here but definitely check out the red barn at this link (www.robertringscenics.com/photo/cogswells-red-barn-in-spring/).

I visited Cape Ann with some friends to take some photos on a great New England day!  We were able to photograph Gloucester harbor while the boats were coming and going.  The morning sun helped as I captured a couple of panoramas of the harbor.  I really like the apparent closeness of the homes to the harbor in the background.  Blue sky and lots of detail were the highlight.  After that we moved on to Rockport and had lunch on the waterfront overlooking Motif #1 (www.robertringscenics.com/photo/motif-1-rev-a/).  While walking around we were able to meet a gentlemen that was carving out lobster buoys made of wood.  He shared a few stories with us about buoys and the fact that wood buoys were 'outlawed' years ago and that he is the only person he knows that still makes them (by hand!).  They were banned from use so that boats wouldn't lose their props if they ran over a wood buoy. A little piece of lobster history there.

Went with 3 friends for the day to take photos.  We started out in Exeter, NH then to Portsmouth off to New Castle and then to Rye Harbor for a day of photography!  Old barns, farms, rivers, seaside docks and harbors were the highlights of this trip.  One of the early stops was by the Hillside Farm (photo shown here). I really like the shadows from the big old tree while looking toward the farm.