All things CCforP

Red Right Returning Fun!

A great time was had by all last night at the opening of Jack Alterman's newest photography exhibit... Red, Right, Returning: Buoys of the Ashley and Cooper. In my humble opinion... the party was a success in no small part due to the presence of Ms. Hamby's chicken salad and pimento cheese sandwiches *wink*. The exhibit could not be a more perfect fit for showing during Spoleto, as it is a true slice of Charleston. Be sure to put it on your list of must see Spoleto stops.

Alterman was pleased with the turn out of old friends and new fans alike.

As a bonus for those who have been wondering what he's been doing since he transitioned out of the spotlight at The Charleston Center for Photography, he's displaying a study he's calling Concept and Composition: Recent Works. Rest assured Jack will be around and will undoubtedly be popping up all over Charleston.

The show goes on through June 7th in our gallery. Don't miss it.

All images © Laura Olsen 2009

Gallery Exhibit

RED RIGHT RETURNING

Buoys of the Ashley and Cooper by Jack Alterman

Artists Statement:

The things we take for granted can often be the most fascinating when seen from a new perspective. In this series of photographs, Jack Alterman combines the landscapes of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers with with the colors that mark a mariners course. In this collection of large canvas prints, Jack presents a new appreciation for the objects that define the rules of the aquatic roads.

This uniquely Charleston exhibit can be seen at
The Charleston Center for Photography
654 King Street suite D
from May 19th thru June 7th, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
(843) 720-3105 or info@ccforp.org

Join us for the opening reception from 6-8 pm Thursday May 21st.

Image © Jack Alterman 2009

Kenny McKeithan... from the Land of Waterfalls Day 4

The sunset/moonrise shoot last night was nearly a bust. There was some pretty color from sunset but heavy fog and clouds obscured the nearly full moonrise. It was still very pretty. The full moon was actually Saturday but on the night before full moon the moon will rise just before the sun sets and can yield some rather dramatic landscapes. Try it sometime. Because we were out pretty late last night we decided to skip sunrise but still got an early start to our first location, the Graveyard Fields area of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We photographed two waterfalls here. First the Falls on Yellowstone Prong (you won’t find this in any guidebook as it’s my name to separate it from the next waterfall) which is a group of cascades on the Yellowstone Prong river leading downstream to the top of Second Falls. We got in a good bit of shooting here before descending the trail further to the bottom of Second Falls. The Forest service has made this walk considerably easier than it was just a few short years ago with the addition of boardwalks and stairs to an observation deck near the bottom of the falls. From here it’s a bit of a rock hop to get to some of the better vantage points right at stream level.

We finished a bit earlier here than I thought we would and so we decided to take in one more fall before lunch. We took an easy drive and a short walk out to the Falls on Log Hollow Branch. This is easily one of the prettiest falls on the workshop and it’s one that I only found about two years ago. After lunch we got in one more falls, Daniel Ridge Falls (aka Tom’s Spring falls or Jackson falls depending on where you look it up!) This is the first time in many years that I have been able to get here. Two separate hurricanes in 2004 flooded this area pretty heavily and washed out the bridge on the access trail. The bridge was only just replaced last year. This is a beautiful and unique falls and is probably the tallest that we visit at over 100’ in height. Daniel Ridge falls is a great opportunity to get in close to a waterfall and zoom in on part of the fall instead of the entire cascade. This makes for more interesting and moody images. We finished up early for our last dinner together and our final image review. Everyone had a great time and I know they all got some spectacular images.

Kenny

Images © Kenny McKeithan 2009

Kenny McKeithan... from The Cradle of Forestry Day 3

In the mid to late 1800’s, George Washington Vanderbilt, who had just recently purchased land in the Asheville, NC area for his estate (now the Biltmore House) was shocked and saddened by the deplorable condition of the forest. There were huge expanses where the forest had been clear cut and, coupled with erosion, the once beautiful forestland was being destroyed. Vanderbilt was prompted by his landscaper, Fredrick Law Olmstead, that a forester was necessary to manage his property. Vanderbilt was able to convince Dr. Carl Schenck to leave the Black Forest of Germany to take up the position of Vanderbilt’s forester. Eventually Schenck began a school that, for 15 years, taught the techniques and artistry of forestry to a new generation of Americans. In 1968 the sight of this school, The Biltmore School of Forestry, was named a National Historic site and is now affectionately known as The Cradle of Forestry in America.

The 6500 acre site displays the very schoolhouse, cabins and commissary that were used in the original school. We visited this place early Friday morning to take advantage of the early morning light to photograph the old cabins and other buildings as well as wildflower opportunities. Mother Nature, as she often does, had other plans for us. Shortly after we started out on the trail where the cabins are a thunderstorm rolled through and we holed up in one of the cabins for just over an hour. After the rain stopped, the lush green of the fresh spring growth was even more beautiful and the wildflowers were now covered with raindrops. I believe one could spend an entire day shooting here and not get bored. After lunch we traveled over to the Dupont State Forest to photograph Hooker falls and Triple Falls. Later we decided to skip Triple Falls in favor of a sunset/moonrise shoot from the Blue Ridge Parkway.Kenny

THE THIRD & FINAL DAY OF THE JOE MCNALLY WORKSHOP

For the third and final day of the Joe McNally location lighting workshop, we went to the Old Navy Yard at Noisette. There was a beautiful old admiral's house, which is borderline condemned. However, it made for a nice backdrop.

We also had four very talented dancers from the Charleston Ballet Theater. If you haven't seen them perform, you really shouldn't miss one of their performances.

The students broke up into groups and made some really great portraits. Each dancer showcased their flexibility and each photographer showed their new-and-improved lighting knowledge!

The workshop was a great success thanks to Joe McNally, Anne Cahill and my CCforP staff (Andy, Laura and Sally). I hope you join us for another one of these great events in the future.












I would like to give the Charleston Ballet Theater (www.charlestonballet.com) a special thanks for letting us shoot four of their very accomplished dancers.

Kenny McKeithan... from The Land of Waterfalls Day 2

We got an early start today. The foul weather that has blanketed this area finally broke up and moved off and before long we had beautiful clear blue skies. Not my favorite conditions for shooting waterfalls I'll admit, but it's better than thunder and lightning!

We started off with Looking Glass Falls this morning, easily the most photographed and most accessible falls in the area, before the crowds got there and, sure enough, we had the place to ourselves for about the first hour we were there. Looking Glass is one of the largest falls in the area at about 60 feet and is literally on the side of US 276 about 8 miles from Brevard. We shot this falls from the roadside for a while before descending the stone steps to the mid-level observation platform and then further down to stream level. There are numerous great vantage points from which to shoot the falls as well as abundant smaller cascades in the stream and wildflowers along the banks of Looking Glass Creek. As many times as I have visited this falls in particular, it's still hard not to be overwhelmed by the beauty of this place. From Looking Glass we went to Moore Cove falls. Moore Cove is almost the complete opposite of Looking Glass. Where Looking Glass is wide and powerful with a tremendous water flow, Moore Cove is almost dainty by comparison, falling in smaller trickles with much less water. It has its own unique beauty. Moore Cove is not as easily accessible either. It's at the end of a 3/4 mile walk through a hardwood forest criss-crossed by smaller streams and carpeted by a new growth of ferns and wildflowers.

After a quick lunch break we visited Slick Rock Falls. In some ways similar to Moore Cove Falls, Slick Rock Falls is actually two separate falls with smaller trickles in between. Nestled deep in the Pisgah Forest, Slick Rock requires a short drive up a gravel road and a short hike to the base of the falls. Once again the beauty of new spring growth was all over. Fresh green ferns sprinkled with Galax and both red and white Trillium blanketed the forest floor. The base of Slick Rock falls is in the shade most of the time it stays wet constantly so the boulders and rock formations are covered with thick mats of deep green ferns. After the days shooting we got together for around an hour and a half for a short classroom and critique session and then headed off for dinner.
Got to go now, we have another big day planned for tomorrow!
Kenny

THE SECOND DAY OF THE WORKSHOP

Here are some great pictures from the second day of the Joe McNally workshop. We started out at the Charlestowne Landing and ended the day back at the studio. Check out the pictures!

Kenny McKeithan... from the Land of Waterfalls

We kicked off the Waterfall and Wildflower workshop this evening with a short classroom session to go over techniques and an introduction to the "Land of Waterfalls" area. We arrived early this afternoon to scope out several of our shooting locations. It was cloudy and there were spotty rain showers, lousy weather for shooting anything but waterfalls! The folks at the Pisgah Ranger Station just outside Brevard, NC. were very helpful, as usual, in pointing out any road closings and other issues we may run into. They have all the info on the waterfalls in the area and will go out of their way to help you locate them.
We then visited several of our favorite locations looking for the best places to for wildflowers. They're all over. Because of differences in altitude and weather patterns most of this area is about a month to six weeks behind the Charleston area in terms of flowers blooming and other Springtime activity. We're going to get an early start tomorrow, our first day of shooting, in order to take in as much of the area as we can. There are four waterfalls on our shoot list for tomorrow, enough to take up a whole days shooting. Look for more tomorrow as I report in on the day's activities.

Kenny

Bill Frakes, Joe McNally and Anne Cahill

On Thursday, Bill Frakes came up from Florida with one of his college students, Sarah. He recorded a series of interviews and knowing Bill, he will compile them into a wonderful video for the Center.

Later that evening, Joe McNally and Anne Cahill came down from up North. Joe gave a lecture and it was a packed house. Anne showed off some Nikon gear and we all 'talked shop'.

The next day was the first day of the Joe McNally workshop. We went to the 'Old City Jail' and had some really beautiful models.

Oh, and to top it all off, we had Dr. Glenn Rand from Brooks Institute in California. He gave an amazing lecture about metering, exposing, zoning.....oh my gosh. I knew it was going to be good. But, I have to be honest, it really blew me away. If you didn't make it Friday to hear him, you need to come on Monday!

Tomorrow, the Joe McNally workshop folks will be going to the Charleston Towne Landing. It's the original colonial site of Charleston and Sunday well will be shooting some ballarinas out at the Old Navy Yard.

What a day!!!! More to come!!!



Check out how many Nikon cameras Bill Frakes has....WHAT??!?!? I wish I had those! By the way, I gave the studio a new coat of paint.



Every single seat was filled during Joe's lecture. Well, except for mine. But, I had to get up and take a picture for posterity! What a great talk. Anne Cahill from Nikon shared some of her great gear and we all got to 'geek-out'.




The workshop crew broke up into teams with their models and got to be really creative. Joe took the time to stop and give really good hands-on instruction to everyone.




We had some really beautiful girls and they were so patient. We also had two very great guys too with some great tattoos. They were great and I can't wait to work with each of them in the future!