I had taken several workshops with Ian Murray through his Photography Workshops meetup group at http://www.meetup.com/Photoworks/. But I was really looking forward to this particular workshop. This was going to be an full day workshop in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire. We met up at 9:30am at the Dunkin Donuts on Route 112 in Lincoln, NH. I was 30 minutes early so I stopped by Lahouts Summit Shop first, browsed a bit and spoke with Chuck about ice climbing boots.
At Dunkin Donuts Ian handed out workshop notes and the 8 of us carpooled in 4 cars. The plan for the day was to start out at Dunkin Donuts, making our way up route 112, then onto routes 302, 16 and 3, southbound on I-93, and finally meet back up at Dunkin Donuts.
We started out east on 112 and our first stop was about 20 miles away, at Sabaday Falls. The parking lot was plowed but the trailhead wasn't. We decided to skip this falls and headed back out onto 112. We stopped in Albany at the trailhead of Rocky Gorge. The trailhead to the bridge is paved so there isn't a hike. Very easy access and our group spent about an hour photographing the Rocky Gorge from the bridge.
We had lunch at the Chef's Market in North Conway. By then the sun had come out and any signs of rain was gone. The Chef's Market is a quaint deli with healthy lunches at very reasonable prices. Chef Bryant Alden was behind the counter taking orders and his medals are proudly displayed on the wall behind their counter. I ordered the Hummus on wheat wrap and a cup of soup. It was delicious and the service there was both professional and pleasant! I highly recommend this deli if you are ever in North Conway. I do know that I will back to dine there again.
After lunch, we continued onto the town of Jackson. We stopped at the Honeymoon Bridge where Ian gave advice on shooting the covered bridge at different angles. I learned some tips on bringing out the 'red' of the bridge.
On the other side of the covered bridge is Flossie's General Store and Emporium. It was closed but its front lawn provided many photo ops!
Up the road a bit is Jackson Falls and it's such a lovely sight and sound - I just love the sound of falls! At this falls I got to try out a filter I recently purchased, a Moose Warm (81A) Circular Polarized filter. I left my tripod in my truck, so I ended up setting my camera on the rocks at the falls edge.
Along route 302 we stopped at the Silver Cascade Falls. This is a no-hike falls. Just park your car, cross the street and setup your tripod and camera on the sidewalk....easy peasy. You don't even have to stop, just slow down as the falls can be seen from the road.
The Upper Falls in Bretton Woods was our last Waterfall stop and I donned my MicroSpikes as there was still a fair amount of snow on the ground. We parked along the roadside as the parking lot was not plowed. The bridge over the falls was just a short walk from roadside.
It wasn't on the schedule, but we drove up the road a bit to the Mt. Washington Cog Railway. Half the group decide not to continue so there were only the four of us. It was exciting to be here at the base, as this was the closest I've ever been to Mt. Washington!
Our very last stop of the day was the Irving gas station on the corner of route 302 and Base Road. We didn't expect it but there he was in the forecourt, a beautiful Red Fox begging for food. Slices of roast beef were tossed to him while we took photos. He didn't seem to mind posing for us, so long as we had food for him!
It was a long day and I didn't get home until well after dark, but I loved every minute of this workshop! I always enjoy Ian's workshops. He has a very calm method of teaching. He provides a comfortable setting for students of any level and is patient while providing guidance.
** Click on the photos to see a larger view
