Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season!

Looking forward to the treasures ahead in 2012.

Want to know how Art Wolfe fell in love with nature and all its beauty.  He simply got out there and appreciated what we have here in Washington State.

You can too, and here is how you can get out there this winter at little cost.

The start of winter officially begins in a couple days and here is a great opportunity to learn how to snowshoe and take some great winter photos at the same time.

The US Forest Service is offering several weekend day-hikes with a photography theme this winter at Snoqualmie Pass in 2012. For $20 you can sign-up and they will provide snowshoes and a guide and you will take off from 9:30am to 2:00pm. They will teach you ecology and snowshoeing while you glide through a winter wonderland of photo opportunities.  Just bring your camera along.

The USFS also has other hikes of varying duration:

Interpretive 90-Minute Walk
Sat. Sun. 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m.
Learn about winter ecosystem, wildlife and safety.
Group size 20
$10

Extended Half-Day Hikes
Fri. Sat. Sun. 9:30 a.m.
Experience Commonwealth Basin in the winter surrounded by the Cascade crest peaks.
Group size 10
$10

Winter Photography & Ecology Outings
Jan. 21, Feb. 4, 18, March 3, 17, 31, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Capture winter nature on film while learning about ecology.
Group size 6
$20

“Kids in the Snow”
Feb. 4-March 31, Sat. 1 p.m.
Earn a Junior Ranger Snow badge! Learn about tracking, crawl into a snow cave and check out a snow crystal with a magnifier.
Group size 20
$10

The 90-minute walk and extended snowshoe trips run Jan. 8-March 31, the winter photography and ecology outings Jan. 21-March 31 and the “Kids in the Snow” program Feb. 4-March 31. Make reservations at 509-852-1062 before Jan. 2; and 425-434-6111 afterwards. Trips for special events and school groups can also be scheduled. Meet 15 minutes early at the visitor’s center off I-90, exit 52 on Snoqualmie Pass.

>>CLICK HERE to register and learn more.

We are offering an expanded version of this popular class. Now Composing Effective Images will include a field session. February 3-5, 2012. The FIELD EDITION is available only in Seattle, WA.

For those who are ready to take the next step and work in the field with Art Wolfe, this class is perfect. It is a perfect transition from the classroom seminar that will better prepare you for an intensive field workshop. For the many who have already taken Art’s popular Art of Composition Seminar and would like to continue their photographic exploration with a master this is your perfect opportunity.

We are packing so much into this class, that Art will actually begin his first lecture at the opening reception in his home on Friday night.

>>CLICK HERE to learn more about this unique class.

>>REGISTER HERE

This would make a great gift for your photographer friend or relative. They would always remember this great experience.

An Invitation from Art Wolfe

The 2012 International Conservation Photography Awards (ICPA) are under way today, December 1, 2011. Submissions are now being accepted until February 29, 2012.

This Photography Awards program was conceived and started by Art Wolfe. Watch and listen to his invitation and consider submitting your work and contributing to this showcase program for conservation.

“An event for the advancement of photography as a unique medium capable of bringing awareness and preservation to our environment through art.” - Art Wolfe

>>CLICK HERE to go to the ICPA Website for more information and to learn how you can submit your work. View the 2010 ICPA Gallery to see last years winners.