Few places in the world offer the range of extraordinary photography opportunities that photographers find in The Palouse!
It's one of the largest wheat producing regions of North American and its expansive landscapes of rolling hills and fields of grain are often compared to the Tuscany region of Italy.
The Palouse is known among photographers for its expansive fields of wheat, colorful canola, and garbanzo beans (or "garbs" as the locals call them), weathered barns, retired farm trucks, and quaint towns that take you back decades.
We'll be staying in Moscow, Idaho, adjacent to Pullman, Washington, which puts us close to many favorite locations, and gives us flexibility to plan our days, and the ability to adapt to changing weather conditions. And, as an added bonus, this area offers many quality dining venues for us to enjoy!
Each photographer is responsible for hotel costs and meals.
Upon registration, you'll receive a link to book your stay at a discounted rate for our group.
We'll visit many of our favorite locations in and around Colfax, like Steptoe Butte, and we'll introduce new locations in the Pullman/Moscow area and along the border.
As always, I'll be scouting well in advance to find some new locations to add to our list of tried and true favorites.
Photographing the Palouse in the spring when it is at its most luscious is a rare treat. If it was just the clouds and rolling fields, that might be enough. But add to that the contoured tapestry of yellow canola fields, brown fallow fields, and green wheat blowing in the breeze and it will take your breath away!
The image below shows the beautiful contours of the rolling fields, and the lovely contrast of winter wheat next to yellow canola under a beautiful blue, cloud-filled sky. This is one of many looks that we appreciate in the Palouse in spring.
Our days will be spent photographing the landscape including beautiful barns, abandoned farms, windmills, farm equipment and retired work trucks, and other vehicles in various stages of decay.
Record Flow at Palouse Falls
Weather permitting, we'll catch sunrise or sunset from atop Steptoe Butte, a 3,612 feet high butte that towers over the surrounding countryside affording a bird's-eye view of the fields below.
And, there are always treasures, like this old car, to be found.
The quality of the light is extraordinary and because it's ever-changing in the way it illuminates the landscape, it creates unique challenges for photographers. Watching the sky and looking for cloud shadows is one of the great fun challenges in the Palouse!
The image below was made with my Fuji X-T1 converted to Infrared. The cloud shadows created a spot-light-like effect on these three trees. If you enjoy making IR images, the Palouse offers a candy store of opportunities!
We'll stop in small towns for lunch and breaks, and have the chance to do some street photography, western style.
Learning Opportunities
You'll have learning opportunities in the field and in the classroom. The majority of our time we'll be in the field, exploring composition, and working with various camera settings for traditional cameras, iPhone, and infrared to achieve desired results. I'll share processing info for iPhone, and also, share how I use Topaz Labs software, Luminar software, and Nik software for processing RAW files, fine-tuning "straight" landscapes, and creating more artistic renderings using textures and filters.
For those interested in learning to make infrared images on the iPhone, I'll provide information about accessories prior to our trip and support you in the field in this fun new endeavor!
More information about what camera equipment to bring, along with what iPhone apps and accessories you'll want to have, will be provided to those who register.
Rad A. Drew
Rad A. Drew lives with his wife, metalsmith, Nancy Lee, in historic Irvington, Indiana, on the east side of Indianapolis. He has been leading photographers in The Palouse during spring and fall since 2015.
Although a traditional camera photographer much of his life, since 2010 he's embraced the creative power of the iPhone. He creates infrared images with a converted Fuji and with his iPhone. His creative iPhone images have received numerous awards and have made their way into galleries and juried international competitions showing in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, New York, Toronto, Collingwood, Seattle, and Melbourne. He is author of the fine art books, In Good Light, Images of the Circle City and Rural Indiana, A Beauty all its Own, and is a contributor to The Art of iPhone Photography: Creating Great Photos and Art on Your iPhone. Rad teaches individuals, and is a frequent presenter at photo conferences and camera clubs around the world. His destination tours to (among other locations) Tuscany, Calabria, South of France, Cape Cod, Molokai, and Cuba are great ways to learn while photographing beautiful areas of the world.
