Awake The Light

Name: Awake The Light
Address: Palmetto Street, Kill Devil Hills, NC, 27948, US
Telephone: +17577730194

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Awake The Light Photo Tours and Workshops provides instructional photography tours to magnificent de

10/25/2026

My latest TIP OF THE WEEK free newsletter just went out today. It is packed with information on how to reveal the hidden beauty of what at first glance looks like a blah image. You can see how powerful, and easy, the techniques are in these Before and After images.
If you are already on my mailing list, you should have received it. If not, and you would like more information on how to make this sort of change, and to receive it directly to your inbox, it is simple. Just join my Mailing List. To do that, go to my website at this link https://www.awakethelight.com and either wait a few seconds for the sign-up box to appear, OR scroll down a little to the Join My Mailing List section. It is quick and easy! Questions? Go to the Contact section of my website and send me a message.

10/20/2026

INSPIRED BY GEORGIA O’KEEFE
(click the image below for a larger view)
After spending nearly a month in northern New Mexico exploring the territory of famous painter Georgia O’Keefe, I got inspiration from one of her paintings. Here are side-by-side views of her painting and a photograph I took during a private tour of her home and studio.
Our tour guide mentioned that the O’Keefe painting was inspired by a falling leaf in her courtyard, depicting her beloved door which she painted many times in many different versions. The painting shows the leaf in front of the adobe wall as it fell. I was standing in that same courtyard, but looking in a different direction. Every so often a leaf would flitter by, but I did not pay much attention to that. When I was reviewing what I shot in the courtyard, I saw that one lone leaf was hanging in the air a little above the roofline in front of the cloudy sky.
So I took a bit of liberty, and cloned the leaf in Photoshop and placed it in front of the adobe wall. Then I removed the leaf from the sky.
When making these kinds of creative decisions, it is important to make sure the change looks as natural as possible. In some cases, adding a drop shadow can make the newly-placed object look more like part of the scene. But in this case, since the leaf would probably have been quite a distance from the wall, AND because Ms. O’Keefe chose not to include a drop shadow in her painting, I did not either. I did choose to keep the leaf the same size and at the same angle as it was originally in the sky.
So this is my homage to a great artist who made northern New Mexico her adopted home.

10/18/2026

GEORGIA O’KEEFE’S HOME
I wish my workspace looked this good! After touring Georgia O’Keefe’s home and studio in Abiquiu, NM, I took away some ideas to pare down my own space which needs it badly!
Both of my groups who joined me in New Mexico enjoyed our private tour which was packed with great information. And it was a joy for me to be in the home where such a creative person had lived and worked.

10/17/2026

DELICATE SUNRISE
The desert light in northern New Mexico can be spectacular at times, and delicate at other times. This was a “delicate” day.
The muted tones of the early morning sky are offset by the bright autumn yellows and subdued greens of the cottonwood trees.
This image conveys the feel of that morning – quiet, calm, and soft.

10/15/2026

DRAMATIC SKIES
I am happily still in New Mexico with another great group. We had a spectacular private tour of Ghost Ranch, made widely known by Georgia O’Keefe’s creative paintings of the area. The sky was filled with dramatic clouds, with openings every so often revealing deep blue skies and casting a spot light on some of the formations. It was exciting to photograph the rapidly changing light conditions.

10/10/2026

TIMELESS
This landmark in Taos, New Mexico was made famous by photographer Ansel Adams as well as painter Georgia O’Keefe. It is the beautiful San Francisco de Asis Catholic Mission Church that dates from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Converting it to black and white seemed fitting for such an old and venerable building. It was awe-inspiring to stand where Adams and O’Keefe once stood, and for a moment I was transported back to their time.

10/06/2026

LOOK! UP IN THE SKY! IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE, IT’S ……
…. hundreds of balloons!!! This is just a peak at what the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta looks like. Hundreds of balloons are cleared to lift off at dawn within a few minutes of each other, and before you know it, the sky is filled with them.
The colors, the sights, the sounds of so many balloons being prepped on the ground, and then lifting off into the new light of day is more exciting than I ever imagined. While I have wanted to attend the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta for many years, I never thought about how it might feel to actually witness it. And it feels SO much more exciting and heart-warming than I ever thought possible. My first group for the SANTA FE & TAOS VISION RETREAT headed home today, and my second group coming to New Mexico to get immersed in Georgia O’Keefe country AND the Balloon Fiesta starts at the end of the week.

10/04/2026

ENCHANTED NEW MEXICO
New Mexico calls itself The Land of Enchantment, and that is certainly an apt description. We have seen amazing landscapes, incredible skies, and friendly welcoming people.
This photo, taken at the famous Ghost Ranch, is just one example of the stark and beautiful landscape. Ghost Ranch, made famous by painter Georgia O’Keefe, is a wild open expanse of high desert. A true wilderness, yet it provides a feeling of peace and beauty.

09/30/2026

THE “GATES” OF SANTA FE
Santa Fe is famous for its adobe walls surrounding residences, with beautiful gates to enter the property. We spent part of today exploring many of these gates, and each one was unique. I found this one especially beautiful because of its design and colors. One of the overpowering feelings about being in Santa Fe is the artistic flair exhibited everywhere from homes to shops to galleries. This is definitely a very artsy place with talented artists everywhere. It is the perfect place for this Vision Retreat.

09/29/2026

ANOTHER GREAT DAY IN SANTA FE
Today we had a fantastic private tour of the Georgia O’Keefe Museum and came away with a much better understanding of her life and work. From there we went to the Loretto Chapel in the heart of historic Santa Fe, and its famous spiral staircase, shown in today’s image. The staircase has no traditional supports and is free-standing, attached only at the top and bottom. Because the staircase is roped off to the public, and partially blocked by pews, it was not possible to get a full shot of it. So as always, when faced with lemons, try to make lemonade. This is a wide shot of the chapel showing the spiral staircase on the left side of the image, and the rest of the chapel as well. Still beautiful and impressive from this angle.

Address

Palmetto Street
Kill Devil Hills, NC
27948

Telephone

+17577730194

Website

http://www.awakethelight.com/

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