Awake The Light

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

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

09/03/2026

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 very badly exposed 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 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.

08/27/2026

BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK, South Dakota, May 23 – 27, 2027
This trip to the Badlands a few months ago was so popular and successful that demand is high to run it again.
The Old West captures the imagination like nothing else. The Badlands appear suddenly and dramatically from the Great Plains where many westward-bound pioneers in the 1800’s got their first glimpse of the challenges they faced.
This trip will be filled with sweeping landscapes, rugged rock formations, wide open spaces, the raw wildness of the pioneer west, and untamed beauty. There is also the potential for close-up shots of bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, prairie dogs, a wide variety of birds, and much more! We will explore all of that and more in this unique and exciting trip.
JUST A FEW SPACES LEFT. Complete details at this link https://www.awakethelight.com/workshops/p/the-badlands-national-park-south-dakota-may-24-28-2026-500-deposit-reserves-your-space-balance-of-2495-due-by-february-20-for-a-total-of-2995 I hope you can join me!

08/23/2026

TIP OF THE WEEK – go from Blah to Zippy
Recently I introduced my new TIP OF THE WEEK newsletter, and I am happy to report that it has become an instant success. Each new issue showcases one of my images that started out as far less than exciting, but with the help of simple fixes in Lightroom (and occasionally Photoshop as well), it became a much more appealing image.
Today’s image is featured in the latest TIP OF THE WEEK.
Want to know how it was done? If you are already on my mailing list, you should have received the newsletter with the full explanation of all that was done. BUT if you did not receive it and want to, please join my mailing list. It’s easy!
To receive it free each time a new issue is published, simply do this:
• Log on to my website https://www.awakethelight.com
• Wait a few seconds for the sign-up box to pop up, OR
• Scroll down on the Home Page to see the “Join My Mailing List” section, and fill in the information requested. That’s it!

08/19/2026

THE AMAZING DAHLIA
Dahlias are some of the most varied, beautiful, and colorful flowers on the planet. Many of the varieties look nothing like each other, but each is visually stunning and make great photographic subjects. Their colors, curves, and petal designs are enticing for anyone who enjoys flower photography.
Today’s image showcases the exquisite flow of the petals.
So for all of us flower freaks, I AM WORKING ON A DAHLIA PHOTO WORKSHOP FOR SEPTEMBER 2027 to be on the west coast. I am working on getting us early private entry to one of the most enticing Dahlia locations in the country. Specific September dates are not set yet, but if this interests you, let me know and I will add you to the list of possible participants. Email me, or fill in the “Contact” form on my website. No obligation – I am just assessing interest.

08/14/2026

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, CROP
You have heard me say that many times. Sometimes we cannot get close enough to get the shot we really want. At other times we just did not see all the possibilities when we took the original shot.
If the image does not look good to you, try cropping. You never know what you might create from the original image. Try different crops, and don’t confine yourself to the standard rectangular formats. Go tighter. Go super tight. Go short and wide. Or go tall and skinny, as I did with this shot. Look for an alternative that works for you.
In this case, a super tight crop looked the best to me (see inset for the original RAW).

08/12/2026

ABSTRACTS ARE EVERYWHERE
When you are looking for subjects, look no further than what is closeby. Ducks in a park (like today’s image), portions of buildings, anything in your home, all can be great abstract subjects.
You don’t have to travel far to find interesting abstracts. Look around and experiment with whatever you can find. And have fun!

08/09/2026

TIP OF THE WEEK - BEFORE & AFTER
Recently I introduced my new TIP OF THE WEEK newsletter, and I am happy to report that it has become an instant success. Each new issue showcases one of my images that started out as far less than exciting, but with the help of simple fixes in Lightroom, it became a much more appealing image. Today’s image is featured in the latest TIP OF THE WEEK.
Want to know how it was done? If you are already on my mailing list, you should have received the newsletter with the full explanation of all that was done. BUT if you did not receive it and want to, please join my mailing list. It’s easy!
To receive it free each time a new issue is published, simply do this:
• Log on to my website https://www.awakethelight.com
• Wait a few seconds for the sign-up box to pop up, OR
• Scroll down on the Home Page to see the “Join My Mailing List” section, and fill in the information requested. That’s it!

08/02/2026

WILD WATERLILY
Another example of “you never know what you will find.” A friend was visiting, and we went to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge only about half an hour from my home at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This is a huge protected area with not only Alligators, but Egrets, Great Blue Herons, and Black Bears. What I never expected to see were waterlilies growing wild along the roadside creeks. In fact, had I been there alone, I never would have seen them. She spotted them partially hidden behind tall roadside grasses. So while the birds flew off too soon, the bears proved to be elusive, and the alligators were nowhere to be seen, the beautiful waterlilies were the highlight of the day. Even though this was shot at 400mm, it took a lot of cropping in post-processing to zero in on the flower, plus a fair amount of clean-up in Lightroom (see the original RAW in the inset), the final result made the day worthwhile!

07/30/2026

TIP OF THE WEEK
My new free TIP OF THE WEEK newsletter has been an instant success! Today’s TIP OF THE WEEK explains how to use autofocus to your best advantage. I use autofocus all the time. I say again, ALL the time. There are 2 very simple tricks to use to make sure your images are as sharp as possible , and they are explained fully in this week’s Tip of the Week email.
It’s easy to get your free copy of my Tip Of The Week automatically in your email. Just join my mailing list here https://www.awakethelight.com
(If you already received this week’s Tip in your email, you are on the mailing list and do not have to subscribe again. But if you did not receive it, sign up today!)

07/26/2026

AMAZING NATURE
I love watching documentaries of the natural world, especially those produced by the BBC. The skill of the film makers is superb. Their camera angles and footage are beyond amazing, and they are able to show us parts of our world that we might not otherwise have an opportunity to see.
One of the segments in a recent documentary covered bubble net feeding by humpback whales. It is a stunning example of the intelligence, planning, and communication among animals. That prompted me to go through my archives for images I took a few years ago in Alaska of exactly that.
I can’t find the words to convey the thrill and amazement of seeing these huge mammals successfully engage in this feeding behavior. We watched from our boat for about 3 hours as again and again the whales formed a group, communicated with each other, took an organized deep dive, formed themselves into a large underwater circle, and in unison blew bubbles from their blow holes to contain large numbers of fish within the circle they had just created with their bubbles. Then, on the command of the lead whale, the entire group of 6 or 8 humpbacks thrust themselves partially out of the water, massive mouths open, grabbing all the fish they could. As you can see in this image, the birds also benefitted from this fishing expedition.
Our human belief is that animals are not intelligent, but the longer I observe and photograph wildlife, the more I believe they are far more intelligent than we ever thought.

Address

Palmetto Street
Kill Devil Hills, NC
27948

Telephone

+17577730194

Website

http://www.awakethelight.com/

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