A great photograph is the end result of a search in both space and time, the intersection of a special place and a magical moment. Putting yourself in this spot takes an understanding of your surroundings coupled with being in tune with the natural cycles of light. It is this quest that we will begin. Given the tools and the concepts, you can follow your own personal journey Into the Light and experience the beauty that surrounds you.

I am pleased to announce my photography seminars for 2005, which will start on May 21st and June 4th. The seminars feature both classroom instruction and shooting in the field as well as breakfast and lunch from Tahoe House Gourmet Bakery.

A 20 year resident of Tahoe City, I have been fortunate to witness the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra and share these moments at my gallery, Lake of the Sky Gallery. I have developed the 'Balance Method' of photography not as a means to create my work, but as a way to explain the creative process that takes place. The 'Balance Method' is a simple approach to photography that puts emphasis on fun and discovery and understanding the forces of nature.

The day begins with an optional 'sunrise on the beach' photo session in Tahoe City around 5:45 until 6:30 (time fluctuates daily). Sunrise is my favorite time of day to shoot. The intensity and color of the light in Tahoe at sunrise has to be seen to be believed.

We meet at my gallery in Tahoe City at 7:30 am for breakfast and an introduction to my 'Balance Method' of photography. I will describe the techniques, present examples of other techniques such as the rule of thirds and the zone system in my work, and work with your camera to prepare you to shoot in the field.

At 8:30 we will leave for the East shore of Lake Tahoe. The focus of the first two seminars will be to capture the blue and green colors of Lake Tahoe. We will shoot and explore the amazing landscapes of the East Shore until 11:30.

We will break for a 45 minute lunch on the rocks on the East Shore. You can create your own lunch from the scrumptious selection of homemade bread, rolls, salads and sandwiches of the Tahoe House Gourmet Bakery.

After lunch we will head back to my gallery to download and view our work. We can address your specific questions about your camera, printers, and other areas of digital photography. In the afternoon we will shoot on the beach to work on the techniques you have learned until 4pm. Photos from the shoots will be put on CDs for your storage. This will give you a few hours to explore the Lake and find a spot to shoot sunset.

The seminar is only $295 for an experience that is guaranteed to change the way you take photographs forever. The classes are limited to six people per seminar. You will recieve a 10% early sign up discount if you enroll at least one month before the seminars.

To enroll, email me at topper@richardtopper.com. I will have an online registration form in the coming weeks.

New Panoramas

I have just finished a dozen new panoramas and they are on display at Lake of the Sky Gallery in Tahoe City (see Gallery Info). Truckee River Montage was taken in January at the mouth of the Truckee river at sunrise. Autumn at Raymond Peak starts on a granite dome and travels to volcanic spires. Many more are on the way.

Truckee River Montage Autumn at Raymond Peak

E-Postcards now Online

You can now send E-Postcards from any photo in the Photo Gallery. Simply click on a photo and select E-Postcard. Fill in your name and info as well as the recipient and an email will be sent with a link to your E-Postcard. A great way to show someone the stunning beauty of Lake Tahoe.

Memorial Cove in Spring

Surreal SunriseSunrise of Fire

December at Secret Harbor

Twelve Four Three

Canvas Prints

All of my images are now available on canvas as well as traditional photo paper.  They look like paintings and do not need glass or a frame, although they look great framed, too.  Come by the gallery in Tahoe City and check them out. 

Weather for Tahoe City

Here is a new link to a great weather site, wunderground.com.  At great risk to polluting the highly scientific data that I collect on the weather forecast, I am switching to wunderground.com for my forecasts.  weather.com is pretty lame about snow levels and such.  Check out wunderground.com.  The link for Tahoe City Weather is:

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=96145

Thanks for your support and I hope to provide you with a fun look at Tahoe. 

If you are visting Lake Tahoe, stop by Lake of the Sky Gallery in Tahoe City and enjoy my work as well as jewelry by my wife, internationally known designer Michou.

Important Notice: Richard Topper copyrights all images and content appearing on the Richard Francis Topper web site. This site is intended for viewing only. Commercial or personal use of any of these images or design without the written permission of Richard Francis Topper Photography is prohibited under United States and International copyright laws. Copyright 2003 RichardTopper.com, Inc. All rights reserved.