On this page I will share some stories behind the images, thoughts on upcoming trips and art fairs, as well as some trip reports, and random thoughts. If you are interested in more details about the things on this page, feel free to contact me.

I have to admit that I stole the title of this page from George R. R. Martin. If you don’t know who that is, all I can say “Drakharis”.

Dimitry Papkov 5/7/23 Dimitry Papkov 5/7/23

More than Meets the Eye. Photographing Close to Home.

Did you ever say or hear people say, “Oh, it is boring where I live. Nothing to photograph”?

Do you need sprawling vistas or majestic waterfalls to capture beautiful images? Those don’t hurt, of course, but sometimes, just paying attention and coming to a location close to home time after time can be great too. Make a list of possible locations in your neighborhood, and mark which would look great in fog, stormy weather, sunrise/sunset, fall colors etc. Then, when the time is right, head out. And if it doesn’t work out, come back again another time, noting what didn’t work last time.

I guess, my message to you is to get out and find those little gems in your neighborhood. Then, go back to those places often when the weather, the light, and time of year are right to do the places justice in your photos.

Did you ever say or hear people say, “Oh, it is boring where I live. Nothing to photograph”?

When I moved to Massachusetts from Nebraska and started posting on the different New England photography Facebook pages, a heard a version of this statement a couple of times. Someone asked me once, “These are in Massachusetts? Really?” For someone coming from Nebraska this was an amazing statement. After all, Massachusetts, and more generally New England is like a candy store for a photographer. We got it all — ocean, mountains, waterfalls, wetlands, and what not. People from all over the US and the world flock here for Fall colors. So, how come some people feel there isn’t much interesting to photograph here?

I guess, the answer to this is that we just get used to it. We don’t pay enough attention to the small details. I have to admit that sometimes I too feel that, “oh, well, it’s just another waterfall.” After all, I have plenty of those in my portfolio.

Over the weekend I ran my first workshop at Enders Falls in Connecticut. We had a great time, and, hopefully, captured some worthwhile scenes. Workshop participants drove for a couple of hours just to get there. As they say, '“showing up is 90% of winning.” And that is especially true of photography. If you don’t get up early and go to those places, you won’t capture the special moments. One frustrating part is that even if you do, you might not get anything :-)

But do you need sprawling vistas or majestic waterfalls to capture beautiful images? Those don’t hurt, of course, but sometimes, just paying attention and coming to a location close to home time after time can be great too.

You probably noticed that I have multiple images of the Old Stone Church in West Boylston and Rauscher Farm in Clinton in my galleries. The reason for this is that I live less than fifteen minutes away from those locations. I can easily come back time after time to take advantage of great light, weather etc. I already know what point I need to go to to capture these places, so, all it takes is to look out the window and grab your camera bag. These days, you don’t even need that as you most likely have a decent camera in your phone.

This is a great advantage over some beautiful location half a world away. When I went to England last year, I only had five days there, which I also had to balance with my day job. in order to take full advantage of the trip, I spent days preparing. I got in touch with a local photographer for recommendations, read all I could find on the internet about the different locations, and built multiple contingencies as to where to go depending on the weather, time etc. I still had to return to a certain location three times because I was unlucky the first two times. However, I was somewhat lucky with the weather and I managed to cram into those five days significantly more than I should have. To the point where I almost collapsed on the last day going to the airport.

When you go to locations close to home, you don’t have to do this. sure, you still need to do your homework. However, if one day doesn’t work, come back another day. You can build a list of locations with comments like, “this will look great in fog”, or “this is great for a nice sunset”, etc. Then, when the time comes, grab your camera and head out. And if it doesn’t work out, come back again another time, noting what didn’t work the last time, and whether you can adjust to get a better result.

I am not sure if it is just the Spring finally coming, or the fact that I switched my kit, but I have been more motivated to get out more over the last month or two. On my daily commute there are a few locations that I marked for my list of possible locations to photograph. Last week, I got up an hour earlier. It was misty outside, and I headed to one of those locations in Lancaster. I went to that location in the past, but was never satisfied with most of the images i captured there. Well, this time I hit a jackpot, and captured a series of images that look like they came from a fairytale.

Another location near home is Bolton Spring Farm. I passed it a few times, though it is a little out of my way. It has a beautiful apple orchard. Yesterday, after the workshop I drove by to see if the trees are blossoming. And, boy, do they. I expected the orchard to look good at sunrise. So, I got up today at 5am and headed out. It took the sun a while to get over the trees, and I had plenty of time to walk around and to choose my spots. Once the sun rose enough, it bathed the blossoming trees in an absolutely stunning golden light.

Blossoms and Light (Blossoming Apple Trees in Bolton, Massachusetts)

After taking many images, I headed home for a much deserved coffee and some sleep. It is Sunday, after all!

Have a great week!

Dimitry Papkov 12/23/22 Dimitry Papkov 12/23/22

The Year that Was 2022 — Stories Behind My Favorite Images of 2022 (Part 3 — New England Fall)

As 2022 draws to a close, I went back to choose my favorite images taken this year. Because there were just so many of them, I had trouble narrowing down the list and I decide to break down this “definitely not a blog” post into several installments. This third installment in the series brings the stories behind my favorite images from New England I took this Fall. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

This is the third installment of posts featuring my favorite images of 2022. You can find the first and the second at the links.

This year the fall colors came out in force in New England. In the few years I’ve been here, I believe this one was the best from Fall colors perspective. I am still wading through the many images I took during this period, but I already have several that are among my all time favorite shots.

Click on the image to go to the product page. Let’s get going…

On one of the weekends we went to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We started at the Little White Church in Eaton, hoping for some mist above the lake, but it didn’t materialize. We drove into the mountains and, as often is the case, noticed a dilapidated farm on our way to Conway. I doubled back and we stopped for a few minutes to photograph the barn. This image also has a very nice black and white version, which didn’t make it onto this list.

Abandoned Barn near Conway, New Hampshire

We drove through the Cancagamus highway, stopping in several locations. most of the images from that drive are still waiting to be edited. In the afternoon we climbed the Artists Bluff hike near Franconia Notch for sunset. The location was extremely crowded to the point of people creating a traffic jam on the way down. We stayed at the overlook until the sun hid behind the mountains. I took out my long lens and took shots of the trees on the mountain slopes across from us, basking in the light of the settling sun, glowing gold.

Fields of Gold. Trees in the Light of the Settling Sun at Artists Bluff, New Hampshire

Last Call. Fall Trees at Franconia Notch as Seen from Artists Bluff, Bathed in Last Rays of Settling Sun

After going to the White Mountains, I spent a couple of days in the Berkshires. On one of the mornings I went to Bash Bish falls for my first visit to that staple of Massachusetts Berkshires. I came early enough for sunrise and was the only person at the falls, giving me the opportunity to take my time and photograph the falls framed by Fall-colored trees.

This year I participated in the art fair at the Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, Connecticut. The fair is organized by Historic New England and is one of several I did with them. All the fairs were very well organized and well attended in beautiful locations across New England. At this show I was contracted to do custom work. while doing that I took one of my favorite fall shots this year, which I am including in this list with the clients’ permission.

Often the images we love the most are the ones from our local area or those which remind us of great experiences. There are several locations near Lancaster, Massachusetts, which I pass every day on my way to and from work. One of them is a small wooded area. I always wondered how it would look with some fog. So, one day, I woke to a nice misty morning, grabbed my camera and headed out. When I was almost done and was about to head back, I captured the following image of the most beautiful God Rays breaking through the trees, with the last of the morning mist helping bring them to life.

Another location, which I see every day, and which was the source of endless frustration for me is a large wetland area near highway 70. My frustration comes from the fact that the area looks amazing, but there is just no place to stop without risking being run over. One day, I finally got so jealous of the amazing light and mist in this area that I went to google maps and tried to figure out how I can get to it. I found an access point from a cemetery in the residential neighborhood near by. Although I didn’t get the full view of the wetland area, I got enough to capture a few of my favorites this year. Two of them make it to this list, but there are several more, which were “almost”.

I came early enough to be able to explore a little, to capture the heavier mist during the blue hour, and to capture the rising sun backlighting the mist over the wetland.

Kimball Farm is another location I pass on my daily commute. One morning, I just had to stop to capture the misty trees there. The wisps of mist backlit by the rising sun created this eerie atmosphere straight out of the Lord of the Rings.

Old Stone Church in West Boylston is a location I keep going back to. It is only a few minutes drive away from my house, and offers a variety of shots in different conditions. I am still missing some good winter shots of the location, but I was able to capture a few good Fall shots this year.

We finished up our Fall season this year with a two-day trip to Cape Cod. This is the first time I went there, and I will definitely go back. On the first evening we stopped at Race Point beach for sunset. This was one of the most amazing sunsets and afterburners I have seen, and it resulted in two images to cap off this installment of my favorite images of 2022. A perfect ending.

Happy Holidays!

Dimitry Papkov 12/22/22 Dimitry Papkov 12/22/22

The Year that Was 2022 — Stories Behind My Favorite Images of 2022 (Part 2 — Quintessentially British)

As 2022 draws to a close, I went back to choose my favorite images taken this year. Because there were just so many of them, I had trouble narrowing down the list and I decide to break down this “definitely not a blog” post into several installments. This second installment in the series brings the stories behind my favorite images from my trip to England coutryside at the end of May. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

This is the second installment of my favorite images of 2022. You can find the first installment here. Check it out!

At the end of May I went to UK for business, and spent a few days in the beautiful Cotsowlds region of England. It was an intense trip during which I got up at 4am to go and shoot a sunrise, go work, and then go shoot a sunset, getting back to the hotel around 10pm. After spending a few days in the Cotswolds, I went for one intense, amazing day at the Jurassic Coast. It was all, oh so worth it, as I got many of my favorite images ever. To my shame, I am still not done with editing my images from that trip, but even though it is a hard job to select just a few to share in this list.

Special thanks and a shout out to William Gray for his extremely helpful tips about locations in the Cotswolds. Make sure to check out his amazing work.

Click on the image to go to a product page. And now…

Misty Morning at the Water Meadows Near Burford in the Cotswolds

I spent my first morning in the Cotswolds at the water meadows near Burford. Burford is a town on the River Windrush, in the Cotswold hills, in the West Oxfordshire district and is often referred to as the “gateway” to the Cotswolds. When I arrived at the location, morning mist covered most of the area. I had some time to set up before the sunrise and to meet the two swans nesting there. Once the Sun rose, it backlit the mist and created an absolutely amazing atmosphere.

Panorama of the Water Meadows Near Burford in the Cotswolds

After spending some time at Burford I stopped at the Woxholes conservation area. Unfortunately, I was pretty short on time, and the light was not great, but I did manage to take this image. It might not be the most artistic, but the fact that all the sheep were looking at me as I took the shot, makes it one of my favorites and so Quintessentially British countryside that I had to include it in my list.

Somebody’s Watching Me. Sheep Grazing Near Foxholes Conservation Area in the Cotswolds

Sunset at the St. Barnabas Church in the Town of Snowshill in the Cotswolds

I came to shoot St. Barnabas Church in the small town of Snowshill three times while exploring the Cotswolds. For those who like trivia, the movie Bridget Jones Diary was filmed in Snowshill. The first evening was a miserable rainy gray. I enjoyed a nice dinner at the Snowshill Arms that can be seen here behind the church. I returned the next day for a sunrise and got some nice shots, but nothing spectacular. Finally, I came back once again for a sunset two days later. I was rewarded for my persistence by a spectacular susnet and a nice dinner at Snoshill Arms. If you are in the area, check them out for a great atmosphere and food.

Sunburst at the St. Barnabas Church in the Town of Snowshill in the Cotswolds

End of May is the season when wild garlic is in full bloom. during one of the days I went to the local woods in Winchcombe. the floor was covered with wild garlic, and you could tell the direction of the best spots covered with these flowers by following your nose. To get this image all in focus, I had to focus stack shots. Thankfully, there was no wind.

The Cotswolds houses are sometimes described as coming from a chocolate box. The architecture and the atmosphere doesn’t get any more British and feels as if it came straight out of old Miss Marple movies. One of the best examples of this atmosphere can be found in Chipping Campden, a market town in Gloucestershire. To my great shame, I have not edited most of the images from Chipping Campden, except for St. James’ Church.

On the last day I had in the Cotswolds, I went to the Sherborne Estate for the sunrise. This was again at William Gray’s suggestion. The sunrise on that day was beautiful, and I had a lot of fun photographing the different trees in the area. It is a beautiful area, and these images remind me of the calm atmosphere I experienced when I was there all by myself.

Castle in the Sky. Corfe Castle Rising from the Mists at Sunrise

After spending some more time at the Gloucester Cathedral and taking some pictures with ghosts I headed South to the Jurassic coast. I spent some time in the evening scouting the area of Corfe Castle, and returned in the morning well before the sunrise. Corfe Castle is a royal castle, now a majestic ruin, was established by William the Conqueror and partially destroyed in the English Civil War. The location is known to have temperature inversion and beautiful mists that give the castle ruins an eerie feel straight out of Tolkien’s works.

When I left the hotel to go to my scouted vantage point, I was a little concerned as there didn’t seem to be any sign of a mist. However, as I got closer to the castle, the mist started to appear. It ended up being a beautiful morning with the mists rolling in and out over the hills. I had a wonderful session photographing the area. I started out alone, but after approximately forty minutes I was joined by a few other photographers as well as some cows.

After finishing up at Corfe Castle I headed to Old Harry Rocks, the most Eastern point of the Jurassic Coast. Sun was already up, but it was cloudy, and I had the location all to myself. Because I was the only person there, I could walk around the location and capture it from different directions with nobody getting into my shots. I took several long exposure shots to smooth out the water and to add to the atmosphere in the images. Two of the shot of the Old Harry rocks make it onto this list.

I’ve spent the rest of the day photographing different locations on the Jurassic Coast, and some of these shots almost made it to the top choices list, while others still wait to be edited on my computer. Before heading back to my hotel, I spent the sunset at Durdle Door, a natural limestone arch near Lulworth. There I captured the shot that caps this installment of my favorite shots of 2022.

Looking back on this trip, I am amazed just how many locations I managed to cover in the few days I was there, and just how many shots from there are among my favorites ever. I hope to go back in the not too distant future and spend some more time in these beautiful locations.

Happy Holidays!