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 12/22/22 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!

Dimitry Papkov 12/21/22 Dimitry Papkov 12/21/22

The Year that Was 2022 — Stories Behind My Favorite Images of 2022 (Part 1 — Lowcountry Living)

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 first installment in the series brings the stories behind my favorite images from spring workshop in Charleston, South Carolina. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays everyone!

It has been another great year for my photography. Looking back, I am frankly amazed at just how many images from this year can make it into my personal favorites. Although I have been doing landscape photography for more than a few years now, the last two years probably saw the biggest jump in the quality of my images. I’ve made great progress in almost every aspect of my photography from planning my shots and locations and all the way through editing.

This was also the first year I seriously tried to sell my work at art fairs and other venues. This experience helped me get over the concerns of whether I was good enough (impostor syndrome is not unusual with photogrphers). I even dipped my toes in doing commission work (I am grateful to the customers that trusted me with this). In short, as I mentioned above, it has been a great year.

So, to celebrate the end of the year, here are the stories behind some of my favorites from 2022. Since there were so many, I had to break this into several parts. This part will focus on images taken in South Carolina during a workshop in Charleston at the end of march.

Special shout out to Kate Silvia and Kenny McKeithan who led the workshop in Charleston. Make sure to check them out. So, without further ado…

Click on the image to go to a product page. As I look back at 2022, is amazing just how many images that I love I took this year. I had to work hard to reduce this list to a manageable level.

Arthur Ravenel Jr. bridge is a staple of Charleston. We came there for a sunset shoot after spending some time at the famous Rainbow Row in Downtown Charleston. And, boy, did the sunset delver. The beautifully lit clouds with made the location one of my best experiences this year.

Sunset at the Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge, Charleston, South Carolina

The shot on the right is a panorama of six images taken with a long 150mm (225mm equivalent) lens. The light from the sunset on the left, just outside the frame, gives this image a kind of cynematic look you sometimes see in the initial establishing shots. A perfect way to kick off my top choices. After we were done, and other participants went to rest before an early shoot the next day, I stayed behind. First, I went up the bridge, and then returned to our sunset spot for a night shot. Although I love the night lit bridge by itself, I think that the clouds that day gave this image just that extra kick to bring it into my top twelve for the year. I should point out here, that I have several more great images of this bridge, which did not make it to this list.

A Night Shot of Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina.

After doing a sunrise shoot at Folly Beach the next morning, we went to visit the Magnolia Plantation. This plantation is amazing and offers a variety of great shots of the live oaks, cypresses and various flowers. For the purposes of this list, I chose two of the more unusual shots I took there. The black and white image of the live oak was taken with a long lens (again). I have a color version of the same shot that I also like, but I just think that the black and white version with the edit to mimic an infrared shot brings that something extra to the shot.

Live Oak at Magnolia Plantation in Monochrome.

The second image from the Magnolia Plantation surprised me. I am used to water looking like glass when you take a long exposure, and this was what I expected when I took this image. However, apparently water and leaves moved enough on the surface to create these amazing streaks. This was enough to get the image to my top choices list.

Circles on the Water at the Magnolia Plantation

On the last day of the workshop we went to the bone-yard beach at Botany Bay for sunrise. As people spread out, I found myself a nice dead tree placed right at the edge of the surf. As the sun came up, I kept shooting, experimenting with different shutter speeds until I was happy with the result. During one of the art shows I participated this year, a customer mentioned that they saw a couple sitting at the top of the root, watching the sunrise. Ever since then I cannot unsee it.

Sunrise at the Bone-Yard Beach at Botany Bay

After we finished at Botany Bay, on our way back to Charleston we stopped at the Angel Oak tree. This amazing like oak is estimated to be 400-500 years old, and it stands over 60ft tall and over 25 feet in circumference. It dwarfs the people standing next to it. The location was teaming with people, but I managed to take a few shots without a crowd. I especially love a series of shots of the branches of this amazing tree reaching for the sun. One of these makes an appearance on this “favorite” list.

Reaching for the Sun. Angel Oak Tree near Charleston.

Azaleas and Cypress Trees at the Cypress Gardens

Finally, after finishing up the workshop and before leaving South Carolina, I stopped at the cypress gardens. It is another amazing location near Charleston, and I had a blast photographing it. I had the benefit of great light although it was in the middle of the day. Out of the many shots that I love, which I took that day, I chose one to include on this list. The combination of the white azaleas and the cypress trees in the background is just something special.

As i already mentioned, narrowing down the list of my favorites was very hard this year, and many great images I took during my several days in Charleston didn’t make it onto the list.

If you would like to see more images from South Carolina, be sure to check out my South Carolina gallery.

Happy Holidays!