I recently had the opportunity to spend an evening with photographer Tom Sisemore. Tom was kind enough to share some of his knowledge and photography experience with me. I have to say this was a great experience!

Tom has a great passion for bird photography, and it shows immensely through the quality and detail in his work. Tom says his favorite birds to photograph are hummingbirds due to their erratic movement and behavior. He has taken photographing them to a whole new level. Below is one of my favorites.

Tom geared me up with his hummer setup and stuck me in the drivers seat for a while. It was great seeing and hearing the hummers buzzing in and feeding. I'd never photographed hummingbirds before, but let me tell ya… they are very cool little birds! Here are a couple shots I took using Tom's gear and setup.
In short, I hated to see the evening end. I had a wonderful time visiting and learning from such an accomplished photographer. So until I visit again, here's hoping I can retain and apply what I've learned!

Tom has some of his photography posted on the Capture Arkansas website, be sure to go check them out and vote for them!

"The Richland Creek Wilderness is 11,800 acres of waterfalls, rocky creeks, bluffs and rugged Ozark Mountain terrain located in Newton and Searcy Counties in northwest Arkansas." - USDA Forest Service

I had the opportunity to explore the Richland Creek Wilderness this weekend with photographer Paul Caldwell of PhotosOfArkansas.com. Paul is an avid outdoorsman and an amazing photographer. I'd never been to Richland Creek before so this was an exciting trip for me.

Richland Creek Wilderness is just that, wilderness. It's raw, rugged and beautiful terrain. The Creek was running at around 350 cubic feet per second, which meant great waterfalls and photo opportunities. It also meant we'd have to use caution when crossing the creek.

We made our way from the trailhead around 8AM to the creek where we made our first crossing. Then out into the wilderness. There are so many photo opportunities at Richland, I believe I could spend a lifetime there and never run out of things to photograph.

Twin Falls was a jewel and a true work of nature. I can only describe it as transcendent. I'm not sure my photos can convey the overwhelming feeling you experience when standing the presence of them.

We spent a great ten hours in the Richland Creek Wilderness, though while I was there, time seamed to be non- existent.

In 2008 the Arkansas Democrat Gazette and Pediment Publishing held a photography contest called Capture Arkansas. At the end of the the contest they published the winners in a beautiful bound coffee table book. I was fortunate enough to have three photos published. I'm thrilled they have brought it back for 2010!!!

Capture Arkansas is so much more than a photo contest, It's a community of talented photographers. I made so many new relationships and connections and the experience was overwhelmingly positive!

If you are a photographer or simply have a love for beautiful photos, please head over to Capture Arkansas and check it out!!!

While you're there you're welcome to sign up and show me some love by voting on some of my photos!!!

A few photos of the many Squirrels on the University of Arkansas campas.