Blog Posts and News
2020 Files and Film Art Show Application
For all you Florida-based fine-art photographers out there, the deadline is March 1st for the 2020 Files & Film Juried Photography Art Show. I've been exhibiting at the show since its founding in 2013 because it's a great opportunity to display and sell your work, as well as win one of the...
Telegraph Creek
The summer of 2013 saw some pretty high water levels across North Florida, and Telegraph Creek in South Florida was no different. The main problem is how strong the current becomes, almost like rapids in narrow or meandering sections. The second problem is how close the tree branches become to...
Anclote Key State Park
Back in July 2013, I started this blogpost but never published it. Here is the story, published now in October 2016: After a number of 1 and 2 week long adventures through Florida, a relaxing one day trip was in order to Anclote Key State Park, a boat-only accessible island 3 miles outside...
Richard Auger Now on Instagram!
I've finally joined the Instagram bandwagon! Its much more photo centric than Facebook, and I've found that the platform helps me share photos differently to a new audience, as well as discover other inspirational work from other artists. I've also been adding new functionality to the comments...
14th Annual Oyster Roast – St Johns Riverkeeper
I’m honored this year to be the featured artist for the ’14th Annual Oyster Roast’ fundraiser for a great organization, The St Johns Riverkeeper. The event will celebrate the St. Johns River and raise funds for the continuation of their effective advocacy, outreach, and education programs.
Sony A7Rii: A Film Photographer’s Review
I mostly shoot black and white 120 film, and make my living selling big fine-art prints. I returned to film 5 years ago for aesthetic reasons, and reinvented my style and won many awards for my silver gelatin prints. As time moved on, I wanted to reintegrate color back into my workflow, so for the past two years, I’ve tried many digital systems and hated them all (5dmkiii, D800E, etc). The Sony A7Rii is the first digital camera I really like and can live with.
Program Lecture at Camera Club and Crealde
The last week has been busy for my usual slower summer months, with two back to back presentations at the Crealde Art School in Winter Park on Friday, and the Florida Brevard County Camera Club the following Tuesday. The emails and messages thanking me for presentation over the following...
Award of Excellence: Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival
My 4th year at the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival (WPSAF) was my best yet! My image titled 'The Lonely Palm' was honored with an 'Award of Excellence'! This same image will be the poster art for the Ocala Arts Festival in October. As many of you know, I began my career in the arts as an...
Mayor’s Award – 2014 Gasparilla Art Festival
On March 1-2, 2014, I exhibited at the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. I was honored to receive the Mayor's Award! The show was juried by Michael Komanecky, who is the Chief Curator of Farnsworth Art Museum. My photograph of Dead Lakes was selected and juried next to some of the finest art in...
2013 Disney Festival of the Masters
On November 8-10, 2012, I exhibited at the 38th Annual Disney Festival of the Masters, located in the famous Downtown Disney in Orlando, Florida. The weather was cool and windy, with huge crowds of people from all over the state and country. Many art patrons traveled from as far as Naples and...
Portfolio Magazine: Front Cover
For the April Issue of Portfolio Magazine, a lifestyles, interest, and leisure magazine based out of Naples, Florida, my of the Mykka River has been featured on the front cover. Further, my latest series, ‘Florida 67‘ has been presented on a ten page spread, along with my photo biography. Thanks to Bill Hemmer, the head publisher of Portfolio Magazine, for working on the layout and approaching me for publication.
Blue Cypress Lake: Indian River County, Florida
The summer of 2012 was a prolific shooting season in my continuation of the Florida 67 Series, but with a focus on panoramic images and water systems. I covered alot of ground, traveling a cumulative 30 days just photographing the Florida coasts, rivers, and wilderness. The rest of my time I’ve spent developing and scanning nearly 80 rolls of 120 film, most of which spun through my recently acquired Horseman SW612, which produces nice 6x12cm negatives (and slides).
Best in Show – Central Park Art Festival
On March 16-17, 2013, I was honored with a Best in Show at the Central Park Art Festival in Winter Haven, Florida. The show site is located in the Downtown area, shaded by oak trees over a nice grassy field. The weather was amazing; room temperature with clear skies and a gentle sun....
Best in Show – Boca Raton Museum of Art
On February 9-10, 2013, I was honored to be awarded my first 'Best in Show' at the Boca Raton Museum of Art Show at Mizner Park. I was thrilled, honored and humbled by the experience this weekend, competing with some of the best scultpures, photographers, pencil drawers, print makers, and...
Fisheating Creek: Highlands and Glades County, Florida
For the past year, I’ve meant to paddle Fisheating Creek on several occasions, but it was always out of the way in whatever direction I was heading, or sometimes I was too exhausted or sunburnt at the end of a trip. The cool, spring fed river is known as a premiere paddle adventure to nature enthusiasts and a select group of elite photographers, but not well known to the general public.
1st Place: Disney Festival of the Masters
On November 9-11, 2012, I exhibited at the Disney Festival of the Masters. The art show was an absolute blast, one of my favorite shows ever. The crowds were enormous and patrons were here to see some serious artwork. The exhibitions is located at Downtown Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida,...
1st in Show: 2012 Melbourne Mainstreet Fall Festival
On October 6-7, 2012, I was honored with the 1st in Show ribbon at the Melbourne Mainstreet Fall Festival in Brevard County, Florida. In 2011, I was awarded 2nd in Show, and I was humbled to receive a top award again this year. Melbourne is a town of people that has a great response to my...
Loxahatchee River – Palm Beach & Martin County, Florida
One of my favorite paddling trips in Florida is the Loxahachee River in Palm Beach and Martin County, Florida. In 2011, I spend two days canoeing the Loxahatchee during a long drought, where the roots were completely exposed. Some shots I returned to the next day for softer light, including the...
Kelly Park: Rock Springs: Orange County, Florida
Kelly Park, located in Orange County, Apopka, Florida, is one of the Orlando area’s (maybe not-so) hidden treasures. Late last year, I kayaked Rock Springs Run from Wekiva River State Park, but not all the way to the beggining of the river at the actual Rock Springs (located within Kelly Park). Crystal clear, 68 degree year round water was wonderful to swim in during the summer heat.
2012 St Johns River Festival of the Arts
On May 5 and 6, the 2012 St Johns River Festival of the Arts was launched for its inaugural show, and I was honored to be a part of its beginnings this weekend. You would think the festival had been around for 30+ years. The layout was spacious and classy, the advertising was everywhere, and the...
Lake George Trail: Silver Glen Recreation Area
After a long string of art festivals in late February 2012, I decided to take a break and scout several areas in the Ocala National Forest, carrying a water bottle, my Mamiy 7ii, and a couple rolls of film. One of my stops was at Silver Glen, located in Marion County, which has one of my favorite springs to stop for a relaxing swim. Juniper Springs has always been my favorite place in Ocala to photograph and kayak, with its majestic river run, historical sites, and twisting boardwalks. Alexander has a less interactive feel, but is perhaps easier to sit in the sun and relax.
Florida Keys Photo Trek
My new years resolution was to become more prolific this year and photographic in-between art festivals. Last year, I spend too much time printing and matting and not enough time shooting. When I photograph something new and create a print, I can display the first edition immediately watch reactions from judges and the general public alike, which has been a big help progressing as an artist and finding my audience.
The Florida Keys were the first of my adventures.
Rock Springs Run State Preserve
Running all over the state this summer and fall, I sometimes forget to appreciate the hidden treasures of my local Orlando area. After becoming exhausted from traveling all over the state, I moved Rocks Springs Run up my list of places to shoot.
While it is true that many of the pristine open areas are gone, the rivers and swamps make you think your traveling through Florida 200 years ago, or maybe a Tarzan movie 60 years ago. The run was nothing but impressive, and a joy to paddle.
Big Cypress National Preserve, Fakahatchee, and Collier-Seminole
After visiting Sanibel Island in Captiva and Lover’s Key in Estero, Florida, I drove down the Tamiami trail for a day trip to visit the Everglades, namely the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve and the Big Cypress National Preserve. My goal here was scope out the area for a kayak trip I’m planning in January, but I did take a few nice photographs during a passing thunderstorm. The drive itself was beautiful and isolated. While the best view of the parks are in the swamp walks, the mosquitos made that impossible for this trip.
Artworks Eau Gallie Fine Art Festival 2011
Artworks Eau Gallie, located in the historic district in Melbourne, Florida, was my last show of 2011, and quite unique from the other festivals I exhibited at this fall. I was enthusiastic to receive the Award of Distinction (2nd in 2D Art), with a cash prize of $1,250.
Southwest Florida: Part 1: Sanibel, Captiva, Bonita Springs, and Estero Island
During the summer of 2011, my main focus was on the rivers and waterways of Central Florida. With nearly all of Florida covered in thunderstorms during mid August, I darted out the house for some storm chasing along the beaches of southwest Florida. While rivers require a soft, subtle morning light, black and white beach photos look best during dramatic, ominous thunderstorms. Some old school photographers wait for the perfect shot in one location for days; instead, I choose to follow the perfect light across many locations, tracking weather systems from my mobile devices. During August 2011, traveling down southwest had perfect timing.
Dead Lakes Florida Conservation Area
For the Summer of 2011, I’ve been hard at work to develop my new ‘Florida 67’ series, canoeing and exploring Florida’s most unique waterways and ecosystems. At the end of June 2011, I spent 4 days in the Florida Panhandle, starting at Dead Lakes, then St. Joseph Peninsula, the Gulf Island National Seashore, and finally a quick stop at Torreya State Park on my way back to Orlando. While this started as a scouting trip for a later return, I ended up chasing thunderstorms instead to capture a more dramatic picture of Florida’s summers.
Massive Dev Chart iPhone App Review
Developing black & white film yourself results in far better quality control than a lab can deliver, and of course brings the cost down. But experimenting with different developers and films results in easily confusing mixing tables, time, and temperatures. Massive Dev Chart iPhone App made my rediscovery of film alot easier and less confusing.
The Mayflower Community
Traveling all over Florida to exhibit at art festivals the past year, I rarely get to see my works hanging in their final place. Last week, I had the opportunity to see my photographs hanging at The Mayflower, a luxurious retirement community in the heart of Winter Park, Florida. In March 2011,...
Return to Myakka River
Florida once contained nearly 300,000 acres of vast prairie ecosystems, which were dug in the early 20th century to control flooding, along with planting of non-native grasses, plants, and trees that wreaked havoc on these lands. Once we began to build and pave over these systems, the prairie land is lost forever.
Tony Senador Award – Lake Mary Heathrow
My first win of the season was a big one! For the November 5-6 2010 24th Annual Lake Mary Heathrow Festival of the Arts Festival, I was awarded prestigious 'Tony Senador Award', with a grand cash prize of $2,500! Because the largest two prizes are given dead last, I had given up hope after the...
Workshop at Valencia
Workshops are a blast, and working with the awesome students at Valencia College were no exception! An officer of the Valencia Photography Group saw my portfolio online, later approaching me to teach a hands-on 'Night Lighting' workshop, which would include artificial lighting and natural light...
Winter Park Art Festival
Great news! I was accepted as a featured “Emerging Artist” at the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival on March 19-21, 2010! There are quite a few perks to this distinction, as well as making my first outdoor art festival a success. At 350,000 visitors, this is one of the largest and most prestigious...