Nancy Hulsey, Secretary of Carson Valley Photographer Club
Article Posted in the Record-Courier News Paper
Guest speaker Dwayne Leonard treated the club to his capturing presentation as he outlined the chain of events that led him to his current position as Wrangler and Professional photographer at the Hunewill Ranch in Bridgeport, California. His life has been a colorful one with a 30 year career in law enforcement and teaching college courses as just a part of the backdrop into his current retirement job for wrangling cattle and professional photography at the Ranch. Dwayne's presentation clearly demonstrated his passion for photography as he explained that a photograph should be more than a representation of what the camera sees but more a representation of what your mind wants the camera to capture. The photographs he displayed depicted his ability to do just that. A super presentation. Dwayne does a variety of different workshops including live-in workshops at the ranch and some classroom style workshops specializing in post exposure developing through Lightroom.
Article Posted in the Record-Courier News Paper
Guest speaker Dwayne Leonard treated the club to his capturing presentation as he outlined the chain of events that led him to his current position as Wrangler and Professional photographer at the Hunewill Ranch in Bridgeport, California. His life has been a colorful one with a 30 year career in law enforcement and teaching college courses as just a part of the backdrop into his current retirement job for wrangling cattle and professional photography at the Ranch. Dwayne's presentation clearly demonstrated his passion for photography as he explained that a photograph should be more than a representation of what the camera sees but more a representation of what your mind wants the camera to capture. The photographs he displayed depicted his ability to do just that. A super presentation. Dwayne does a variety of different workshops including live-in workshops at the ranch and some classroom style workshops specializing in post exposure developing through Lightroom.
Bart Owens
Just want to put a big THANKS out here. Dwayne was invited as a guest speaker at the local Carson Valley Photo Club. His presentation there left us hungry for more information regarding his expertise in developing his photographs in "Lightroom". He set up a four night lesson plan and shared with us. I came out of there feeling like I took a huge step up in my ability not only to take the photo but to turn the photo into something to be proud of. Appreciating the work that Dwayne Leonard put into the class.
Danny Goeschl(non-registered)
Dwayne Leonard --- Hunewill Ranch Memories, Posting
I've been meeting up with Dwayne these past two years at “Shooting the West” photo symposium and
workshop in Winnemucca, NV. I was not only impressed with Dwayne's comprehensive knowledge of
the medium and Photoshop/Lightroom in particular, but also came to appreciate a demeanor in him that
demonstrated a quiet refinement of confidence and reserve.
He suggested that I might consider enjoying the better part of a week in the Spring of 2017 attending
his photo workshop at Hunewill Ranch near Bridgeport, CA.
Spring is a great time to enjoy Alpine Sierra, so I signed up. Time spent during Dwayne's workshop
was more-or-less divvied up between field trips, post production get-togethers for applications and
critiques. Somedays, under the craggy, snow-capped brow of the Sierra headwall, we ambled about
meadow, pasture and paddock photographing wranglers as well as horse, steer, bird and other critters.
One day we tripped to Bodie, Mono Lake and beyond, in search of mustangs, all the while captivated
by the desert's immutable minimalism .
Prior to Dwayne's workshop, I had been procrastinatingly hesitant to commit learning curve time to
night photography but, one evening, come sundown, Dwayne got me up and out to introduce me and
the others to the wonder and intricacies of after-hours photo shooting. I'm obliged to him in that it has
given me another direction and new tools with which to continue my photographic pursuits.
At all times Dwayne comports himself with a bearing of professionalism and has the knowledge of his
subject(s) to thoroughly back it up. That is not to say its all instruction --- he's got that dry, wrangler
sense of down-home humor that keeps things relaxed and low key. I witnessed him administering to
the new, the intermediate and the semi-professional photographer, all with the same ease and
equanimity of attentiveness and patience, to answer questions and demonstrate procedures to the
satisfaction of myself and other attendees. Through all of this, his particular skills reveal themselves.
You can't get this stuff in a book!
Dwayne mentioned that he had at one time considered being a teacher. He would have made a damn
good one --- akin to that special high school teacher that “turned-the-corner” for a student on a certain
subject that would evolve into an integral part of that student's development.
Learning is not perfection; it's a progress and I'll be back for more of Hunewill hospitality, experience
and quality time well spent with Dwayne Leonard and his “Ranch Memories Photography” project.
And, what's more (even though I never heard him utter even the mildest of expletives) I gotta say it,
“Dwayne Leonard, you're one hell-uv-a man!”
Danny Goeschl
I've been meeting up with Dwayne these past two years at “Shooting the West” photo symposium and
workshop in Winnemucca, NV. I was not only impressed with Dwayne's comprehensive knowledge of
the medium and Photoshop/Lightroom in particular, but also came to appreciate a demeanor in him that
demonstrated a quiet refinement of confidence and reserve.
He suggested that I might consider enjoying the better part of a week in the Spring of 2017 attending
his photo workshop at Hunewill Ranch near Bridgeport, CA.
Spring is a great time to enjoy Alpine Sierra, so I signed up. Time spent during Dwayne's workshop
was more-or-less divvied up between field trips, post production get-togethers for applications and
critiques. Somedays, under the craggy, snow-capped brow of the Sierra headwall, we ambled about
meadow, pasture and paddock photographing wranglers as well as horse, steer, bird and other critters.
One day we tripped to Bodie, Mono Lake and beyond, in search of mustangs, all the while captivated
by the desert's immutable minimalism .
Prior to Dwayne's workshop, I had been procrastinatingly hesitant to commit learning curve time to
night photography but, one evening, come sundown, Dwayne got me up and out to introduce me and
the others to the wonder and intricacies of after-hours photo shooting. I'm obliged to him in that it has
given me another direction and new tools with which to continue my photographic pursuits.
At all times Dwayne comports himself with a bearing of professionalism and has the knowledge of his
subject(s) to thoroughly back it up. That is not to say its all instruction --- he's got that dry, wrangler
sense of down-home humor that keeps things relaxed and low key. I witnessed him administering to
the new, the intermediate and the semi-professional photographer, all with the same ease and
equanimity of attentiveness and patience, to answer questions and demonstrate procedures to the
satisfaction of myself and other attendees. Through all of this, his particular skills reveal themselves.
You can't get this stuff in a book!
Dwayne mentioned that he had at one time considered being a teacher. He would have made a damn
good one --- akin to that special high school teacher that “turned-the-corner” for a student on a certain
subject that would evolve into an integral part of that student's development.
Learning is not perfection; it's a progress and I'll be back for more of Hunewill hospitality, experience
and quality time well spent with Dwayne Leonard and his “Ranch Memories Photography” project.
And, what's more (even though I never heard him utter even the mildest of expletives) I gotta say it,
“Dwayne Leonard, you're one hell-uv-a man!”
Danny Goeschl
janet barnes(non-registered)
Dwayne, Your photographs are ethereal! Splendid artistry!
It's been about a year since I took the 1st incredible photography workshop with Dwayne at Hunewill Ranch (see my previous post from September 2015) and I spent the last year honing the skills I learned from Dwayne. I just returned from the 2016 photo workshop and I again am immensely impressed with the depth of knowledge and teaching skills that Dwayne has.
This was more of an advanced class with emphasis on artistic composition and post production work in Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. Dwayne again raised my skills to levels I never imagined.
I has a blast! and I highly recommend his photo workshop to photographers of all levels.
One day we hiked along the the Walker River shooting wildlife (in howling wind and rain, and then sun), had an outstanding lunch, and then drove to Dodie Meadows where we photographed wild Mustangs and breathtaking sky and landscapes until dark.
We spent another day going through the hundred of photos in post production and created a wonderful slideshow that was presented to the other guests at the Ranch.
Needless to say, at the end of this workshop I suddenly found my pictures having a significantly obvious artistic quality whereas before they were simply pictures "documenting a moment or place." ( a snapshot in time versus a piece of visual art).
All the credit goes to Dwayne to get me to this level, and the hospitality at Hunewill Ranch is above and beyond.
If you are a photographer of any level (even only using your DSLR on automatic mode) you will not find a better instructor, at a most beautiful location, and at a bargain price, to elevate your photographic skills to levels you never thought possible.
Thanks Dwayne for an awesome week, and see you next year.
This was more of an advanced class with emphasis on artistic composition and post production work in Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. Dwayne again raised my skills to levels I never imagined.
I has a blast! and I highly recommend his photo workshop to photographers of all levels.
One day we hiked along the the Walker River shooting wildlife (in howling wind and rain, and then sun), had an outstanding lunch, and then drove to Dodie Meadows where we photographed wild Mustangs and breathtaking sky and landscapes until dark.
We spent another day going through the hundred of photos in post production and created a wonderful slideshow that was presented to the other guests at the Ranch.
Needless to say, at the end of this workshop I suddenly found my pictures having a significantly obvious artistic quality whereas before they were simply pictures "documenting a moment or place." ( a snapshot in time versus a piece of visual art).
All the credit goes to Dwayne to get me to this level, and the hospitality at Hunewill Ranch is above and beyond.
If you are a photographer of any level (even only using your DSLR on automatic mode) you will not find a better instructor, at a most beautiful location, and at a bargain price, to elevate your photographic skills to levels you never thought possible.
Thanks Dwayne for an awesome week, and see you next year.
Cathy Acciari/Shutterbugs Camera Club(non-registered)
Dwayne recently came to our meeting and gave a great program on his photography and his work at the Hunewill Ranch in Bridgeport, CA. His photography reflects the ranch/cowboy way of life and his work is beautiful. The program was informative as he told us techniques that he used in some of his shots and shared some tips with us. We even got a little history on the ranch. Beautiful work!
Dr. Dr. Pitts AKA Richard(non-registered)
September 2015
Fellow photographers
I just completed a three day photography course at the Hunewill Ranch in Bridgeport, CA taught by Dwayne Leonard. What a superb class it was! I had never moved past the “program” setting on my Nikon D800. But within a day or so, I was on pure manual taking pictures and making shots that I never would have been able to make using the program setting of the camera.
We spent a chunk of time understanding the limits of the digital camera and understanding that funny thing called the histogram. I used to routinely delete pictures that I took because they were too dark on the LCD review screen. Little did I know that I might have a terrific shot that I could work with in post-production. Using the histogram as an indicator would tell me if I blew the shot or if I had a good chance of bringing the shot to life in post-production. There are dozens more tips that I picked up during the class and one on one time with Dwayne. And so will you!
As far as a setting to take a photography class, you won’t find a better one than the High Sierras and Hunewill Ranch. Set at 6,500 feet on a huge expanse of land, photographic opportunities abound. One day, we got up before sunrise and took a trip to the picturesque Mono Lake. I made some shots there that I am thrilled with of water, reflections and unique birds. Another trip was to Bodie an abandoned mining town. I stood in one place for an hour shooting away with too much material to photograph.
In conclusion, you won’t meet a nicer man than Dwayne. That plus his vast knowledge of photography and use of “Lightroom” will give you a huge bump in your photography skills and knowledge. I plan to take the next level class that he is planning now. Figure out which level you should take and sign up for the class. You won’t regret it.
Dr. Dr. Pitts AKA Richard
Fellow photographers
I just completed a three day photography course at the Hunewill Ranch in Bridgeport, CA taught by Dwayne Leonard. What a superb class it was! I had never moved past the “program” setting on my Nikon D800. But within a day or so, I was on pure manual taking pictures and making shots that I never would have been able to make using the program setting of the camera.
We spent a chunk of time understanding the limits of the digital camera and understanding that funny thing called the histogram. I used to routinely delete pictures that I took because they were too dark on the LCD review screen. Little did I know that I might have a terrific shot that I could work with in post-production. Using the histogram as an indicator would tell me if I blew the shot or if I had a good chance of bringing the shot to life in post-production. There are dozens more tips that I picked up during the class and one on one time with Dwayne. And so will you!
As far as a setting to take a photography class, you won’t find a better one than the High Sierras and Hunewill Ranch. Set at 6,500 feet on a huge expanse of land, photographic opportunities abound. One day, we got up before sunrise and took a trip to the picturesque Mono Lake. I made some shots there that I am thrilled with of water, reflections and unique birds. Another trip was to Bodie an abandoned mining town. I stood in one place for an hour shooting away with too much material to photograph.
In conclusion, you won’t meet a nicer man than Dwayne. That plus his vast knowledge of photography and use of “Lightroom” will give you a huge bump in your photography skills and knowledge. I plan to take the next level class that he is planning now. Figure out which level you should take and sign up for the class. You won’t regret it.
Dr. Dr. Pitts AKA Richard
Spent last week at the Hunewill Ranch with Dwayne Leonard is his first photography workshop. It was fantastic! He is a great mentor and I went from knowing very little about shooting full manual with my DSLR camera to becoming proficient in full manual as well as post production using Lightroom. The field trip to Bodie and sunrise shoot at Mono Lake were fantastic. Having a small group gave Dwayne the one on one time to really teach, not only the technical aspects of the camera, lighting, metering, etc., but artistic composition as well. I highly recommend this workshop - with the added bonus of the beauty of the ranch and surrounding landscape. Everywhere you turn there is a photo-op! I am looking forward to his next "advanced" workshop, and another excuse to get back to Hunewill Ranch. — with Dwayne Leonard.
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