Composing Better Photographs

Award winning Adirondack photographer, Russ Hartung, will discuss how he approaches composing a photograph to create engaging and dynamic images.  He will also explain how composition creates more inspiring photographs – regardless of your equipment.  This event will start with a lecture followed by a Q&A session and book signing. 

Russ Hartung is an Adirondack landscape and wildlife photographer whose work has been featured in Adirondack Life, LocalADK and Adirondac magazines - as well as on NationalGeographic.com's website and the Adirondack Mountain Club’s annual calendar.  He has been selected for, and won awards in, galleries such as The Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Darkroom Gallery in Vermont, The Adirondack Artist’s Guild, Northwind Fine Arts Gallery, The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, Tupper Arts, View Arts and The Heritage House in Westport, NY.

In his own words: “I have spent most of my life visiting or living in them Adirondack region. My images come from an exploration of the back roads, trails and waterways of the park. Sometimes these images are happy accidents, but more often come of repeatedly spending time in a specific area until that special moment presents itself. My main focus is landscape photography but capturing images of wildlife is a growing passion.”

“I process my digital negatives with the intent of creating a photo that looks just the way the scene appeared when I shot it. I will often combine three exposures, taken in rapid succession (using luminance masking) so that there is good, noise-free detail in the highlights, mid-tones and shadows.”

“But the most important ingredient for me, is the centeredness and resonance I feel when I can just sit … and empty myself of everything …and find the balance that comes from stillness and solitude. That seems to be what allows the mental chatter to dissipate; and my vision to expand; and the clarity of the scene to be revealed.”

Russ’ first book of Adirondack of photography (“Adirondack Solitude: Peace and Stillness in the Adirondack Wilderness” ) was published in September of 2025 by Globe/Pequot and North Country Books. See more of his work on his website at RussHartungPhotography.com; on Facebook at Russ Hartung Photography; and on Instagram at: RussHartungPhotography.