Join us Friday, November 4th to Sunday, November 6th at Lehmann Legacy Ranch for a weekend photography workshop led by instructor Skeeter Hagler and Kevin Vandivier from Texas Highways Magazine.

What to Expect

It all starts with a social followed by dinner at Carol’s Restaurant in Cat Spring, Texas and a multimedia presentation meant to prepare you for the weekend.

On Saturday morning, we’ll all meet at the ranch where Skeeter will show us how to choose a location for shooting a cowboy portrait. Everybody will get a chance to snap a few shots too.

Following a chuckwagon breakfast, we’ll head over to a different part of the ranch to take pictures of some of the animals on the ranch—including a live kangaroo.

During the middle of the day, you and your partner will have the opportunity to explore the ranch and shoot photos on your own. We’ll all meet again at sunset for a demonstration on how to shoot a cowboy portrait using a flash.

We’ll end the day with a slideshow of your shots from the day, along with some professional critiques from Skeeter and Kevin on how to make your photos even better.

On Sunday morning, Skeeter will lead us in a photography session where we’ll shoot cowboys working cattle. Afterwards, we’ll enjoy another chuckwagon breakfast and then we’ll all be sent out on assignment to capture some aspects of the ranching life.

Finally, we’ll cap it all off with another slideshow presentation of your shots from the day and critiques on how to make them better.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to direct and photograph cowboys
• How to select a portrait location
• What it takes to stand out among your competitors
• How to critique your photographs
• Basic lighting for indoor and outdoor portraits
• Digital darkroom secrets and skills

Reserve Your Spot Today!

We have 16 cottages and rooms for you and your partner to choose from. Click here to check availability or call Carol at 713-301-3235.

We look forward to seeing you!

Learn to take photos of real cowboys like this!

Want to learn how to photograph real cowboys and the ranching life from one of the best cowboy photographers in the world? You’re in luck, pardner!

Join us at Lehmann Legacy Ranch, a 650-acre working ranch, for a weekend long photo workshop this June as instructor Skeeter Hagler shows you how to take professional-grade photos of life on a working Texas ranch. You’ll even get a chance to take photos of a real kangaroo!

Kevin Vandivier from Texas Highways Magazine will be here to help out too, making this a truly unique experience to learn photography secrets and tips from industry professionals.

Dates and Location

The photography workshop will begin Friday, June 3 at 7 p.m., starting with a social and dinner at Carol’s Restaurant in Cat Spring, Texas. The social will end with a multimedia presentation to get you ready for the weekend workshop which includes two full days of shooting. There will even be a chuckwagon breakfast both mornings.

Click here for the full schedule and to register for the workshop.

And don’t forget to secure a room at BlissWood Bed & Breakfast for the ultimate Texas weekend getaway.

What you’ll learn at the photography workshop:

• how to direct and photograph cowboys
• basic lighting techniques for indoor and outdoor portraits
• how to select a portrait location
• digital darkroom secrets and skills
• how to look at photos creatively
• how to stand out from your competition

We expect the Texas ranch photography workshop to fill up quickly. So save your spot today.

Click here to learn more about the photo workshop schedule, and don’t forget to register before it’s too late!

We hope Skeeter and his team will consider returning to Blisswood for another terrific Texas weekend getaway.

Below are some photographs taken by Jenny during the workshop.

Wildflowers at Blisswood

Pulitzer Prizewinning Photojournalist Skeeter Hagler is coming to Blisswood this weekend, April 17 – 19, for a photojournalism workshop. The workshop kicks off Friday night with a delicious dinner at Carol’s at Cat Spring Restaurant, where Skeeter will offer opening remarks. Participants will learn what it is like to work as a real photojournalist and carry out an assignment from start to finish: through the shooting, editing, layout, criticism, and printing stages. Skeeter and his knowledgeable staff will work closely with workshop participants, guiding them on how to get the perfect shot, select a few photographs from the hundreds taken, and create a moving visual narrative. By the end of the workshop, students will have developed their eye and honed their skills as a photographer. They will also have a real feel for what it is like to work in the field.

Skeeter Hagler

Since the workshop is being held at Blisswood at Lehman Legacy Ranch, why not stay at premier Texas bed and breakfast Blisswood during the workshop? Set on 650 acres of lush Texas land, with many farmhouses and cabins scattered privately among the live oaks, it is the perfect spot to stay while you tap into your creativity. You are welcome to bring your own food and cook for yourself, or enjoy the award-winning cuisine at Carol’s at Cat Spring Restaurant, just down the road; the Almond Crusted Whitefish will undoubtedly inspire a great work of art.

Blisswood is a great place to come if you love the feel of a working ranch, and being around animals. We are proud to be offering our guests the opportunity to learn more about horses on May 31, 2009, when The Lady Horse Whisperer comes to Cat Spring Texas to give a workshop. Delve into the dreams of horses. Learn how to truly communicate with these majestic animals. Folks with no prior riding experience are welcome, or you are invited to bring your own horse for hands-on training (coggins necessary). You will meet good people, be fed a delicious lunch, and learn something new. Come to this Texas Bed and Breakfast for a truly unique experience.

For those of you who haven’t heard, our Texas Bed and Breakfast was privileged with the presence of famous Pulitzer-prize winning photographer Skeeter Hagler for an exclusive photo workshop over the weekend of November 7-9, 2008.

Skeeter described the weekend as a “perfect photographic weekend. Everyone was there for one purpose: to share information about photography and become better photographers. We lived and breathed photography for two days!”

There were 12 participants of varying age ranges, some in their mid to late 50′s as well as a few of Skeeter’s students from the University of Texas. Skeeter, a native Texan and Austin resident, has held these kind of photography workshops all over the nation. However this was the first he had ever held locally and said it was quite the learning experience and a unique Texas Weekend Getaway.

“I was pleasantly surprised. Some of the participants I thought would be the most amateur took the best photos! These workshops are also social gatherings; we drank a lot of wine and beer and looked at photos and talked about the art of photography.”

Skeeter says he feels lucky that he has spent his whole life working as a photographer, and yet he still gets excited about it.

“This workshop was really unbelievable,” said Skeeter, “Perfect weather, perfect location, perfect company.”

These photos really help to capture the beauty of the ranch, and I hope they will encourage you to consider Blisswood for your Outdoor Texas Wedding or your Texas Romantic Getaway.

I guess that’s why Skeeter Hagler choose our lovely home on the range for his innovative and once-in-a-lifetime event: The Blisswood Photo Workshop. November 7 through 9, this weekend is going to be like no other!

Skeeter Hagler is a Pulitzer-prize winning photographer and a native Texan. He won the Pulitzer for his documentary on the modern day cowboy. So I guess I understand what attracted him to the ranch!

The weekend retreat and workshop is going to be for those who wish to learn about photojournalism and gain real-life experience working under the critical eye of an editor and have demanding daily deadlines. It’s gonna be exciting!

Students will be learning about how to make their photos talk: creating a visual narrative. Skeeter and his staff want to give every student on the retreat the chance to learn about making important, meaningful photography and give them skills to carry them into the future.

The weekend will include lodging on the ranch, dinner a Carol’s Restaurant both nights, and lots of fun!

It is a pretty amazing oppurtunity – and we feel so flattered that Skeeter would want to make Blisswood the location of honor for this exclusive and intriguing event.

If you want to know more about Skeeter, see some of the photos he has already taken here at Blisswood, or learn more about the event, please check the Blisswood Photo Workshop Site.