Live Preview, sometimes known as Augmented Reality, is a really cool tool that allows you to see fine art photography pieces on your walls while browsing online. It's easy to use with virtually any iPhone, Galaxy, iPad, or even a Tablet! If you are looking to purchase a stunning fine art nature photography print, this is by far the BEST way to pre-visualize a piece. Use it to see how it will look in any room in your home or office.  It's such an awesome solution and makes shopping for a print so much easier. It is pre-installed on my art site and is free for you to use!

So very few fine art photography-related artists with personal websites have it installed. Even the big art mall online sites like Etsy, Saatchi, and Society6 don't. Some of those art mall sites may request you to download their own version of a "preview app" onto your device. That's not all you might be downloading, so Don't. You shouldn't need to integrate your device -- or pay for an APP -- to enjoy AR.  

Sure, there were costs involved, and I also needed to use a Technophile since I'm not proficient in computer code, programming, or any of that complicated "techy" kinda stuff. Truth be told, I'd rather be out in the wilds making cool images for you to enjoy. I was really excited to offer a solution and wanted to make my buyer's experience as virtual as possible from the comforts of home. Having augmented reality (AR) installed on my website has been a game-changer and has taken all of the guesswork out of choosing the perfect piece of art and size! 

Many people have experienced a Peter Lik Art Gallery and have fallen in love with his beautiful artworks. Las Vegas, Key West, Aspen Colorado, La Jolla California -- those are just a few of his many locations found worldwide. It's not just the imagery on its own, but the otherworldly gallery-quality print media you're exposed to during a gallery visit. Those huge acrylic prints with those richly saturated colors & hyper-realistic details, wow -- they were pretty amazing, right!  Chances are, you've probably never had firsthand experience of an artwork display that simply blew your mind the same way.  And then, just as mind-blowing, you found out the pricing starts at around $4,000.00 for a 40x13" Limited Edition print --  

If you are considering buying nature photography or landscapes, the good news is there ARE alternatives out there. You can procure amazing large format gallery quality pieces, at lower investment points from artists just like myself. Artists that work at the same high level of excellence producing artworks equally as stunning, and using the same exact Acrylic face-mount technologies and print papers to handcraft custom-made prints.  

A Simple Guide for the Connecticut Landscape Photographer | Know your Connecticut Etiquette

by Thom Schoeller -- This is a revised version of the original article published by the New England Photography Guild on 6-20-2013

My tiny home state of Connecticut sure offers its fair share of challenges for both native and visiting landscape photographers. Especially those that don't settle for banal images from the side of the road that look like everyone else's Instagram shots.  First, let's look at the most obvious challenge, population density.  At only 4,845 sq. miles, it ranks near the bottom at 48th among all states. Yet somehow, we managed to pack over 4.5 million souls within Connecticut's borders. With that many residents in such tight confines, it's human nature to post and protect your borders and personal space. Thus, private property restrictions can be a literal pain.  

Certainly, quaint New England landscapes do exist in Connecticut. I've made it a point during a phase I went through from 2007 through 2013 to show Connecticut in a different kind of light that was not suburbia. In fact, a few of these images are my most loved prints with collectors. Most of the gems I captured within Connecticut in fact were photographed on private property. Connecticut's best scenes lie in the more rural and much less populated Litchfield Hills region to the northwest. In addition, there is an abundance of opportunities around the fringe rural communities that hover the Fairfield and Litchfield County borders, and the "quiet corner" in the northeast. 

For Interior Decorators and connoisseurs of Fine Art Nature photography wall art, it seems these days there is an unlimited amount of print mediums to choose from. In this brief article, I'll shed some light on the subject to help you decide when selecting the right print medium for you before acquiring and installing a brand new piece in your home.

If you are an interior decorator, we both know only the highest standards of quality will suffice. But exactly, what ARE the premium quality print mediums?  Not all print media is created equal, in fact, the market is flooded with pop-up quickie print labs that marketing towards fine art photographers and consumers alike for their business. Professional Fine Art photographers like myself are constantly testing brand new products to evaluate their claims. 

Although there is no "Right Print Medium" that works the same for everyone, what's most important is identifying and selecting what is the right print medium for YOUR interior wall decor needs. Continue reading and I'll describe each of the print mediums I'm offering on my site. I'll begin with the most traditional, least expensive options, to beautiful mid-range options, right up to my highest gallery-quality pieces that your money can buy.      

Ever wonder why it seems the photographer has taken hundreds, perhaps thousands of images for an Engagement shoot or Event, and you are left with maybe a few dozen keepers at best? Here's a peek behind the scenes of a typical day in the life of a photographer.  

Is it time to elevate your walls decor? For those nature lovers out there please ask yourself, does your wall art dazzle and inspire you anymore. If you answer yes, it's time for an upgrade -- anyone that loves realism and appreciates the infinite details of a Fine Art Nature Photograph displayed as wall decor art, I've got a simple question for you. 

This article examines the facts about Connecticut's largest native wild species, the Black bear. We'll dispel a few silly myths, show you that bears are very expressive when it comes to telling you how they feel, and provide a few pointers on how to keep them from revisiting your garbage cans

This article explains the benefits of using Nature & Landscape Photography art prints to induce calmness and tranquility into your special place. Art therapy is rapidly catching on. Healthcare facilities, in particular, have discovered the benefits of bringing nature "indoors" as photographic wall art. Improved cognitive abilities, inner peace, mental balance, and even reduced hypertension have all been noted. 

Art therapy (Eco-Art) also works wonders in private homes, as displaying nature photography and landscapes have a genuine benefit impacting your overall mood and mental state of mind. 

The amazing slot canyons of Northern Arizona are mesmerizing works of art by the hands of mother nature. However, to plan your visit and properly photograph them if you are a serious or professional photographer, this might be rapidly becoming a waste of your time thanks to mismanagement and human greed. This is a comprehensive guide to prepare you for your experience, from the beyond belief stunning sandstone waves of orange and purple hues below the surface of the earth to the exploitive nature of the tour guide businesses.

This is my story based on my personal experiences. 

This blog article is focused on my first two photo excursion to Colorado's stunning Rocky Mountain National Park and surrounding central Rockies scenery extending to Aspen and Crested Butte. It's a combination of trips that include an early autumn 2015 session and a follow-up trip with my wife in 2016. It also sheds some light on how dedicated a nature photographers' passion is when it comes to chasing the best light of the day and capturing the very essence of the scenery.

Come take a stroll with resident Connecticut photographer Thom Schoeller as he takes you on a virtual scenic tour of the northwest corner of the state!

Laurel Ridge Foundation comes alive each year by mid-April with hundreds of thousands of daffodil blooms over 17 acres.  Local professional photographer Thom Schoeller knows this place like no other, his imagery from this Litchfield hills scenic treasure has been published in calendars and magazines over the years and he also does beautiful sunset portraits hen the blooms are at their peak.  

Thom has put together this short and sweet guide for the Connecticut photographer, or anyone that visits the states Litchfield Hills region to partake in photography. 

This article takes a look at what the risk is when you post your photography online and the various ways you have at your disposal if your works are stolen and being used by someone without your expressed written permission. The people that do this are virtually everywhere, and they don't look like the bad guys in the movies. There are way's to find your work out there in the vastness of the world wide web, and some pretty sound options to approach the guilty party. 

Online image theft is all of our shared problem and a common bond between those that work as photographers for income.