Typical Day

A Typical Schedule for Workshops Open to All Levels of Experience

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Shooting the right situation will take precedence over everything else, including scheduled meals. Thus, if you need it to get by, you should carry some type of food with you at all times (at least in the vehicle). It may be a good idea to buy snack food whenever you have the chance. We will adjust the tentative schedule below to daily shooting conditions and opportunities.

Saying Cheese in Olympic NP, © Mary Brock
Saying Cheese in Olympic NP, © Mary Brock

Day 1:    Breakfast, etc., before we meet.
Lighting, exposure and composition discussions with digital slideshow from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Lunch break from 11:30 to 12:30 p.m.
Critique participant images from 12:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Sunset shoot from 3:00 p.m. through sunset.
Dinner.

Day 2:   Sunrise Shoot till about 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast, etc., break from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. (not all locations will take this break)
Morning shooting from 9:30 to noon.
Lunch break from noon to 1:30 p.m. (this will vary depending on the location)
Field work from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. (this will be planned in areas that minimize the effects of the midday sun if possible)
Sunset shoot location from 4:00 p.m. through sunset.
Dinner.

Day 3 & Day 4   days similar to Day 2 above. We will maximize our time in the field making images as much as possible. We will attempt to view digital images made during the trip as time permits, if requested by participants.

Last Day:   Sunrise Shoot till about 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast break from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Field work and/or last minute discussions/questions from 9:30 to end. We will be done by check out time.
Airport shuttle will occur as noted in the specific workshop description.

Our workshops generally begin the morning of the first day scheduled. The warm, soft light of sunrise and sunset will be utilized in making images most days, unless conditions are determined to be unsafe by the instructor (i.e., lightning, severe winds, etc.). Approximately one-half day of formal instruction will occur on the first morning in a classroom setting (unless noted otherwise in the specific workshop description), with a break for lunch and early afternoon spent critiquing the participants’ images that they brought with them. We generally limit our workshops to no more than eight participants so that everyone receives a significant amount of one-on-one attention. After the one-half day in the classroom, the remainder of each workshop is spent in the field, over the camera. The instructor will most often have his camera in the field and set up images. We do that to give you, the participant, the opportunity to see what the instructor would be picking from the particular location to shoot and how he would compose it. With our cameras, and resultant in-camera meters, in the field, it also helps assure that the participants are getting the proper exposures and everyone will need a sturdy tripod. However, instructors are there to help the participants as much as possible. We look through everyone’s cameras as often as possible and talk to individuals and to the group as needed to assure a learning experience.

We sometimes hike to the more unique locations during the day to make something other than the “cliché” image. During the workshops, anyone who needs a little more rest can elect to pass on sunrise or sunset shooting on a given day, or choose not to make any hikes scheduled for that day. We generally limit workshop participation to no more than eight individuals per instructor. When more are enrolled, another instructor will attend to ensure that everyone has adequate one-on-one instruction (however, when more than one instructor is present, we limit the number of participants to no more than six per instructor). Most workshops conclude well before noon on the last day, in order to allow participants to be able to schedule flights home.

Shooting the Columbia Icefields in Banff, © Lonnie Brock
Shooting the Columbia Icefields in Banff, © Lonnie Brock

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