What’s Included?
All of the information you need for any specific workshop should be on the sign-up page. For most workshops, transportation, lodging and meals are not included. Feel free to contact us if you have specific questions. We do try to offer post processing demonstrations during the workshop or via a zoom session afterward.
How many people per workshop?
We prefer smaller groups with about 8 guests and two leaders. We might make an exception for a returning client. Both guides have many years of experience teaching photography, over a decade in most of the locations we operate. They have also worked as professional instructors for activities such as wilderness survival, coaching skiing/ski racing, as well as guiding overnight trips such as commercial whitewater rafting.
What sets you apart from other photography workshops?
We have each been practicing photography for over 40 years, and we have 30 cumulative years of teaching photography between us. We specialize in landscape photography and night photography in Bodie, Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierra Nevada, Yosemite in its 3 best seasons (not summer, it’s too crowded), and Death Valley centrally in the park or on a more adventurous excursion in the spring. We have led approximately 30 workshops in each location over the past 10 years, except Bodie where we’ve done 50+ nights and 15+ building interior access sessions. We know the best light and the best locations in all seasons and use a portfolio of technology tools at our disposal to check weather and sunset forecasts. We anticipate astronomical opportunities and compositions, to maximize your photographic opportunities. In Yosemite we know seasonal compositions that may be available for 10-15 minutes or less, and we even maintain a database of waterfall rainbow dates and times that we’ve encountered, so we can determine the sun compass direction and elevation angle and return when the sun (or moon) is in that sky position, to show up just in time for a rainbow. We use our deep experience in these locations to take your photographic opportunities seriously.
How should I prepare? Some of our workshops visit higher elevations (Bodie, for example, is over 8,000’). Be sure to check with your physician and get approval if you have any pulmonary or cardiac issues that may be of concern.
Can I bring my non-photographer friend/spouse? In many cases, yes. Since we don’t offer transportation, that is an easy one, provided that they don’t take pictures, and don’t get in front of workshop photographers taking pictures. For Bodie however, we pay a fee per person that enters so only the enrolled photographer is covered. Couples have opted to add their spouse, but photographers are spread out at golden hour, so non-photographers tend to repeatedly walk into photographers’ shots. Paying to get in does not allow anyone to ruin others’ experience; inconsiderate people will be asked to leave.
Cancellation/refund policy: Our cancellation policy can be found in our terms and conditions here.
Do you recommend travel insurance/travel medical insurance? Absolutely! Covid is still circulating and evolving. Your next infection could be very different from your past one(s). It can affect your immune system and set you up for other infections.
Travel Insurance typically covers you when you have to cancel a trip due to an illness or injury, family, work or other reasons. Coverages can include reimbursement for money paid to airlines, hotels, tour/workshop guides, and other travel providers. It’s your responsibility to purchase this insurance, or not. And live with your decision. Stuff happens. We recommend that you get it. Insurance companies exclude some common situations (such as Covid during a pandemic), so the most advantageous policy adds “Cancel for any reason” coverage to the basic policy.
At the moment we are not offering overseas workshops, so trip medical insurance/evacuation insurance is not discussed. However, if you are attending our workshop and your home is outside of the United States, we recommend that you look into trip medical/evacuation insurance.
Do you have the proper permits? We are fully permitted in each location and carry the required business insurance. If someone states they can bring you into the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest for night photography in the middle of the summer, that is not allowed by Inyo National Forest, and you can be assured that workshop is not permitted and likely not insured. Many unscrupulous operators will offer to transport you on their commercial trip with only personal auto insurance, which will not cover you in the event of an accident. People who take shortcuts may not bother with the first aid certification required by most permits either. Would you put your life in their hands?
Are you trained in first aid? Both leaders have maintained First Aid/CPR certification for over a decade. Jeff maintained Outdoor Emergency Care certification for years while volunteering for the National Ski Patrol at Squaw Valley USA. Lori is certified in wilderness first aid.
Can you give me a detailed itinerary for each workshop? Bear in mind that landscape photography is an inherently reactive and “in the moment” activity and managing and moving a group also requires adaptation to circumstances, so any itinerary is always more of an educated guess and general guideline of opportunities than a rigid schedule. We do offer a sample itinerary on each workshop page.
How physically demanding is each workshop? Our workshops can run from sunrise to sunset, which may be more strenuous than your typical day, in part due to the longer days. Landscape and night photography tend to occur away from developed parking areas, and reaching locations requires travel over uneven ground. Most of our workshops involve walking 2-3 miles or more during the course of a day, sometimes more, at times over uneven ground, with moderate elevation gain. Walking surfaces may include sand, snow, mud or boggy ground, or ice. You’ll need to be able to get yourself up off the ground and comfortable with climbing over minor obstacles along the path.
You are responsible for being up front about any physical limitations. We will do our best to accommodate any challenges, but we also have to be considerate of other workshop participants and therefore we reserve the right to ask you to adapt your participation in the workshop if your fitness or medical condition may be unsafe for yourself or others. For all workshops you must be able to carry your own camera gear, sometimes across long distances over uneven ground in the dark.
What are you doing about Covid? We are required to follow the current Covid restrictions under each jurisdiction under which our permit operates. To minimize Covid risk, we like outdoor seating for meals as weather permits. We do our best to respect personal choices, while also minimizing potential exposure or risk. We have operated as allowed throughout 2020, 2021 and into 2022, and so far everyone has been very reasonable and cooperative with each other. It turns out that we’re all here for the photography, and most participants treat it as a welcome escape from the stress of normal life
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