The Yosemite Photography Workshops with

Award-winning landscape photographer from Fresno, CA.
Photoshop CS3/4, Lightroom 2.1 instructor
I've been backpacking and photographing the High Sierra for 28 years.
My work has appeared in National Geographic, Outdoor Photographer, Sports Illustrated and many other publications.

See http://philhawkinsphoto.com

Feel free to call 559-307-7773 for more information.

The 2010 schedule; see below!
By popular demand, I am adding more workshop dates
 

"...Not knowing quite what to expect, it surpassed any expectations that I had. I learned loads in those 5 days, not only about my camera, but how to shoot and some great Photoshop tricks, and I've been into photography for years. We had great fun too, we had a lot of laughs.  I just hope I get the chance to do another one of your workshops. I highly recommend this to anyone that wants to learn how to be a better photographer, have fun and see Yosemite."

Lem Lattimer

Hands-on, one-on-one instruction conducted in awesome Yosemite National Park, California

For more on Yosemite, see
yosemitefun.com

* Intensive 5-day and weekend workshops in different seasons
* Go places only a 28-year, award-winning, local Yosemite photographer will know
* Learn how to get those "Wow!" shots.
* Night instruction; shooting during a full moon, capture star tracks, get the elusive "Moonbow" from Yosemite Falls
* All week long workshops include Photoshop instruction.

What we do, how we are different

The Yosemite Photo Workshops are different; please read below so you will not be disappointed when attending. Beginners are welcome! We shoot at night! First, we are for any level experience photographer.  If you don't know the difference between an aperture and a shutter, fear not.  There is no such thing as a dumb question.  We welcome brand new photographers.  Sometimes we have photographers who are well familiar with their equipment and only need to be shown where to shoot.  Or, they know the equipment, but have never shot night photography, so they need instruction.  But no matter your level of experience, you will come away with new knowledge about how to get the most out of your equipment and your effort.  Newbies are welcome! We have a strict limit of 15 spaces per workshop; some workshops have as many as 40 people!! We do not get up at the crack of dawn.  Why is it, I have never been able to understand, that every workshop feels it has to rouse people at 5am to start at 6.  Yosemite National Park is a west facing park, and the light is best during late afternoon and sunset.  During the summer, we will be shooting sunsets until 8:30 and 9pm, sometimes at Glacier Point, which is an hour's drive from Yosemite Valley.  We often do not get into bed until 11pm or midnight.  Night shooting adventures can keep us out until the wee hours if people want, so getting up at 5am is almost never an option.  (Many workshops will grind out an 18-hour schedule every day, leaving you burned out.  We want to have fun and not be pushed to the limit of physical and emotional endurance).  The opportunities for good sunrise shots is far less than what we can find at sunset, so why waste time in early morning?  Most mornings we start about 10am, and after a hard day hiking, or on the 3rd or 4th day of a weeklong, we might not start until 12noon.  Basically, we start late and stay out late. NO Itineraries; The whole reason one comes to Yosemite is to find the best opportunity to get the best shot.  And that is dictated by the weather.  We wait until we know what the weather is going to do and then decide on the next day's itinerary at that time.  If you want structure, schedules and rigidity, do not sign up for these workshops.  I will teach you how to get the most out of your camera and your efforts, and the way to do that is maximize what mother nature gives you. For instance; on the weekend workshop June 12 to 13, 2009, we had planned to shoot Upper Yosemite Fall from the trail.  But it became evident that rain might keep us off the trail, so we drove to Tuolumne Meadow, down to Mono Lake and shot some incredible cloud shots before the rain caught up with us in late afternoon.  Flexibility.  This is what we do. We help each other.  Experience levels differ, and when someone needs help, we help each other.  I'm a Canon guy, but someone else may know Nikon much better than myself and will help you out.  I can honestly say, that by the end of every workshop in 2009, the attendees have all become friends, and stay in touch after returning home.  We've had attendees from two foreign countries (Great Britain and Japan), and from all over America.