The Yosemite Photography Workshops
with

"I saw God today in your photographs on your website.  Unbelievable beauty."  -Alice Wright

Award-winning landscape photographer from Fresno, CA.
Photoshop, Lightroom instructor
I've been backpacking and photographing the High Sierra for 29 years.
My work has appeared in National Geographic, Outdoor Photographer, Sports Illustrated, Digital Photo Pro,
and many other publications.

See http://philhawkinsphoto.com

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

The 2010/2011 schedule
see below!
By popular demand, I am adding more workshop dates
 

Hands-on, one-on-one photography 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 (conditions permitting), capture star tracks, get the elusive "Moonbow" from Yosemite Falls
* All week long workshops include Photoshop instruction.

You'll learn
Concepts of exposure; the histogram and how to read the graph.
ISO speeds, aperture and shutter speed, how to ignore the numbers and get GREAT shots.
Composition; learn the rules and then how and when to break them.
Use of polarizing filters.
Use of neutral-density and split-density filters.
"Dragging the shutter"; extended exposures (motion blur), even in full sunlight.
How to make sure you got "the" shot in any given situation.
Learn the value of patience; how to read the weather
Reflections in small pools or on the majestic Merced River (seasonal conditions permitting)
Yosemite's waterfalls; the different ways to capture flowing water; Moonbows and "Sun" bows
Night photography; shooting the Milky Way, stars, and moonlight
Shooting for black and white conversion
Wide angle and telephoto lens use.

Plus, ALL workshops feature instruction on how to capture and process
stitched panorama photos!

Custom workshops can be arranged outside the published schedule. 
If you have a group or special timeframe that does not coincide with the scheduled workshops dates, let me know and we'll schedule a special date or group session.

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 hole in the ground, 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 and encouraged to attend! We have a strict limit of 15 spaces per workshop. For the most part, we do not get up at the crack of dawn.  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 are far less than what we can find at sunset.  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.  HOWEVER, having said that, the exception might be during winter; if by chance, a strong winter storm clears out over night leaving a pristine blanket of snow on the valley, we will be up before dawn.  Nothing is quite so beautiful as Yosemite Valley early in the morning after a good snowfall.  We will know the night before if this is going to be the case... 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.  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 students have all become friends, and stay in touch after returning home.  We've had students from foreign countries (England, Scotland, Australia and Japan), and from all over the US.