Photograph Yosemite Like No One Else.
Landscape Photography Workshops by a 37-year veteran of Yosemite National Park.
Photograph Yosemite Like No One Else.
Photograph Yosemite Like No One Else.
Photograph Yosemite
Like No One Else
Photograph Yosemite Like No One Else
Photograph Yosemite-And Other Places-Like No One Else
The goal of my workshops is to teach you to reduce the amount of time thinking about your camera and increase the amount if time thinking about your subject matter and still get mind-boggling shots. I will teach you how not to agonize over settings and still get the highest quality image your camera can capture.
- 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 and neutral-density
- "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.
The thing I can absolutely guarantee, is that you will get exposure to all areas of the valley, all shooting vistas, all major Yosemite geographic views that your time will allow, conditions permitting. The workshops will cover the valley thoroughly with very little hiking.
During early summer and fall, the we can go to Glacier Point Road and Sentinel Dome. IF OPEN (usually during fall and spring), we will visit Glacier Point Road, Sentinel Dome, Washburn Point, Taft Point, Tuolumne Meadow area and Tioga Pass area.
For the most part, we do not get up at the crack of dawn in the Yosemite workshops. 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.
Beginners Welcome
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. 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.
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 or Sony much better than myself and will help you out. I can honestly say that by the end of every workshop students have all become friends, and stay in touch after returning home. We've had students from foreign countries (England, Scotland, China, Ireland, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Italy and Japan), and from all over the US.
Newbies are welcome and encouraged to attend!
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 loose itinerary at that time.
Yosemite National Park is it's own climate. Clouds, rain, snow, fog, mist, etc. comes and goes in fleeting moments. Understanding these patterns comes from long experience, enabling me to know exactly where to be, when, and whether we need to race to the next location or simply wait for conditions to evolve. You will be able to take advantage of my 37 years shooting Yosemite to know where to be, and when. We issue two-way radios to drivers in the car pool which enables me to instantly communicate with students when I see changes in weather.
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.
Hiking
We generally do not hike more than 1/2 mile, usually to the top of Sentinal Dome, a spellbinding view. Although short, this trail can be steep and require a modicum of fitness, although I can tell you several times that for folks who felt they could not make the hike, we split up their gear, carrying it for them, and actually assisted students up some of the steeper grades. No one is excluded from hikes and if we can do it, we will get you there. I don't want ANYONE missing out on a potentially spectacular shooting scenario. People in my workshops are extremely nice and helpful, and generally will do whatever is necessary to help a fellow student with access to the various, more difficult-to-reach shooting locations.
Unsolicited Testimonials
"I still remember that 1-week outing in Yosemite as one of the best weeks I've ever had, thanks to you!"
"Great workshop....worth crossing two continents and an ocean!"