The Workshops - August 12, 2012 On Sunday, all of the instructors will hold workshops at locations near Denver. Participants will meet at the Auraria campus, and there will be shared transportation to the workshop locations from there. All admission fees to parks or other areas will be paid by the workshop leader. Participants can choose which workshop they want to join. There is a limit of twelve people per workshop and a minimum of four people. A description of each of the workshops is provided below. WORKSHOP #1 High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography by Mark S. Johnson (www.msjphotography.com) 9:00 am - 5:00 pm: Auraria Campus, Downtown Denver         High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography is a recent and thrilling innovation in the world of photography. The human eye has always been able to perceive a far greater tonal range than a camera can capture. In an attempt to level the playing field between the camera and the human eye, HDR was developed. Although the original intention of HDR software manufacturers was to extend tonal range, some photographers now use HDR software to create breathtaking images that appear painterly or surreal. Your hands-on workshop experience takes place both in the classroom and in the field. The adventure begins at 9 am in a classroom on the Auraria Campus, where Mark enthusiastically introduces you to HDR and explains how to capture exposure-bracketed images. For the duration of the morning, you are invited to photograph a variety of dramatic HDR locations in and around the historic Tivoli center while Mark makes himself available for questions. Following a lunch break, you return to the classroom where Mark illustrates how to post-process bracketed images into HDR masterpieces using Photomatix Pro, Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), and Photoshop. Each participant is encouraged to work-along using your own laptop. The day wraps up at 5 pm. *What You'll Learn:* What subjects and atmospheric conditions are most favorable for HDR; how to use your camera and histogram to capture exposure-bracketed images; how to tone map images with Photomatix Pro; methods for using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and Photoshop to substantially improve or enhance tone-mapped files. *Prerequisites:* Participants should possess a sound understanding of basic computer and camera operation. No experience with Photomatix Pro or Photoshop is required. *What To Bring:* Participants must bring a digital SLR with exposure-bracketing capabilities, a Compact Flash card, a Compact Flash card reader, and a camera manual. A tripod and a spare battery are highly recommended. For the classroom portion of the workshop, participants should bring a laptop computer running the latest version of Adobe Photoshop and Photomatix Pro. Adobe offers a limited-duration, fully functional free Photoshop trial available at http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=photoshop. HDRSoft offers a fully functional free Photomatix trial that embeds a watermark on your images. Visit http://www.hdrsoft.com/download.html to download the free trial. Photomatix Pro retails for $99, but you receive 15% off if you order through Mark's website. To do so, go to http://www.msjphotography.com and click on the "Photomatix 15% Discount" link on the homepage's sidebar. When you check out, be sure to enter the code MSJPHOTO. Please ensure that your laptop's hard drive has plenty of available space. As much as Mark would like, he is unable to provide maintenance during the workshop, so please bring a laptop in good working condition. WORKSHOP #2 Photographing the Alpine and Subalpine Environment of Guanella Pass: Finding the Intimate Landscape among the Grand. by Stephen G. Weaver (www.stephen-weaver.com) 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Guanella Pass Limited to 8 paticipants.         This workshop will explore the alpine and subalpine environment of the Naylor Lake - Silver Dollar Lake valley, located along Guanella Pass. Although grand landscape images will abound and we will take advantage of photographing sunset light, the workshop will concentrate on getting the students to think, look, see and capture intimate landscape images that abound in nature but are often overlooked. Exploring the alpine zone environment will provide excellent opportunities to discuss and put into practice the theories of composition and the use of light that is so essential to the process of making an excellent photograph. This workshop is all about learning to “See” and helping the participant to recognize and photograph the image “gems” that can be extracted from the often messy and chaotic nature of the natural environment. This workshop will be beneficial for all levels of photographers from beginner to advanced. A DSLR, tripod, and basic knowledge of your camera will allow you to get the most from the instruction. Also, students should be prepared for a 3 mile round-trip hike at an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet. If such a hike might endanger your health or you are not in shape for a hike at this elevation, you should consider a different workshop. Everyone should be fully prepared for potentially chilly and windy weather with possible afternoon showers. WORKSHOP #3 Unlocking Creativity and Making Powerful Images by Dan Ballard (www.danballardphotography.com) 12:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater         "Can you teach someone to make a stunning photograph? I have always thought the answer was yes. You teach them about simplifying the image; to shoot in great light and to understand all light; the guidelines of composition; how to 'see' form, color and texture. You teach them how to let their subject 'in' and truly 'feel' what they are shooting. You teach them how the camera 'sees' the world differently than the human eye. You teach them how to think like an artist, to be more creative...and to shoot with passion." - Dan Ballard Dan will use the variations of color, lines, shadows and textures in the Red Rocks area to illustrate the ideas and concepts mentioned above and many more. He will also cover camera settings, using grad ND filters, and using off-camera flash to add drama in landscape photography. We will meet in Denver at 12:00 and head to Red Rocks, where Dan will begin the class with a lecture. We will spend the next few hours "learning to see" with hands-on "shoot and critique" sessions. At around 4:00 we will take a break and go to dinner in the small town of Morrison. From 5:00 to 8:30 we should have great light, and the opportunity to make powerful images with natural light at first, and then off camera flash or long exposures as the light fades. (sun sets at 7:59 pm) This workshop will be beneficial for all levels of photographers from beginner to advanced. However, A DSLR, tripod, and basic knowledge of your camera will allow you to get the most from the instruction. We will adjust the amount of time spent on flash photography depending on interest. If you have a flash, please bring it along. WORKSHOP #4 Mastering Dramatic Light by Glenn Randall (www.glennrandall.com) 10:00 am - 10:00 pm: Auraria Campus & Mount Evans         Many of the most dramatic landscape photographs are taken in "high-voltage" light, with sunrise or sunset light stabbing through clouds and brilliantly spotlighting a distant peak or sandstone tower, leaving the equally important foreground in deep shadow. Capturing a full range of tones in such high-contrast situations, and reproducing them in a way our visual system considers natural, has challenged landscape photographers ever since photography was invented over 150 years ago. Our eyes can see a range of light intensities, from brightest highlight to darkest shadow, of about 10,000 to 1, but a print can only exhibit a range of about 50 to 1. One of the fundamental problems for a landscape photographer, therefore, is finding the best way to compress the very broad range of tones we see in the real world into the much narrower range of tones we can reproduce in a print. This workshop will teach landscape photographers a variety of ways to handle high-contrast situations. When the workshop is over, students should be able to approach any landscape subject, in any light, and feel confident they can come up with a satisfying image. The workshop will begin with a classroom session on the Auraria campus, where the instructor will discuss and demonstrate the four basic exposure strategies:       1. Auto-everything, suitable only for midtone subjects in low-contrast light;       2. The limiting-factor strategy, useful when you need to capture the widest possible range of tones in a single frame;       3. The Rembrandt Solution, a technique pioneered by the 17th century master painter that is still relevant in the digital age. Used properly, the Rembrandt Solution can create the illusion of greater dynamic range in a print than actually exists;       4. High-dynamic-range (HDR) capture and processing. In mid-afternoon, the class will head up to Mt. Evans to practice metering and exposure techniques for high-contrast scenes, then shoot sunset. If the weather is perfect, we will shoot sunset from the summit of Mt. Evans. If the weather is unsettled, as is likely for mid-August, we will shoot sunset lower on the mountain. Workshop participants should be prepared for a cold, windy, high-altitude sunset shoot. The temperature in Denver 9,000 feet below may well have reached 90, but at sunset at 14,000 feet, the temperature may be in the 30s. If you don't think you can tolerate this altitude or if it might endanger your health, you should consider a different workshop. Students are encouraged to dress in multiple layers and to have windproof clothing for both torso and legs. Warm hats and gloves are essential. A sturdy tripod will help reduce camera shake in the wind. All types of digital and film cameras are welcome. WORKSHOP #5 Mount Evans Wildlife Experience by Russ Burden (www.russburdenphotography.com) 3:50 am - 12:00 noon: Mount Evans         The lure of Mount Evans is special. Its breath taking views are unrivaled. Sunrise has to be experienced as words can not express its beauty. Mix in the amazing 2,000 year old bristlecone pine forest and the thought of ever driving back down the mountain is hard to reconcile. But the big attraction of Mount Evans is the wildlife. The stars of the show are the majestic mountain goats. Acclimated to humans, they readily pose. Add in a backdrop of a Colorado fourteener and the potential to capture dramatic images abounds. Photos that show regal goats perched upon a rock outcropping await the eager photographer as do images of adorable babies playing amongst themselves. Pictures that depict interaction between adults and babies and adult dominance are also on the list. It’s likely we’ll make photos of nursing babies. As if this wasn’t enough, Russ will bring you to capture images of big horn sheep, marmots, pikas, ptarmigan, and other great species. Russ knows the Mount Evans area like the back of his hand. After the light gets too high to photograph the animals, he will bring you to the bristlecone pine forest to photograph close-ups of bark patterns, wood textures, and wildflowers that remain in the area. The potential to capture the intimate landscape will make a nice diversion from the grand scenic and wildlife shooting done earlier in the morning. All in all, the experience of photographing landscapes, wildlife, and macro images make this workshop a must attend. The plan for the day is to meet at the Auraria campus at 3:50 am where we will arrange shared transportation to Mount Evans. We need to be on the road by 4:00AM. We’ll drive to our first location to catch dawn light using the bristlecone pines as our main subjects. After the drama of dawn light dissipates, we’ll make our way towards the top of the mountain and photograph wildlife. The focus will be the mountain goats but we’ll take advantage of anything we encounter. As stated, we’ll also stop at the bristle cone pine forest as we descend and spend some time photographing the details. Bring macro lenses to photograph the bark patterns of the tress in addition to the wildflowers that live in the bristlecone area. The summit of Mount Evans is above 14,000 feet, and we'll be walking around photographing the wildlife. If you don't think you can tolerate this altitude, you should consider a different workshop. Be sure to wear sturdy hiking boots, and dress in layers as the morning will be chilly. Wide angle lenses will be needed for the scenics, telephotos are essential for the goats, and macros lenses will benefit you for the close ups. Bring a flash to help tame the contrast when we make the close up photos. Tripods are essential. WORKSHOP #6 Nature & Wildlife Photography by Colby Brown (www.colbybrownphotography.com) 4:45 am - 10:15 am and 5:15 pm - 9:15 pm: Barr Lake State Park         Barr Lake State Park is located in northeast Denver and is home to 350 species of birds, as well as beautiful views of the Front Range of the Rockies. The park truly comes alive in the early morning hours and at dusk, giving you multiple opportunities to capture landscape, wildlife and abstract photographic images. We will meet at the Auraria Campus at 4:45 am and head to Barr Lake, where we will walk around the eastern edge of the lake, looking for the best possible location to shoot sunrise. Afterwards we will walk over to the bird banding center, allowing participants to not only document many different bird species, but also ask questions with the resident biologist on call that morning. In the evening, we will focus on landscape and abstract photography as we prepare for a beautiful sunset. Throughout the entire workshop I will focus on helping participants with composition, exposure, creative vision, story telling and much more. Workshop participants will need only a tripod, DSLR and an open mind. WORKSHOP #7 Garden of the Gods by Day & Night by Marc Muench (www.muenchphotography.com) 2:00 pm - 12:30 am: Garden of the Gods         This will be a wonderful opportunity to work on landscape techniques in a great location while partaking in it. You will learn how to set custom camera settings for certain shooting scenarios and utilize them during the day. Specific techniques you will learn: Utilizing neutral density filters for special effects in the middle of the day. Using tilt/shift lenses for creating panoramas. Properly capturing multiple exposures for high dynamic range imagery. Creative use of shallow depth of field in the landscape. Since the Perseids will be at their peak on this night, we will stick around for a couple of hours after it gets dark to photograph meteors streaking above the rock formations! You will learn the proper camera settings to best capture the meteors, which will likely appear at the rate of one per second. You will need a tripod and a camera that can do exposures of 30 seconds (all SLR cameras should have this and some point-and-shoots will). It will also be helpful, but not required, to have a bulb setting on your camera (again, SLRs should have this) and an intervalmeter or cable release, which will allow you to take much longer exposures. A fast lens with a 2.8 or 1.4 max aperture will also be helpful but not required. I will have my Canon 24mm F1.4 lens. There will be limited hiking during this workshop of around one mile. WORKSHOP #8 Landscape Photography at Night by Grant Collier (www.gcollier.com) 4:30 pm - 2:00 am: Windy Ridge near Alma         Windy Ridge is located on the side of 14,000 foot Mt Bross and is home to many ancient, gnarled bristlecone pines, which produce dramatic silhouettes at night. The Perseids will be at peak on this night, and we'll likely see one meteor per minute! This may be the best location in Colorado to take night photos and it may be the best night of the year to take photographs. We will meet in Denver at 4:00 pm and head to Fairplay. This is about a two hour drive. Since we will be staying up very late, it is recommended that participants stay at a hotel in Fairplay on Sunday night. There is also the option to camp at or near Windy Ridge. If you plan to drive home the same night, you should arrange to drive yourself. Shared transportation back to Denver will be provided around noon on Monday from Fairplay. If you plan to attend the Monday Lightroom session, you may want to consider a different workshop. When we arrive in Fairplay, we will stop for dinner and then head up to Windy Ridge. Before it gets dark, Grant will give instruction on all of the camera settings that are necessary to photograph at night. Students will also have a chance to take photos at sunset and to scout out locations for the night shoot. After it gets dark, Grant will demonstrate how to photograph star trails, where the stars appear as long lines streaking across the sky, and how to take photos where the stars appear as points of light. He will show how to focus your camera at night and explain how to capture meteors in your shot. Grant will also show where in the sky the Milky Way is the brightest. He will give a lot of one-on-one instruction to make sure each participant is exposing their shots correctly. If it is cloudy at night, we will experiment with light painting. We will conclude shooting around 1 or 2 am and drive back to Fairplay. Participants will need a tripod and a camera that can do exposures of 30 seconds (all SLR cameras should have this and some point-and-shoots will). It will also be helpful, but not required, to have a bulb setting on your camera (again, SLRs should have this) and a cable release, which will allow you to take much longer exposures. A fast lens with an aperture of 2.8 or 1.4 will also be helpful but not required. There will be limited hiking during this workshop but we will be at 12,000 feet, so participants should instead consider a different if they think this could endanger their health.