April 12th - 15th, 2019

$995
Limited To 6 students

I'm a San Diego local and that means I know tons of great shooting locations! Join me for a 4-day photo workshop exploring my favorite spots along the coastlines of beautiful San Diego, California. In between our location shoots, we'll be in our private classroom improving our post-processing skills and sharing photos.

What To Expect

The workshop begins mid-afternoon on April 12th, 2019. We'll meet for a workshop overview and to get to know one another. We plan the workshop together to help you achieve your photography goals.

We're up early for sunrises and out late for sunsets. We also monitor the weather closely and select locations to get the best conditions. In between our location shoots, we grab meals, have breaks, and recharge. I will host post-processing lessons in between shoots, too. I have some prepared material, although I prefer to tailor lessons to your needs. This is your workshop.

After our final sunrise outing, we wrap up our workshop with photo presentations. Days will be long and the alarm will ring early. This isn't a vacation and we will "work" during the workshop. Landscape photography isn’t always kind to our sleep schedules. You will be a little ragged afterwards, but you'll also be grinning from ear to ear!

What Is Included

• 6 location shoots in the San Diego area

• Daily hands-on coaching and instruction in the field

• Group and personalized post processing instruction

• Photo critiques

• Water and snacks

What is Not Included

• Transportation to/from San Diego

• Logding in San Diego

• Meals

• Travel Insurance

• Anything else not expressly listed

What You'll Learn

In my experience, the more questions and thirst for knowledge you bring to the workshop, the more you will get out of it. I thrive on questions and love teaching photography.

• How to create dynamic, compelling landscape compositions

• How exposure settings affect the appearance and feeling of water in your photos

• How to best focus your camera for landscapes

• Workflow and post processing techniques to realize your creative vision

• How to use masking and brushing to make your photos pop!

• And much, much more…

What To Bring

Participants receive a complete workshop handbook with details on what gear and clothing to pack. Here's a summary:

• A camera (of course!). Any make and model is fine. Interchangeable lenses are a plus.

• A variety of lenses. If you can pack only one, pack a wide angle.

• A sturdy tripod.

• A laptop with photo editing software. I use Lightroom, ON1 Photo, and Luminar. Free trial versions are available for all packages.

• A neutral density and/or polarizing filter.

• A light jacket or layers of clothing.

• Sturdy shoes and beach shoes (you may choose to get lightly wet during our location shoots)

• An open mind and a can-do attitude!

Physical Ability

Walking & hiking is light for this workshop. If you can climb a few flights of stairs and walk on gentle slopes for 10 to 15 minutes at a clip, you'll do just fine on this workshop. Landscape photography does mean being on our feet for a couple of hours at a time.

Some of the beaches are accessed by stairs, and the rocks we may perch on are large and secure.. If a location is out of your comfort zone, I'm never going to force participation. We'll figure out an alternative.

Photographic Ability

This workshop is for photographers that are serious about improving your craft. All skill levels are welcome. You do not need to be an advanced photographer. You'll get more from the workshop if you already have an understanding of the fundamentals. If you can work comfortably in aperture priority mode and know when it's time to switch to manual/bulb, you are plenty prepared.

What locations will we visit?
We will choose from a pool of locations on a daily basis. La Jolla, Scripps Pier, and Sunset Cliffs are just a few of the places we’ll visit. There are many more great places to choose from, too. Daily weather conditions will play a significant factor in selecting a location. The ocean tides, too. We may visit a location more than once if a particular spot gives us the best conditions for good photos.

Where should I stay in San Diego?
I usually host our meeting space in the Hotel Circle along Route 8 in San Diego. So any hotel in that area is a fine choice. The radius of our shooting locations is reasonably compact, so you can stay nearby or 10-15 miles away. Short of driving at rush hour, traffic moves relatively well. The workshop handbook has further details and you’ll get the handbook several months before the start of our workshop.

What will this adventure cost me in total?
I can’t give you a firm number, but I estimate the total cost around $2300. How am I arriving at that number? The workshop, both photography and post-processing instruction, is $995. The remainder is derived from reasonable estimates: $600 for four nights stay in San Diego, $450 for a domestic flight, $300 for a rental car for a week, and $250 for food. If you're traveling internationally, of course your flight cost will be higher. And if you rent a luxury car and dine on high end seafood every meal, those costs will be higher, too. :-)

Do I need a rental car?
A rental car is not strictly required. You are responsible for getting yourself to our meeting space each day. Uber and Lyft cars are readily available in San Diego. If you do rent a car and are willing to help with driving (we carpool to locations), let me know!  

Will I get wet on location?
It depends on the location and your willingness to get in the ocean. All locations offer opportunities to stay dry during a shoot. Although, getting your feet wet opens up more compositions and photo opportunities. There is always the possibility of a “sneaker wave” throwing water on you. Before each outing, I’ll let you know if we’re going on a “wet” shoot or a “dry” shoot.

Can I bring a spouse or +1?
No, unless she/he is participating, too. Our purpose during our workshop is to live and breathe photography. This isn't a vacation. There is "work" in this workshop. But is being out in nature with our cameras really "work"? :-) 

What post processing software do I need?
Anything you are comfortable with using. I use Lightroom and ON1 Photo. I am also familiar with Luminar, Aurora HDR, Capture One, and Apple Photos. If you don't have any post processing tools, read this blog post and download a free trial. 

My focus in the workshop is to teach you why a photo needs adjusting and what should be adjusted to make your photo stronger. The mechanics of how to do that will vary from tool to tool... and it's usually straightforward to figure out once we know what to change any why.

Registration
The workshop cost is $995. That includes personalized instruction, on location guidance, and post processing lessons.

A deposit of $300 reserves your space. Per my workshop cancelation policy, deposits are non-refundable. You will be invoiced for the remaining $695 about 90 days prior to the workshop. If you need a payment plan, contact me and we'll make arrangements.

Liability
Participants agree to join the workshop at their own risk and must sign a waiver of liability. By its nature, outdoor landscape photography has inherent risks. I’ll never lead you into an area that is unduly dangerous. If at any time during the workshop you don’t feel comfortable, certainly let me know.

Cancellations
Please review my cancellation policy. This policy covers cancellations from both students and the instructor(s) and refund information.

Deposits are non-refundable.