Moab
Overview
We are excited to operate our second workshop with basecamp in Moab as we visit Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. We are going during the best time of the year—early. After researching visitor statistics, there is no better time: “In January of 2016, about 20,000 people visited Arches. By May, that number jumped to more than 200,000, according to the National Park Service.” Roads will be open and soft sheets of snow will illuminate the Parks. Arches National Park contains the highest density of natural arches in the world and Canyonlands National Park has multiple waterways carving away at the sandstone buttes and ephemeral pools with frozen surfaces, making for an impressive and serene landscape like no other.
Instructors Jeff Foott and Justin Black will lead eight field sessions to explore remote coves, canyons, rivers and streams, and striking desert ecology. As Jeff lives nearby and frequently visits these Parks, he will know a lot of locations to scout and use for instruction. They will share insights that will help you to refine your creative vision, composition skills, and field techniques, understand the practical implications of human visual cognition, explore ways to use the element of time to expand your creative horizons, and help find ways to add greater purpose and meaning to your photography.
Field sessions begin the evening of the first day. Each day, we’ll be out to photograph during the best morning and evening light, following the daily weather conditions to make the most of opportunities. During mid-day hours, Jeff and Justin will make presentations from the lecture room at the Gonao Inn on composition and creativity, light and exposure, digital workflow, and maximizing image potential through post-production. During field sessions, Jeff and Justin will offer hands-on guidance on composition and technique, suggest creative ways to capture the mood and spirit of the place, and provide tips on creative use of aperture, shutter speed, filtration, multiple exposures, exposure blending, and panoramic stitching. Classroom sessions to review and critique your photographs will empower you to revisit and improve upon your creative ideas during subsequent outings. Friday morning will be the final field session, followed by critique until we adjourn at 3:00 pm.
Any enthusiastic photographer will feel right at home in this workshop. Jeff and Justin are both experienced at successfully accommodating a range of experience levels in photography workshops. We supply materials in advance of the session to make sure all participants are prepared to get the most out of the experience.
The group size is limited to ten participants, and the package includes the workshop itself from 1pm on January 15 to 3pm on January 19, four nights accommodations in a suite at Gonzo Inn (arguably the nicest place to stay in Moab), all meals, snacks, and drinks (including adult beverages with dinner). The rate for single-occupancy is $3,695; double-occupancy is $3,395 per-participant; for those who do not need lodging arrangements provided in Moab, the rate is $3,095.
Workshop will be operated under a commercial use authorization issued by Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.
Instructors
Justin Black
- JUSTIN BLACK is a photographer (www.justinblackphoto.com), writer, editor, expedition leader, photo workshops instructor, a Fellow ...
Jeff Foott
- Having had the good fortune to work and play in nature most of my early life, it became obvious to me I had to spend my life outside. After ...
Gallery
Pricing
Highlights
- Two of the Southwest’s most visually spectacular parks: Arches and Canyonlands, at a quiet time of the year.
- Eight field photography sessions, morning and evening
- Composition
- Working the scene to capture its essence
- Using various qualities of light to best effect
- Exposure and tonal control
- Essentials of digital workflow
- Optimizing images in post-processing
- Three constructive group critique sessions
- Packaged with single-occupancy lodging, all meals and beverages
Accommodations
Gonzo Inn in Moab, Utah – a very comfortable boutique hotel with excellent amenities – will be our basecamp and indoor classroom. All rooms are suites, which include one King bed and one Queen sofa sleeper with superior furnishings. This workshop is packaged inclusive of single-occupancy accommodation, with prorated options for double-occupancy or without lodging if you live nearby or prefer to make your own arrangements. All meals are included, and dinners will be served at the best restaurants in the area.
Travel
Expectations
This workshop offers the next step for those who feel they are photographing with a fairly good grasp on the technical fundamentals of digital cameras, exposure, and a basic digital workflow, but who are ready to focus on more specialized development in the areas of refining composition, applying creative techniques and tools, and polishing digital development. The small group size and two gifted instructors will ensure that everyone receives plenty of one-on-one time to address their particular interests, challenges, and priorities.
In addition to a warm welcome, great amenities, an expertly managed itinerary, and superb locations, you can expect highly engaging, insightful, and effective instruction from Jeff and Justin, both of whom have earned stellar reputations among their workshop students over the years. Jeff is a life-long naturalist and visual storyteller, which led him through a long and successful career as a preeminent nature cinematographer and still photographer. Justin had the fortunate opportunity to assist renowned photographer Galen Rowell on assignments and in his workshop program, and has gone on to teach alongside such luminaries as Jack Dykinga, John Shaw, Frans Lanting, and Art Wolfe among others. Along the way, his own work has become highly respected by his professional peers, amateur fans, editorial clients, and collectors of his fine prints. To top it all off, Jeff and Justin’s upbeat good humor and thoughtful care for the needs of their clients make for a truly winning combination.
