APPALACHIAN TRAIL HIKING PHOTOGRAPHY
HARPERS FERRY, WEST VIRGINIA
What better place than the world famous Appalachian Trail to learn how to improve your hiking and landscape photography? With much lower mountains than the Rockies or the Alps, one can't rely as much on epic scenery to make images stand out, photographers really have to work on their composition and light to fully capture the scenery around them. We will focus on those fundamentals before putting this in practice during a whole day hike on day 2. Day 3 will be spent working on digital workflow, editing and post-processing, often overlooked but crucial steps in photography storytelling.
We will be based near the headquarters of the trail, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, which offers many amazing hikes in the nearby Blue Ridge mountains, as well as plenty of landscape opportunities near the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Oh, and tons of great breweries and vineyards, where we might spend some social evenings.
We will pay special attention to the constraints of long distance hiking, in particular trimming equipment to the absolute minimum weight. If you are planning a thru-hike at some point and want your photography to reflect the true experience, this workshop would be perfect for you, though you would of course still benefit if your hiking is more recreational and less extreme.
If you send me proof of completion of a long distance hike (200 miles or more) in the past five years, you will get 10% off your tuition. If you have thru-hiked the AT or the PCT, make that 20%!
DETAILS
Dates
July 28 - 30, 2023 (UPDATED!)
Price
USD $1,490
Participants
4 - 8
Base
Hillsboro, Virginia
Languages
English
Physical Level
Medium, can handle a full day hike with photo gear
Photography Level
From enlightened beginner to semi-pro
INCLUDED
Instruction with Alex Buisse, including lectures, in the field advice, editing sessions and group portfolio review
Lecture space with wifi, power, water and lots of coffee
NOT INCLUDED
Transportation to Harpers Ferry and shooting locations
Accommodation
Meals and drinks
Personal insurance
Camera equipment
ITINERARY
DAY 1
DAY 2
Introduction
Slideshow of Alex's career and outdoor work
The basics of hiking photography technique
Morning
Afternoon
Portfolio review and group critique
Planning a shoot: timing, light, equipment, safety
Practical exercise: planning the next day's shoot!
Evening
Sunset landscape shoot
(Optional) Night photography session
All Day
Sunrise landscape shoot
Group hike
(Optional) Sunset landscape shoot
DAY 3
Morning
Digital workflow and editing best practices
Downloading and backing up photos from the previous day
Afternoon
Hands on editing session
(Voluntary) group critique
Final slideshow of each other's best images
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
(in plain English)
CANCELLATION POLICY
A USD $500 non-refundable deposit is required to book a spot on the workshop. The whole balance will be due 30 days before the start of the workshop.
Cancellations are possible for a full refund if requested more than 120 days before the beginning of a workshop. Between 30 and 119 days out, the deposit will not be returned. If less than 30 days out, no refund will be offered unless you find someone else to fill your spot.
Though very unlikely, we reserves the right to cancel the workshop at any time, for any reason, including not meeting the minimum number of participants. If the cancellation happens for reasons within our control, you will receive a full refund of all fees paid to us. In no situation will we compensate you for other damage (e.g. flight change fees, etc).
LIABILITY
By enrolling in the workshop, you understand that hiking can be a hazardous activity and the mountains an unpredictable environment. We will make every effort to ensure your safety but you agree not to hold us liable if something goes wrong.
FITNESS
You need to be in good health and have a fairly good fitness level to attend the workshop. We will not require you to disclose any medical information, but ask that you inform us of any health condition that might affect your ability to participate. We will do our best to accommodate specific needs you may have.
INSURANCE
You are required to have health insurance coverage which includes hiking. We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance as well. It is also your responsibility to ensure you have the right to travel to West Virginia.
