Alabama Hills Landscape and Astrophotography Workshops
Alabama Hills Landscape and Astrophotography Workshops
2020 Tuition 4700 USD
2021 Tuition 4750 USD
The Alabama Hills nestled under the Eastern Sierras contain an incredible palette of diverse landscapes among a backdrop of snow capped mountains with peaks above 14,000 feet (4,200 meters) including the tallest mountain in the contiguous USA, Mount Whitney. This workshop will be based in Lone Pine, California where we are just minutes from the Alabama Hills. We'll have pristine access to the most well known arches in the area with the wild and intimate foregrounds of the Alabama hills within our frames. The Alabama Hills Landscape and Astrophotography Workshop will educate you in depth from planning for the weather, using low level lighting, working with filters, and other advanced post processing techniques that will elevate your photography within only a few days time. Experience a workshop that isn't a vacation, but an opportunity to become a better, more consistent, and proficient artist! Hard work is a part of growth, but you'll love what you're doing EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!
Included:
FULLY INCLUSIVE WORKSHOP: Hotel stay (double occupancy accommodation) and breakfast is provided during the workshop. If you prefer a single accommodation, just ask.
5 days and 4 nights of photography instruction for landscapes, nightscapes, and astrophotography.
The planning of coveted night time landscapes.
How to overcome detrimental and difficult lighting conditions.
Creating night time panoramas that look perfect.
Maximizing the depth of field that will make your imagery epic.
Specialty post production including focal length blending and focus stacking.
Small workshop size capped at 8 participants.
Getting Ready Guide prior to the workshop.
What you will learn:
Correctly exposing for star light, light pollution, and dark foregrounds.
Blending imagery from different times of day to create stunning landscapes.
When and how to light paint your nightscapes perfectly and easily.
Learn new techniques that reduce noise without the loss of detail.
How to use your histogram and when to ignore it.
Explaining filters and when to use and not use them in your kit.
Create easy to do star trails that still allow you to create stunning sharp star images and time lapses all from one camera.
How to develop your images for print.
Equipment to bring:
DSLR or Mirrorless camera capable of 3200 ISO.
Wide and fast lenses with an aperture of f/2.8 or faster (f/2, f/1.4) . These lenses should be 24mm or a wider focal length for night imagery.
Lens lengths between 14mm - 200mm are great to bring for the workshop.
A tripod with a ball head. If you have a panoramic head, then bring that as well.
Headlamp with a red "night vision" light.
Layered clothing for early spring and late fall, as well as bug repellent.
I ask each participant to be very familiar with your camera and photographing in manual settings prior to taking this workshop.
Bring an Intervalometer.
Bring an L bracket.
Laptop with Creative Cloud (Lightroom and Photoshop).
Not included:
Airfare
Travel to, from, and during the Alabama Hills Landscape and Astrophotography Workshop
Incidentals
Alcoholic beverages
National Park Admission (if applicable)
Optional Trona Pinnacles Micro Workshop: Limited to Five (5) Attendees
Take a trip to one of the most remote areas of California and experience the incredible salt formations of these epic tufa towers! This micro, one night only, workshop is only available to attendees who have signed up for the previous week’s Alabama Hills Landscape and Astrophotography Workshop, and adds an additional night of instruction for up to five (5) students. This is a fantastic opportunity to photograph these otherworldly landscapes in a small, like minded group of new friends, and puts to work your new skills from the previous four nights of instruction. Photograph the Milky Way Arch as it rises over Trona! Experience the false dawn of zodiacal light illuminating the landscape in front of you! We will have a unique and incredible opportunity to create beautiful landscape and astrophotography imagery that excels above the rest! Preferred hotel accommodations will be shared upon booking.
Only 395 USD
Lodging
Best Western in Lone Pine, CA will be our home hotel and instructional space during the day. If you would like to stay in the same room with another participant, please email jtblenker@jtblenker.com
1008 S Main Street
Lone Pine, California 93545
Flights
McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, NV is the best airport to fly into for the Alabama Hills Landscape and Astrophotography Workshop with a multitude of airlines and easy availability of car rental. The road to Lone Pine, CA will take you through some of the magnificent areas of Red Rock Canyon and Death Valley National Park all the way to the base of the Eastern Sierras.
McCarran International Airport
Signing up for the Eastern Sierras Astrophotography Workshop
In order to reserve your spot to our Alabama Hills Landscape and Astrophotography Workshop, please complete the reservation form and include your retainer of $2400. The remainder of the balance will be due no later than 90 days prior to the first day of the trip. Cancellation Policy: Greater than 150 days before the workshop start date: full refund of any payments made. For cancellations made 150-121 days before the start of the workshop: 50% refund of any payments made. For cancellations made 120-91 days before the start of the workshop: 25% refund of any payments made. Cancellations made within 90 days of the start of the workshop: no refund. Note that there are some non-refundable tours/ workshops for which the above terms do not apply, and for these workshops we do not offer a refund of any payments made under any circumstances. This will always be noted clearly in the workshop description as “Payments for this workshop are non-refundable under any circumstances, our other Terms and Conditions apply.” No matter when you cancel, if we are able to fill your space, we will provide a 100% refund of any payments made. Payments made for private workshops that you arrange with us are not refundable. JT Blenker Photography reserves the right to cancel a workshop if the minimum of participants is not reached. A minimum of 4 participants is required for the tour/ workshop to take place. I highly recommend trip insurance due to unforeseen circumstances. The full itinerary, packing list, and waiver will be sent to you once you have paid in full. This amount will be invoiced to you 150 days before the start of the workshop.