California's Eastern Sierra, a jagged and prominent escarpment rising over 10,000 feet above the Owens Valley, is one of the hidden photographer's gems in California
Many prominent landscape photographers, including the late Galen Rowell, have called Bishop and the Eastern Sierra home and their base for their photographic expeditions into the stunning surroundings
No other region in the country offers the dramatic granite peaks, glacier-carved valleys, dense foliage and roaring mountain streams. And the Fall Season is the time of year prized by all Sierra photographers, as the colors of the Eastern Sierra explode into a visual contrast against the stark gray of the granite, bleached white of the mountain glaciers and the deep blue sky
Utilizing the city of Bishop as our workshop base operations, we will venture out to all four points of the compass to explore and capture the amazing beauty that is California's Eastern Sierra: from the ghost town of Bodie to the tufa spire-dominated lake shores of Mono Lake to Native American petroglyphs in the north ... to the south and the rising grandeur of Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48, set against the unusually shaped and photographic Alabama Hills ... to the east and the gnarled, wind-carved 4,000-year-old Bristlecone pine trees at 10,000 feet elevation ... ending to the west, deep in the Eastern Sierra range, overwhelmed by the colors of fall in Bishop Creek and Lundy Canyon, this workshop will explore great visual diversity all in one small region
Capture the vibrancy of the Eastern Sierra during shooting sessions throughout the day interspersed with extensive specialized instruction in landscape photography. This workshop focuses not only on the 'where' to take the pictures, but also on the 'how' to take pictures, incorporating photographic education throughout the workshop at each location, building on the previous location’s techniques and lessons to culminate in a comprehensive class in composition, modified exposure, light controls, Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS), and High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography to name just a few.
This truly is a collaboration of extensive, comprehensive landscape photography education coupled with a dynamic locale and in a wonderful season.
ITINERARY:
Day 1 - You should plan to arrive the day before because we begin the workshop at 9:00am with a welcome orientation during breakfast in Bishop followed by departure to the the Volcanic Tableland to document the Native American petroglyphs in our first exercise in pre-visualization, composition and layering while adding the use of remote lighting with our Speedights to create dramatic texture in the drawings. We then begin our first foray of many into the Eastern Sierra range with a trip up Rock Creek Canyon, stopping in Rock Creek Meadow to capture the array of color from maple and aspen mixed with the evergreen pines before heading up to the Little Lakes Valley for our sunset location.
Day 2 - A stark contrast from the lush vegetation the night before, Day 2 begins at sunrise deep in the desert-setting of the Alabama Hills beneath Mt. Whitney and the jagged Sierra crest. Extensive exercises in composition, layering and High Dynamic Range photography will be part of this locale, complemented by the flowing scene of rounded rocks surrounding us to the sheer wall of Mt. Whitney. Additional applications in this exercise will continue in the Tuttle Creek drainage, before moving on to hidden waterfalls deep in the Sierra Range, nestled in grottos of aspen trees. We then swing across Owens Valley to the top of the White Mountains and into the home of the unusual and dramatic Bristlecone pine forest, illuminated by the warm setting sun. But the day isn't over as we begin a lesson in star trails and astrophotography back in Owens Valley, set in a unique, rare and unbelievably complementary location — always regarded as one of the highlights of the workshop!
Day 3 - Heading north from Bishop, we begin the day before sunrise at Mono Lake, capturing the alpenglow of the Sierra Range over the still waters of the lake, with the towering and bizarre tofu spires (composed of calcium carbonate) illuminated by the rising sun. Following breakfast, we head deep into Lundy Canyon, one of the strongholds of fall color in the Eastern Sierra, as we head to Lundy Lake for additional exercises in composition while we begin lessons in infrared photography. Following our time in the changing colors of the canyon, we head to the iconic ghost town of Bodie — a true photographic treasure where over a hundred buildings remain in various states of decay, some with the interior furnishings complete but trapped in time, still living in the 19th century. As the sun begins to drop low, we will leave Bodie and head to a hidden mining community ghost town for the final sunlight of the day.
Day 4 - The day begins back deep in the canyons of the Eastern Sierra, this time up the Bishop Creek drainage, the favorite of the local photographers and a fitting end for the workshop. We start with sunrise over South Lake, capturing the alpenglow, fall colors, white mountain-top glaciers and the emerald blue colors of the lake, followed by a slow meander down the canyon to capture the endless photo opportunities of fall color against the stark granite. We move on to Lake Sabrina for our final shooting location before heading down to Bishop for a farewell lunch and our goodbyes.
Lodging:
The workshop pricing includes the training and resources, but does not include food and lodging. You will need to book a room at a hotel in Bishop. Upon signing up for the workshop, a list of recommended hotels/motels in Bishop will be provided to you.
Transportation:
We will be carpooling to our shooting locations each day. The city of Bishop is located on Highway 395 in a remote location. There are three airport cities to choose from in planning your arrival: Reno, Nevada is located 4 hours north of Bishop with an easy drive on Highway 395; Las Vegas, Nevada is located 5 hours from Bishop, requiring desert travel between the two cities; Los Angeles and LAX airport is 5+ hours away and a relatively easy drive (there are other airport options in Los Angeles, such as Ontario Airport or Burbank's Bob Hope Airport that can reduce the driving time slightly). The driving routes from all three airports, do provide for some additional spectacular photographic opportunities (while adding driving time, of course) from Death Valley to the Red Rock Canyon to Walker River to Lake Tahoe. Upon signing up for the workshop, a travel guide will be provided that will highlight photographic opportunities along all three routes.
