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A 5 day photo workshop May 27-31, 2013 for 6-9 participants in the beautiful Abruzzo, Italy at the best time for spring colors and one of the most beautiful areas in Europe. The areas around Gran Sasso is the main target for this workshop. There are many angles to this landscape and pictoresque small villages nearby which may also be explored. The locations will depend on the weather. The altitudes vary from about 1000 to 2000 meters. Notice that the popular flexible 5-7 day workshop program will be continued in 2013.

The workshop is aimed at giving the workshop participant the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful areas of Europe and get some great pictures. You can find examples of pictures from Abruzzo here and in this gallery below (click slideshow). The instructor is Hans Kruse, owner of HansKrusePhotography. He is very experienced in landscape photography and in post processing techniques. More of Hans Kruse's landscape photography work can be found here.

The workshop will include

• instructions and guidance on composition, scene selection, post processing, etc.
• critique and discussion sessions about the pictures taken during the workshop
• morning and afternoon shooting sessions through the area with a selection of the most interesting spots for the time of year
• on location instructions and discussions about composition and technique
• opportunity to learn from and get inspired by fellow photographers

The schedule will be adapted to the weather conditions. On the arrival day the workshop will start at 16:00 with an afternoon shoot and welcome dinner in the evening at 20:00 at the hotel. The following 3 days will follow a schedule like the following:

• Morning shoot at sunrise (around 5:30) on a location and a drive through the area with stops at interesting locations. We will start early from the hotel around 4:30 (sometimes even earlier to catch the beautiful twilight) and have breakfast when returning around 9:00-9:30.
• Breakfast and time to rest for a couple of hours.
  
• Meeting room where there will be class room sessions with critique sessions, lectures on composition and post processing, etc. and a light lunch. Although it is a tight schedule we will try to have about 4 hours in the class room for 3 days and split over the day due to early sunset at this time of the year. The class room sessions will contain 2 days with critique sessions on the third and fourth day of the workshop such that there is time to take pictures for critique and then take new pictures based on the critique and enter the best into the last critique session. In the class room there will be time for post processing and ad hoc presentations based on need by the participants, e.g. a 1-2 hour walk through of Lightroom post processing features. Color management and workflow are other topics. The second day in the class room will be dedicated to a presentation on composition and how to select interesting view points as well as some post processing time and other presentations.
• Afternoon shooting session starting at about 16:00 and return around 20:00-20:30
• Dinner at the hotel at 21:00.

On the day of departure there will be a morning shoot followed by breakfast at the hotel and the workshop will end at 11:00.

I generally recommend that you arrive one day before the workshop starts and stay one day after, if you have the time. During these extra days I will take those who would like to participate out on shoots. This gives extra time to revisit some interesting spots or new spots depending on the weather conditions.

There are no specific expectations for the skill level of the participants to get full value from the workshop. You will likely have been interested in photography for some years and have acquired a digital SLR and a few lenses. However less experienced photographers are equally welcome and equipment does not need to be a digital SLR. The workshop will be adapted for the individuals attending such that individuals who need more guidance in certain areas will have the attention of the instructor to get help with the settings of the camera. For landscape photography in this area the focal lengths from 24mm to 200mm in 35mm full frame terms will be adequate (approx. 15mm to 135mm on crop DSLR cameras). A wider lens can be useful and a longer lens also (16mm and 300mm in 35mm full frame terms). It is expected that you are familiar with your camera including the most typical functions, however any question about camera operation and features are welcomed. Bring a manual for your camera too. A solid and stable tripod is recommended and a cable/remote release for your camera. Also it is expected that you are comfortable setting your camera on the tripod and adjusting compositions. The workshop is not aimed at giving beginners basic training course in handling the camera and tripod, although help and advice is given during the workshop to all participants on all aspects of landscape photography.

The instructor uses Canon cameras and have detailed knowledge of these cameras, however photographers with any camera are welcome. For post processing the instructor will use and show Adobe Lightroom and with additional processing in Adobe Photoshop. For HDR and tone mapping Photomatix Pro is used. It is highly recommended that the participants bring their own laptop for post processing. For critique sessions you will need a laptop to process your own images. The focus will be on critique of images from the workshop. The temperature will fall to around the freezing point at this time of year in the morning, so please bring warm clothes and good, comfortable footwear for the time we will spend outdoors. Only short walking distances are planned from the roads (up to 15 mins).

The cost of the workshop is 1095 Euro (from January 1st, 2013 1195 Euro) which include hotel, meals and wine (breakfast, lunch time refreshments and evening dinner and drinks including wine). The hotel is a really nice 4-star SPA hotel on the mountain side of the Appennines towards the Adriatic Sea. The hotel is located with easy access to the areas we will be shooting during the workshop. A single room for each participant (couples will be in double rooms). The price do not include any of the spa facilities at the hotel. If you decide to come early and stay after the workshop you will pay these extra days directly to the hotel. Any extra shoots outside of the workshop is free of charge and is made as a service to the participants.

The price does not include transport to and from the hotel (air fare, rental cars, etc.) and transport in the area. It is planned that the 6-9 participants and the instructor will drive in 3 cars for the shooting (the instructor in his car and 2 cars from the participants). To share a car e-mail addresses will be exchanged among the participants such that sharing of rental cars can be planned in advance. The distance from Fiumicino (airport of Rome) to the hotel is around 3 hours by car. A rental car no smaller than a Fiat Punto is assumed for 3 photographers per car including their equipment. Every day changing who is driving together. The reason for not including transportation is that it would add substantial extra cost to the workshop to include this and most participants would likely combine a workshop with a stay in the area. The hotel has conference facilities for class room sessions. Only registered participants are allowed to participate in any aspects of the workshop, no exceptions. If you would like to bring a spouse or friend to the workshop, then please indicate this in the registration e-mail and we will try to accommodate such requests on a space available basis. A GPS unit is highly recommended (if you have one please bring it) and mobile phones to get reconnected, if getting lost. The instructor will have a mobile phone operational at all times.

Please book space on the workshop by sending an e-mail to Hans Kruse at hans@hanskruse.com or if you would like to ask additional questions about the workshop. You will get infomation about payment details and liability limitations. If you are not able to join this workshop or it is sold out, then please consult the workshop schedule or contact Hans Kruse. As the time of the workshop approaches (1-2 weeks in advance) you will get updates on the detailed schedule and meeting times and additional relevant information. You are welcome to divide the payment of the 1195 Euro into a non-refundable deposit of 245 Euro at sign-up and payment of the 950 Euro April 1st, 2013. If the workshop needs to be cancelled a full refund will be paid. If you need to cancel participation the 245 Euros will not be refunded unless a replacement is found.

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