Dolomites East September 22-26, 2014

A 5 day photo workshop September 22-26, 2014 for 6-9 participants in the beautiful Dolomites mountains in Italy in late summer and the beginning of autumn before the season ends and the whole region closes down to prepare for the winter season. This is one of the most beautiful areas in Europe. The Dolomites are known for their dramatic shapes and altitudes and is a wonderland for photography as well. The weather can be dramatic at times and give wonderful opportunites for extraordinary pictures. The rugged rocks are also beautiful and are emphasized in many different shapes and forms, when the light creates shadows and colors in the mornings and late afternoons. The location for this workshop is in the Eastern part of the Dolomites around Cortina d'Amprezzo and we stay in a hotel just outside of Cortina with good access to the interesting spots. The other workshops in the Dolomites are located in the Western part around Lago di Carezza (the hotel is in Nova Levante). Notice that the flexible 5-7 day workshop program will be continued in 2014.

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 taken at the locations and time of year of the workshop. Scroll down to see the pictures. 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.

Schedule

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 6:45) on a location and a drive through the area with stops at interesting locations. We will start early from the hotel around 5-5:15 (sometimes even earlier to catch the beautiful twilight) and have breakfast when returning around 9:00-9:30.
Breakfast
Own time
Meeting room from 12:00 to 16:00 where there will be class room sessions with critique sessions, lectures on composition and post processing, etc. and a light lunch. We will have about 4 hours in the class room for 3 days. 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 the need by the participants. 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 between 19:30-20:00 depending on driving time.
Dinner at the hotel at 20-20:15.

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.

Please notice that the time for going into post processing is limited since the workshop has only 3 full days for workroom activities. To get a Lightroom tutorial use the option of up to two extra days early arrival. To take full advantage of this option please plan to arrive on September 20th, 2014.

Prerequisites

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 or equivalent mirrorless camera and a few lenses. However less experienced photographers are equally welcome. 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 essential and a cable/remote release for your camera. It is advised that you have practiced using your camera on a tripod so that you quickly can setup the camera as sometimes the lighting conditions change rapidly. The language of the workshop is English.

The instructor uses Canon 5D mkIII and Nikon D800E cameras and have detailed knowledge of these cameras, however photographers with any camera are welcome. It is expected that you are familiar with the camera and menues since it is not possible for the instructor to know every variant of even Canon or Nikon cameras. For post processing the instructor will use and show Adobe Lightroom and with additional processing in Adobe Photoshop. For HDR and tone mapping typically the Photomatix 32bit HDR plugin for Lightroom and with tone mapping in Lightroom 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.

On location conditions

The temperature can 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. Waterproof or almost waterproof and warm boots are highly recommended as grass is often wet in the morning and it is good to be able to walk into the landscape to find the best spots. In some locations longer walks up to 45 minutes can be expected, however not difficult or with high elevation change. The elevation will be up to 2400 meters.

Pricing, accomodation and travel

The cost of the workshop is 1195 Euro which include hotel, meals, beverages (breakfast, lunch time refreshments and evening dinner and drinks) and entrance fees for special locations. A single room for each participant (couples will be in double rooms). If you decide to come early before 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 2-3 cars for the shooting (the instructor in his car and 1-2 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 Milan airport (Malpenza) to the hotel (Hotel Argentina) located just outside of Cortina d'Amprezzo, is around 4.5 hours by car and alternatively the airport of Venezia about 2 hours. A rental car no smaller than a Fiat Punto is assumed for 3-4 photographers per car including their equipment. The plan is that every day it is changed who is driving together in order to get the most value of discussions among the participants. 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 have conference facilities for class room sessions. 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 spouse or friend cannot participate in any of the workshop activities, but is welcome to join the breakfast and dinner. The lunch is a working lunch so this is only for workshop participants. A GPS unit is highly recommended and mobile phones to get reconnected, if getting lost. The instructor will have a mobile phone operational at all times and walkie talkies in the cars.

Booking

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. 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 deposit of 245 Euro at sign-up and payment of the 950 Euro August 1st, 2014. 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. If cancelled after August 1st a refund is only paid if a replacement is found.

Please see feedback from previous workshop participants.