Westport Travel Photography Meetup

 
 
 

This is a paid workshop, please don't RSVP until you register at https://lorenphotos.com/mevents/cuba-photography-workshop-april-2023/

A Cuba photography workshop is a great way to explore the mystery, beauty and passion of the island nation. Join professional photographers Loren Fisher and Sarah McGarghan as you photograph Cuba’s culture from off the beaten path and well known scenes. You’ll have an incredible journey to the dynamic cities of Havana and Trinidad.

While in Cuba you’ll witness the country’s vibrant energy, learn about the island’s history and how rapid political change is now manifesting itself in Havana, a place where time stood still. Not only will you be making great photos, you will see traditional Cuban life, while enjoying great Cuban food, drink and vitality along the way.

We will be staying in casa particulars, the casas we are staying in are essentially privately owned mini boutique hotels. They are private homes that are now B&Bs. You will have your own room with bathroom.

Our Itinerary (subject to change)
Day 1 Havana: Orientation around Casa
After a midday arrival you will be picked up at the airport and escorted back to our casa. After freshening up, you will have a tour of the neighborhood to familiarize yourself with the area. Overnight in Havana.
Day 2 Havana: City tour of visual places, Jardines del la Tropical
Today you will have a walking tour of Havana. We’ll go to places such as Plaza de Revolution, Central Havana and Old Town. In the afternoon we will take you out to the Jardines de la Tropical, which is an awesome site to spend time photographing architecture, people, flowers and hopefully people dancing!
Day 3 Havana: Fusterlandia, Boat ride, Fortress, Skyline, Harbor, Photographing Cars in Park
After breakfast, we will head to Jaimanitas, or Fusterlandia. This incredible haven is created within a fishing town on the outskirts of Havana. We will then head to Parque Almendares. This green corridor with its majestic trees, lush vegetation and flowing river is now the site of Santeria rituals. Then we will take a small ferry to an area filled with locals, their wares, and hopefully a chicken or two!
Day 4 Varadero: Hershey, Matanzas
Our first stop will be to the old Hershey factory. Built in 1916 this sugar mill was at the time the most advanced factory of its time. Now gutted shells of multiple buildings, it offers a unique opportunity to create some interesting and amazing images. From there we’re on to Matanzas. Touted as the “Athens” of Cuba.
Day 5 Trinidad: Cardenas
On our way to Trinidad, we will stop in Cardenas, a wonderful sea-side town full of horse drawn carts and an easier way of life. Here you have the opportunity to photograph abandoned warehouses, a seldom used train station and its colonial buildings and many squares. Then on to Trinidad. We will gather for a home cooked meal in one of the casas.
Day 6 Trinidad: Exploring Trinidad
Trinidad is full of old charm and a well-kept colonial atmosphere, a must-see city in Central Cuba. We will start the day off with a city tour, visiting such sites as the neo-baroque main square and the Plaza Mayor which is surrounded by grand colonial buildings.
Day 7 Trinidad and Countryside
Today we will move out of the city and into the countryside. With an early departure and passing by many local farms, hopefully we will be able to photograph farmers working their fields as we head to Valle de los Ingenios.
Day 8 Havana: Head back to Havana via El Nicho
Off to El Nicho this morning. Located inside the Gran Parque Natural Topes de Collantes, el Nicho is a beautiful natural waterfall. Back in Havana we will gather for our farewell dinner.
Day 9 Depart Cuba
Depending on your departure time, one final morning walk photographing the neighborhood and then we take you to the airport for your flight home.

What’s included:

• Professional photography instruction with two professional photographers
• All airport transfers
• All accommodations
• All breakfasts and 2 dinners
• Minivan plus driver
• Single occupancy lodging (a $240 per person discount is available for couples traveling together)
• English speaking guide
• Entrance to all sites
• Tips for driver and guide
• Pre-trip planning assistance including flight suggestions and help with visa requirements.

Not included:

• Airfare
• Travel insurance
• Visas or other documents required for entrance into Cuba
• Alcohol
• Purchasing of personal items
• Meals other than indicated above

Date
April 15-23, 2023
There will be participants who are not members of this Meetup.
For more info and to register: https://lorenphotos.com/mevents/cuba-photography-workshop-april-2023/

 
 
 

This is a paid workshop, please don't RSVP until you have registered at https://lorenphotos.com/mevents/night-skies-and-light-painting-in-vermont-photography-workshop-june23/

Join professional photographer Loren Fisher, as we get away from city lights and explore photographing at night, astrophotography and light painting. We’ll go to remote Vermont locations that offer tremendous views of the sky. I have mastered the technique of light painting: using flashlights to illuminate large objects in the dark. The combination of stars and light painting make for incredible images.

Even if you have never photographed at night, this is will be an exciting exploration of your capabilities, it is much easier than it seems, if you follow the proper steps.

Photos of the night sky can be pretty boring if there isn’t something in the foreground. We’ll make traditional shots with silhouettes but we’ll go beyond that and do light painting to illuminate large foreground objects. I’ll have different flashlights we will use including my big one that can light things up from more than a ¼ mile away.

I’ll show you how to find the Milky Way’s galactic center – the brightest and most colorful section.

One of the trickier things about night photography is focusing your camera, I’ll show you some great methods to make sure you are in focus. We’ll delve into long exposure noise reduction and when it should and shouldn’t be used. You’ll learn how the focal length of your lens affects how long you can leave the shutter open without seeing movement in the stars. We will photograph star trails using multiple exposures and learn how to put them together in Photoshop and the StarStax program.

If we happen to hit a cloudy night, we will still make some fun and exciting photos by doing creative light painting of Vermontish things like a covered bridge, a cemetery, a barn or a pond.

You don’t need a lot of specialized equipment for photographing the stars but you need a camera that makes clean images with ISO higher than 2000. A wide and fast lens is needed, I use a 16-35mm f/2.8 zoom on a full size sensor camera. If you are using a crop sensor, you want at least a 12mm lens or wider. F/2.8 is important, you can get away with f/3.5 but any slower and you won’t be happy with your results. If you don’t have a fast wide angle lens this might be a good time to rent one. You’ll need a sturdy tripod and a remote shutter release, I recommend a wired one. Wireless work but you better have spare batteries! An intervalometer is needed to shoot star trails. Many newer cameras have one built in, but if yours doesn’t, you’ll want to pick one up, it can also serve as your remote shutter release.

We will be based at my art gallery in Woodstock, VT, a quaint New England village named by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the most beautiful towns in America.

We won’t be doing much hiking or walking, you’ll be pretty close to the car the whole time unless you like to wander away from the group. I recommend wearing hiking boots since we will be out in fields, around ponds and in rough ground in the dark. You’ll receive more clothing suggestions after you register.

Since we will be out late, I won’t have any planned activities during the day but I’ll give you an extensive list of great sites to visit for other photo opportunities.

Local transportation is included in Loren’s 12 passenger Sprinter van. Or you can drive your own car.

Maximum number of participants: 11

June 16-18, 2023
$529 for returning clients
$559 for early registration by March 30
$599 Regular registration

For more info and to register go to https://lorenphotos.com/mevents/night-skies-and-light-painting-in-vermont-photography-workshop-june23/

There will be participants who are not members of this Meetup.

 
 
 

This is a paid workshop, please register at https://lorenphotos.com/mevents/iceland-summer-photography-workshop-aug-2023/ before RSVPing

Join professional photographer Loren Fisher on his 11th trip to Iceland since 2018. We’ll have seven days of glorious photography as we explore the beauty of Iceland in the summer. There are many reasons why Iceland has become one of the world’s premier photography locations: the people are friendly (most speak English!), the scenery is unmatched and the locations are unique. We will explore well known and little known parts of the country, getting the most out of the long summer days. We’ll shoot as many sunsets and sunrises as we can and grab naps when we need to during the day. We will be there right at the beginning of Aurora Borealis season, so if we are lucky we’ll see the Northern Lights! We will cover a lot of territory, see lots of sites and make many memorable photos.

We will start on the Reykjanes peninsula where we’ll photograph historic sod roof houses and then head to the Snaefellsjokull Peninsula for a special waterfalls and mountain scene, rock formations, black stone beach, rock bridge, a black church and quaint villages. Next are more spectacular waterfalls, Europe’s largest glacier up close, black sand beaches reaching out to haunting sea stacks, glacial lagoons and the amazing diamond beach where chucks of ice float up on the black sand making for amazing compositions. Even if you aren’t a wildlife photographer you’ll have fun shooting puffins, those crazily cute birds that have a permanent sad face. You won’t need more than a 300mm lens to get great shots. Sunrise and sunset on black beaches make for special photos. We’ll see so many spectacular things that even the worst photographer ever would make great photos!

There is a limit of six participants so you won’t be crowded as we drive or shoot. We will be in a large passenger van, we’ll have plenty of space for you and your equipment.

Who should attend
If you want to see the beauty and splendor of one of the world’s most spectacular places, this trip is for you – your photographic experience doesn’t matter. Loren will be working with you to help you improve your photography, no matter your level. If you need it, Loren will help with mastering your camera settings, using the proper lens, composition and how to capture what you are seeing with your camera. Most of our shooting locations will near our van, some walking up to 1/2 mile will be required, including wandering on sand beaches and up to glaciers. There won’t be long, strenuous hiking but you could be walking over rough and narrow paths. One waterfall requires hiking about 1/2 mile but great shots can be made on the way if you don’t want to walk that far.

What’s included:
• Professional photography instruction
• Transportation in a spacious van offering ample room for you and your photography gear
• Single occupancy in some of Iceland’s nicest hotels. All rooms have private bathrooms
• Breakfast each day
• Loren’s Guide to Iceland detailing what to bring and what to expect

Not included:
• Flight to Iceland
• Meals, other than breakfast

Dates
August 12-18, 2023
Many people opt to arrive a day early to adjust to the four hour time difference and overnight flight.

Rates
Registration is $4800. Previous clients: $4300. Registration fee includes professional photography instruction, Loren’s Guide to Iceland, lodging (single occupancy), ground transportation and breakfast. There is a discount of $400 per person for couples sharing a room. Registration does not include airfare to Iceland, other meals, alcohol, snacks and beverages. Rates are net, per person, in U.S. dollars.

Maximum group size: 6

Photo Equipment
You’ll want to have a wide angle, telephoto and possibly a macro lens. Make sure you have lots of memory cards, spare batteries and charger and maybe a polarizer filter and neutral density filter. You’ll need a sturdy tripod, don’t skimp here either on quality or size. I suggest staying away from light “travel tripods” since we are going be shooting things you probably won’t see again in your lifetime and getting a fuzzy photo because of shaky tripod would be criminal. I also suggest bringing a laptop to download your photos and a way to have a backup, either on the original cards or an external hard drive. If you aren’t absolutely sure of everything that your camera does, bring your instruction manual so I can help you fix any problems.

If a workshop is cancelled, you will receive a full refund of any money paid. If I need to cancel the workshop, I will not be held responsible for your other expenses, such as airline ticket, that may be associated with the canceled workshop. I suggest you purchase trip insurance to be safe.

There will be participants who are not members of this Meetup.

For more info, including a full itinerary, go to https://lorenphotos.com/mevents/iceland-summer-photography-workshop-aug-2023/

 
 
 

This is a paid workshop, please don't RSVP until you register at https://lorenphotos.com/mevents/namibia-landscape-and-wildlife-photography-workshop/

Namibia is home to some of Africa’s most breathtaking landscapes, with desolate salt pans, remote red deserts and savannas teeming with wildlife. A photography workshop is the perfect way to capture the country’s untouched natural wonders and you’ll make photos of a lifetime.
During our adventure, you will travel far into the Namibian Desert, stand at the foot of dead trees that have become 1000-year-old monuments to the stubbornness of nature and venture deep into one of the most exclusive natural parks in the world.

Once you arrive in Namibia, we handle all the details, even meals are included in the price. You will be guided to the most photogenic locations carefully planned for the best light.

September is a great time to visit Namibia. The temperatures are very comfortable: days being in the 80’s and nights in the 50’s. With relatively low humidity it is likely we’ll have clear skies and cloudless nights. Earlier rains have filled the drinking holes which presents a perfect time to photograph visiting animals that congregate there in large numbers.
Here are some highlights that you can expect to capture with your camera:


The Quiver Tree Forest
Quiver “Trees” aren’t actually trees at all, just very big plants. Still, their remarkable silhouette makes for a great picture, especially against the backdrop of night sky illuminated by stars. The Quiver Tree Forest near our accommodation has two locations that we will spend our time in, both within a five minute drive, and are easy get around.

Sossusvlei
The two mesmerising salt pans of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei lie in the Tsauchab Dune Valley, which is part of the Namib Naukluft National Park. Thousands of years ago the Tsauchab river began to slice through the sand dunes as it sought the Atlantic Ocean – but they didn’t quite make it. The result is an impressive wetland set among what are some of planet Earth’s tallest dunes.

The now lifeless plains of Sossusvlei and Deadvlei offer incredible photo opportunities for those brave enough to venture out onto the flats. The remains of trees, jutting out from the baking sand, provide eerie silhouettes and a point of reference against an endless horizon.


Erindi Private Game Reserve
You will have incredible opportunities to photograph Africa’s most iconic safari animals and endangered species, including elephants, lions, rhinos, leopards, giraffes, cheetahs, zebras, antelopes, countless birds and more.

Who is it for:
Beginner, amateur, enthusiast, semi-pro and pro photographers DSLR, mirrorless, compact or iPhone cameras. There will be some walking and hiking involved, so you need to be able to carry your photo gear and walk up to a mile. This won’t be shoot-from-the-truck only.

What’s included:
Accommodations, single rooms
All meals starting with dinner on the first day and ending with breakfast on the final day of the tour
Beverages, except for premium/imported liquor and wine
Permits, park and entry fees
Transportation, including transfers to/from airport
Bottled water in cars
All expenses for all guides and drivers

What’s not included:
Your flight to Namibia
Highly recommended travel insurance
Personal expenses
Premium/imported liquor and wine

If a workshop is cancelled, you will receive a full refund of any money paid. If I need to cancel the workshop, I will not be held responsible for your other expenses, such as airline ticket, that may be associated with the canceled workshop. I suggest you purchase trip insurance to be safe.

For full itinerary, more information and to register go to https://lorenphotos.com/mevents/namibia-landscape-and-wildlife-photography-workshop/

There will be participants who are not members of this Meetup.