Image Quest
1164 Alvira Street
Los Angeles, California 90035
323 377-7565
davewyman@imountainman.com
Autumn Camera Phone Photography in Yosemite
- Thursday through Sunday, November 18-21, 2010 -
Merced River, Yosemite Valley (Dave Wyman)
More camera phone imagry here and here.
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Our Workshop We will view the world in a new, direct way, by mating the technologically raw-knucked power and simplicity of the humble cell phone camera to nature, landscape and travel photography. We will challenge ourselves by casting aside the usual implements of photography – i.e. dedicated camera bodies and lenses – and in the process, experience a sea change in the way we see and make photographs. When we've made our last exposures in Yosemite National Park, when our weekend comes to a close, we will transfer these new ways of seeing via a cell phone camera to our "normal" photographic equipment, from digi-cams to DSLRs to medium and large format photogrphy. Our new knowledge will allow us apply what we've learned to photograph subjects as diverse as family members at the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday to future excursions we make with our cameras, whether or not we're just a block from home or have traveled half-way 'round the world. Our primary locations in the field will take place in Yosemite Valley, with it's incomparable granite cliffs and monoliths, its meadows and forests, and the Merced River, as it traveles languidly through late autumn. We will also venture outside the Valley – weather permitting – to explore groves of giant sequoias, views of the High Sierra, and historic architecture. We will certainly photograph Yosemite's core iconic subjects, from Half Dome to Bridalveil Fall to El Capital. More seemingly mundane subjects will vie for attention, too, as we learn to make images rich with meaning – on more than one level – of a variety of subjects, each ripe with its own potential photographic beauty. What we won't do is spend much time sitting in front of a computer looking at photos, at least during the day. This will be a hands-on workshop; when we're out in the field, our primary ephasis will be on seeing and making photographs. We won't spend much time outside manipulating our photographs in the cameras themselves and there will not be any daytime classroom sessions. We'll save the viewing photographs on computer monitors for our evenings and possibly during meal times, when we can download our photographs into laptop computers. No matter what our subjects in Yosemite, this will ultimately be a journey about our inner selves as much as it will be about the world around us, a journey that will serve to connect us with the wider world. And at the very least, it will be a journey to help us decide for ourselves whether or not the photographer is as important as the camera. |
 Half Dome Reflected in Cooks Meadow (Chuck Nadeau)
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 Simon Hookway Photo |
Dave Wyman has conducted photography workshops and natural history outings since 1984. He originated and directed the travel photography program at the University of Southern California, and conducted the program's trips throughout California and the Southwest. His articles and photographs have been published in magazines such as Outdoor Photographer, Outside, and Backpacker; his pictorial guidebooks include Backroads of Northern California, Backroads of Southern California, and Yosemite in Photographs. He brings unbridled passion and commitment to his photography and his travels, whether he's peering at a sea anemone in a tide pool, or summiting a mountain. |
| Chuck Nadeau has more than proven his worth to participants on several photography outings with Dave and Image Quest photography tours. Based in Chico, California, Chuck will bring his organizational skills and his strong grasp cell phone technology with him to Yosemite. His prior workshops include the 2009 California back roads trip to the Cascade Range and the 2010 trip to gold rush country. Despite his relative youth, Chuck has long enjoyed an interest in photography, and has been an ardent champion of cell phone photography. | 
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| Dates:
Thursday through Sunday, November 18-21, 2010 Cost: $450 (includes accommodations) Accommodations: We'll stay in a comfortable motel (double occupancy, non-smoking; a single supplement is available) in the little community of El Portal, which is a few minutes from the Yosemite Park boundary, at the base of the Merced River Gorge. Travel: By carpool. Trip leaders will help participants where possible to carpool to our accommodations. Trip difficulty: None; conducted at a leisurely photographer's pace. There will be some walking (see below); participants should be able to walk up to a day (although we may walk less than this). Cost: $450 – single supplement: $200. Cancellations: $25. No refund after November 1, unless another participant signs up, in which case all but the $25 cancellation charge will be returned. Who can attend: Anyone; however, participants need to be at least 18 years of age. |
 Sacramento River (Dave Wyman)
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 Below Yosemite Falls (Chuck Nadeau)
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What the Will be Provided: - Trip leaders - Guided field sessions - Travel by van - Accommodations - Evening presentations - Help with car pooling where possible - Two picnic meals (weather permitting) - Help with carpooling What You Need To Bring: - Clothing for warm and cool conditions (including a knit or ski cap; mittens or gloves) - Money for meals not provided (we'll be near restaurants at meal times) Camera Equipment: - While we may smuggle in whatever we want for our private moments, we ask that participants limit camera gear while traveling with our group to the camera contained within a cell phone. Whether bringing one cell phone or more, the only requirement is that your camera is contained within a cell phone. - Make sure to bring a charger that can be plugged into a wall socket. The instructors will bring a few inverters, too, which allow the use of wall chargers in autos; and/or bring along a car charger. If power runs low, plan to recharge as we travel from one location to another in our cars (which means sharing power ports), as well as recharging at lunch (instructors will bring along a few power strips). That's it for camera equipment. Software: A variety of in-camera software exists, especially for iPhones. Post processing also works well with cell phone camera photographs. Dave and Chuck will share their knowledge about some of the applications they use with their own cell phone photography and will send out information about recommended apps as we come closer to our departure date. |
| Reading/Viewing Material:
Google "iPhone photography" or "cell phone photography" to find a
wealth of information. A wonderful book about iPhone photography is
"The Best Camera (Is the One You Have With You)," by Chase Jarvis,
available from all the usual places. Tentative Itinerary: - Day One is arrival day for our accommodations, near Yosemite; our rooms will be ready after 3 p.m. After dinner, we'll take in a slide show to learn about Yosemite and the magic of cell phone photography. - On Day 2, we'll depart early for the short drive to Yosemite Valley, photographing the slow-moving waters of the Merced River, Bridalveil waterfall, and the meadows and amazing granite walls that will rise above us; by day's end, we'll photograph last light over Half Dome from one of our favorite locations in the Valley. On Day 3, we will photograph historic structures both inside and outside the Valley, including the Ahwahnee Hotel, and then traveling north to the 1870s barns in Foresta, and south to the Victorian-era Wawona Hotel and covered bridge, and the sublime Mariposa Grove giant sequoias. We'll conclude the day at Glacier Point, overlooking Half Dome and the Sierra Nevada High Country. On Day 4, after an optional early morning session, we will end the workshop officially; however, participants are invited to remain with the trip leaders, who will make a few stops along the back roads of California's gold rush country before heading for home by noon. Weather: While we should expect warm sunshine and may even find ourselves enjoying the delights of an Indian Summer (Yosemite is, after all, part of California), we need to be prepared for fog and rain and snow. Inclement or cool weather will not cancel the trip, inasmuch as "bad" weather conditions can produce fine photographs, and it's going to be fairly easy to keep our camera gear dry – we only need to pop our phones into a pocket, or a plastic baggie. Share Your Photographs: If you wish, bring your own photographs, as prints or digital images on your laptop or a thumb drive or a CD, and we'll view them the first night and/or over subsequent evenings. Bring your cell phone photographs or any photographs. Time permitting, we'll view and perhaps post-process some of our photographs made during the day in the evening, too. How to join us, where to send payment: May a check payable to Image Quest, and mail it to 1164 Alvira Street, Los Angeles, California, 90035. You can also use paypal.com (contact Dave, first). Meals: Trip leaders will provide a couple of meals; we'll otherwise be near places to eat, from restaurants to markets, during the course of the trip If you have any questions: call Dave Wyman, at 323 377-7565, or e-mail him at davewyman@imountainman.com. |
 Travertine Hot Springs near Bridgeport, CA (Chuck Nadeau)
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Cathedral Rocks, Yosemite Valley (Dave Wyman)
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