Tree
Frog on Jacket Hood, Central California Coastal Mountains
Image Quest offers inexpensive photography
tours and
workshops with deluxe features, in California and beyond.
Photographers with digital, 35mm and medium format cameras are
welcome. Each trip offers the opportunity to join with people
interested in travel and nature photography. The current calendar
offers a variety of locations and themes, and each trip is conducted by
Dave Wyman,
who has conducted photography workshops since 1982.
Several Image Quest Photo trips include meals, some
prepared by trip leaders. Van transportation is offered
on trips outside of California, while most trips in the Golden State
involve carpooling. Call, write or e-mail for more information. Or,
click on those workshops with underlined trip titles for more
information.
Photography tours are hands-on experiences. There aren't any
classroom sessions. Participants and instructors spend some significant
time together over the course of a photography outing, and we all learn
from each other. When we are indoors, usually at the end of a day,
we'll often pull out the laptops, or an external monitor or digital
projector, and look and talk about photographs. Above all, the emphasis
is on making artistic, meaningful and contemplative photographs.
Cultural
Mirages: Route 66 and the Mojave Desert - Friday through Sunday, February 12-14,
2010
Co-instructor: Ken Rockwell (kenrockwell.com). Explore the cultural icons left
behind by those who had a
love
affair with desert highways. Field sessions, centered along old Route
66, east of Barstow, will include the detritus of failed human
incursions in the harsh desert environment. Cost: $540. Includes
comfortable accommodations (single supplement available) in Barstow, two terrific group
meals, and a cornucopia of unique photography field sessions ferreted out through years of prior explorations. We'll
begin Friday afternoon, in Barstow; our base of operations will move
to remote Amboy, to photograph the famous Roy's Cafe
and
Motel, a classic roadhouse straight out of the middle of the last
century and undergoing a leisurely restoration.
Click here
for images from a prior trip. Co-instructor Ken's photographs from 2009 are here. Astronomer
and
night sky
photographer Richard Nolthenius will, weather permitting, teach our
group the methods for photographing the night sky with normal camera
equipment and Ken and Dave will take the group out for a neon photography session. A $100 deposit will hold your place.
Click on the link above for more specific information about this trip.
Route 66: Mother Road of the American Dream - Sunday through Wednesday, February 14-17,
2010
Our second exploration of Route 66 will see us meet in Barstow on Sunday evening. Over the next few days, we'll travel east
into Arizona. The trip will conclude back in Barstow on Wednesday
afternoon. Among other locations, we will photograph the "ghost town"
of
Oatman, the Hackberry Store, the Hualapai reservation, and the towns of
Kingman and Seligman, AZ, as we photograph the art, the architecture,
the people and the landscapes along the route that served as a cultural
pipeline of the American Dream. Transportation is by comfortable
passenger van, and the trip also includes
accommodations, some meals, and an array of field sessions.
Co-instructor: Ken Rockwell. Cost:
$975. A $200 deposit will hold your place. (Ken's photos from 2009 are here.)
Yosemite
in Winter - Saturday
through Tuesday,
February 20-23, 2010 Our group
will stay in El Portal, just outside the park, giving us easy access
to Yosemite Valley, the historic barns at Foresta, and the snow-covered
meadows and forests at Crane Flat. The end of the weekend and a weekday
will mean fewer people in the park. Will we need snow shoes or skis?
No. For this workshop will rely on private autos for transportation
and our forays out of the car will be easy-paced strolls; just bring
your camera gear and clothing for cold to mild conditions. We may find
ourselves in
the middle of a soft Sierra Nevada snowfall at the base of El
Capitan, or in full sunlight at ice-rimmed Bridalveil Fall. Whatever
the weather, the low-angled light and winter conditions will reveal
shapes, shadows and textures otherwise unseen during other
seasons.
Note: If
conditions are good,
we will photograph the Horsetail waterfall which turns to fire at the end of each
day during the last two weeks of February.
This trip includes accommodations each night (single supplement available), and a farewell brunch in the Gold
Country town of Mariposa on our way home. Cost: $475. A $100 deposit will hold your place. Photographs from a previous trip are here.
Death
Valley - Thursday
through Sunday, April 1-4, 2010
Death
Valley is famous for laying bare a wildly rugged and colorful geology.
Yet there is much more to see and photograph, including the
imprint of
human occupation on the land. Our workshop will explore Death Valley's
premier locations -
the giant sand dunes, the oasis at Salt Creek, Badwater, Scotty's
Castle, Zabriskie Point - as well as less known yet
equally interesting places. We'll stay in
comfortable rooms at the Stovepipe Wells Motel, near the giant sand
dunes.
Trip includes two meals and accommodations for each night (single
supplement available). Cost: $450. A $100 deposit will hold your place.
Photographs from last year are here.
Coming soon: the link to more specific information about this trip.
Gold Rush! - Highway 49 and the Gold Country of California - Friday through Wednesday, April 16-21, 2010 Come photograph the spectacular scenery, the historic
architecture, and the people of
Northern California's gold rush country. Cost: $1,700, will include
accommodations,
transportation in a comfortable van, a group meal or two, entry
fees, and a variety of photographic locations. After meeting in
Sacramento by dinnertime, we'll travel south on following days to the
gold towns of Angels Camp, Murphy's, and Mokelumne Hill, then north to
glorious Nevada City and weirdly beautiful Malakoff Diggings State
Park, then north again to Downieville, in the depths of the North Yuba
River Canyon, and to the town of Chico, with it's covered bridge,
quaint downtown, and vast municipal Bidwell Park. We'll finish on our
final day in Sacramento. Co-instructor: Ken Rockwell. Cost: $1300. A $200 deposit will hold your place. (New trip)
Coming soon: the link to specific information about this trip.
Yosemite
Waterworks - Monday through Thursday, May 11-14, 2010
Explore
Yosemite Valley, where the waterfalls will be
full with spring snow melt; we will view the raging Merced River, and
the famous granite cliffs and domes. We will also visit the Foresta
barns, and historic Wawona, with its Covered Bridge and exciting
Suspension Bridge. Cost: $450. The trip includes field sessions, slide
shows, accommodations each night in El Portal (single supplement available), adjacent to the park, and a
farewell brunch. Photographs from prior trips are here. A $100 deposit will hold your place.
Coming soon: the link to more specific information about this trip.
The Central Coast of California - Morro Bay to Monterey - Thursday
through Sunday, June 10-13, 2010
Our photography trip will take us through some of the most
spectacular coastline in California. Meeting in Morro Bay, we will
first explore the wonderful Montana de Oro State Park, and work our way
northward to spend the night in the picturesque town of Cambria. On
Saturday, we'll travel and photograph along the length of Big Sur, to
finish the day in Monterey. An array of varied subject matter, from
Cannery Row, the
Aquarium, and historic downtown Monterey, to the agricultural landscape
of nearby Salinas Valley, wildflowers and oak groves, and
portions of the Big Sur Coast will occupy our time as we travel through
the central regions of California. Cost: TBA, includes transportation by comfortable van, entry fees,
guided field sessions,
and a couple of meals. Co-instructor: Ken Rockwell. A $200 deposit will hold your place.
Coming soon: the link to more specific information about this trip.
Autumn
in Yellowstone
and the Tetons-
Monday through Sunday, October 4-10, 2010 As it has been for Image Quest each year
for 18 years, our autumn subjects in Yellowstone country will
include
geysers, wildlife, and the rugged Wyoming landscape. We'll also
photograph the historic Mormon barns and tour the Jackson Hole area,
travel beautiful backroads in Utah and Idaho, and explore the Tetons.
Cost: $1,550. The tour includes accommodations in Yellowstone, Jackson
Hole, Montana and Utah, van transportation, a group picnic, and an
amazing array of
field locations.
Our visit should coincide with the
colors autumn; mountain peaks might even be topped with a mantle of
snow. Expect to photograph bison and elk and moose, with chances to
see and photograph bears, beaver, and a variety of birds. We'll also
look for wolves (although they are usually not easy to photograph, the
one pictured here was happy to pose for us).
View photographs from the 2009 outing here. A $200 deposit will hold your place.
Coming soon: the link to more specific information about this trip.
Point
Reyes, Tomales Bay and San Francisco - Late August, 2010
The workshop will explore the regions in and around
spectacular Point Reyes National Seashore and Tomales Bay, north of San
Francisco. We will learn to expand our creative horizons beyond the
realm of the basic snap shot, while photographing landscapes,
seascapes, architecture and people.
We'll explore a variety of
locations, beginning and ending in San Francisco; in between we'll
photograph iconic Drake's Bay and the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse, as well as
lesser-known places that will also allow us to create beautiful images
of the landscapes, architecture and people of Northern California.
Includes accommodations and transportation by van and a group meal.
Co-instructor: Ken Rockwell. Cost: TBA; a $200 deposit will hold your place. Images from the 2009 outing are here.
Coming soon: the link to more specific information about this trip.
Autumn
in Yosemite -
Sunday
through Wednesday, October 17-20, 2010 Photograph Yosemite when the colors of autumn will be on
display,
and people in the park will be few. We'll photograph classic and
novel locations in the Valley. Dave Wyman is teaching this
course for the Yosemite
Association. Click here
for images from 2009. Co-instructor: Ken Rockwell. Cost: TBA. (Contact the Yosemite Association to sign-up for this trip - like many of the others here, it will fill quickly.)
Coming soon: the link to more specific information about this trip.
The Sierra Nevada East Side: Bodie,
Mono Lake and the Colors of Autumn - Thursday through Sunday, October 21-24, 2010
We can expect,
as we have the past many years, to enjoy the colorful autumn that will
turn groves of aspens into flaming torches of yellow and gold. Bodie, the best preserved ghost town in the old west, lies
east
of Yosemite, as do the strange wonders of Mono Lake. Our
travels will take us into the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains,
including Lundy Canyon with its aspens and beaver dams, and we'll
make at least one stop at the famous Mobile gas station in Lee Vining
for dinner. We'll stay in Lee Vining, next to Mono Lake. Cost: TBA.
Click here
for photographs made on the 2009 field trip. Co-instructor: Ken Rockwell (kenrockwell.com). A $100 deposit will hold your place.
Coming soon: the link to more specific information about this trip.
Route 66: Neon and Navajos - Monday evening through Thursday, November 1-4, 2010
Our
group will meet in Albuquerque for dinner on Saturday and we'll have a
chance to photograph neon and the Day of the Dead festivities. Then
we'll travel by van along Interstate 40 to a variety of other
locations. We'll turn our cameras towards achingly beautiful landscapes
as well as the most kitschy locations in the Southwest, including some
of the Indian "curio" shops along the remnants of Route 66.
We'll also explore Gallup, where we will make a special tour of the
"pawn vaults" in the Richardson Trading Post, and photograph the
garrish, glowing neon signs of the old motels; we'll stay in the legendary El Rancho Hotel/Motel. We'll
visit the Zuni Pueblo, as well as spend a night in the Wig Wam (on the National Register of Historic Places) in
colorful Holbrook, Arizona, a town full of neon and dinosaurs. Cost:
TBA. Trip includes
transportation by van, some meals, accommodations, entry fees and
guided field sessions. A $100 deposit will hold your spot. (New trip.)
Coming soon: the link to more specific information about this trip.
The Sacred Circle - Tentative dates: Saturday
through Friday, November 6-12, 2010
Tour
the spiritual heartland of the Southwestern United States. Starting in
Albuquqerque, we'll photograph the magnificent San Felipe de Neri
Church in Old Town, then travel to Acoma (the Sky City) Pueblo, Canyon
de Chelly, with it's massive sandstone cliffs and ancient Indian ruins,
Shiprock, and the Anasazi ruins at Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon, before finishing with a visit to the
feast day ceremonies at the Jemez Publo, and lunch in Santa Fe. Cost:
$1,500, includes accommodations, transporation by comfortable van,
entry fees, two group meals, and lots of wonderful locations.
Co-leader: Ken Rockwell. A $200 deposit will hold your place. Photographs from 2009 are here.
Coming soon: the link to more specific information about this trip.
How to register:
- Send payment to:
Image Quest
1164 Alvira Street
Los Angeles, CA, 90035
Or use a credit card:
- paypal.com, after contacting Dave Wyman by email or phone (323 377-7565) to make sure the trip still has space.
- Note: Galleries of photographs made on previous
Image
Quest tours can be viewed by clicking here.
-
The
Image Quest Director - Dave
Wyman brings
a high level passion to his photography and shares an unmatched level
of enthusiasm with participants on each trip he leads.
Dave created Image Quest in 1982, while serving as the Adventure Travel coordinator at the University of Southern
California. He has conducted photography programs for natural history
associations in Yosemite and Death Valley, for UCLA, and the San Diego,
Santa Barbara and Los Angeles Natural History Museums. His published
pictorial guidebooks include Backroads of Northern California, Backroads of Southern California and Yosemite in Photographs. Dave's photographs and articles have appeared
in Backpacker, Outdoor Photographer, Cross-Country Ski,
Outside, and several other magazines. His work has also
appeared
in
the Sierra Club Guidebook to National Parksof
California, the California State Parks Guidebook, in
various places in cyberspace, and in private, public and corporate
collections.
