Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore
Lake Superior, Munising, Michigan

Fall on the shores of Lake Superior at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

The shores of Lake Superior will be the backdrop of this exciting fall colors workshop. The rocky shores near Castle Beach, the great dunes of Grand Sable Dunes and the many unnamed waterfalls which drop into the lake from the shores and cliffs of this great National Lakeshore.

Join us as we explore this jewel of the National Park System. Our Workshop will focus on getting you the very best images of the park’s fall colors. Our schedule, while setup initially, will change day to day based on weather and light. We will spend enough time in the classroom to give you a better understanding of Photoshop techniques and workflows to enable you to make the best fine art prints. We will also cover basic ways of “seeing” images before you click the shutter and how to take that pre-visualized view and turn it into reality in your photograph.

Evenings will be spent talking about photography and whatever else the conversation wanders into. We try and shoot a sunrise shot on one day and sunset on another in order to keep our days reasonable while giving us the best light in which to shoot. Days will be spent within the National Lakeshore along rivers, dunes, beaches and rock outcrops. Opportunities abound.

Itinerary: (subject to change based on weather conditions)

Thursday
We’ll start of at noon in the hotel conference room for our first meeting and get to know each other. There will be an opening lecture on “seeing” your vision. We will head out to catch the late afternoon and evening light along the lakefront.   

Friday
We’ll head back to the beaches and shoreline to photograph the colors along the way. We will spend the early evening hours at Castle Rock to get that quintessential evening glow on the rocks. We will have a small late afternoon snack. Lunch and the snack will be a “picnic” in the park. We will return after dark. Over dinner we'll discuss the day’s events and if time permits we'll review members work.

Saturday
Today we will head to the Lighthouse and photograph it from the outside and down near the beach. We will find an amazing collection of images to be made along this stretch of the shoreline as well. Once again we will stay for sunset and return well after dark. Snacks and drinks will be provided along with a "picnic" lunch. Weather permitting we will be heading back to Castle Rock for sunset and night photography of the stars if it is clear.

Sunday
We’ll start a bit earlier today and head to Munising Falls where we can find a mix of all colors and stream shots. We’ll return for lunch and review of work before bidding everyone adieu!

Maximum Class Size: 12

Price: The workshop price is $850.00. Price does not include transportation to or from Gatlinburg, hotels or meals, except those we will supply when shooting in the field.

Travel: You are responsible to get to the base location hotel by the start time of the workshop. Once we are together we will discuss carpooling options. If you would like to be included in carpooling possibilities from any airport locations please indicate that on the registration form.

Workshop Notes: Thursday night we will discuss the experience and desires of the group and possibly alter our schedule based on participant’s wishes and what they would like to shoot the most. We will also discuss carpooling options for the week. Please be advised cell phones do not work inside the park. There are plenty of interesting things to do around the area for any non-workshop members from hiking to shopping, artist studios and other attractions.

Experience: Basic understanding of your camera operation (bring your manual – I always have mine!).

Suggested Equipment: Any Digital SLR with lens or lenses that range from wide angle (24mm or less) to telephoto, tripod. A film SLR is fine, but film processing is not available, if you are going to shoot film we suggest you bring some prints or slides if you would like to participate in any critiques. Another option would be to shoot some digital as well. Cameras larger than 35mm are also acceptable, although 4x5 might be too cumbersome to work with on this workshop. If you would like to shoot 4x5 please contact us first and discuss the options. A laptop for image editing, flash drive to share images, macro lens or close-up diopter, polarizing filter, long telephoto for wildlife (300+mm) or 2x convertor, split field neutral density filters

Clothing: Appropriate outdoor clothing, including hiking boots and foul weather gear.