Great Smoky Mountains Spring Photo Instructional Tour

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Spring Photo Instructional Tour

Where: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Townsend, Tennessee
When: April 14 - 17, 2013
Tuition: $995

This is Richard's 13th year leading eager nature photography students into his all-time favorite National Park in his all-time favorite season to be there: The Great Smoky Mountains in springtime! The prolific wildflower blooms, lush green forests, and rushing streams and waterfalls over mossy boulders and rocks makes this a truly magical place this time of year. There's good reason the Smokies are called "Wildflower National Park!"

Some possible locations we will be visiting include Cades Cove, Tremont, Clingmans Dome, Roaring Fork, Newfound Gap, Greenbriar and many other locations that are not as well-known to the public. The photographic activities are not physically strenuous and are designed for beginners and advanced photographers alike. The maximum size of the group will be limited to a small number for the sake of maintaining as productive a learning environment as possible.

The Destination: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park with our base being Townsend, Tennessee. Townsend is the perfect gateway to the Park, about a mile from the west gate. The nearest airport is about 20 miles from Townsend, Tennessee at Knoxville (TYS).

Topics Covered:

Getting the right exposure, histograms, aperture priority, exposure compensation
Creative composition skills
Depth of field and hyperfocal distance
Working with natural light on the landscape
Macro photography with wildflowers
Filters for nature photography and how to use them
Photoshop tips and introduction to digital workflow
amd much more!

What to Bring:

Digital SLR Camera
Tripod
A variety of lenses, preferably from wide-angle to telephoto
Polarizing filter
Memory cards
Flashlight or headlamp
Extra camera batteries
Laptop (not required but useful for image editing and storage)
Camera manual
Sturdy walking shoes or boots
Rain gear
A good attitude!

Lodging: Tally Ho Inn, Townsend, Tennessee. 865-448-2465 http://www.talleyhoinn.com You are free to stay whereever you wish, but this hotel will be our meeting place each day so it's convenient.

Schedule: The workshop begins at 2:00 pm on Sunday, April 14. The meeting place is the lobby at the Tally Ho Inn in Townsendl (see "Lodging" above). We will carpool from location to location throughout the day. Expect to be starting early each morning for sunrise and ending the day late for sunset, making time for meals in between. The workshop ends at noon on Wednesday, April 17. At the workshop's end, Richard will give one-on-one review and critique sessions in order to improve uopn teh images from the previous four days.

April weather in the Smoky Mountains area can be changable and unpredictable. Prapare for the possibility of warm sunny days or very cold, windy mornings and evenings, or both.

Questions? If you have any questions, or if you wish to register for this workshop, please email Richard.

If four days is too long for you, look into Richard's one-day class in the Smokies on April 13. More information here.

Download Registration Form