Trekabout Photography Workshops - Creating Adventure Through Photography
Photograph 'Yosemite in the Footsteps of Ansel Adams' with Professional Photographer and Tutor, Mark Rayner
When : 26 September 2024 to 10 October 2024 - SORRY FULLY BOOKED
Where : California, USA
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Booking form at foot of page.
| California – Yosemite National Park and the Sierras, A visual Journey, In the footsteps of Ansel Adams |
14 Nights 15 Days
Starting in Los Angeles and finishing in Los Angeles
This photo safari with Mark Rayner will be an incredible experience for those interested in photographing some of the most beautiful landscape scenery in the world.
We will be following in the footsteps of Ansel Adams one of the most famous photographers in the world and learning from his techniques and vision.
Highlights include:
Photographing Death Valley, the lowest point in the U.S. Extraordinary colours, beautiful rock formations, dramatic cliffs, spectacular badlands vistas, high rugged peaks, soft textured sand dunes and contrasting salt flats.
Mammoth Mountain and river valley surrounds including several beautiful mountain lakes and dramatic canyons contrasting with the vibrant, spectacular fall (Autumn) colours.
Mono Lake, formed 760,000 years ago and home to millions of migrating birds, Mono Lake is a unique sight to see and photograph, producing different hues and colors at sunrise and sunset.
Bodie, the largest preserved (un-restored) ghost town of the west, dating back to 1877. For those interested in the old west, it is fascinating wandering around the deserted, dusty streets with a wide-angle lens and soaking in the spirit of this historic wild-west town.
Tioga Pass, the highest pass in California and without doubt the most spectacular with waterfalls, rivers, wildflowers, towering mountains and wildlife. We have allowed a full day to photograph the highlights of Tioga Pass, which ends in our highlight destination, Yosemite National Park and the place Ansel Adams spent 68 years of his life photographing. http://www.anseladams.com/ansel-adams-information/ansel-adams-biography/
Yosemite is a simply unforgettable experience – you experience nature at its finest. We will spend four days photographing the glacier carved valleys and mountains from many different angles - sunrise and sunset and at night under the full moon!
This trip has been planned to take in the beauty of the fall colours , just when the first snows of winter are arriving.
The more adventurous will have the opportunity to take a helicopter flight which actually flies under the Golden Gate Bridge.
Departing San Francisco we head south and take in the Big Sur. Fabulous coastal scenery with an abundance of wildlife and sea-birds will make this a fitting finale to our grand adventure.
We will be staying in comfortable accommodation including mountain cabins and travelling in our own private bus with ample time factored in to upload photos and learn from the review sessions with your professional photographer guide, Mark Rayner.
This workshop is suitable for the beginner to advanced photographer. Partners are welcome. Small group size (maximum 8 photographers) will ensure you have access to one-on-one tuition and guidance.
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The Safari starts in Los Angeles where everyone will meet up before we head off to Death Valley to begin one of the most exciting 2 weeks of our lives.
If photographing glacier carved valleys, crystal clear lakes, waterfalls, mountain wildflowers, authentic old west towns, one of the most unusual geological regions on the planet, Yosemite, vibrant fall colours with the backdrop of 14,000 foot mountains, abundant wildlife and birdlife interests you, then this is an experience you should be part of. Please join us.
Detailed Itinerary
Day One
The group will meet in Los Angeles on this day. We will get together at 5 pm at
the Hotel, meet and greet and then Mark will explain what is in store over the next 15 exciting days.
Day Two
Leave early and drive to Death Valley where we will do a sunset shoot of amazing landscapes in the late autumn light. We will take the spectacular drive from Furnace Creek to Badwater where we will see interesting salt formations and colorful views. Badwater is 292 feet below sea level (anyone been this low before?).
We will visit places with interesting names such as Mesquite Dunes, Artists Palette, Zabriske Point when possible timed to capture the best light.
Stay overnight in Death Valley.
Day Three
Early morning sunrise shoot at Death Valley then drive to Lone Pine, photograph the surrounding area, the Alabama Hills and Mt Whitney (the tallest Mountain in
the U.S outside Alaska), stay the night in Lone pine. Lone Pine is the site where many western and John Wayne movies were shot. There is an old theatre in the town that shows these old movies and an interesting museum and area to photograph - great for black and whites.
Day Four
We will head up into the Alabama Hills for Mount Whitney. With luck, a winter wonderland will await you with waterfalls cascading through ice and snow. We'll then head off to Convict Lake and the many beautiful mountain lakes in the area. With the autumn colors surrounding the hillsides the photo opportunities will be unforgettable. In the afternoon we drive to Mammoth Mountain where we spend the next three nights. After dinner a review session and opportunities to review some of the wonderful images of the past
three days.
Day Five
Sunrise (optional) at the shores of June Lake and then, after breakfast we photograph the Lakes around Mammoth and autumn colors. Sunset at the amazing Tufas of Mono Lake. Stay the night in Mammoth.
Day Six
Sunrise at Mono Lake and then we travel to Bodie.
We will spend a few hours in Bodie wandering around the streets of this authentic old western town and finding out about its interesting past. Like something straight out of the movies this place is like going back to the 1800’s and is in a beautiful setting surrounded by the Sierra Mountains.
Day Seven
Drive over the Tioga Pass – to Yosemite for the sunset. This is an amazing drive and one of the most beautiful in America with superb high country scenery with elevations ranging from 6200 to 9945 feet.
Stopping at Olmstead Point we can see all the way into Yosemite and Half Dome one of the most photographed places in the park. Further on we will spend as much time as we want at Tuolumne Meadows the largest subalpine meadow in the Sierra. Surrounded by ragged granite peaks and clear blue lakes this is nature at its finest. We will take most of the day to do this drive stopping many times on the way. We make our way to Oakhurst not far outside the park. This will be our base for the next three nights.
Days Eight and Nine, Yosemite
We will visit the best places to photograph the wonders of Yosemite at this time of the year.
We will visit the Ansel Adams gallery and gain a greater insight to this man’s remarkable life and photography skills. Some of the highlights of these few days will be Mariposa grove to photograph the giant Sequoia trees. One of the trees is 2700 years old! You will also see Half Dome, El Capitan, Glacier Point, the mists of Yosemite falls and the rivers flowing through the Valleys on their way to the Pacific Ocean many miles away. With luck you may see wildlife including coyotes and black bears. These 2 days will be spent doing early morning shoots, back to the Hotel for review/editing and out late afternoon for more photo opportunities.
As October is off season in the Park it is probably the best time of the year to visit Yosemite. In summer it is just too crowded and in winter many of the roads are closed.
Day Ten
Today we leave Yosemite and drive to San Francisco. This is also a beautiful drive and on the way we will stop at the historical town of Sonoma for lunch and visit the Railtown Park for those interested in photographing the beautiful old well-preserved trains. Stay the night in San Francisco.
Days Eleven and Twelve
We spend two days in San Francisco photographing this iconic city and of course the Golden Gate Bridge.
If you wish a helicopter can be arranged to photograph this beautiful city from the air (this
is not included in the tour pricing) for those interested.
Days Thirteen and Fourteen
Check out from the hotel and head south for the Big Sur finale back to Los Angeles. This is an amazing picturesque drive and along the way we will take in McKay Falls, One of the few waterfalls in the world that falls directly into the ocean. We'll also be keeping an eye out Ruby-throated Hummingbirds along the way which frequent the area. Overnights at Carmel and Cambria as we make our way back to Los Angeles.
Day Fifteen
Check out - Workshop complete
USD $1000.00 per person deposit required to secure your position.
(please note a 2.9% handling fee applies to credit card payments)
Balance payable 60 days before workshop.
This includes:
- 14 nights accommodation. 15 days
- All breakfasts
- All dinners
- All Lunches
- All ground transport
- Tips
- Park fees
Excludes
- Tips
- Alcohol
- International airfares
- Visa fees
Please note we need a minimum of 4 participants for the Expedition to take place.
Click HERE to book
