Dates: August 2 - 6, 2010
Leader: Rod Barbee
Location: Packwood, WA
Cost: $995
About the Workshop
Early to mid-August is a great time to be at Mt. Rainier, the wildflowers are usually at their peak and the weather is usually…let’s just say you can expect just about anything. But for the most part, August is the driest month of the year and we stand the least chance of getting rained on. But if we do, never fear. One thing about Mt. Rainier National Park is that there are things to photograph no matter what the weather is like. On sunny days we can photograph mountain landscapes. On overcast or rainy days, we’ll head for the streams and forests or work on flower portraits.
The big highlight here, of course, is Mt. Rainier. Standing at over 14,000 feet, you can see it from just about everywhere in the park (and the state, for that matter). In addition there are streams and waterfalls and, in the summer, flowers, flowers, flowers. We’ll probably see deer, marmot, and perhaps a fox or two.
Sunrise at Reflection Lakes is simply a classic. And breakfast at the Paradise Inn afterwards will be your reward for getting up so insanely early. We’ll wander the trails at Paradise for stunning scenes of “The Mountain” with foregrounds of colorful wildflowers. We’ll photograph reflections of Rainier in Reflection Lakes and Upper Tipsoo Lake and we’ll visit the Grove of the Patriarchs, a majestic 1000 year old grove of Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir on an island in the Ohanapecosh River. In addition you’ll find no end to close up opportunities, waterfall abstracts, and rushing streams.
Mt. Rainier is truly an icon of the American landscape and a location every nature photographer should have in their portfolio.
We’ll use the mid-day hours while the light is harsh to gather in the classroom for lectures, image critique, digital imaging demonstrations and discussions.
Gallery
Included in the Workshop
The workshop includes individualized field instruction, classroom lectures, honest critiques, lecture notes/handouts, and ample teasing.
Needless to say, your fees include the professional instruction of a PAW leader. All workshops have leaders, however a PAW leader is an expert on the location and has proven skills as a workshop instructor. Our instructors are there to help you make better images and fill your portfolios, not theirs. PAW leaders don’t photograph on our workshops; they teach.
Meals are not included. You will also be responsible for all transportation to the workshop and travel during the workshop.
The workshop will allow a maximum of 10 participants and requires a minimum of 6 participants.
PAW workshops: the best leaders, locations, and instruction.
Transportation and Lodging
Airports
Seattle Tacoma International; Sea-Tac (SEA)
17801 International Blvd. (Pacific Highway So.)
Seattle, WA U.S.A. 98158
Sea-Tac is approximately 3 hrs from the hotel.
Portland International (PDX)
7000 NE Airport Way
Portland, OR 97218
Portland’s airport is also approximately 3 hrs. from the hotel.
Lodging
Cowlitz River Lodge (Map Link for Hotel)
Packwood, WA. 98361
1-888-305-2185
Email:
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Map links:
Schedule
We’ll meet in the River Lodge’s conference room at 5 pm on August 2nd for a pizza dinner, orientation, introductions, and some teaching to get you primed for our early morning departure.
The workshop ends by noon on August 6th.
Exertion Level
Ok, I’ll be honest with you here. There is some hiking. And some of it can be on relatively steep trails. This is mostly on the paved trails of the Paradise area. But you can still get great shots without too much exertion. There are magnificent views at Paradise within a quarter to one half mile of the parking lot. If you take your time you’ll be ok. And I’ll be there to help carry gear if necessary. Elevation at Paradise and Sunrise is around 6000 feet so keep that in mind as well. Other trails we’ll be on aren’t as steep as in the Paradise area. The trail to Grove of the Patriarchs is relatively flat and easy. You can photograph Reflection Lakes right from the side of the road or walk the short, flat trail at the lake’s edge.
Bottom line is, if you can’t hike at all, this trip may not be for you. But if you can handle a little exertion (no forced marches here) you’ll be just fine.
Equipment and Gear
Macro lenses are highly recommended as are wide angle. This means in the 10-22mm, 12-24mm range for cropped digital and 18-35mm for full frame/35mm. You’ll be disappointed if you have a camera with a 1.5 crop factor and the widest lens you have is 24mm. Get the wide angle. Graduated neutral density filters are also highly recommended (and will be available for borrowing).
The Leader
"I grew up in Washington State and have lived here all my life. I’ve been to Mt. Rainier National Park more times than I can count. I’ve led or co-several workshops on the mountain and have photographed on my own numerous times."
For the past nine years, Rod has been leading and co-leading photo workshops across the country teaching photographic as well as Photoshop skills. He's taught with such notable photographers as David Middleton, David Muench, Bill Fortney, and Jack Dykinga. He also teams up several times a year with his good friend Don Mammoser.
A skilled and enthusiastic instructor, he likes nothing more than sharing his knowledge, ideas, and occasional sarcastic observations.
Rod is the author of The Photographer's Guide to Puget Sound and Northwest Washington and co-author of The Photographer's Guide to the Oregon Coast (with David Middleton). His images have been used in calendars, magazines, cards, websites, and books. He's also been a regular contributor to Outdoor Photographer magazine.
Rod lives on Washington's Olympic peninsula with his wife Tracy and their dog Bailey. He enjoys walking one and hanging out with the other.
Contact:
Rod Barbee
Email:
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Website: www.rodbarbee.com
Skype: paworkshops
General Info: 877.384.PAWS(7297)
Cell Phone: 360.774.6341
Phone: 360.437.1124
People are talking about Rod:
“LOVED Mt. Rainier and the workshop. It was fantastic. …You were a great instructor. I really appreciated your patience. I am so glad you taught me now to expose for the sky/foreground, and thereby work manually. What a difference it makes. I can tell which of my images were done when I exposed for foreground and sky manually and the ones where I went with aperture priority. I was amazed at how beautifully the colors in the sky held when I did as you instructed. My first day of shooting was all done with aperture priority, so I had mostly white skies in those images. However, my hyper-focal experimentation worked well on the first day, so that was a plus even if my skies weren’t great. I can’t believe how beautifully the colors turned out in so many of my images. I am SO happy!”
---Joen W.
Final Thoughts
Ansel Adams said, “Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer - and often the supreme disapointment.” We are going to work on the former to prevent the latter!
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