Dates: April 28 - May 2, 2010
Leaders: David Muse and David Middleton
Location: Davis, WV
Cost: $995
About the Workshop
"Wild and Wonderful" is the state slogan for West Virginia. Once you visit this state, you will discover their slogan could easily have been "majestic and magnificent."
Our workshop takes place near Davis, West Virginia at the Canaan Valley Resort and Conference Center. From Canaan Valley we are within an hour’s drive of the wide vistas of the high, wind-swept plateau of the Dolly Sods Wilderness; stunning views of the breathtaking Allegheny Mountains from atop Spruce Knob, WV’s highest elevation; rocky outcroppings above and along the Blackwater River gorge; several waterfalls and stony cascades; rural landscapes; spring wildflowers; Monongahela National Forest; fog and wetlands; insects and other critters; sunrises; and so much more. You will discover that West Virginia’s Grant, Pendleton and Tucker Counties are a dream come true for landscape and nature photographers.
I find spring is a wonderful time to photograph West Virginia’s Panhandle area. The temperatures are mild, wildflowers are in blossom, waterfalls plunge and tumble at full volume, birds and insects are plentiful, and fog often lends an ethereal element to farm scenes and wetland areas. Over the past several years, I have explored and photographed the WV Panhandle and Western Maryland each spring and fall, guided groups and individuals through the area, and written about photographing there. Past participants have kindly said that I am an informed and patient teacher whose enthusiasm for photography is contagious.
Gallery
Included in the Workshop
The workshop fee includes 3-1/2 days of workshop instruction, and of course, great picture-taking opportunities. The fee also includes a welcome reception with food and soft drinks on the first night as well as a preview of our workshop program.
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.
The workshop fee does not include meals, lodging or your personal transportation while on the workshop or getting to and from the workshop.
This workshop will allow a maximum of 12 participants. To make sure that everyone gets the help and attention they deserve, we include a qualified assistant on all full workshops. A minimum of 6 participants are required for this workshop.
PAW workshops: the best leaders, locations, and instruction.
Transportation and Lodging
The two closest airports are:Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)
Baltimore, MD
410.859.7111 or 800.I FLY BWI
Dulles International Airport (IAD)
Chantilly, VA
703.572.2700
Both airports are located a little over 200 miles, about a 4 hour drive, from our workshop in Davis, West Virginia.
We will stay at:
Canaan Valley Resort and Conference Center
HC 70, Box 330, Davis, WV 26260
1 800-622-4121
Each workshop member is responsible for her/his own transportation. Having said that, I strongly encourage you carpool to minimize the number of cars at roadside sites and to become acquainted with your fellow workshop participants. You will learn a lot from David and me, but you will be amazed at how much you will learn from your workshop colleagues.
Schedule
We arrive at the Canaan Valley Resort and Conference Center late Wednesday afternoon April 28th. You will find our accommodations to be quite comfortable and centrally located amid our workshop sites. Complimentary high-speed Internet service is available via Ethernet cable. Make your reservations as soon as possible. Please tell them you are with Photographers Alliance Workshops or mention my name, David Muse.
We will meet that first evening in the conference room to outline our itinerary and answer your questions. Over the next three days we will meet before dawn in front of the Resort so that we can catch the early light at our various destinations. Generally, we will be out and about in the field photographing through mid-morning and again in the late afternoon and early evening. In the field David and I will provide individualized instruction appropriate to the subject at hand. We will spend the time in between shooting sessions eating, reviewing your images, answering your questions, and simply relaxing in the West Virginia mountain air.
On Sunday, May 2nd, we will have an opportunity for a final early morning shoot. Our photography workshop ends before checkout time at the Canaan Valley Resort.
Equipment and Gear
As a minimum, I recommend wide angle to moderate telephoto lenses in the range 18-200mm. A macro lens or a close-up diopter will be useful for insect and abstract photography. If you want to travel light, include a teleconverter. If you don’t mind a heavy pack, then a 300mm lens may come in handy for wildlife images. It is essential that you use a sturdy tripod and cable release (or remote release). Be sure to have extra memory cards, spare batteries and your battery charger on hand. Stow your camera’s manual in your backpack in case any specific technical questions arise. Please also bring your laptop or some external storage device so that we can review your images. While not essential, a reflector and diffuser may prove useful for wildflower shots. I will bring mine for the group to share.
Another vital item to include: your alarm clock or pet rooster. On second thought, a pet rooster would require a fee for the hotel.
We will be in the mountains at elevations ranging from 3200’ in Canaan Valley to over 4900’ on Spruce Knob. Temperatures will vary from the high 30s to the low 70s...mild in the morning and warmer as the day progresses, so dress in layers. A light pair of gloves may prove useful at the higher elevations. A hat and sunscreen are a safe bet. Please bring a raincoat as we will continue to photograph if we encounter drizzle or light rain. We will do a bit of walking over varying terrain so I recommend you wear comfortable water-resistant low hikers or light hiking boots (please be sure they are broken-in). A small flashlight will prove helpful during predawn set-up. Morning twilight will be about 5:55am, sunrise 6:20am, sunset 8:10pm, and evening twilight 8:35pm. The moon will be waning.
For those times when hunger strikes while you are out and about, I recommend packing a few Clif Bars. Their crunchy peanut butter bar and peanut toffee buzz bar are scrumptilious … scrumptious and delicious together at once!
Should you have any special needs, please be sure to notify us so that we can endeavor to accommodate them.
The Leader
David Muse leads a number of photo tours, trips and workshops each year in and around Baltimore, Maryland and throughout the greater Mid-Atlantic region.
After many years chasing books around dusty shelves in public libraries, David Muse changed careers and is now a professional outdoor photographer and instructor. His photo travels have taken him throughout the greater Baltimore/Washington DC metropolitan area, the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland's mountains, West Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic Region, the American Southwest, the Pacific Northwest, and Western Europe.
David is an avid writer. His first magazine article will be published later in 2009. He also writes how-to articles for several websites including PAWorkshops.net and Budget Travel (www.budgettravel.com, click on Tips and Experts).
He also teaches digital photography during the summer months at a private school in Washington, DC. His students are the young and the young-at-heart, and he is an informed and patient teacher whose enthusiasm for photography is contagious.
Toward the end of 2008, David and his wife Kitty moved from the suburbs to one of the historic neighborhoods surrounding Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Catsby, their cat, graciously allows them to live with her in this new house. When he is not behind the lens of his camera, David enjoys reading, walking, hiking, seeking out new restaurants, and doing chores (generally dog-sitting) for his two daughters who each live a few blocks away.
Contact David
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view itDavid’s websites: Baltimore Photo Safari and David Muse Photography
Skype: paworkshops
General Info: 877.384.PAWS (7297)
Final Thoughts
Join us on this workshop, and you will photograph the incredible countryside that legendary musician John Denver sang about in his hit song Almost Heaven, West Virginia.
Your friends will be green with envy ~ Sign up today!
