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Caddo Lake,
Texas Photography Workshop
Autumn in the Cypress Swamp November 5th - 8th, 2023 Workshop Full - Waitlist Available! Instructor Andy Cook Join us for the
1st run of a unique experience as we photograph
compelling, autumn scenery in the cypress swamps
of east Texas. Towering bald cypress trees
draped with Spanish moss create breathtaking
intimate scenes in the bayous, sloughs and ponds
of Caddo Lake. To further immerse the group in
the character of the area our lodging will be in
a historic hotel in the charming old town
district of Jefferson, TX.
The 2023
workshop starts on Sunday, November 5th,
at 2:45 pm with introductions and a
brief meeting. At 3:30 pm the group will
leave the hotel for the first photo
location.
Lodging Location: Historic Kahn Hotel, 123 West Austin Street, Jefferson, TX 75657. 903-601-4471 Check-in Sunday, November 5, 2023; Check-out Thursday, November 9, 2023. Check-in time is 2:00 pm. We have reserved a block of rooms for the group. Participants should secure one of these rooms by calling the hotel directly and requesting one of the reserved rooms for "Rocky Mountain Photography". The workshop ends after the evening shoot on Wednesday, November 8th, 2023. LODGING: We think it is advantageous for you to stay in the same hotel as the instructor, but it is not necessary. There are many nearby hotels. Generally, participants can expect to be at a shooting location for the start of civil twilight and we'll stay at that location through sunrise. We will provide breakfast bars and snacks for enjoyment in the field. We will not provide water bottles during this workshop; reducing 1 use plastic bottle waste. Please bring a reusable water bottle from home. We will go to breakfast after the morning shoot. Photographing in a cypress swamp is a unique experience and challenges one's ability to compose photographs. We strongly recommend participants bring a laptop to download and review photos in order to help with compositional review/improvement during the workshop. During the first two days we will schedule time for image review midday and after dinner. We have scheduled dinner in a restaurant, each day, after the evening's photography.
 During
this workshop when
photographing from shore our
shooting locations will be
just beyond the parking lot, a
5 minute walk. Elevation gain
is not a factor, the walking
is deemed light activity.
Walking surfaces beyond the
parking lot are generally
uneven and soggy to wet. Water
proof hiking or rubber boots
are recommended. When
photographing from kayaks one
should be prepared to spend 3+
hours in the water at one
time. Getting in and out of
kayaks can be a wet process so
bring a shoe that works for
this. Andy also recommends
having a dry bag to put the
camera and lens in while
entering and exiting the water
and gaining a feel for the
kayak. One will have to help
move one's kayak from the
water to it's storage
location. One doesn't have to
be in tip-top shape, but a
participant's enjoyment will
be enhanced by good health and
preparation. Please consult
with your doctor before
attending our workshop.
Be prepared for temperature fluctuations from chilly to warm and sudden changes in weather. We will be out in darkness before sunrise and after sunset, please bring a flashlight. 
Workshop Photography
Notes: In the
cypress swamp we
approach photography
differently than at
our other workshops.
When photographing
from kayaks many
will prefer to hand
hold, some may try
to use a tall
tripod. Placing a
tall tripod in the
shallow swamp water,
at the edge of one's
kayak, does expose
it to muck at the
bottom of the swamp,
for this it may be
best to use an
older, less favorite
tall tripod.
Equipment Recommendations: Bring all camera equipment including the camera's manual. For this workshop Andy believes the most critical lens to have is a long zoom, something like a 100 - 400 mm or 70 - 300 mm after lens multiplication factor (LMF). Wider lenses such as 16 - 35 mm and 24 - 70 mm after LMF may rarely be useful. However, as always we think participants should bring their entire range of lenses, just in case :). Bring lots of memory. When on land one should shoot with a sturdy outdoor tripod that can adjust from the photographer's standing height without cranking up a center post, to very close to the ground. This type of tripod does not have attachments from the legs to the center post; i.e. the legs move independently. To ensure a comfortable view above a boardwalk railing, participants need to verify their tripods hold their cameras at least 55 inches or higher above the ground. Please use a cable release or know how to work the camera's timer delay to avoid camera shake.
To be as
prepared as possible for
this workshop, please
review the 2 videos, 7
lessons and 10 workshop
handouts found at the
link below:
Below please
find the PDF handouts
recommended for this
workshop. One needs to
print or download to a
digital device these
documents before the
workshop from the link
above.
For this workshop we recommend that participants: *Print: Blank Workshop Locations Visited. *Print or download to field digital device: CFDER Field Reminder (This is useful to those new to our workshops and/or trying to develop a useful field workflow.) *Print or download to field digital device: Steps to Capture Panorama Photographs *Print or download to field digital device: Hyperfocal chart for camera’s LMF. (Unless you already have a depth-of-field app on your smart phone.) *Print or download to digital device: Andy’s Camera Settings (Only if unsure about what the camera’s settings should be.) *Print or download to digital device: Tripod Tips and Techniques (Only if one is new to tripod use or are considering a tripod purchase.)
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