Maine Coast Photography Workshop

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Maine Coast Photography Workshop
May 19th - 24th, 2024
Biennial Workshop - Next workshop May, 2026
Instructor: Andy Cook

Join us as we photograph a few iconic scenes and many lessor know locations along the Maine Coast. We'll focus on shooting two lighthouses, coastal scenes, quaint buildings, harbors and more. During this workshop we'll strive for the quintessential Maine Coast experience by staying in several small, coastal villages in old, charming hotels with limited services and we will eat the local flavor as often as possible.

This workshop is geared for the intermediate to advanced photographer. Beginners are welcome to attend with the understanding that many times during this workshop the group can get spread out over a large area making instructor contact more intermittent than during most of our other workshops. Each participant is assisted at their level. We focus on helping participants create the most appealing compositions of each location we visit. We also delve into extensive discussions on equipment, exposure, metering, filters, post processing and personal tips. This is a workshop environment, Andy is present to aid in the field and teach his techniques for landscape photography. If you are an advanced photographer he is happy to help or stay out of the way.

Itinerary Outline

Participants should check in with Andy on Sunday, (May 19th, 2024) at the Bailey Island Motel at 4:30 pm for introductions and discussion. At 5:30 pm we depart to preview the next morning's locations then photograph sunset. Please eat dinner before our meeting.

1st Lodging Location:
Bailey Island Motel, 2041 Harpswell Islands Road, Bailey Island, ME 04003. 207-833-2886.
Check-in Sunday, May 19, 2024; Check-out Monday, May 20, 2024.

Relocate to Edgecomb, ME.
Lodging Location:
Cod Cove Inn, 22 Cross Road, Edgecomb, ME 04556. 207-882-9586.
Check-in Monday, May 20, 2024; Check-out Tuesday, May 21, 2024.

Relocate to Port Clyde, ME.
Lodging Location:
Seaside Inn, 5 Cold Storage Road, Port Clyde, ME 04855. 207-372-0700.
Check-in Tuesday, May 21, 2024; Check-out Wednesday, May 22, 2024.

Relocate by ferry to Monhegan Island
Lodging Location: Monhegan House, Phone: 207-594-7983. We will have a block of rooms reserved here, when making reservations please tell them you are with our group. This island is small and does not have many vehicles; one must be able to walk and carry belongings. One should consider a smaller piece of luggage here. Perhaps bring a duffel bag for use on the island and leave the remaining luggage in the car on the mainland.
Check-in Wednesday, May 22, 2024; Check-out Friday, May 24, 2024.

The workshop ends after shooting on Friday morning.

NOTE: The ferry tickets we will provide are for a specific departure time. The ferry should have us back to the mainland midday on Friday. Exact arrival time back to the mainland can vary. We recommend participants do not schedule airline flights on this Friday. It is not recommended that participants depart this workshop early.

LODGING: We think it is convenient for participants to stay in the same hotels as the instructor. Participants need to contact hotels directly and reserve their rooms.

Note: Consider arriving early and/or staying after the workshop. There are two nearby, photogenic lighthouses worth the effort, but not a part of the workshop. The Portland Head Light in Portland and the Nubble Light in York, both offer sunrise and sunset possibilities. Finding compositions at each lighthouse is fairly straight forward.

Generally, participants can expect to be at a shooting location before civil twilight and we'll stay at that location through sunrise. We will provide breakfast snacks for the early mornings. We are not providing water bottles during this workshop; reducing 1 use plastic bottle waste. Please bring a reusable water bottle from home. Most days we will go to breakfast after the morning shoot and then relocate to a new hotel, having a GPS unit in your car will make this simpler. Post processing assistance during this workshop is very limited due to frequent relocations. We have dinner in a restaurant scheduled for every day. Everyday we intend to photograph past sunset into the special light that happens during twilight.

COST: $1,690.00 per participant. Target number of participants is 8.

Deposit Amount: $300.00 due at time of registration. This deposit becomes non refundable 90 days in advance of the workshop.

Full Payment of the workshop is due 60 days prior to the start of the workshop. If final payment is not received when due, we reserve the right to treat the reservation as canceled, please review our cancellation policy on the registration page.

VIEW REGISTRATION PAGE MasterCard and Visa

During this workshop some shooting locations will be just beyond the parking lot, some will involve rock scrambling and a few will involve hiking around an island and some elevation gain. The hiking may deemed vigorous activity or light activity based upon one's condition. Trail hiking surfaces and those beyond the parking lot are generally uneven, hiking boots are recommended. 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 sudden changes in weather. Be aware that water temperatures will be in the upper 40's. This will make air temperatures very cold. A lot of layered clothing is required to adapt to fluctuating temperatures, bring very, warm cloths. Often we will be out in darkness before sunrise and after sunset, please bring a flashlight. Sunrise is approximately 5:00 AM, sunset is approximately 8:00 P.M.

More Information

TRANSPORTATION: Most people flying to Maine for this workshop will find flying into Portland, ME, or Manchester, NH to be the best choice, others will find Boston to be adequate.

Driving time from Portland, ME to Bailey Island, ME is 1 hour.
Driving time from Port Clyde, ME to Portland, ME is 2 hours.

Driving time from Manchester, NH to Bailey Island, ME is 3 hours.
Driving time from Port Clyde, ME to Manchester, NH is 3.25 hours.

Driving Conditions: Driving conditions will consist of mainly paved roads. When possible we prefer that participants car pool with each other to help limit our impact and get to know each other. A standard rental car will be sufficient.

Equipment Recommendations: Bring all camera equipment including the camera's manual. We recommend using a polarizing filter with many photographs on this workshop. Andy combines images of various exposures in post processing. Andy will be happy to teach participants his field and post processing techniques for doing so (requires a cable release with some cameras). To receive post processing assistance please bring your laptop with Photoshop installed.

A lens range from 16mm to 400mm after the lens multiplication factor is recommended. However, we think participants should bring their entire range of lenses. To blur wave action into a mist, bring a 6-stop (1.8 filter) or higher neutral density filter, this filter can be the screw on type. Andy carries both a 6-stop (1.8) and a 10-stop (3.0) in his bag. Note: Andy highly recommend this filter when shooting coastal scenes. It allows one to create compelling, longer exposure photographs. If bringing this filter, also bring a cable release. Note: Many variable ND filters have issues with banding and differential darkening, Andy does not recommend using variable ND filters. Bring lots of memory, 64 to 128 gig if downloading and formatting cards for reuse. 32 to 64 gig per day if not formatting and reusing cards.

One should shoot with a sturdy outdoor tripod that can adjust from 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. Please use a cable release or know how to work the camera's timer delay to avoid camera shake. Unless the camera has a built-in level, we recommend having a 2 axis flash shoe bubble level for this workshop, it is the easiest way to make sure photos are level; the ocean looks level. Please buy these at a reputable dealer; they run about $35.00.

The Fine Print

We do not guarantee the weather. Workshop fee does not include transportation, lodging or meals. We usually go out as a group to a restaurant for late breakfast and early dinner, we may break into smaller groups for some meals. Locations visited may vary year to year. In order to keep our workshop fees as low as possible we may overbook any given workshop by 1 space. Usually this will result in 8 participants, but from time to time we may have 9 participants attending. We require an acknowledgment of risks be signed before going into the field. We will send the acknowledgment of risks upon registration, please return it at the start of the workshop. In the event Rocky Mountain Reflections Photography, Inc. (RMRPI) cancels a workshop due to unforeseen circumstances such as inability to obtain permits, instructor injury, death... Then, RMRPI will refund fees collected by RMRPI for the affected workshop. In the event of a natural disaster, government closure or other happening of this nature that causes a workshop to be canceled, RMRPI may be unable to refund workshop fees. If this happens then funds collected by RMRPI will be applied as credit toward a future workshop of the participant's choosing. RMRPI will not be held responsible for other expenses (airline tickets, hotel deposits, rental car...) that may be associated with any canceled workshop.

BRING
GPS for car
Flashlight
Tripod
Spare Camera Batteries
Camera's Manual
Lots of Memory
Filters
Extra Shoes and Socks
Camera
Rain Gear
Hiking Boots
Warm Clothes
Umbrella

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:

Field Lessons and Handouts

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.)

ADOBE® PHOTOSHOP® & POST PROCESSING VIDEOS

Series of video lessons teaching post processing for Landscape and Nature Photographers. Excellent for beginners and intermediate users of Adobe Photoshop.

Photoshop Video Instruction

QUESTIONS?

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Click Here for Complete Workshop Schedule

2022 Group Photo

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