Oregon Coast Photography Workshop

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Oregon Coast Photography Workshop
June 19th - 24th, 2024
Biennial Workshop; Next one held in June 2026
Instructor: Andy Cook

Join us as we photograph one of the most exciting and dynamic coastal regions of the country. Our focus will be to photograph scenic beaches, a quaint harbor, a bridge, lighthouses and tidal pools. Additionally, we will shoot mature forest scenes, a waterfall and streams.

This workshop is geared for the intermediate to advanced photographer. However, beginners with a working knowledge of their camera can gain a lot of experience and instruction*. 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.

*Instruction time available with each beginner will be limited by group dynamics, learning nature photography is a journey, beginners should improve, but not expect to leave the workshop at an advanced level.

Itinerary Outline:

Participants should check in with Andy, Wednesday (June 19, 2024) in the hotel conference room at 5:00 PM for introductions, meeting and discussion. At 7:00 PM we head to the beach for sunset photography.
Note: The Cape Blanco Lighthouse which is about 45 minutes south of Bandon is not part of the 2024 workshop itinerary. Some participants may wish to visit this lighthouse to photograph it's exterior and spiral stairs. These participants may wish to arrive in Bandon on Tuesday, June 18th and visit the lighthouse on Wednesday the 19th in advance of our 1st meeting.

Lodging Location: Sunset Motel, 1865 Beach Loop Drive, Bandon, Oregon. 800-842-2407; Check-in Wednesday, June 19, 2024; Check-out Thursday, June 20, 2024. This hotel is perfectly located for our group to access the beach, but it has a range of room styles available, Andy usually stays in a very basic and dated room (rooms numbered 200-225), for a higher nightly fee other rooms are available, review website photos if interested. For some the Best Western Inn at Face Rock will be more comfortable and is about 1 mile from the Sunset Motel.

Relocate to
River House Inn, 1202 Bay Street, Florence, Oregon, 97439. 877-997-3933, 541-997-3933; Check-in Thursday, June 20, 2024; Check-out Friday, June 21, 2024.

Relocate to
Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 135 SE 32nd Street, Newport, Oregon 97365. 541-867-3377; Check-in Friday, June 21, 2024; Check-out Saturday, June 22, 2024.

Relocate to
Spindrift Inn, 114 Laneda Ave, Manzanita, OR 97130. (503) 368-1001 Toll-free (877) 368-1001; Check-in Saturday, June 22, 2024; Check-out Monday, June 24, 2024.

About one year in advance of the workshop we will reserve a block of rooms at the Spindrift Inn hotel. Please call the hotel directly to put one of these rooms in your name (do not reserve online). This lodging is modest, if more upscale lodging is desired, please feel free to stay anywhere in Manzanita. It is a small town and this hotel is less than 5 minutes from all other lodging.

The workshop ends after shooting sunrise on Monday morning. Our Monday morning location is a favorite and typically participants find compelling compositions that keep them busy until 9 - 10am. So, do not plan for an early or midday flight on Monday. If your schedule permits, one may find it rewarding to stay on after the workshop and repeat some of the Manzanita locations inverting the visit times; morning to evening, evening to morning.

LODGING: We think it is convenient for you to stay in the same hotels as the instructor, but it is not necessary. There are many nearby hotels in each location we visit, so please select a hotel that makes you feel comfortable.

Generally, participants can expect to be at a shooting location in the morning, for the start of civil twilight and we'll stay at that location through the first few hours of the day, then we go to breakfast. We will provide breakfast bars, and water for the early mornings. On some days we've scheduled a midday break allowing time for napping, downloading, informal question and answer sessions... On other days we will be shooting our way toward a new hotel. We have an early dinner in a restaurant scheduled for every afternoon.

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 THE REGISTRATION PAGE MasterCard and Visa

Workshop Effort Scale

Compared to our other workshops, this workshop is best described as requiring a middle amount of physical effort. It will involve trail hiking to reach some locations, One hike will be about 1.25 miles each way, others will be a much shorter distance. The elevation drop to some beaches will be about 150 feet. Walking surfaces are generally uneven. Please consult with your doctor before attending our workshop.

When shooting streams, tidal pools and while on the beach, a sandal (that holds the ankle) or Teva style shoe that is designed to get wet, may be your best choice although they may also cause blisters, using neoprene socks may help with this. Andy usually wears a winter jacket, hat, shorts and Tevas when photographing on the beach. In summer the water is chilly so many prefer to wear knee high rubber boots.

Be prepared for cool temperatures (bring a winter coat) and sudden changes in weather. Often we will be out in darkness before sunrise and after sunset, please bring a flashlight. We plan to arrive at our morning location each day no later than 4:45 A.M. Sunset is approximately 9:00 P.M.

More Information

TRANSPORTATION: Most people flying to Oregon for this workshop will find flying into Portland to be the best choice, others will find flying to Eugene to be preferable. Please investigate the various options to arrive at one that best suits your needs. Do consider that at the beginning of the workshop under normal driving conditions the drive from Portland to Bandon is about 4.75 hours while the drive from Eugene to Bandon is about 2.75 hours, Manzanita to Portland is about 2 hours, Manzanita to Eugene is about 3.25 hours.

Driving Conditions: Driving conditions will consist of paved roads. When possible during the workshop 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.

GPS: We will be relocating hotels and visiting some photo locations where individual navigation is necessary. One should be able to use a GPS device to aid with this.

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 aid participants need to bring a laptop with Photoshop installed.
Oregon Coast Photography Workshop

A lens range from 18mm to 300mm after the lens multiplication factor is recommended. If you enjoy close-up work consider bringing a macro lens, extension tubes or diopters for shooting the tidal pools and forest. 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: I highly recommend this filter when shooting this coast. It allows one to create compelling beach photographs on cloudy days. If bringing this filter, also bring a cable release. Note: Most variable ND filters have issues with banding and differential darkening, Andy does not recommend variable ND filters.

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 can 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. The time of day, morning or evening, that we visit some locations, and the actual locations visited, does fluctuate every year. Tides and sand levels are also different every year, impacting compositions, every year has been great, just different. Workshop fee does not include transportation, lodging or meals. In order to keep workshop fees as low as possible we may overbook any given workshop by 1 space. Usually this results in 8 participants, but from time to time we may have 9 participants attending. We usually go out as a group to a restaurant for late breakfast and early dinner. We require a waiver (for injuries) be signed before going into the field. We will send the waiver 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

Flashlight
Tripod
Spare Camera Batteries
Camera Manual
Lots of Memory
Cable Release
Filters: Polarizer; 6 stop or higher neutral density filter
Extra Shoes and Socks
Rain Gear
Hiking Boots
Teva style water shoes, or knee high rubber boots
Very, Very Warm Clothing
Shorts
Umbrella
Oh Yes! Don't Forget the Camera

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.)

Questions?

Please call
or
e-mail.

View images in the
Oregon Coast Participant Gallery

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Please do not use them without the photographer's Permission.