NEWSLETTER
November/December , 2008
Check Out the 2009 Workshop Schedule
Our 2009 photography workshop schedule is now available, and we’re thrilled to be offering some new destinations like:
With 32 great trips to select from, you're sure to find one that's right for you!
The redesigned 2009 brochure was mailed earlier in the month but if you can’t wait for your brochure to arrive, visit our Calendar page for the full listing of multi-day workshops.
We’ve also added a few new Weekend Workshops, which can be viewed on our Weekend Workshop page. To learn more about each workshop, simply click on the workshop title to read the complete description, review the high level itinerary, and view stunning photos from locations you’ll visit.
The 2009 trips are filling up fast! Because many of our 2008 trips sold out, we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible to reserve your spot on our workshops. To register or learn more about a particular workshop, please contact us at (888) 790-7042.
Organizational Announcement
The Board of Directors announces the resignation of Executive Director Robyn Noll. Please join us in thanking Robyn for her excellent service over the last 7 years and in wishing her all the best for continued success in her future endeavors.
Photography Tips for Shooting Winter Scenes
With winter fast approaching, it means ample opportunities to photograph your favorite scenes with a fresh blanket of snow. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your winter photography adventures:
- Expose for snow properly. Without adjustments, your camera’s exposure meter will see brightly lit snow as “18% grey” which will cause your image to be underexposed. Set your meter to overexpose +1.0 to +2.0 stops using your Exposure Compensation Dial to brighten the overall scene to the brilliant whites before your eyes.
- Trust your histogram, if you’re shooting digital. The LCD on your camera can vary in brightness, making the image you just captured potentially brighter or darker than how it will really appear on your computer screen and in print. Your histogram won’t lie. Aim for a nicely balanced histogram with no blown out highlights.
- Be aware of white balance. For snowy scenes, it’s best to match the white balance setting with the conditions you are photographing. For example, set your white balance to Sunny if you are photographing under a sunny blue sky or Cloudy if clouds are overhead. Using the Auto setting might result in a strong blue cast to your image.
- Keep your camera batteries warm by placing extra batteries in a coat pocket closest to your body. When camera batteries get too cold, they might indicate they are out of power.
- Keep yourself warm! Look for warm gloves that help you retain heat, but also give you the dexterity to control your camera’s buttons and dials (e.g. REI’s fingerless mittens: http://www.rei.com/product/773910). Also, using hand and toe warmers can keep you nice and toasty in the most frigid of temperatures, allowing you to concentrate on capturing the best images possible.
Holiday Wishes to All
The Friends of Arizona Highways wish one and all a happy and safe holiday season! We‘d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued interest and support of our workshops, and we certainly look forward to seeing you in 2009 on our workshops.
Well it’s been an tumultuous couple of months in the Southwest, to say the least. Some of you may have heard about the collapse of Wall Arch in Arches National Monument. It was a startling reminder to many of us of how fragile and tenuous the environment is that we sometimes go out to photograph. Hopefully some of you were able to capture that iconic image before it disappeared. You may also have heard about some significant flooding in Havasu Canyon, near the Grand Canyon. The latest news is that the area will be closed for six months for clean-up and reconstruction on the trails and campground. One potentially exciting thing to come out of the flooding is reports that a new 70-foot high waterfall has formed. We can’t wait to hear more about that! It’s another great reminder to grab your camera and get out photographing before some of these great locations change forever.
NEW -- ESCUDILLA WORKSHOP, OCTOBER 3-5, 2008
(PLEASE NOTE: will only run if all 8 spaces fill)
Looking for somewhere new and exciting to photograph magnificent fall colors in Arizona this year? We're excited to announce a new weekend workshop this October 3-5, where we invite you to spend the weekend exploring brilliant displays of fall color in the little-known Escudilla Wilderness Area along the Arizona-New Mexico border near the community of Alpine.
This exclusive workshop will be led by photographer Colleen Miniuk-Sperry and is limited to just 8 students. Colleen will guide you through expansive groves of aspens, gambel oaks, and evergreens surrounding the 3rd highest peak in Arizona, the Escudilla Mountain, as she reveals her favorite locations and shares special techniques for capturing stunning images of fall colors in various lighting conditions.
The cost for this all-inclusive workshop is $925 per person, which includes roundtrip transportation from Phoenix, two nights lodging at the Mountain High Lodge in Alpine, all meals and snacks, permits, and hands-on, individualized field instruction in a small group setting.
Here's the itinerary:
Day One
* We'll meet at our departure point in Phoenix at 11 am to load gear.
* We will provide a sack lunch.
* Upon reaching Alpine, Arizona in late afternoon, we'll enjoy photography near Husley Lake and Terry Flat among the colorful aspens, expansive meadows, and scenic views of Escudilla Mountain
Day Two
* In the morning, we'll photograph aspen covered Escudilla Mountain from Elc Flat.
* We'll spend the remainder of the morning photographing aspen stands along the east side of Escudilla Mountain.
* Mid-day will feature a critique session where we'll review students' images.
* Late afternoon and evening will find us in the glowing stands of aspens along the Escudilla Trail and scenic vistas from Toolbox Meadow along the Escudilla, requiring a short 2 mile moderate round-trip hike.
Day Three
* We'll start the morning near Terry Flat to get sunrise light among the colorful aspens and expansive meadows skirting Escudilla Mountain.
* After breakfast, a second critique session will be held to review more students' images.
* Catching lunch en route, we'll return to Phoenix by late afternoon.
For more information or to register, please call us at (602) 712-2004 or toll free at (888) 790-7042. You can also follow this link and register online:
http://www.friendsofazhighways.com/weekend/08Escudilla.htm
Space is limited, so be sure to call to reserve your spot today!
BOSQUE/WHITE SANDS
We’ve worked out a wonderful team of instructors to fill in for the late Tom Vezo on the Bosque & White Sands workshop in November. Robert O’Toole will be our expert bird photographer at Bosque del Apache, teaching students how to capture the ever changing scenes and light. Robert has taught a lot of workshops in Bosque, and in addition to being a terrific photographer is well-known for being a Photoshop guru. Check out his outstanding website here:
http://robertotoolephotography.com
Bruce Taubert has a PhD in wildlife management, is a photographer in his own right, and just retired as the Assistant Director for Wildlife Management at Arizona Game and Fish. He will join us as an expert in bird behavior.
Then George Stocking will take over in White Sands as our landscape expert. George has led workshops to White Sands with us before and knows the area well. He also has a terrific website, which is: http://georgestocking.com
We wanted to do right by our students in this difficult situation, and while Tom will be hard to replace, we know those attending the workshop will come away with outstanding results. This year’s workshop is still sold out but we are taking names for the waiting list if you’re interested.
http://friendsofazhighways.com/workshops/08BosqueWS.htm
Look for Bruce Taubert to lead this workshop for us in November 2009.
POST WORKSHOP CRITIQUES
Most of you who responded in June to our questions about the post-workshop online critiques like the idea of taking part, but many have had trouble with the website we use. We’ve revised our instructions on how to use the site, which will hopefully help, and will be looking into new hosts that might allow for easier uploading of images. Thanks to all of you who took the time to share your comments and opinions, it means a lot.
ONLINE PARTICIPANT GALLERY
We’re excited to announce that our Participant Gallery has finally been updated. We apologize that it’s taken so long to accomplish, but with 1,500 images to process each year and the unintentionally complicated nature of our gallery pages (which require several different levels of optimization), it’s been a challenge to keep up with this daunting task. We replaced all the old photos with over 450 new photos. We try to use one or two from everyone who submits, when possible.
If you submitted photos in the last six months you may not see your images yet, they’ll likely be part of the next update. But they’re all in contention for the 2009 brochure, which is where we like to use them first.
Changes to the gallery page include a chart that lists photos by the first name of each student, so if you’ve been on a trip, or know someone who has, you can quickly navigate to their photos by the first few letters of their first name.
Check it out here:
http://www.friendsofazhighways.com/wor_participant.htm
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
Arizona Highways has officially launched their first photo contest. There are four submission categories: Landscape, People/Culture, Macro photography, and Indigenous wildlife. We have donated one of our Arizona workshops as the Grand Prize, and encourage you to enter to win a chance to go on a great trip with us next year. Details can be found here: http://arizonahighways.com/
If you decide to enter, we wish you luck, and may see you on a workshop next year!
All the best,
Robyn Noll
Executive Director
Friends of Arizona Highways / Arizona Highways Photo Workshops
2039 W. Lewis Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85009
602-712-2004 or toll-free 1-888-790-7042
EDUCATE. MOTIVATE. INSPIRE.
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