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• Featured Participant/Volunteer Images
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Featured Participant/Volunteer Images
Point-N-Shoot: More Than Meets the Eye Workshop
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Featured Partner
Arizona Highways magazine
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The December 2009 issue of Arizona Highways is all-photographic.
The magazine is departing from its normal editorial content this month to feature 56 pages of photographs. Additionally, the front and back cover images were made by our very own Suzanne Mathia. Congratulations, Suzanne!
Would your organization consider being a partner? Please call us toll free at 1.888.790.7042.
What Our Participants Say About...
D-SLR From the Ground Up
with Jeff Kida, November 2009
“DSLR From the Ground Up gave me the confidence to use my camera.”
— Tyra Babington
“Excellent, helpful and personal.”
— John Donaldson
Preposterous Landscapes
with Gary Ladd, November 2009
“Gary Ladd’s mastery of photography and knowledge of the locations made this a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
— John Murphy
“Gary Ladd — There can’t be anyone better as a guide to the Lake Powell and Page area — personable, helpful, thorough, patient, interesting and extremely knowledgeable.”
— Roger Raepple
“The Preposterous Landscapes workshop I attended went way beyond my expectations. The places we visited were amazing. My images look great and I made many wonderful new friends. Thanks to all of you!”
— Julie Clark
“Photographer stretched both mind and body — broadened my horizons. Volunteers & drivers went beyond call of duty to ensure I got the most out of the trip.”
— Stancie Jones
Summer in the High Country
with Peter Ensenberger, August 2009
“Beautiful & varied shooting locations, great instructor and wonderful trip volunteers. Wonderful!”
— Margaret Post
Introduction to Camera Flash
with Colleen Miniuk-Sperry, October 2009
“I would recommend this workshop to anyone needing to become more knowledgeable about flash.”
— James C. Bethurem
“The instructor was highly knowledgeable and taught me how to move away from flat front lighting to control both ambient and flash light for beautiful portraits.”
— Kelly Taft
“Great workshop, learned a lot about flash with lots of hands experience.”
— Joyce Chan
“Most informational workshop I ever took for the cost and time — excellent. Everything I anticipated and more.”
— Polina Vishkautsan
“I finally understand the basics of flash, Thanks Colleen.”
— Bruce Hasley
“Nothing I’ve found will make you a more well rounded photographer than an AZ Highways workshop.”
— Jay Beckman
Visit our Calendar page for a complete list of 2010 workshops.
Request a Brochure
For a free printed color brochure or to have one sent to a friend, visit our Web site to fill out a mailing form. Our brochure is published annually. Please visit our Web site for the most current information available about each workshop.
Download a PDF brochure...
(File size: 4.2 MB. Copyrighted material for reference only. All rights reserved. Cover photo © Suzanne Mathia.)
Use our online registration site!
For your convenience, we now offer a secure way to register for and purchase workhop spaces online.
- Clicking the registration button for any 3 Or More Day Workshop will direct you to a page where you must first select a deposit amount before continuing the registration and checkout process.
- For Shorter Workshops not requiring a deposit, clicking the registration button will add the desired quantity directly to your cart to begin the registration process.
Please contact us with your feedback about the registration site or if you experience any technical problems.
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Featured Workshops: New for 2010!
Death Valley
with Kerrick James
March 1-6, 2010; Cost $2,195
Find out more about this workshop and view itinerary...
On this six-day trip, Kerrick James will share his favorite locations: From the fantastically eroded forms of Zabriskie Point to wind-sculpted dunes and salt flats of Death Valley, and then to arches of granite in the Alabama Hills, towers of tufa, and views of the snow-clad Sierras from Owens Valley and Mono Lake. Stops at Bodie and Rhyolite are also planned.
Few locales on the globe can rival Death Valley's diverse, serene and wondrous landscape and photographic potential. Perhaps most often pictured are the area's pristine and gently rolling sand dunes in early morning light, but it is also a land of colorfully striated canyons and salt flats which sit at the feet of gigantic, snow-capped mountains.
Experience this realm of startling contrasts! Register now.
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Portraits of Tombstone
with J. Peter Mortimer
and Steve Burger
March
15-18, 2010; Cost: $1,295
Find out more about this workshop and view itinerary...
Come with us to Tombstone, Arizona, the “town too tough to die,” as we perfect environmental portraits with available light. Each day during this unique workshop will be spent with portrait photographer J. Peter Mortimer and Photoshop instructor Steve Burger. Prearranged and spontaneous portrait opportunities will precede hands-on Photoshop sessions where your images will be technically enhanced to express your creative vision.
Wild West backdrops including the original Bird Cage Theatre and the O.K. Corral will lend authenticity to your classic portraits of local “period personalities” and townspeople. Radiant window light in the historic saloons offers a mood that you will learn to capture. We’ll also spend time on the interactive challenges of photographing people and how to take advantage of “found” situations.
Register now for this unique classroom and field session workshop on Old West Portraits!
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Slot Canyons (Spring)
with Jerry Sieve
April 24-28, 2010; Cost: $1,950
Find out more about this workshop and view itinerary...
The remnants of ancient ocean floors form slot canyons, carved by wind and water through layers of sandstone. Here, unexpected beams of light and fanciful whorls of color provide the opportunity to make striking and memorable images. Arizona’s Slot Canyons are on every photographers “must see” list.
Be there at the time of day when its walls glow in vibrant purples, reds, oranges and yellows. The slot stretches through a series of small chambers, large amphitheaters and precipitous drops, where every turn of the canyon offers new and exciting arches and keyhole formations scenes to photograph.
The area around Lake Powell also offers remarkable opportunities. The breathtaking view from the Horseshoe Bend Overlook, the Vermilion Cliffs, the Paria Bluffs and the "hoodoos" are a photographic treat!
Experience the wonder of this inspirational environment! Register now.
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Shorter Workshops: Arizona's Scenic Landmarks
Winterscapes at the Grand Canyon
with Peter Ensenberger
January 16-18; Cost: $625
Find out more about this workshop and view itinerary...
Experience the serenity of Grand Canyon National Park in the off-season and make memorable images, too! Winter is the perfect season to catch the Canyon at its dramatic best. The cool, crisp air provides crystalline light, perfect for photography. Shorter daylight hours means the lower angle of the sun provides a longer period of sweet light that photographers crave, but there's no early wake-up calls to be in position for sunrise shooting!
If we’re fortunate, we'll be blessed with a mantle of new-fallen snow while we’re there. We’ll also have chances to photograph the national park’s wildlife residents, which include precocious scrub jays , squirrels along the rim and tourist-friendly deer. At this time of year, there may even be opportunities for encounters with California condors and reclusive desert bighorn sheep.
Enjoy the beauty of the Grand Canyon in winter! Register now.
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Watson Lake
with Colleen Miniuk-Sperry
January 30-31, 2010; Cost: $380
Find out more about this workshop and view itinerary...
Join photographer Colleen Miniuk-Sperry on this exciting weekend workshop as she guides you around the sparkling blue waters and impressive jumbled granite rocks of Watson Lake near Prescott, Arizona. The rounded rocks cast magnificent reflections into the still waters of the lake, and catch fire with an unearthly glow at sunrise and sunset, making for some incredibly picturesque scenes. Colleen will reveal her favorite locations around Watson Lake and the Granite Dells during this two-day workshop, teaching you special tips and techniques for capturing stunning nature photographs.
Register now to capture the dramatic compositions of this unique landscape!
Weekend Workshops: Digital Photography Courses
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"Shoot-n-Photoshop" Weekend
with J Peter Mortimer and Steve Burger
January 23-24, 2010
Find out more about this workshop and view itinerary...
Digital images are never right, right out of the camera. At best they need color correction and sharpening, and at worst they need everything! Photoshop guru Steve Burger and former Arizona Highways picture editor J. Peter Mortimer have teamed up to offer this two day digital boot camp where you’ll learn shooting techniques and five Photoshop power moves that will make a night and day difference in your photography!
Photographic technique will be the focus of Day One as you do everything technically and artistically possible to make the best “in-camera” images at the Phoenix Zoo, where there is almost unlimited potential to make great animal pictures. Composition, exposure, histograms, lenses, and camera shooting modes will all come into play. Following the photo shoot is an afternoon critique session, during which each participant will select several images to be "Photoshopped" during Day Two. Each student will work on a supplied computer with Adobe Photoshop CS4. Even though the latest version of Photoshop will be used, all instruction will apply to earlier versions.
Note: All digital cameras are welcome, but students should have a routine understanding of how their equipment functions. While a knowledge of Photoshop is not necessary, it’s important that all participants be familiar with using a computer.
Not only will you hone your photographic skills during this fun weekend, Photoshop will no longer be a mystery! Register now.
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Point-n-Shoot: More Than Meets the Eye
with Jeff Kida
February 5-6, 2010; Cost: $135
Find out more about this workshop and view itinerary...
We think point and shoot cameras have gotten a bad rap in the photography world. So we’ve decided to roll up our sleeves and show those digital SLR snobs we can compete at practically every level! Take our class and we’ll demystify the icons and menus that seem to have replaced shutter speeds and f-stops. We’ll show you that histogram is not a secret code word for genealogy and that white balance can be a very powerful tool and therefore a good thing to know. We'll also delve into tripods, self-timers and fill flash.
Since this is now photography without film, we’ll discuss the best way to capture your images when shooting, RAW, tiff or jpeg and then how to best archive them in your computer. We’ll spend one evening together in the classroom and make a seamless transition to field work early the next morning at the Desert Botanical Garden. Naturally we’ll work on light and composition.
Register now for this fun and educational workshop that's very low on the stress meter!
Photography Tip
Excerpted from
Arizona Highways Photography Guide: How & Where to Make Great Photographs
 Simple elements: The photographer chose simple elements to convey a sense of distance or separation between himself and Brother Joseph at the Holy Trinity Monastery in St. David. Soft, indirect light illuminates the brother, and a monochromatic background suggests Joseph’s contemplative lifestyle. |
People and Events: Making Everyone Comfortable
by Richard Maack
How to Tell a Story
Photography, at its best, always tells a story. Sometimes it’s obvious, right out on the surface, and sometimes it’s subtle, drafting the viewer’s imagination to complete the story line. But it needs to be there.
Arizona Highways photography editor Jeff Kida once made a wonderfully evocative portrait of a monk at the Holy Trinity Monastery in southeastern Arizona. The elements in the photo were minimalist: the monk in his white habit, a blurred vertical column and a textured adobe wall in the background. Kida used a 180mm lens, which in his words “allowed the monk to be alone.” The natural light, bouncing through a shaded open door, gave the portrait a slight blue cast, since color slide film tends to record shaded and reflected sunlight as slightly blue.
These simple elements were conscious decisions that all together sketched a complete life story. The apparent simplicity and solitude accurately portrayed the monastic life. Our subconscious minds interpret white and blue as colors of purity and peace. Had Kida chosen to make the photo in a cluttered study, or even outdoors among the lush cottonwoods and wildflowers on the monastery grounds, it would have lost that story line—and probably the portrait’s emotional purity as well.
For more photography tips and ideas, order your copy of Arizona Highways Photography Guide: How & Where to make Great Photographs at arizonahighways.com.
© 2009 Friends of Arizona Highways Magazine Foundation. All rights reserved.
All images copyrighted by photographer. Copy or transfer of any image without permission is strictly prohibited.