with LeRoy DeJolie

October 12 - 16, 2006

Cost: $1,775

This exciting workshop led by Navajo photographer LeRoy DeJolie promises to be the most unique adventure we offer all year. LeRoy's connections within the Navajo community will give us unprecedented access to the people and places surrounding the Northern Arizona town of Chinle, Arizona. This area boasts sand dunes, a variety of pedestal-like rock formations, extensive badlands and is the gateway to Canyon de Chelly National Monument.

There will be plenty of opportunities for both landscape and portrait photography on this workshop. The settings will be such that you can photograph with or without having the people in your photos. However, the character-defined faces of the Navajo elders and smiling faces of the children will be hard to resist and will make for some unforgettable photographs. Creating powerful portraits isn't always easy. Two secrets for success are to utilize the best lighting and locations possible, and those are the key ingredients we'll concentrate on. Settings will include picturesque barns, rolling sand dunes, Navajo hogans and Anasazi ruins, and in all locations we'll have ample opportunity to study the use of natural light and how it can often be improved with such aids as flash and reflectors. Fieldwork will be supplemented by an illuminating photo critique aimed at improving compositional technique.

Within Canyon de Chelly itself, the fabulous cliff dwellings and petroglyphs will be our focus, as we stop at First Ruin, Antelope House, Standing Cow Ruin, White House Ruin and more on a daylong tour. The cottonwood and willow trees will provide a bold contrast to the stark pre-Columbian cliff dwellings tucked securely within the towering sandstone walls. We'll have models with us for those who wish to utilize them. Shooting from the canyon rim into its depths at sunrise and sunset, you'll want to be sure to bring a warming filter and polarizer to make canyon features such as Spider Rock stand out.

We'll also photograph sheep and horse drives, as well as traditional jewelry makers and potters at work. On the way back to Phoenix we'll stop at Hubbell’s Trading Post, where good photos and extraordinary shopping opportunities abound. LeRoy is one of the most passionate instructors of photography you're ever likely to meet, which is just one more reason to join us for this unforgettable adventure.

Photographs by: Participant Joel Zolondek, Participant Gary Hintz, Participant Rose Marie DeWitt, Michelle Pelberg, Participant Dennis Zabel

Includes:

• RT transportation from Phoenix
• Lodging
• Photographic instruction
• Lunches and snacks
• Permits and model fees