Get Out of Town with Seven Fall Photo Retreats

Photo © Peter Lorber

Photography workshops can be more than an opportunity to hone your skills, especially when they take you to another city, country or continent. We look at seven destination photo retreats coming this fall and winter, and suggest taking a break from your daily routine, meeting some fellow photographers and becoming inspired by new surroundings. At the very least, you’re sure to come back with amazing photographs and great memories.

Prague Photography Workshop
Instructor: Peter Lorber
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
September 22-29, 2013

Photo © Peter Lorber

Known as the City of a Hundred Spires, Prague’s history dates back more than 1,000 years. Get to know the city intimately as photographer and panoramist, Peter Lorber—a native of the former Czechoslovakia—plays guide and shares his many years of photographic expertise. Shoot with your own camera or rent a Hasselblad 4D and lenses for the week (Lorber will help you learn how to shoot with them). You’ll also have the opportunity to shoot with the Seiz Roundshot VR Drive, the GigaPan EPIC PRO and the NovoFlex VR System II (use of this equipment is included in the fee). You’ll shoot from sunrise to sunset, but there will be daily classroom instruction before lunch. Post-production specialist and fine-art photographer  Courtenay Gilbert will also be on hand, so you’ll benefit from both photographers’ talents and skills.

Price: $3,400; $895 for Hasselblad 4D/lenses rental for the week.

Lions And Tigers And Bears…
Instructors: Jennifer Wu and James Martin
Location: Bozeman, Montana
October 2-7, 2013

Photo © James Martin

If you don’t want to travel overseas but still want a taste of the exotic—and a unique experience—this animal model photography workshop in Bozeman, Montana, easily meets those criteria. You’ll get up close and personal with a variety of amazing animals such as lions, snow leopards, a Siberian tiger, wolves and grizzlies. Portraits and action shots are complemented by natural settings such as rocky landscapes and a hillside of dry grasses. Co-leaders Jennifer Wu and James Martin did all the legwork to plan for the best conditions for each subject—and even a “weather day” on October 7—so you’ll be assured of capturing, in a single trip, animals that you would otherwise have to travel far and wide to encounter. Wu and Martin offer a number of other destination workshops as well, including Greenland (August 31-September 6, 2014) and Namibia (May 31-June 14, 2015).

Price: $2,945 includes all ground transportation, instruction and access to animals in Montana. Airline and accommodation costs are the responsibility of the attendee.

Secret Italy Workshop
Instructor: Kevin Kubota
Location: Northern Italy
October 13-20, 2013

Photo © Kevin Kubota

Given that this is Kevin Kubota’s sixth Secret Italy Workshop, it’s not a secret anymore and it shouldn’t be. During this week-long workshop, you’ll explore and photograph Northern Italy, beginning with a couple of nights in Torino before moving on to the Piemonte region and Monferrato. Local guides will lead you to picturesque locations while Kubota provides guidance with photo assignments. You’ll spend a little time in the classroom throughout the week for workflow/Photoshop classes. Prepare for lovely scenery, rustic food and a great learning experience.

Price: $3,400 includes lodging, meals and in-country transportation (double occupancy; single rooms available for an additional fee). Airfare not included.

Italy Wedding Workshop
Instructor: Jose Villa
Location: Sovicille (near Siena, Italy)
October 24-26, 2013

Photo © Jose Villa

Hosted by wedding photographer Jose Villa, who is joined by an impressive list of special guests, including Martha Stewart Weddings’ “Real Weddings” editor, Shira Savada, this workshop takes place at Villa Cetinale, a 17th-century villa in Sovicille near Siena, Italy. Be prepared for a busy three days as you shoot in the villa’s lush gardens and in Sovicille. Explore the best ways to market and brand your work, learn how to develop and maintain client (and vendor) relationships, along with other business topics. Lighting, composition, how to ensure that photo shoots reflect your personal style and more will be discussed. In addition to location shoots and classroom time, there will be one-on-one sessions.

Price: $6,840 includes accommodations, all meals, make-up artist and stylist for photo shoots

Atacama & Puna—High Deserts
Instructors: John Paul Caponigro and Seth Resnick
Location: Argentina
December 6-14, 2013

Photo © Seth Resnick

You’ll need a sense of adventure (and must be physically fit) to experience the other-worldly landscapes of the Atacama and Puna deserts and salt flats. Mammoth sand dunes, extraordinary natural pumice stone formations (some 60 feet tall) and fascinating rock formations are only some of the amazing locations John Paul Caponigro and Seth Resnick have planned for this trip. You’ll be shooting side-by-side with these two photographers under blue skies, at dawn and in the sweet light of dusk. Prepare to be inspired—not only by the landscapes—but also by Caponigro and Resnick, who will help you reach new levels of creativity. Also sign up for advance notifications about their next adventures—these trips sell out quickly.

Price: $7,950 includes all accommodations, most meals, specially-equipped 4WD vehicle and guide/driver and other safety equipment and support. You’ll need to pick up the tab for sampling the local wine and other personal expenses and pay for airline flights.

Singapore Rangefinder Workshop (click on Photo Tours)
Instructor: James Martin
Location: Singapore
January 13-18, 2014

Photo © James Martin

Photographer, adventurer and author James Martin (who also leads workshops with Jennifer Wu; see Montana workshop, page 82) is well-versed in travel and adventure photography, having shot for National Geographic, The New York Times and Outside magazine, to name a few. After a recent trip to Namibia, where he shot with the Leica Monochrom M, he created special workshops for those working with (or who want to work with) rangefinder cameras and their unique capabilities. This January, Martin is leading a rangefinder workshop in Singapore—but it’s not limited to digital rangefinder cameras; Martin believes that the latest mirrorless cameras offer much of the same experience. In Singapore, you’ll shoot everything from architecture to people  and finish the week with a once-in-a-lifetime experience photographing the Thaipusan religious festival.

Price: $4,695 includes lodging, meals (excluding drinks) and in-town transportation in Singapore.

FIND—Film Is Not Dead
Instructor: Jonathan Canlas
Location: Various in U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and U.K.
September 24-26 (Minneapolis) and ongoing in 2013-2014

Photo © Jonathan Canlas

Repeat out loud: Film Is Not Dead. And photographer Jonathan Canlas, whose enthusiasm for shooting film is contagious and whose workshops sell out quickly, will show you why. These three-day workshops are held across the U.S. in various cities including New Orleans, Miami and Laie, Hawaii, as well as more distant locales like Australia and Mexico. Canlas covers a range of film-related topics: who, what, when, why and how, getting published, on- and off-camera flash with film, etc. Mornings and early afternoons are devoted to critiques and lectures; after that, you’ll shoot for three hours—bridal/engagement on day one, family portrait session the following day and a personal project shoot on the third day. Canlas promises to challenge you to “work harder and more passionately” while “refining your vision.”

Price: $2,400 includes two meals daily, training, ten rolls of Kodak film, a 40-page workbook (assembled by Artifact Uprising), a DVD with everything covered in the lectures and demo sessions, and a professional headshot from Canlas.