The last eleven days have been packed full! Book-ended by two Pacific Northwest workshops, we photographed Mount Hood, Smith Rock, Crater Lake, Cape Perpetua and Yaquina Head. We started off exploring the Columbia River Gorge and after photographing the Milky Way over Crater Lake, we checked into a less-than-savory motel at 3am for some much needed shut eye before heading to the Oregon Coast.
Those who claim there is nothing left to photograph in the Columbia River Gorge because of the fires are misinformed! We photographed beautiful locations on both the Washington and Oregon side – it helps to know where to look. If you haven’t been there, the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center in Stevenson is a great place to stop and explore the history of this fabled river!
Enjoy the photos – I’m home for a few days to regroup and then it’s off to Glacier Bay!
It’s almost time for the annual Katmai, Alaska workshops series! The trip at the end of July is sold out, however a few spaces are still available for the second workshop I’ll be leading from August 1st through the 7th.
This is a Katmai experience like no other due to the exclusivity of the location, my decades of experience visiting this region, and of course our close working relationship with local experts and accommodations. We know these bears well, and most importantly where to get the best access to capture unique shots safely. This time of year, the rivers and streams are full of salmon and the bears are so occupied with the fish that they hardly give our groups a second glance.
Along with the expertise of the location and the philosophy behind it’s significance, we will also discuss all aspects of photographing in the field including techniques for composition unique to Katmai. Sign up now online, or give my office a call at 1-206-332-0993 and secure your spot. This trip WILL sell out so don’t hesitate!
The remaining dates for Photography As Artin 2018 are happening over the next couple of weeks! A seminar that keeps evolving, PAA is a finally tuned machine and I’m excited to bring it back east for four dates over the next two weekends!
Check out Photography As Art in the following locations beginning in just a couple of days! I’d like to ask give a special thanks to Canon and Epson for sponsoring these events.
This seminar is designed to completely change the way you view photography, and my intent is to inspire you to bring unique artistic visions to life using your camera as both brush and canvas. With an emphasis on the abstract, imaginary landscapes, and capturing metaphors the lessons learned here can be applied anywhere and with whatever equipment you have available – no globe-trotting or a plethora of fancy gear required.
If you’re on the west coast, I’ll be back in the Pacific Northwest for a couple of workshops before the month is through. A few space remain for the Columbia River Gorge workshop, and there is room for just one more for the Oregon Coast!
Last year’s Hawaii Photography Retreat was a huge success, with amazing participants and great photos – so I am doing it again! Join me this fall on the Big Island for a Hawaii experience like no other. As a small group we will explore the island and focus on rare opportunities that will ensure you come away with photos to share that represent a perspective on a Hawaii trip you won’t find anywhere else!
Hawaii is in the news quite a bit lately with eruptions and lava flows leaving their mark on the landscape, and we will have local expert and volcano photographer Bruce Omori on our team to ensure we have the best possible information available to us regarding volcanic activity at the time. Check out Bruce’s website to see his photos and see for yourself why he is an invaluable addition to our group! With a guide on our side who knows the location inside and out, it’ll save us the time an unguided visitor might spend driving from location to location without any knowledge as to what they may find. Our local team will keep an eye on current events, ensuring we maximize our time and travel.
As before, this trip will be loaded with extras. On top of a guide and driver and the convenience of air-conditioned transportation between locations, we will have discounted bay-view rooms exclusively for attendees and all permit fees for Hawaii Volcanoes National Parks included. I will also kick things off with a photographic composition seminar in addition to in-the-field photography instruction.
For more information, check out the events page – sign up sooner than later, as this unique in-depth exploration of the Big Island is bound to be a sell out!
My most recent trip was with some friends to the Monterey Coast of California, a region known for it’s beautiful coastline and a vast variety of marine life in one scenic location. Though this is a vacation destination rife with sights and creatures, it’s also an amazing place to explore imaginary landscapes in patterns of rocks that line the shores.
If you’re looking for a place to go where you’ll never want for subjects, this is it – wildlife, landscapes, and artistic abstracts all in one beautiful location with food and lodging on par with the rest of the experience. It’s my hope we will add another retreat to this location in the future, so keep your eye on the events page!
What’s next?! This is a beautiful time of year to explore the west coast – the Columbia River Gorge and Oregon Coast workshops are coming up very quickly, with few spots remaining – how is the time to pull the trigger and join me in areas I’ve been exploring my whole life!
For those of you who missed the first round of the travel survey, there is still time to weigh in with your opinion on upcoming workshops! Click the link below to make your voice heard – and if a destination you’d like to visit isn’t on the list, there’s a space to include your own feedback.
And to those of you who have already put in your two cents, a heart-felt thank you from me and my staff. Great location choices, and they amazingly lined up with some of the destinations I had already planned to get to for special projects. Hence, we may be adding time to those trips or opening them up for those who want to join me on an upcoming photo adventure.
Stay tuned to our events page as we’ll list these special trips in the very near future, or if you’d like to sign up for something already on the list – we are getting to the point where many of the remaining 2018 workshops will begin selling out!
Mid to late June is a beautiful time to visit the Pacific Northwest, and for that reason we have a pair of workshops happening here with only a few spaces remaining!
Columbia River Gorge workshop – June 14 – 17
Join Art Wolfe in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, which is arguably one of the most beautiful attractions in the Pacific Northwest! The wide range of elevation and precipitation makes the Columbia River Gorge an extremely diverse and dynamic place, and therefore the photographic opportunities are endless. Explore the Gorge with Gavriel as it transitions between temperate rainforest to dry grasslands in only 80 miles, hosting a dramatic change in scenery.
The field locations will not be limited to the scenic beauty of the Pacific Northwest, Art will also take the group to some locations that will provide opportunities to photograph abstract images as well.
We will also have 6 stop Neutral Density filters for the entire group to try out while photographing long exposures. For one portion of the worksop the group will be taken to a lesser known waterfall for night photography!
Oregon Coast Workshop – June 21 – 24
Along Oregon’s historic and scenic coast, this will be a weekend of imagination! the Oregon Coast has so much to offer with the beautiful waterfalls and ocean landscapes, as well as opportunities for unique intimate landscapes and abstracts. This workshop is slightly different than my popular “Abstract Astoria” workshop as we will focus more on the ocean and landscape photography with a hint of abstracts.
A single image can have the power to stimulate the imagination and the intellect while also telling a story that awakens the senses. Our challenge is to explore the nature of creativity itself and discover ways to bring its power to your images.
Last week I shared a terrific few days with fellow photographers in Atlanta, Georgia. We were able to get to a couple very gritty and unsettling locations, but the results were well worth any discomfort – psychological or physical. We even had local law enforcement provide a security escort through one location, though I was more weary of the spirits and specters hiding in the corner of these extra-creepy locations than anything a security guard may have been able to handle!
Thrills and chills aside, our group was able to explore some immensely unique locations and come away with unique shots that I guarantee won’t be confused for your run-of-the-mill travel photographs. I had a fantastic time on this trip, and the talented insightful participants as well as our local support made for a welcome return to workshops after my brief but necessary hiatus.
I am looking forward to scheduling more Abstract field workshops, and your input is always welcome. Abstract NOLA comes to mind! If you have any suggestions on somewhere you’ve visited or even a location in your own home town that would provide opportunities for a great abstract workshop, let me know in the comments! I’m constantly looking for new places to explore, and word of mouth is the best way to find them!
Join Gavriel Jecan in Katmai, Alaska for a photography workshop in a one-of-a-kind location! Along with trusted Pilot and guide Jerry Jacques, be one of a small group of 8 participants photographing the wilderness and wildlife alongside a pair of professionals and experts on shooting in this unique National Park.
Gavriel started photographing at the age of 12 when his father gave him his first SLR camera. His appreciation of photography grew while photographing black-and-white on family hiking trips in the mountains. His love of nature, rock climbing and traveling inspired him to become a professional photographer.
In 1994 Gavriel joined Art Wolfe, Inc. and he traveled extensively with Art the world over. He was a member of the Art Wolfe’s Travels to the Edge TV field crew and teaches photography around the world on his own photo tours and Art Wolfe, Inc. The quality and scope of Jecan’s shooting has gained him representation by the world’s largest stock photography agencies (Getty, Corbis, Danita Delimont, OnAsia, and Okapia).
Gav’s images appear regularly in calendars and magazines worldwide, including International Wildlife, Backpacker, Audubon, National Geographic, Midwest Express, Nature Foto, German Geo, Asian Geo, Outside, Sinra, Terre Sauvage etc. He has published five children’s books: C for Coyote, Wild Colors, Alaska Animal Babies, Hide and Seek, and South West Colors.
For the last decade Gavriel has specialized in Southeast Asian locations. He lives in Thailand with his family.
Sign up now for Gavriel’s Katmai Alaska Workshop before it’s sold out – and check out the Katmai episode of Where’s Art? if you’re unfamiliar with this location!
This May, I’ll be leading a brand new retreat originating in Pacific Grove, California with an exclusive opportunity to join for just five participants. We will capture the beauty synonymous with this location as well as integrating many of the themes of my Abstract Astoria and Atlanta Workshops, as well as my Photography As Art seminars.
Without further ado, here are the Top 10 Reasons to Attend the Pacific Grove Retreat in May!
1. Visit a gorgeous location on California’s fabled Monterey Bay!
2. Limited to just five attendees, there will be plenty of face time for each participant.
3. Take your photography to the next level in this masterclass with two world-class instructors.
4. Free entry to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where I will be giving a brown-bag lunch talk.
5. Go kayaking and photograph otters with the world’s premier nature photographer; if you’ve never kayaked before, rest assured we will have trained guides so you can focus on your photos!
6. Great food! We will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo in a region renowned for its great cuisine. We will dine together, and I *may* have a margarita or two!
7. Explore the region that inspired the likes of Ansel Adams and Edward Weston.
8. Get your photography portfolio reviewed! Gavriel Jecan and myself will look at everyone’s work and provide constructive feedback that you’ll be able to carry with you onto future trips.
9. Receive a copy of my limited edition book HUMAN CANVAS.
10. Experiential learning at its best. It’s my hope that the lessons you learn on this retreat will be referenced on your travel and photography adventures moving forward.
Spaces on this retreat are extremely limited, and some are already spoken for – sign up today to ensure your spot!
