LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP - SPRING IN OREGON & THE CALIFORNIA REDWOODS
Spring in the Pacific Northwest state of Oregon is a photographer's dream. Join Tom's 11-day workshop to discover how to capture it in all its rugged, wild glory. From tumbling waterfalls and creeks in full flow and magnificent gorges carving their way through the Cascade mountains to tranquil lakes reflecting nearby peaks and dramatic seascapes of rocky arches, towering stacks and secluded beaches, it's your opportunity to play with light and conjure incredible images. As a bonus, you'll also be visiting the most unspoilt of the coastal redwood forests, just over the state line in California. With plenty of personal tuition from Tom, you'll find your landscape photography skills blossoming as quickly as the Oregon spring flowers.
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP AT A GLANCE
Explore the Pacific Northwest's spring landscapes in this 11-day photo workshop, capturing the wild beauty of Oregon's waterfalls, lakes and shoreline, along with a short excursion into Californian to shoot the ancient redwoods.
Key locations on this trip include the enchanting waterfalls of Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area and the towering Sahalie and Proxy Falls on the Waterfalls Loop Trail near Eugene. Lakes get a look-in, too, including Crater Lake with its eye-catching, conical Wizard Island. Twisted rock formations, archways and craggy coves will also be on the photo menu on the savagely beautiful southwest coast, including the colossal sea stacks at Bandon.
Just over the state line into California, the giant redwoods of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park will also make for a fantastic day's photography.
With all transport included throughout the workshop, you can soak up the incredible landscapes on the trips between locations, plan your shoots and exchange tips with your fellow photographers. After all, half the fun of a trip like this is meeting other people and making new friends- and with the relaxed pace of this workshop, you'll have plenty of time to chill.
Since this workshop takes in a wide range of locations, from marine west coast conditions to sub-alpine and high desert, you can expect temperatures ranging from very warm to possibly freezing in the high desert at Crater Lake, so you need flexible clothing. Think layers and waterproofs, and you won't go wrong.
Your accommodation includes a well-appointed private room (no single supplement) and a hearty breakfast to set you up for the day ahead. Oregon is famous for its seafood, including Pacific salmon, Dungeness crab and oysters, and it's also built a reputation for craft beers and wines from the Willamette Valley. For a sweet treat, look out for marionberry pie (made with a type of blackberry) or pastries, cookies and cakes with filberts (hazelnuts) - with 99% of all US hazelnuts grown in Oregon, they certainly make the most of them in their cuisine!
OREGON & CALIFORNIA REDWOODS WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHTS
After meeting at Portland Airport, we'll be spending two days in Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, where the river has carved a canyon up to 4000ft deep in places through the Cascade Range. It's home to 90 enchanting waterfalls, including the Multnomah Falls, which plunge over 620ft from basalt cliffs and are spanned by a graceful stone footbridge. A short hop west brings us to the magical landscape of Wahkeena Canyon, whose lush forest boasts the three-tiered 242ft Wahkeena Falls and exquisite Fairy Falls, only 20ft tall but ideal for ethereal long exposures.
Our next stop is for two nights in Eugene, ringed by hills and forests and just a short drive from three wonderfully photogenic falls on the glacier-fed McKenzie River watershed in Willamette National Forest. The Waterfalls Loop Trail takes us along a picturesque path through the verdant forest to the mighty 100ft Sahalie and 70ft Koosah Falls, whose powerful flow generates mist and rainbows dancing over the river, while nearby Proxy Falls plunges 226ft in two delicate cataracts then vanishes into the porous lava rock at its foot.
We'll also be using Eugene as a base for visiting the famous Heceta Head Lighthouse, rated as one of the most beautiful in the world. Dating back to the late 19th century, its "first order" fresnel lens still beams out some 21 miles into the Pacific - the brightest light on the Oregon coast, and an absolute thrill to photograph, along with the magnificent shoreline.
Heading high into the desert, we'll spend two days at the extraordinary Crater Lake. The deepest in the USA and one of the purest on the planet, it was formed nearly 8000 years ago by a cataclysmic volcanic eruption, creating an almost circular caldera, whose distinctively conical Wizard Island was built up by subsequent eruptions. With brilliant blue waters, steep slopes carpeted in wildflowers and pines, and clear skies undisturbed by light pollution make it perfect for dawn, dusk and astrophotography.
From our three-night base over the border in California at Crescent City, whose famed native azaleas will be in full bloom, we'll capture some of the planet's largest trees at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. It's the most northerly redwood park on the California coast and probably the most unspoilt, with few trails to disturb images of sun-dappled groves of these ancient giants.
No photography trip to Oregon would be complete without capturing the savage beauty of the southwest coastline, particularly along the Samuel H Boardman Scenic Corridor - a richly forested 12-mile stretch of secluded coves, craggy bluffs, pounding swell and intriguing offshore rock formations. From our three-night base in Crescent City, whose famed native azaleas will be in full bloom, we'll focus on two of the most iconic locations - Secret Beach, with its spectacular tree-topped sea stacks, and Natural Bridges, a rocky inlet framed by two archways, remnants of the roofs of eroded caves.
Our final night is in Bandon, a charming ocean-side town at the mouth of the Coquille River, whose glorious sands are famous for their colossal sea stacks - all that remains of an ancient marine terrace. With evocative names like Face Rock, Wizards Hat, Elephant Rock, Cat and Kittens, they are fabulous photographed in near silhouette at dusk with the sun setting over the Pacific.
What's included?
- One-to-one and group tuition with Tom
- 10 nights' accommodation
- Private rooms (no single supplement)
- Breakfast
- Transfers to/from Portland Airport
- Transport during workshop
What's not included?
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- Lunches, evening meals, snacks and drinks
Whether you're a beginner or semi-pro, you'll find plenty to learn and enjoy on this workshop.
You'll require either a digital camera with at least a 16GB memory card (minimum 32GB if it's high resolution) or a film camera (SLR, medium, large or wide format) - Tom has many years of experience working with both.
Additional kit - a tripod, shutter release and polarising filter will help you maximise your shooting opportunities, although they aren't essential.
Average fitness levels are required, as there will be quite a lot of walking, although nothing too strenuous.
The Oregon climate is as varied as the terrain. You'll be experiencing everything from Mediterranean and marine west coast conditions to sub-alpine and high desert, ranging from highs of mid-20s / mid-70s to the possibility of freezing night-time temperatures at Crater Lake. The answer is to pack a waterproof jacket and clothes you can layer as required.
If you have any questions about Tom's photography workshops, please check the frequently asked questions page. Alternatively, get in touch with Tom directly and he'll be happy to help you.
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