Trip Overview
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Experience the beautiful landscapes and night skies of Mt. Rainier National Park with myself as your guide, a former Mt. Rainier Astronomy Ranger and photographer of the Mt. Rainier National Park Service Forever Stamp!
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Capture breathtaking images of the Milky Way and alpine meadows around Mt. Rainier!
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Advance your photography skills in an exciting group class!
Information
What is included?
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Myself as your professional photography guide.
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Post-processing training in Photoshop and Lightroom.
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Lesson on navigating the night sky.
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Small group size of 8 students.
What should I bring?
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DSLR/mirrorless SLR digital camera.
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Wide angle lens such as 14-24mm. Also worth bringing are a 24-70mm and 70-200mm.
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Sturdy tripod and ball head.
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Multiple charged batteries, battery charger, and empty memory cards.
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Shutter release cable (intervalometer).
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Headlamp with a red light setting.
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Laptop computer with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom installed.
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Warm clothing, thermals, and rain gear.
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* I recommend ordering a L-bracket for your camera body if you do not already have this accessory. L-brackets allow quickly swapping between landscape and portrait orientation while keeping portrait shots to remain centered over the tripod.
COVID-19 Information
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We will practice social distancing in accordance with COVID-19 protocols and we will wear masks to help limit airborne exposure.
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Students should book refundable airfare in the event the workshop has to be postponed due to COVID-19.
What is not included?
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Park entrance fee
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Airfare and lodging
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Meals
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Travel insurance
Physical Fitness Requirement:
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Ability to hike up to 1 mile will be helpful for this workshop. Most photography locations are near the parking lots where we will be driving to and require only a few minutes hike.
Pricing:
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This 4 day and 3 night workshop cost $1,295 with a $600 deposit required to reserve a spot. The remaining balance is due 3 months prior the workshop.
Permits and Certifications:
- I have submitted my application with the National Park Service for the required permit to conduct a workshop at this park. The workshop is pending acceptance of the permit with the NPS.
- In the event of an emergency, I am certified in CPR and First Aid.
- I am trained in the practice of Leave-no-Trace hiking and camping to protect the natural resources.
- Lastly, I served as an Astronomy Ranger at Mount Rainier National Park where we received Interpretive Ranger Training on how to best facilitate visitor experience and learning!
Itinerary
Day 1:
We will start our adventure by meeting as a group at the Paradise lodge in the afternoon at 3:00pm. Introductions will be made for students and we will have dinner at the Paradise Lodge restaurant at 5:00pm. After dinner, we will hike around the Paradise area capturing the beautiful dark night skies. Paradise offers a lot of great compositions, especially of the Tatoosh Range where fog can fill the valley at night.
Day 2:
Today we will all meet at Paradise Lodge at 1:00pm to review our images and cover post-processing techniques. We will have dinner at the Paradise Lodge at 5:00pm and then proceed down the hill to Reflection Lakes to photograph the sunset and night sky. This is a perfect location for capturing star trails, or panoramas of the lake with Mount Rainier.