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When: October 13-16, 2012
Cost: $545 (does not include lodging, meals,
transportation or fees)
Deposit: $200 (non refundable)
Discounts: See the
2012
Discount Schedule
Have you experienced the joy
and wonder of photographing Zion National Park?
Join a Ralph Nordstrom Photography workshop and
explore the grand and intimate landscapes of
this truly inspiring location. Take your
photography to the next level with personalized
instruction from an award winning nature
photographer. Expand your creative and technical
skills through informative classes and valuable
photo reviews. You will join an enthusiastic
group of like minded people who share your
passion for photography. We’ll go hard from dawn
to dusk and when you return home you will be
tired but satisfied and your memory cards will
be full of great photographs. So join us. Others
who have come with us on the Zion National Park
photography workshop have loved it and you will
too.
There are a couple of things
worth mentioning. This is a photography
workshop, not a photo tour. We will be
photographing during the great light of the day.
That is generally sunrise and sunset although if
great light develops during the middle of the
day we'll be out there. But normally we'll
spend the middle of the day holding classes and
reviewing your photos. Also, the proper camera
gear is very important for a successful
photography workshop experience. This includes
digital (or film) SLR with a range of lenses from
wide angle to telephoto. Also, a sturdy
tripod is essential. A more complete
equipment list will be provided when you
register.
A Little Background on
Zion National Park
Zion is one of my favorite
places. I've been coming here on a regular basis
for over 20 years. There is a lot that I
really love that I'm eaeager to
share with you .
Zion is known for its magnificent canyon.
The towering red walls are accentuated by
the graceful Virgin River that wanders the
canyon bottom.
The upper plateau is a petrified sand dune.
There are fascinating patterns in the rock,
fanciful hoodoos and stunted Ponderosa pines
growing in places you could never imagine.
If it is grandeur you want, Zion is your
place. It it is more quite, intimate
beauty you're after, Zion has that too. I’ll take you
these locations when the light is at its best.
It's an inspiration to be in
Zion any time of the year. But the middle of October
is one of my favorite times because marks the
beginning of autumn.
The Gamble oaks up on the plateau are
already wearing their bright red foliage.
And the cottonwoods in the canyon are
just starting to turn.
They are a vibrant lime green going on
yellow that you have to see to believe.
I’m always inspired when I visit Zion and
am eager to share it with you.
A Typical Day and
Itinerary
Our photography workshop will
begin in the town of Springdale, Utah just
outside Zion National Park on Saturday in the
early afternoon. After introductions and
an orientation I will conduct a class that will
set the tone for the days to follow and provide
a foundation for the special skills we will need
to photograph Zion.
That evening we will get the
workshop off to a grand start by photographing
the iconic Watchman tower at sunset. In
the days to follow we will rise early for
sunrise, arriving on location a half our to 45 minutes before
the sun comes up. We will continue to
shoot through the morning while the light is
still good. In the middle of the day we
will have additional classes and review your
photographs. But if the light is good
we'll be out photographing. Each day will end with a
sunset shoot.
The workshop wraps up on
Tuesday around noon. Most attendees will
continuing on to Bryce Canyon for the remainder
of the week. I run these two workshops
back to back. Doing so provides a
fantastic introduction to these two national
parks in Southwest Utah. It also helps the
participants to get the most out of their travel
dollar.
I invite you to check out the
Southwest Utah Super
Workshop to see if it's right for you too.
And please note that the super workshop is
offered at a discounted price.
It is important to point out
that this is not a photo tour. We will not
be photographing every hour of the day.
We will confine our photographic activities to
the best light. The rest of the time we
will spend reviewing photographs and studying
various aspects of landscape photography.
We will go for quality, not quantity when it
comes to our photographs.
Equipment
I'll be sending you a more
detailed equipment list when you sign up but
here are the essentials.
-
SLR camera (digital or
film)
-
Lenses: an assortment that
range from wide angle (17-24 mm) to
telephoto (200 mm)
-
Sturdy tripod
-
Filters: polarizing and graduated neutral density and variable
neutral density
-
Laptop computer (if you're
shooting digital) with image processing
software such as Lightroom or Aperture.
-
Misc. camera gear: extra
batteries, memory cards, chargers, backup
storage. etc.
Weather
The weather in Zion is very
pleasant this time of year. The average
high for October is 78 and average low is 49.
Average rainfall for the month is 1.3 inches.
The sunrises up on the plateau will be five to
ten degrees cooler and wind is always possible this
time of year.
Lodging
You will need to make your
own lodging arrangements and we recommend you
make them as soon as possible.
Springdale, Utah
Bumbleberry Inn (recommended)
(435) 722-3224
www.bumbleberry.com
There are many other lodging
options in Springdale. Tripadvisor has
contact information and reviews.
www.tripadvisor.com
Meals and Dining
You will be responsible for
your own meals but we will eat as a group.
We will have breakfast and
dinner in the local restaurants.
Springdale has a wide variety of restaurants to choose
from including some very fine ones. The options in Bryce are a bit more
limited but I know an out of the way place that
serves excellent Navajo taco pizza. It's a
must for me every time I get within 20 miles of
this place.
Lunches are often on the go.
Because we start so early in
the morning I have a tradition of bringing along
Nature Valley granola bars to tide us over during sunrise
until we can get a proper breakfast.
Traveling to Zion
Out of State
If your coming from out of
state the best airport to fly into is Las Vegas,
Nevada. You can rent a car there and drive
to Springdale. We don't travel on any
challenging roads so a regular sedan is quite
adequate.
You will driver north on I-15
to St George, Utah and from there go east on Utah
9 for the last 20 miles. The total
distance is about 170 miles and travel time
about 3 hours. There can be a bit of
traffic getting out of Las Vegas depending on
the time of day but generally the
traffic is not bad heading north.
California
From Southern California
take I-15 all the way to St George and then Utah
9 to Springdale. Total driving distance
from LA is 427 miles with a driving time of 7 to
8 hours.
From the Bay area the
distance to Springdale is about 725 miles with a driving time
of over 12 hours. You probably want to consider
flying.
In Conclusion
Whether you do the combined
Zion and Brice workshops or just Zion, you can't
go wrong. Utah is one of the most
beautiful states in the country and Zion is one
if its premier national parks. It has been
a refuge and inspiration to people from all over
the world for many years. And I would be
honored to share it with you.
If you have any questions
please don't hesitate to email me. Click
on Contact for
my contact information.
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