Hot Air Balloon Fiesta and Adobe Lightroom Workshop, October 2011

Workshop Date: October 7-9, 2011

Workshop Leaders: Andy Biggs and Michael Clark

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

About The Workshop

This extended weekend workshop will be a combined classroom workshop with outdoor photographic shoots. The workshop coincides with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which is the world’s largest balloon festival. All classroom instruction will be centered around Adobe Photoshop Lightroom v3.

Workshop Schedule

Day 1 - Afternoon (2pm until dinner time)
Lightroom 3 and the Library module.

Day 2 - Morning
Dawn Patrol: Early morning shoot at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.

Day 2 - Late Morning  and all afternoon
Lightroom 3 and the Develop module

Day 3 - Morning
Dawn Patrol: Early morning shoot at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.

Day 3 - Late Morning and all afternoon
Lightroom 3 and the Develop module. Michael and Andy will work with participants to develop images taken over the weekend, as well as will assist in portfolio reviews.

Computers will not be provided but participants with laptops are encouraged to bring them. Following along on your own laptop is a hands-on way of learning what is being taught in the classroom.

The Cost
The cost of this workshop is $495 per person. The same rate applies for each participant regardless of whether they are doing photography and participating in the workshop, or not. A nonrefundable deposit of $125 is required to secure your spot on the workshop. Final balance will be due no later than September 1, 2011.

Accommodations
The classroom portion of the workshop will be held at the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North, however there are many hotels in the nearby area from which to choose.

Transportation
Most major airlines service Albuquerque, New Mexico. Once in Albuquerque, you can take one of the many shuttles to your hotel. Rental cars are available at the airport.

We do not provide transportation during the workshop. Please plan ahead and reserve a rental car. Of course, we will share vehicles and car pool to make life easier for all of us. We are not responsible for reimbursement of non-refundable airline tickets in the event of a workshop cancellation.

Workshop Materials
All participants will be given a copy of Michael’s e-book entitled Adobe Photoshop Lightroom:
 A Professional Photographer’s Workflow, which details his complete workflow from start to finish. 

You will need to bring the following equipment with you:
• a 35mm digital SLR camera with interchangeable lenses
• a laptop computer with a USB memory key, DVD or external hard drive. Instructors will be using Mac.
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software installed on your computer (you can download the 30-day trial version of Lightroom before the workshop if you don’t already have the software.)
• Digital memory cards with a card reader (preferably CompactFlash or Secure Digital Cards)
• power adapters and cables for laptop and digital camera
• camera manual
• batteries and charger for rechargeable batteries

It is expected that you know how to download images from your camera to the laptop, know basic editing techniques using your software, and are able to organize the edited images for critique.

Registration
If this workshop has your name on it, then now is the time to register. Remember, there will be limited space available for this workshop. When they’re spoken for, that’s it. If you have any questions before registering, send us an e-mail with any inquiries to info@andybiggs.com.

$125 to hold your place until September 1 with a deposit.

Testimonials from last year’s workshop

“Thanks to Andy and Michael for a wonderful, educational, experienced based workshop in New Mexico. Today I reread my notes from the classroom work and have been amazed at how deeply informative it was. Michael’s Lightroom Book as well as yours about digital printing have given me a whole new level of understanding especially around the Lightroom Develop module as well as on the entire topic of printing and color management. I really appreciate how you and Michael showed your individual processes for image workflow. Comparing and contrasting both methods allowed me to take the best of both and adapt them to fit my needs. My increase in knowledge along with the additional hands on guidance we got in the photo sessions at the Albuquerque Balloon Festival will enable me going forward to make the best photos I’m capable of producing.”

“Andy, I’ve taken several photography seminars over the past few years. Without a doubt your’s has been the most informative, well organized, openly sharing event I’ve attended.”

“Thanks again for all your help and guidance. It’s clear you don’t hold back when teaching and sincerely want all attendees to get as much out of the seminars as we’re able to absorb.”

”..my mind is still spinning and I can’t help but smile every time I think of the wonderful experience garnered from our workshop. Between what I learned from the two of you, as well as from my talented classmates - this was a great experience, and I would do it again.”

Antarctica trip Nov 29-Dec 10, 2011 [update]

Our trip to Antarctica from November 29 – December 10, 2011 is selling out fast. All of the singles are sold out and the male triples are sold out. We have room for two women in a triple and we have 9 double cabins left. If you are interested in this once in a lifetime trip before it is completely sold out, here is how to book:

Please contact Mr. Paul Schuster ASAP at Quark Expeditions. His email address is paul.schuster@quarkexpeditions.com, and his phone number is (877) 768-7957.

When you call or contact Paul Shuster you will need:

• Name as it appears on Passport and Passport #
• Mailing address no P.O. boxes as it is for Fed Ex delivery
• Contact Phone Info.

Please confirm with an email to info@andybiggs.com when you have officially signed up.

All the best,

Andy, Seth and John Paul

Photograph Antarctica trip announcement

PHOTOGRAPH ANTARCTICA

November 29-December 10, 2011

With World Renouned Photographers

John Paul Caponigro, Seth Resnick, Andy Biggs

Eric Meola and Arthur Meyerson

Following are the details for this incredible, once in a lifetime photographic journey.

We plan to visit the highlights of the Antarctic Penninsula: Deception Island (sailing into an active volcano), Paradise Bay (gliding below slowly calving glaciers), Neko Harbor (walking up to the edge of and looking down at a calving glacier), Lamaire Channel (sailing through mountain peaks at sunset), Plenneau Bay (iceberg graveyard) and many more. Our exact itinerary and route will be dependent on weather, light and ice. The ship is the Ocean Nova, and we will be ready to shoot 24 hours a day and we will work with the crew to shoot at the best light in the most beautiful of places.

Our trip (November 29 – December 10) is early in the season when the ice is great, the weather is good, and the penguins are nesting.

There will be many lectures, demonstrations, and reviews; more than in previous voyages. We are committed to make this trip a once in a lifetime experience with phenomenal locations and instruction.

The cost of the trip is based on the type of berth you opt for – single, double, or triple occupancy.

We are traveling on one of Quark Expedition’s most comfortable boats, the OceanNova.

$7,990 (shared triple berth) (Sold out)

$9,990 (shared double berth)

$14,990 (single berth) (Sold out)

These rates include all on board expenses; travel, room, board and lectures. You will also be provided with Antarctic Expedition Jacket and boots. The price does not include airfare to and from Ushuaia, Argentina. After long negotiations, we have been limited to one payment option.

All participants will need to make a full non-refundable commitment tothe trip before October 20th, 2010.

The fee is transferable – you can sell or gift a spot to someone else. In addition, we recommend Quark’s travel insurance which will protect your investment should you need to make a cancellation later.

Availability on this trip is limited and will be handled on a first come first serve basis. The first three voyages sold out in as little as 72 hours.

Even if you are not able to make this commitment at this time, we’d like to hear from you, about whether you are still interested in making this voyage with us and what type of berth you’re interested in.

If you would like any more details on the trip or to speak with Andy directly, please email us at info@andybiggs.com. The boat is currently more than 1/3 booked up, and we will need to hear from you sooner rather than later.

Below is our basic itinerary on the Ocean Nova for this voyage.

November 29, 2011 [Day 1 – Ushuaia, Argentina] This expedition to Antarctica begins with a night in a hotel in Ushuaia, Argentina. There will be activities available including an arduous hike to an ice cave.

Day 2 – Embarkation Day - After embarkation, we will cruise down the Beagle Channel. From the deck, birders can add albatross, penguins and petrels to their life list. Later in the evening everyone should be on deck to watch the sure-footed Channel pilot clamber down to the boat sent to collect him. We will also start our lecture series on Photoshop, Lightroom and Creativity.

Day 3-4 – Crossing the Drake Passage - Prepare for rough water, but do not be disappointed if your crossing of the Drake Passage is smooth sailing. The world’s roughest stretch of water is continually changes. Lectures, portfolio reviews will continue throughout the journey.

Day 5-9 – South Shetland Islands & the Peninsula - Many factors play a role in shaping the expedition’s itinerary: weather, ice and the presence of wildlife. These days are 24 hours of non stop breathtaking scenery and adventure. We will be shooting from the ship as well as making landings with zodiacs and zodiac cruises. Major gigage on your memory cards!

Day 10-11 – The Drake Passage - Return to Ushuaia across the Drake Passage. Lectures and review of work and special presentations.

Day 12 – Disembarkation in Ushuaia After breakfast aboard, we transfer the group to the airport for homeward flights.

Galapagos Islands trip announcement

Galapagos Islands Photo Workshop

June 3-13, 2011
Limited to 18 participants

Trip Leader: Randy Hanna

Come join us for an exciting photographic adventure to the Galapagos Islands. We have chartered a private 83-foot motor yacht for 20 people to this exciting location. We will visit many islands and will have the opportunity to photograph up close much of the wildlife on our 8 days and 7 nights aboard the M/Y Eric / Flamingo / Letty. We will have 2 naturalists on board and on shore for our group, which is an excellent naturalist-to-guest ratio! By park rules we are required to have 1 naturalist per 16 people, and we will have 1 per 10.

All other Galapagos trips miss the best light each day, but we will not. We will be on land in the best light, as this is a photography specific trip. This is an extremely important distinction between this trip and others. We also can take our time on our nature walks, allowing us to bring our tripods. Since we have a small and intimate group, we can take the time to get the shots that we need.

The cost of this trip is U.S. $5495, $5995 or $6395 per person depending on cabin level desired, double occupancy (but not inclusive of airfare to Guayaquil, Ecuador from your home). Refer to the boat diagram to determine which cabins will work best for your needs. The same rate applies for each participant regardless of whether they are doing photography and participating in the workshop, or not.

What's Included?

* Air transportation to and from the Galapagos islands from Guayaquil, Ecuador.
* 7 nights and 8 days aboard M/Y Eric / Flamingo / Letty
* Galapagos National Park Entrance Fee of $100
* 3 nights at the Grand Hotel Guayaquil at the beginning and end of islands visit.
* All meals and non-alcoholic drinks while on the ship
* Naturalists on board
* Snorkeling equipment

What is Not Included?

* Additional tips for staff such as guides
* International air to and from Ecuador and your home town
* Alcoholic beverages
* Laundry, phone and other items of a personal nature (yes we have laundry on board the vessel!)
* Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance (highly recommended)
* Meals not mentioned in itinerary (Guayaquil meals)
* Airport departure tax of $25

Click here to read comments from prior travelers and workshop participants.

Click here to read the day-by-day itinerary for this exciting trip, as well as the cabin layout.

What Do I Do Next?

Our groups are small, so space is limited. If this exciting trip has your name on it, if you're excited by the thought of becoming a member of this trip, then now is the time to register. Remember, there will be limited space available for this workshop. When they're spoken for, that's it. If you have any questions before registering, send us an e-mail with any inquiries to info@andybiggs.com.

Day 20 –Mala Mala Game Reserve, South Africa

Today was the last day of my second safari, and I was very sad to leave Mala Mala. Mala Mala is a very special place, and I plan on spending more time in the Sabi Sands in future years. For me the Sabi Sands area is all about high value photographic subjects in a short amount of time, and it makes for an excellent photographic destination for predators. For that reason I will be back in a few months to run my Leopards of the Sabi Sands trip in early November. I cannot wait to get back.

This morning’s game drive needed to be short, primarily due to the timing of our plane flight back to Johannesburg. We were out by 6:30am, and were back in camp by 8:45. In that short period of time we watched a herd of 36 elephants cross the airstrip, as well as watch the largest male leopard on the reserve, Emsagwen Male, go out on a patrol of his territory. What an awesome way to end the safari. Between our safari group we had 9 sightings of leopards in 4 days. That averages to more than 1 leopard per game drive. What surprised me was that a cold front blew in a few days ago, bringing along high winds, and that typically makes for difficult game viewing. When we have high winds it makes it difficult to hear bird calls, and those calls are one of the things that we rely on to identify and track predators. Additionally, the high winds and cold temperatures cause grazers and browsers to hunker down in the dense woodland, and your prey species are also difficult to locate. It is like somebody stole all of the wildlife. On this safari we relied on good old fashioned visual sightings, as well as using paw prints in the dirt and sand to locate our predators. Even looking for paw prints is difficult, as it is problematic to be able to tell the age of a print when the granules of sand have been swept into the paw print area in a short amount of time.

After our time with Emsagwen Male, we drove quickly back to camp for brunch. On the way back we followed a mother rhino with her baby that couldn’t have been more than 2 or 3 weeks old. A nice parting gift for us! But wait, there is more. It started to rain ever so slightly, and a rainbow appeared over the camp in the distance. And then it happened: a double rainbow. A double rainbow, but not the kind where I sound like I am going to cry and then ask “what does this mean?” as if I were stoned as in the YouTube video.

We departed camp by 11 and headed to the airstrip. We said goodbye to our ranger friends and boarded our plane for Johannesburg. The flight only took 1 hour, and after we arrived the whole group split off into different directions. I have to say that I am honored and privileged to have a business where my customers also turn out to be my friends. I am doing what I believe I was put on this earth to do, which is to share my love of photography, Africa and adventure with other people. I couldn’t be in a better profession for my skill sets, as well as my passions.

Note: All images in these daily blog postings are very very rough edits of the things we have seen, and I often omit the photographs that take too much time to process. I don’t take much time off during the day, as I am working with people with their photographic needs. All of my images in these posts will have to be re-processed when I get back home, and they are only included in these blog entries for illustration purposes only.

A herd of 36 elephants crossed the airstrip this morning. What a sight, but challenging to photograph

The Emsagwen Male leopard

Double Rainbow all the way. What does this mean?

Day 18 –Mala Mala Game Reserve, South Africa

I haven’t been spending much time with my diary in recent days, primarily because of the limited amount of time to keep on top of it all. My apologies if today’s dairy on the shorter end, but I will try to do a better job in future days.

Today we focused on mating lions, sub adult male lions, kudu, birds and a nice sunset. Not bad!

Note: All images in these daily blog postings are very very rough edits of the things we have seen, and I often omit the photographs that take too much time to process. I don’t take much time off during the day, as I am working with people with their photographic needs. All of my images in these posts will have to be re-processed when I get back home, and they are only included in these blog entries for illustration purposes.

Day 17 –Mala Mala Game Reserve, South Africa

Gosh, where do I begin? We had such a jam-packed day with so many rich photographic subjects. To put it bluntly, we had lions, lion cubs, leopards and rhino. Ok, so I said it. Now on to the day’s sightings.

We stumbled upon two adult females of the Styx pride, and one of the adult females is quite the legend in the area at 14 years old. She is a different looking lion, in that her nose rides high on her face, and you always know who she is when you see her. She has a young cub at the moment, and it may be the last she will have due to her ‘old’ age. We sat and watched the two lionesses in the open grass opposite Mala Mala Main Camp on the other side of the Sand River, and after an hour we noticed the younger female was interested in a bush buck on the river’s edge. She stalked and eventually took off running after the bush buck, only to end in failure. I could see the excitement in the other photographers’ eyes, as any chase is a great thing to see.

We were back at camp at 10:30 for brunch, and then back out by 3:00. In the wintertime many camps offer breakfast before the morning game drive, however for the next few days were are going to eat brunch after the game drive. This will allow us to get a few more minutes of sleep, without foregoing the good light in the morning. It also helps out the camp staff.

We left camp by 3pm, and photographed more lions in and around the Sand River. We had 3 cubs and 2 adult females, and we had a very difficult time getting clear shots of the cubs in the tall reeds in the river. The mothers felt comfortable enough with us, and the cubs were heard growling for their mothers to provide milk for the hungry little guys. So we had intimate experiences with these gorgeous cats during their nursing activities. I just couldn’t get a clear photograph, due to the tall grass, but it was a great moment indeed. After their feeding, the cubs played in the sand on the water’s edge. We left them and headed towards the west street bridge to photograph white rhinos that had been seen.

Rhinos are funny creatures, and I get a good chuckle when I spend time with them. They are difficult to photograph past the obvious types of shots, so I always have to find new ways of interpreting gestures, moods and behavior. After my obligatory head shots, I noticed that some of them had good gatherings of oxpeckers on their backs, so I tried my best to get these emotional birds in my viewfinder. My biggest challenge was getting a good angle, good light and a good background, but the best I could muster was a background with the bridge in the background. GRRRR. Oh well.

On the way back to camp, we tracked down the son of Ngoboswan, one of my favorite male leopards in the reserve. There are only two others that I enjoy more, and that is the Bicycle Crossing Male and the massive Emsagwen Male, and it was good to see this beautiful guy before the sun went down. He was obviously hunting, so we kept our distance and watched as he tried to sneak up on a nyala in the forest. The nyala had already figured out what was going on, but it was fun to watch the game of cat and mouse until we could barely see in the moon’s light.

At dinner we all laughed about our good fortune, and added up that we had collectively kept Sandisk in business due to our appetite for flash memory.

Note: All images in these daily blog postings are very very rough edits of the things we have seen, and I often omit the photographs that take too much time to process. I don’t take much time off during the day, as I am working with people with their photographic needs. All of my images in these posts will have to be re-processed when I get back home, and they are only included in these blog entries for illustration purposes.

El Grupo

Oxpeckers on the back of a white rhino

Day 16 –Mashatu Main Camp / Rattray’s on Mala Mala, South Africa

This morning’s game drive was a short one, because we needed to get back to camp, pack, eat breakfast, drive to the airstrip and head for Mala Mala. I primarily photographed adult baboons with their young, and I have to be honest that it was a challenging task. I wanted to take advantage of a unique lighting situation, where the baboons were in the bright daylight and just behind them there was complete shadow. This was a great lighting situation, as it made it easier to highlight what the actual subject of the scene was. It was a near miss for me, as I could never seem to get all of the 3 adults and 3 young to look towards the camera, or at least near the camera.

We made our 12pm plane flights to Mala Mala, via Polokwane for immigration, and the flights and immigration took about 2.5 hours. When we arrived at Mala Mala, my friend and ranger Matt Meyer was waiting for us on the airstrip. Mala Mala has a wonderful airstrip that is paved, so light jets to bush planes can all service the camps here.

We drove the short drive to Rattray’s on Mala Mala, our camp for the next 4 nights, and quickly checked in. We were assigned our rooms, dropped off our bags and met back in the common area. Food was ready for us, but we had to respectfully pass and get into the Land Rovers for some wildlife. Mala Mala is one of my favorite locations in all of Africa for predators, specifically leopards and lions. Mala Mala is a well-run game reserve, and offroading is a necessary part of the experience here. The rangers are extremely professional, and many of them are avid photographers themselves. We are working with Matt, Donald, Gordon and Dean for the next 4 days, and all of them are great guys and photographers.

Upon leaving camp, we heard of an adult female leopard near Mala Mala Main Camp, so we knew exactly where to go. We met up with her and only had 10 minutes of shooting before we snapped something underneath our vehicle. It was our tie rod, which wasn’t a big deal at all, but we were disabled nonetheless.   We had driven over a really nasty iron wood stump, and we had to have another vehicle brought out to us. John loaned us his Rover for the afternoon, and by the time we moved our belongings the leopard had pretty much moved on into the dense brush. It wasn’t a big deal, because I knew that we would have more opportunities over the next 4 days.

On our way back to camp, we stopped for sparring giraffes and a pair of white rhino. Not bad for a 2 hour game drive, eh? J

Dinner was in the outdoor boma, and the fire tonight was absolutely stellar. Tonights’ dinner was made up of kudu, roasted veggies, roasted tomato & basil soup with ice cream for desert. Not exactly diet material, but I think I can cope.

Note: All images in these daily blog postings are very very rough edits of the things we have seen, and I often omit the photographs that take too much time to process. I don’t take much time off during the day, as I am working with people with their photographic needs. All of my images in these posts will have to be re-processed when I get back home, and they are only included in these blog entries for illustration purposes.

Overlook with the Sand River

Our first leopard at Mala Mala

Sparring Giraffes

..and our first rhino