Picture
Caption: death valley #stellerwander
Caption: In 2012 I attended my very first
on location
photography workshop.
Batdorff Photography (Chicago) had put together a trip to Death Valley that sounded like fun, and I had always wanted to visit. Sign me up!
I had a brand new camera (that I didn't know very well), a brand new lens, and my Uggs. I was set! o_0
I learned a lot on that trip, about my gear, the need for hiking boots and myself.
it's fun now to look back and laugh at my lessons, and I still enjoy these images.
Picture
Caption: lesson one :: when traveling alone into the desert bring a map. the old fashioned paper kind. your map app stops working from time to time.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Caption: lesson two :: sand will get into everything when you're in the middle of sand dunes. protect your gear.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Caption: lesson three :: don't forget the detail shots. this page, and the next few pages are newly forming salt crystals.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Caption: lesson four :: have fun!
Picture
Picture
Caption: lesson five :: know your gear. know what settings will drain your battery right as the sun is setting.
[iPhone to the rescue].
Picture
Picture
Picture
Caption: lesson six :: put your lens away securely. especially the brand new one.
it fell a few feet from my pack to the hard lake bed because I hadn't zipped my pack closed. I picked up the case and heard the sound of broken glass moving around and my heart sank. I handed what I knew was a broken lens in the case to John because I couldn't bear to open it.
Picture
Caption: my $1200 lens was saved by the $80 polarizing filter. I no longer use filters, but I FOR SURE secure my lenses when they are not on my camera. lesson learned.
Picture
Caption: the scar my lens left in the lake bed
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Caption: lesson seven :: when hiking in the desert to find a waterfall - Uggs do keep your feet warm, but Uggs do NOT make good hiking boots.
Picture
Picture
Caption: tallieimages.com all in all this was a great experience. it's still funny to me how many things I did wrong, but what a learning opportunity! I love workshops that take me to places I may never get to. what amazing travel workshops have you taken?
Batdorff Workshops: http://johnbatdorff.com/workshops/
live :: explore :: observe