Space Available
A 5 day photo workshop May 27-31, 2010 for 4-8 participants in the beautiful Abruzzo, Italy at the best time for spring/early summer colors. In this altitude of the mountains the flowers will blossom at this time of year. The areas around Gran Sasso is the main target for this workshop. There are many angles to this landscape and pictoresque small villages nearby which may also be explored. The locations will depend on the weather. The altitudes vary from about 1000 to 2000 meters.
The workshop is aimed at giving the workshop participant the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful areas of Europe and get some great pictures. You can find examples of pictures from Abruzzo in June here. The instructor is Hans Kruse, owner of HansKrusePhotography. He is very experienced in landscape photography and in post processing techniques. More of Hans Kruse's landscape photography work can be found here. The main focus will be to show and teach how to get pictures in his style and inspire the participants to further develop their own style.
The workshop will include
The schedule will be adapted to the weather conditions. The start is a morning shoot at sunrise (around 5:30) on a location and a drive through the area with stops at interesting locations. We will start early from the hotel around 4-4:30 (depending on location) and have breakfast when returning around 9:00-9:30. There will be time to rest for about an hour before meeting again in the conference room.
In the middle of the day there will be class room sessions with critique sessions, lectures on composition and post processing, etc. and a light lunch. Although it is a tight schedule we will try to have about 4 hours in the class room for 3 days. The class room sessions will contain 2 days with critique sessions on the third and fourth day of the workshop such that there is time to take pictures for critique and then take new pictures based on the critique and then enter the best into the last critique session.In the class room there will be time for post processing and ad hoc presentations based on need by the participants, e.g. a 1-2 hour walk through of Lightroom post processing features. Color management and workflow are other topics. The second day in the class room will be dedicated to a presentation on composition and how to select interesting view points as well as some post processing time and other presentations.So a total of around 12 hours in the class room during the 3 full days of the workshop.
Then an afternoon shooting session with dinner at the hotel on return. This is the schedule overview for the 3 full days. The arrival day will include an afternoon shoot as time permits depending on the arrival schedule. All will join for dinner and welcome at the hotel in the evening. On the day of departure there will be a morning shoot as time allows, so please arrange return journeys in the afternoon of the departure day if you plan to fly out on that day.
A final critique session of submitted images by participants and the instructor is carried out by loading a selection of pictures from the participants into private folders on the website of Hans Kruse. This communication is done via comments and e-mails. Following the critique selected images from the participants who wish to submit pictures will be loaded into public folders on the website of Hans Kruse.
The language of the workshop is English unless all participants are speaking the Scandinavian languages.
Images from the workshop June 11-15, 2009 can be seen here and the images from the participants are in a subfolder.
There are no specific expectations for the skill level of the participants to get full value from the workshop. You will likely have been interested in photography for some years and have acquired a digital SLR and a few lenses. However less experienced photographers are equally welcome and equipment does not need to be a digital SLR. The workshop will be adapted for the individuals attending such that individuals who need more guidance in certain areas will have the attention of the instructor to get help with the settings of the camera. For landscape photography in this area the focal lengths from 24mm to 200mm in 35mm full frame terms will be adequate (approx. 15mm to 135mm on crop DSLR cameras). A wider lens can be useful and a longer lens also (16mm and 300mm in 35mm full frame terms). It is expected that you are familiar with your camera including the most typical functions, however any question about camera operation and features are welcomed. Bring a manual for your camera too. A tripod is recommended and a cable release for your camera.
The instructor uses Canon cameras and have detailed knowledge of these cameras, however photographers with any camera are welcome. For post processing the instructor will use and show Adobe Lightroom and with additional processing in Adobe Photoshop. For HDR and tone mapping Photomatix Pro is used. It is highly recommended that the participants bring their own laptop for post processing. For critique sessions you will need a laptop to process your own images. You are welcome to bring examples from your portfolio for critique sessions on your laptop or in print, however the focus will be on critique of images from the workshop. The temperature will fall to around the freezing point at this time of year in the morning, so please bring warm clothes and good, comfortable footwear for the time we will spend outdoors. Only short walking distances are planned from the roads (up to 15 mins).
The cost of the workshop is 895 Euro which include hotel, meals and wine (breakfast, lunch time refreshments and evening dinner and drinks). A single room for each participant. The price does not include transport to and from the hotel (air fare, rental cars, etc.) and transport in the area. It is planned that the 4-8 participants and the instructor will drive in 2-3 cars for the shooting (the instructor in his car and 1-2 cars from the participants). To share a car e-mail addresses will be exchanged among the participants such that sharing of rental cars can be planned in advance. The distance from Fiumicino (airport of Rome) to the hotel located just outside of L'Aquila, is around 2 hours by car. A rental car no smaller than a Fiat Punto is assumed for 3 photographers per car including their equipment. The plan is that every day it is changed who is driving together in order to get the most value of discussions among the participants. The reason for not including transportation is that it would add substantial extra cost to the workshop to include this and most participants would likely combine a workshop with a stay in the area. The hotel have conference facilities for class room sessions. If you would like to bring a spouse or friend to the workshop, then please indicate this in the registration e-mail and we will try to accommodate such requests on a space available basis. A GPS unit is highly recommended and mobile phones to get reconnected, if getting lost. The instructor will have a mobile phone operational at all times.
Please book space on the workshop by sending an e-mail to Hans Kruse at hans@hanskruse.com or if you would like to ask additional questions about the workshop. If you are not able to join this workshop or it is sold out, then please consult the workshop schedule or contact Hans Kruse. As the time of the workshop approaches (1-2 weeks in advance) you will get updates on the detailed schedule and meeting times and additional relevant information. You are welcome to divide the payment of the 895 Euro into a deposit of 245 Euro at sign-up and payment of the 650 Euro april 1st, 2010. If the workshop needs to be cancelled a full refund will be paid.
If you need to cancel participation the 245 Euros will not be refunded unless a replacement is found.
Feedback from workshop participants
I participated in one of Hans' workshops in Abruzzo in October 2009. The workshop was well prepared and it was characterized by Hans' extremely good knowledge of the area and his talent for finding optimal photo possibilities with regard to landscape, timing and weather. Although we had less fortunate weather conditions some of the time, this was compensated by this talent, by good classroom sessions and by a willingness to being flexible regarding the workshop schedule. Through the workshop I achieved better knowledge of landscape photography, of post processing with Lightroom and a batch of nice photos! :-) -- Morten Storm, Denmark
This workshop has been very giving for me, and all my high expectations were more than fulfilled. Despite to the fact that Italian authority, just before the workshop started, did cancel all hotel reservations in the area, Hans did manage to find another Hotel in a very short time and make the workshop come through. For that I am Hans very thankful. Hans know the area very well, and have a very pleasant way of telling you, how to improve your technical knowledge, and your way of simply looking at a landscape, spotting the essential things, and catching the right moment. While in Abruzzo I through that we spent too little time with Lightroom, but this has been more than compensated when we returned home. The following month we have sent a lot of E-mails with photos and criticism to each other, and Hans has done a good job, coming with suggestions and positive criticism of every single photo. For me this workshop has been very educational, and has changed my way of making landscape-photos. -- Bjarne Tulinius, Denmark
Despite uncomfortably long driving ranges (due to circumstances beyond Hans' control) Hans' thorough knowledge of photography as well as the terrain of Gran Sasso and its scenic potential afforded us memorable opportunities for shooting beautiful landscape images. His generous but succinct critique of our efforts led to lasting improvements of our photographical qualifications. -- Jørgen Aage Jensen, Denmark
When I joined Hans Kruse's workshop in Abruzzo, I hoped for some inspiring days with good company in one of the most scenic parts of Italy. The workshop exceeded my expectations. Hans knows all the best spots and more. The group was a committed one, we spent every single minute of beautiful morning and evening light out in the field. Our memory cards filled quickly up with mostly good shots thanks to the experienced advice given by Hans during the workshop. -- Bård Johannessen, Norway
Hans' workshop was an incredibly intensive and immersive experience. The days were crammed with shooting, discussion, reviewing and learning. To give an idea, each day we did 5 hour trips before breakfast at 9am! And then the same before dinner... Hans offered an expert but flexible itinerary which helped ensure we got the most of the conditions and the group's preferences. In particular, there was just the right balance of exploring some areas more than once to learn how beneficial it is to revisit locations under different conditions, and some just the once to maximise the diversity of the landscapes we visited. Great fun, very worthwhile, highly recommended. -- Gavin Shurmer, UK
Hans' enthusiasm for photography and Italy came shining through the workshop I attended. There was a nice balance of landscape photography, hands-on with digital editing software, and individual help on images. He shared his expertise and experiences with all in a very positive way, encouraging everyone to advance no matter their skill level. Thank you Hans for an excellent workshop experience ! --
Peter Marker, Denmark
.... I am even more hooked up on this hobby as I was before. My recommendation to other photographers is to go for it if you like landscapes. It is a wonderful area, and Hans know where to go. --
Finn Worsøe, Denmark
.... Hans did a good job of integrating a group of people, many who never met the others before. Overall, a very good experience. --
Matt O’Brien, Ireland
I really enjoyed Hans' Abruzzo workshop. The area offers some amazing landscapes and Hans does a lot of preparation beforehand, is familiar with the area and scouts out some great locations. Through this workshop I feel I have started to understand how to indentify, isolate and capture the essence of the landscape and to get some great images. --
Alistair Owens, UK
.... But to sum it all up: A very pleasant and very giving experience. Not the last time I enroll on a Photo Workshop. And it could well be with Hans Kruse once again. --
Frede Hansen, Denmark
.... Hans Kruse leads a very friendly and informal photographic workshop to well researched locations. I look forward to future workshops. --
Des O´Riordan, Ireland
I enjoyed the workshop very much, my enthusiasm for landscape photography got reinforced, and I decided to enroll on some more photography workshops in the coming years. More.... --
Fabian, Germany
This workshop turned out to match my expectations, which were pretty high in advance. It is not because I learned a few new tricks with the camera (I did), or the crash course on Lightroom 2. It is because I had the chance to witness a new attitude, a new and absolutely inspiring way to look at a landscape. Driving next to Hans and listening to his small comments on the hills, ridges, shapes or sheep passing by, and learning why we didn't stop there was a revelating experience, even so in such an amazing landscape where I could easily spend days just by looking at it, and contemplating on what to shoot next day, or maybe the day after that. The experience of being there at the exact spot where the rapidly changing interaction between light and land happens, and having an experienced photographer next to you, who tries to build on your thougths on what you see, instead of forcing you to think like he does, is really invaluable and I just can't think of anything else which can replace this opportunity. --
Dávid Udvardy, Hungary -- http://www.motifnation.hu/
Space Available
