Point Reyes Field Seminars

Above left: Our headquarters for the weekend.

Above right: Point Reyes Light is just a couple of miles from the Lifeboat Station.

Below left: Wildlife abounds in the area. This vulture was photographed about half a mile from the Lifeboat Station.

Below right: A heavily manipulated HDR image of a derelict boat near the town of Inverness, on the Point Reyes Peninsula.

My three-day workshop (June 10-12, 7 p.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Sunday), Chasing the Light, will be based at the photogenic and historic Lifeboat Station at Chimney Rock, which has been converted into hostel-like accommodations. You bring your own sleeping bag, extra sleeping pad (the mattresses provided are very thin), pillow and food for the whole weekend (there are no nearby restaurants, although some folks eat an early dinner on the way on Friday; we’ll do a group potluck in the spacious kitchen and dining area Saturday night). Friday night’s presentation is designed for beginning photographers, reviewing camera settings and composition. We’ll spend all day Saturday in the field, with specific locations to be arranged, although weather permitting we’ll at least walk to the top of the steps that lead to the photogenic Point Reyes Lighthouse, only a couple of miles from the Lifeboat Station. In June we can start to see fog, although weather conditions change quickly in this part of the world. Wind is typical. Fog makes for mysterious light and is great for vegetation/flowers; hopefully there will be a few flowers left by the time we get there. As time and weather permit, we might double back to the little town of Inverness for some great photo ops there. If we have clear weather and not too much wind, we'll make the short hike to Chimney Rock and its iconic view of rugged coastline, not far from the Lifeboat Station. If we're fogged in, we'll use the time for great macro photos of flowers with dewdrops, plus mysterious aisles of trees and so on. As time and conditions permit, we might do some night photography (bring a cable release if you want to do this) with Kathy Durrett, my assistant. We also might try some HDR photography, perhaps using the boat above as a subject.

The workshop is limited to 16 people, and I’ll have an assistant for this one. The rates are surprisingly reasonable (members: $245, non members, $265) and include hostel accommodations at this primo location.

Point Reyes National Seashore is one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in California, with rugged cliffs, beaches, rolling hills, dairy farms and more. Here are some photos from our fall workshop conducted via the Point Reyes Field Seminars organization.

Please bring layered clothing (this area is prone to high winds), perhaps raingear and a warm jacket, comfortable hiking shoes, camera, camera manual, extra cards and batteries, and perhaps a tripod. If you would like to share your photos with the rest of the group, bring your laptop and other gear necessary for transferring files.

To sign up for this seminar, you must contact Point Reyes Field Seminars directly (scroll down to the Chasing the Light entry), as Betty does not handle enrollment or payment for this one. You can begin enrolling now.

For more info, contact Betty.