Contrast Masking Workshop Gallery
a gallery of photographs by previous workshop participants

ClearWhite Digital White Balance Filters

Moving Rock, Racetrack, 1999. Death Valley National Park, California

Death Valley Photography Workshops

NOVEMBER 12 - 15, 2009

Open to all traditional or digital photographers of any experience level

Join us for our 2009 Death Valley photography workshop! Experience the adventure of photographing Death Valley's remarkable places. A true photographer's desert paradise, Death Valley has inspired master photographers such as Ansel Adams and Edward Weston to produce some of their notable and outstanding images of this captivating and photogenic wilderness landscape. Today, few photographers know Death Valley's intimate canyons and vast open expanses better than Lynn Radeka who has hiked, camped and photographed in Death Valley's remarkable wilderness areas for over 40 years.

We will be visiting some of Death Valley's most popular and unusual areas, and each evening we will be returning to civilization where campgrounds and motels are available. This workshop is open to all photographers whether shooting large or small format black and white or color, traditional or digital! Home cooked campground meals will be provided by Doug Steinwand and Jeff Steinwand each morning and evening and lunch will be available during the daytime. Depending on the number of 4wd vehicles we have available, we may be able to visit some 4 wheel drive back country locations as well. Lynn Radeka will be reviewing each day's shoot on a laptop computer and commenting on possible image manipulations and improvements. For photographers shooting traditional film formats (large, medium or small) we will be shooting a similar digital shot on the scene when possible so that we can make appropriate comments and suggested print quality enhancements (including contrast masking) on the computer in the evenings. Digital photographers will enjoy the array of unusual and interesting software programs and techniques we will be demonstrating in the evenings.

Lynn will be handing out ClearWhite white balance filters to those photographers interested in digital photography, and 8x10 cutout cards (an aid in visualizing compositions) to those shooting large format film. He will be assisting attendees in obtaining the best exposures and white balance settings using RAW format for those photographers shooting digital, and zone system methods including previsualization, exposure and development to those photographers shooting traditional large format. Equally enjoyable though are the adventures by car or on foot into Death Valley's most photogenic areas.

This photography workshop will also teach the use of contrast masking in your previsualization routine. This will help photographers learn how to previsualize images with the intent of applying contrast masking (or other specialized darkroom procedures) to the final prints. Surprisingly, this often results in images being shot that otherwise might be passed up due to lack of local contrast or even elements that aren't well separated from surrounding detail. The intended use of masking can alter the exposure and development given to the negative.

After the workshop is over, each participant is invited to send or e-mail images from the workshop which will be put on the Death Valley workshop gallery for all participants to view, critique or comment on. Lynn will select several images from each participant and optimize them in such a way as to demonstrate alternate ways of printing the images, including suggested uses of masks, etc. These images will also be available for viewing by the general public as well.

Some of the locations (depending on road and weather conditions, time, etc.) that we will be visiting are Zabriskie Point at sunrise, Echo Canyon with the ghost town of Schwab (depending on available 4wd vehicles), Titus Canyon, 20 Mule Team Canyon, the Ghost Town remains of Harrisburg and the Sand Dunes at sunset.

For those who are able and willing, expect some short distance hiking with your camera gear and some possible bumpy dirt roads (depending on available vehicles). Since the workshop will end in the afternoon or evening of Sunday, November 15, feel free to leave as early as you wish on that day. Tag-alongs are not allowed on this workshop except for husband or wife of a paid participant. This workshop is limited to ten participants. Please see the signup details below.

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