Full Moon Night Photography in Mono Lake

August 22-25, Mono Lake, California
led by Lance Keimig and Scott Martin

Lance Keimig and Scott Martin team up to present a four day and night photography workshop at Mono Lake, California. August is a great time to visit this remote location that is a favorite among photographers for its unique geological formations. Mono Lake's signature monolithic rock structures that extend upward from the lake are ideal for night photography. Other photographic locations may include the dramatic granite moonscapes of Tioga Pass in Yosemite, the Travertine Hot Springs, the town of Bridgeport, and the world famous Bodie Ghost Town.  This year we’re going to get into some advanced night photography topics and really take a close look at light painting and mutli-hour star trail image stacking. Techniques and inspiration will be constantly discussed, demonstrated and put into practice. We will all work closely together, sharing our knowledge and experience.

This workshop will have both field and classroom instruction. We will be in the classroom each day from noon until we leave for the field before sunset. When out in the field, participants can stay out shooting as long as they, or their camera’s batteries, hold out. In the classroom, we’ll critique and develop our work as well as study the work of historical and contemporary night photographers. We will examine a parametric workflow using the latest tools for night photography, from high quality digital image capture, RAW file processing, image stacking and HDR imaging. Light painting, multi-hour exposures, film technology, color management and equipment recommendations will all be discussed. Because this workshop has two instructors, each participant will get lots of attention. Participants should expect to share some of their images for review, as the goal of this workshop is to enjoy the creative process and be inspired to make great images.

Night Photography Book

A copy of Night Photography: Finding your way in the dark (by Lance Keimig with Scott Martin, 2010 Focal Press) is included in this workshop. The 240 page book combines a wealth of information from our 15 years of teaching night and digital photography workshops. The book also includes contributions from Dan Burkholder, Shawn Peterson, Christian Waeber, Steve Harper, Tom and Troy Paiva and others. In this book you’ll find history, theory, and lots of practical instruction on technique, all illustrated with clear, concise examples, diagrams and charts that reinforce the text, plus inspiring color and black and white images from the author and other luminaries in the field.

Target Audience

This workshop is specifically for digital photographers who want to learn night photography techniques. Night photography beginners who have a sound understanding of basic photography principles, advanced amateurs, and seasoned professionals looking for a fresh approach will all benefit from this workshop. Newcomers and workshop alumni will both be catered to, as much of the material and approach will be new this year. Participants will leave this workshop with the knowledge they need to photograph at night by natural and artificial light, and how to optimize their files for printing.

About the instructors

Lance Keimig is a Massachusetts based photographer and educator who specializes in night photography. Lance studied Night Photography with Steve Harper at San Francisco's Academy of Art University in the late '80s and cofounded The Nocturnes Night Photography Workshops with Tim Baskerville in 1997.  His new book, Night Photography: Finding your way in the Dark will be published in August 2010. Lance's prints are held in numerous public and private collections including The Boston Public Library, The Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, MA, Fidelity Investments, and many other corporate collections. He has been teaching photography workshops for over 12 years and this will be his 6th workshop at Mono Lake.

Scott Martin is the owner of Onsight digital imaging, which is a capture-to-print training and consulting business that helps digital imaging professionals optimize their workflows for quality and efficiency. Scott works on location with photographers, pro labs, artists, designers, prepress professionals and software developers perfecting the techniques and color management needed for top notch work. Scott holds the first ever known degree in Digital Photographic Imaging, is an Adobe Certified Photoshop Expert, and serves on the board of the Texas Photographic Society. His grand format fine art prints are shown in galleries and included in many public and private collections. He has been teaching photography workshops for over 15 years and this will be his 3rd workshop at Mono Lake.

Getting There

The Eastern Sierra is isolated. The closest major airport is Reno, NV-140 miles away. Driving from Reno is about 2 1/2 hours. San Francisco is about a 5 hour drive through Yosemite National Park, and Los Angeles is about 6 hours away by car. It’s well worth the effort to get there. If you are interested in carpooling or sharing a rental car from Reno or the Bay Area, let us know, and we will try to connect you with someone.

Accommodations

Workshop participants stay at nearby resorts, hotels or campgrounds in or near Lee Vining. We recommend the El Mono Inn or Murphey’s Motel in Lee Vining. Links to other hotels in town, as well as general information about the area can be found at the Mono Lake website. Plan to arrive on or before the 22nd, and checking out on or after the 26th, and the workshop begins at noon on the 22nd. As everyone will be very tired after staying up each night, we encourage everyone to have a day of rest after the workshop before heading back home. Participants are responsible for booking their own accomodations. We have reserved all available rooms at Murpheys, and several at The El Mono for the workshop. The accommodations in town are almost full already, so you will need to request one of the rooms reserved for the workshop when you register, or reserve a something independently as soon as you confirm your spot in the workshop.

Meals

Morning coffee is at the wonderful Latte Da Cafe at the El Mono Hotel. They serve up homemade muffins and strong coffee to get us off on the right foot each day. If you need a bigger breakfast, there’s always Nicely’s, an old fashioned coffee shop. There are a couple of markets in Lee Vining if you prefer to picnic, but most people eat at the fabulous Whoa Nelly Cafe at the The Tioga Gas Mart in Lee Vining. Sounds strange, but this place serves excellent food – everything from omelets, gourmet pizza, and barbecue, to fish tacos, seared tuna, and herb crusted pork loin!

Registration

The price for the workshop is $950. Workshop alumni that have taken either of our workshops in the last two years (we know who you are) are eligible for $100 off the normal price. Transportation, lodging and meals are not included. For a workshop with two great instructors and a small number of participants, we hope you'll find this to be an excellent value. The workshop is limited to a maximum of 16 students. To reserve your place, make a $300 deposit using the button below. Payment is due in full by July 1. If you prefer to pay by check, send Lance an email for further directions.

Use the button below to reserve your space with a $300 deposit. Your card will be charged immediately.

Once you secure your spot by paying the deposit, you will be contacted with detailed information about the workshop. Refunds, less a $50 cancellation fee are available until July 1st. After July 1st, the cancelation fee becomes $300. If the workshop is cancelled for any reason, you will receive a full refund.

All photos on this page are copyright Scott Martin, Lance Keimig and Shawn Peterson. Thank you, and we’ll see you in Mono Lake!