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Nature Photography Workshops
2010 Schedule
Date
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Workshop/Location
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Description
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January 30, 2010 |
Creating a Digital Slide Show

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Learn how to create a dazzling digital slide show from start to finish using two popular software programs, ProShow Gold for PC users and FotoMagico for Mac users. Topics covered will include: planning your show for maximum impact, importing images, slide transitions, motion effects, captions, adding music and sound, and all the various output/sharing options.
Includes in-class demos, helpful handouts and other resources.
In addition, Charles will be available for optional 1-on-1 tutoring, to be scheduled outside regular class hours.
Tuition: $150. Hours: 11 am - 5 pm.
Register online at Photographic Center Northwest, or call Ashley Siple at 206-720-7222, ext. 16.
Questions, please contact Charles.
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March 6, 2010 |
The Art of Macro Photography

SOLD OUT!
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Discover a world of unlimited possibilities with creative close-up photography. Learn basics about equipment, exposure, depth-of-field, composition and lighting — as well as more advanced topics such as using props to enhance your macro photography, soft-glow and composite montaging, and multiple-exposure close-ups.
Includes demonstrations and hands-on practice. All skill levels welcome.
Tuition: $150. Hours: 11 am - 5 pm.
Register online at Photographic Center Northwest, or call Ashley Siple at 206-720-7222, ext. 16.
This workshop is sold out, but you may contact PCNW to add your name to a waiting list.
Any additional questions, please contact Charles.
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March 28-April 2, 2010
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Callaway Gardens in Springtime
co-taught with Photoshop guru,

A FEW LAST-MINUTE SPACES REMAINING!
REGISTER SOON! |
Experience a week of arresting beauty and inspirational instruction in the southeast's most glorious botanical garden.
Treat your lenses to thousands of exotic and native flower species, including the nationally recognized Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl containing more than 3,400 hybrid azaleas that erupt into a colorful palette of pinks, reds and whites each spring.
We'll also gain special early-morning entry into the largest indoor free-flight butterfly center in the country — two hours before it opens to the public — to photograph these magical winged insects.
Includes personalized field instruction from Charles and Mark, on-location educational shooting demos, digital darkroom classroom lectures, and supportive group image evaluations.
The workshop begins at 7 pm March 28th and ends at 12 noon April 2nd. Limited to 16 participants.
Tuition: $1,295 before Feb. 15, 2010. $1,395 after Feb. 15, 2010. A $395 deposit check is due at the time of registration. Accommodations: Callaway Gardens Mountain Creek Inn, 1-800-225-5292. Special discounted room rate of $126/night + tax, which includes daily admission into Callaway.
Click here for a colorful PDF flyer with all the workshop details.
To register, please contact Charles.
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April 7-11, 2010 |
The Art of Nature:
Creative Macro Photography
Intensive Workshop

FILLING QUICKLY!
REGISTER SOON! |
If you're serious about macro/close-up photography and want to delve deeper into the creative process while improving your technique, then this is the workshop for you!
You'll spend the entire long weekend learning special techniques for creating unique, artistic close-up images in a fun, casual but intensive atmosphere. Charles will share many of his own secrets learned after 10+ years of shooting macro and cover equipment, composition, exposure, fill-flash, special creative camera techniques and more.
Part of the time will be spent learning macro techniques and shooting in our private indoor classroom "studio," and the remainder of time will be spent making images in the Atlanta Botanical Garden, home to one of the best orchid collections in the country.
The 3 1/2-day workshop includes unlimited use of various "props" (such as stained/textured glass, mylar, shells, colored backgrounds, glass objects, etc.), group assignments, lectures covering specialized topics, demonstrations, and lots of individualized instruction. Participants will also have the opportunity to have their images reviewed and critiqued via high-resolution LCD projection.
The workshop begins Wednesday evening at 7 pm and ends Sunday afternoon at 2 pm. Limited to 14 participants.
Tuition: $1,395 before Feb. 28, 2010. $1,495 after Feb. 28, 2010. A $395 deposit check is due at the time of registration.
Includes lunch on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as daily admission into the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Parking: $5/day, or complimentary shuttle from hotel to/from the Garden each day.
Accommodations: Courtyard Marriott - Atlanta Midtown/Georgia Tech, 404-607-1112. Special discounted room rate of $109/night + tax, which includes breakfast and free shuttle to/from the Atlanta Botanical Garden each day.
Please contact Charles to reserve your spot.
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April 24, 2010
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Creative Macro,
Flower & Garden Photography

FILLING QUICKLY!
REGISTER SOON!
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Learn how to improve your macro, flower and garden photography skills in this fun 1-day class being offered at the Dunn Gardens in Seattle, a spectacular privately owned 7-acre garden designed by the Olmsted Brothers in 1915.
You'll learn special techniques for creating unique, artistic close-up images, and Charles will share many of his own secrets learned after 10+ years of shooting flowers and gardens. Topics covered will include: equipment, composition, lighting, exposure, multiple-exposures, and more.
Part of the time will be spent learning macro techniques and shooting in an indoor classroom "studio," and the remainder of time will be spent making images in the garden.
The class includes the use of various "props," such as stained & textured glass, mylar, colored backgrounds, and fresh-cut flowers to enhance your macro photography — as well as lecture, field demonstrations, and 1-on-1 instruction.
Hours: 9 am to 3 pm. Cost: $150, plus a $20 materials fee, payable the day of the class. All skill levels welcome. Limited to 14 participants.
To register, please contact Dunn Gardens directly at info@dunngardens.org or call 206-362-0933.
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May 2-12, 2010 |
Monet's Garden &
Keukenhof Gardens

SOLD OUT !
CONTACT CHARLES
TO ADD YOUR NAME TO THE WAITING LIST.
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Join Charles for this unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime journey to two world-class European gardens!
The trip begins in Holland at Keukenhof, which features a dazzling 79-acre display of tulips and other bulbs in a park-like setting, where you'll photograph for four entire days under Charles' expert guidance.
Then, travel by train to Paris where you'll spend five days photographing in Impressionist painter Claude Monet's garden with NO TOURISTS present, as well as the surrounding Normandy countryside.
In both gardens, you'll receive personalized field instruction from Charles, on-location educational shooting demos, classroom lectures, handouts, assignments, and supportive group image evaluations.
The package price for this 10-day trip is $3,950 per person before Jan. 30, 2010 and includes lodging in Giverny and Holland, ground transportation during the workshop, all breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners, and all garden entrance fees. Airfare, airline baggage fees, airport transfers, some meals, and optional trip insurance are not included. A limited number of single supplements are also available for an additional $695.
A $750 deposit check is due at the time of registration. After Jan. 30, 2010, tuition will be $4,150.
Workshop filled. Please contact Charles to add your name to the waiting list, or to inquire about next year's trip.
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June 12, 2010 |
Gardening Through the Lens
NEW WORKSHOP !
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Spend a day in one of the most photogenic private gardens you'll encounter overlooking the Puget Sound, just north of Seattle.
In this new hands-on workshop, co-taught by nationally recognized garden designer, Stacie Crooks, Charles will teach you how to best capture a garden using different lens combinations, lighting, and framing/focusing techniques. You'll also learn tips on how to create a more photogenic garden through the use of color, texture, shape and sophisticated plant combinations.
Cost is $135, which includes handouts, lecture, and lunch on a terrace in the garden. Hours: 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. Limited to 14 participants. All skill levels welcome. No prior gardening or photographic experience necessary.
To register, please send a check for $135 by June 9, 2010, payable to "Stacie Crooks," to: "Gardening Through the Lens;" c/o Shirley Hansen; 706 NW 185th St. - Suite 201; Shoreline, WA 98177.
Click here for a colorful flyer with all the workshop details. Feel free to contact Charles with any questions.
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June 21-26, 2010
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Private & Public Gardens of Seattle
& Puget Sound

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Visit seven breathtaking gardens in and around the Puget Sound area at the peak of summer growing season — five private and two public gardens. Highlights include: a spectacular privately owned 7-acre garden designed by the Olmsted Brothers in 1915, the Bellevue Botanical Garden, Kubota Gardens, Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, and a colorful 5-acre nursery with European greenhouses.
Lots of personalized instruction from Charles, both in the classroom and in the field. Learn tips and techniques for capturing unique close-ups and intimate garden landscapes. Topics covered will include: Impressionistic flower and garden photography, creative macro, in-camera multiple-exposures, soft-glow montage, Lightroom/Photoshop workflow, and developing personal vision.
Includes personalized field instruction, on-location educational shooting demos, classroom lectures, and supportive group image evaluations.
Workshop begins at 7 pm, Monday, June 21st and ends at 12 noon, Saturday, June 26th. Discounted hotel rates at Coast Hotel (Bellevue) - $109/night + tax, including breakfast. Call 425-709-1102 to reserve your room. Be sure to mention "Charles Needle Photography Worksho" to receive the room discount.
Tuition: $995 before June 1, 2010. $1,095 after June 1st. A $300 deposit check is due at the time of registration.
Limited to 14 participants. All skill levels welcome; however, participants should have a basic understanding of shutter speeds, f/stops and camera operation.
Please contact Charles to reserve your spot.
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August 7-12 , 2010
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Impressionistic Photography

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Explore several methods of making painterly, non-literal images in-camera: camera movement, multiple-exposure montaging, Lensbaby, long exposures, and shooting reflections. To practice these techniques, we'll visit a local lavender farm in peak bloom, several area gardens, forests, and coastal areas.
Emphasis will be placed upon developing your own artistic vision and shooting from the heart, translating feelings into pixels. Charles will also touch upon the basic elements of visual design, such as line, shape, color, and texture.
You'll receive plenty of 1-on-1 field instruction, supportive image reviews, classroom lectures, and field demonstrations. The workshop begins August 7th at 7 pm and ends August 12th at 12 noon.
Tuition: $655 (plus $30 materials fee). To register, click here, or call 1-866-678-3396 (or 360-678-3396).
Questions, please contact Charles.
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Sept. 11-12, 2010
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Lensbaby Magic

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Details coming soon. Please contact Charles to register, or for more information.
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October 3-8, 2010 |
Vermont Fall Foliage
co-taught with Photoshop guru,

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Experience quintessential New England where early October paints the northern Vermont landscape with rich hues of red, gold, and amber. Treat your lenses to pastoral New England's white-steepled churches, majestic mountains, covered bridges, cascading creeks, rustic barns, old stone walls, quiet footpaths, and maple-lined roads.
In addition to field instruction from Charles and Mark, you'll experience classroom lectures, energizing assignments, and supportive image evaluations. Field instruction emphasizes creative macro, impressionistic, multiple-exposure, high dynamic range, and artistic architectural photography. Classroom instruction features a variety of montaging techniques developed by Mark, as well as an exploration of methods for creating photos with jaw-dropping impact.
The workshop begins at 7 pm October 3rd and ends at 12 noon October 8th. Limited to 16 participants.
Tuition: $1,495 before June 4, 2010. $1,595 after June 4, 2010. A $495 deposit check is due at the time of registration. Accommodations: Topnotch Resort & Spa (Stowe, VT), 1-800-451-8686. Special discounted room rate of $175/night + tax.
Click here for a colorful PDF flyer with all the workshop details.
To register, please contact Charles.
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October 25-30, 2010
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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Details coming soon. Please contact Charles to register, or for more information.
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Besides the workshops scheduled above, Charles also conducts personalized classes and portfolio reviews. See the Instruction Page for details on these programs.
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