© Ralph Lee Hopkins

This workshop is currently full. Please call to be placed on the waiting list (505) 983-1400, ext. 11.

Travel and photography go together, and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico is a great place to be during Halloween and Day of the Dead celebrations.

Photography is experiencing a renaissance in the digital world, where the lines between creativity, art, and technology are disappearing. Digital photography offers photographers more control and creative possibilities than ever before. This digital workshop explores the creative aspects of travel photography in and around the historic colonial town of San Miguel de Allende—a magical place with rich culture and vibrant colors.

We begin by reviewing such basics as shutter speed, depth-of-field, lens choice, fill-flash, and exposure using the histogram. We then venture “beyond the camera,” learning to be in the moment, recognizing and working with different qualities of light, and discovering effective ways of composing images that capture the essence of place. Back in the classroom, emphasis is on learning an efficient workflow for downloading, editing, and processing your digital images.

Our week includes daily discussions, thoughtful critiques of the previous day’s work, and slide shows on creative and technical aspects of digital photography. Guided by Ralph and his assistant, we take excursions through San Miguel and into the surrounding countryside, with an emphasis on one-on-one instruction. Assignments encourage experimentation, and participants are challenged to expand their photographic skills and imagination by combining the elements of color and composition to produce images that have both visual and emotional impact.

Optional Day of the Dead trip to Tzintzuntzan available. Please see General Information for Mexico.

Instructor(s)

Ralph Lee Hopkins travels to the world’s wild places as expedition leader and photographer with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. He is author of the popular guidebooks Hiking the Southwest’s Geology and Hiking Colorado’s Geology. His images are represented by Getty Images, Lonely Planet Images and the National Geographic Image Collection; his fine-art prints are represented by the Verve Gallery of Photography in Santa Fe. This is his ninth year teaching at the Workshops and his fifth year teaching in San Miguel. His web site is www.wilderlandimages.com.

Who Should Attend:
This workshop is for photographers interested in challenging and expanding their creative vision using digital photography. A working knowledge of your digital SLR and basic digital workflow is essential. Please see General Information for Mexico. A portfolio is not required for admission.

Accommodations Available:
Double accommodations included in Package Price. Single supplement is $300 additional.

Tuition & Fees:
The package price for each workshop includes tuition; group transportation as necessary; model and location fees if applicable; double occupancy hotel accommodations for seven nights, Sunday through Saturday nights (single supplement available for $300 additional); most meals; and shuttle transportation between the airport in León and San Miguel.
Package Price: $2,450.00