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Travel Photography at the Summit

Summary

Travel and photographs are the closest of relatives, thus it was natural for the Summit family of workshops to create a new workshop in travel photography, in conjunction with the Brooks Institute, in one of America's most beautiful locations -- Santa Barbara.

Today, travelers, both amateur and professional photographers alike, find more and more markets for travel photography.  And even in strange economic times, the intrigue of travel remains strong and there are growing opportunities everyday.

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The Celtic Realm ©Jim Richardson

The Travel Summit includes all the elements of the 27 years of Summit Workshops including individual one-on-one sessions, incisive (and often fun) group critique sessions and specific sessions in a variety of topics such as lighting, digital workflow and story telling.

Add to this the unique perspective of photographers such as Jim Richardson, who may be the premier photographer at National Geographic Traveler magazine, as well as the author of great stories in the National Geographic itself. Richardson will tell how he has been able to link multiple outlets and uses of his pictures from across America, Asia and Europe.  He'll provide insight into his great research and followup that has produced great stories and individual pictures. In addition, he'll touch on the unique marketing channels he's developed to further promote his work.

The Travel Summit is aimed at both amateurs and professionals as the variety and depth of sessions provide insights for all, and even newcomers can prosper in the workshops atmosphere.  Add to that the networking and friendships that often extend over many years and the workshop becomes one of the best catalysts for new-found or established careers, or just great vacation pictures.

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Jay Maisel conducts a group portfolio review

Richardson will be joined on the faculty by George Olson, longtime photographer and former Director of Photography of Sunset Magazine, as well as outstanding photojournalist Rick Rickman. Rich Clarkson, former director of photography of National Geographic. (we are still confirming faculty for this event)

Combine this talent with the beauty of Santa Barbara, the waterfront and beaches, the nearby wine country and the channel islands -- it becomes the premier workshop in travel photography.

New Dates!

Space Still Available!

Register Online Here

Or use the faxable Workshop Registration form

Location

Brooks Institute Cota Street Campus
Santa Barbara, CA

Dates

October 26-30, 2010
Plan on arriving the Tuesday morning and departing Sunday morning following the workshop.

Faculty

(we are still confirming faculty for this event, additional instructors added soon):
George Olson
Jim Richardson
Rick Rickman
Rich Clarkson

Workshop Information and Packets

Workshop Student Packet (from 2009, will be updated for 2010) PDF

Workshop Schedule (from 2009, will be updated for 2010). PDF

Other Helpful Links

2009 Workshop Brochure with additional general workshop information. PDF

David Gonzales Syndicated UPI Story
Testimonials from previous workshops.

The Brooks Institute: www.brooks.edu
Holiday Inn: www.holidayinn.com
Santa Barbara General Information: www.santabarbaraca.com

The Summit and Brooks Institute

Exceptional educational experiences in photography and creativity have been the hallmark of the 29 years of Summit Workshops as well as the 64 year history of the Brooks Institute — one of America’s brooks premier schools of high level photography, film and video. Combining forces, Brooks Institute will be the new home of this new Summit Workshop in Travel Photography. Headquartered in the school’s facilities on Cota Street in downtown the Santa Barbara, the summer Summit will draw on both the classrooms and faculty of Brooks as well as their continued involvement in the rest of the Summit Series.

Founded by the late Ernest H. Brooks Sr., the institute stands as a premier school in professional photography, visual journalism, film and video production and visual communication. Located in beautiful facilities in Santa Barbara and Ventura, Ca., the area is well known for their beaches and vibrant artist communities that are rich incubators for creativity. A reinvigorated Brooks has moved into the digital and new media era while still emphasizing the basics that produce excellence.The entire family of Summit Workshops will draw from the Brooks tradition of high level career development.

 

Sample Sessions

Finding Better Stuff: The magic of photo research

Jim Richardson tells photographers "If you want to take better pictures, stand in front of more interesting stuff." Find that "better stuff" is the heart and soul of photo research and Jim will share the methods and tools he uses to tackle major assignments for National Geographic Magazine and Traveler. Our faculty members are known for taking on complex, sprawling issues and turning them into compelling visual stories. Their assignments often involve shooting in multiple countries on tight schedules where he must be very targeted in his photography. They'll talk about finding sources of information, sorting and sifting out the photo opportunities to find the great pictures, using the internet to explore locations, and compiling the chaos of information into targeted shoot lists. (At National Geographic Jim is known to some as "Mr. Filemaker Pro.")

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The Celtic Realm ©Jim Richardson

Specialization: Focusing your work, your career (and your image)

Travel photography has changed since the day when generalist photographers traveled the world and got assignments to places they had never before visited. Magazines and editors now want photographers who already know a place extremely well. Specialization is the key to a higher photographic profile (and the hope of getting assignments.) Jim Richardson's career has been propelled several times by concentrating on narrowing his focus and becoming known for a specialty. He'll show how that has worked to define his image, produce a body of work, attract publicity and garner further work. Whether it was his 30 years in one small town or his focus on the Celtic Realm, his dedication to focus has paid off.

Photographic Style: Finding your voice

Travel photography is rife with "me, too" pictures of iconic locations. Does the world really need another picture of the Eiffel Tower? (Yes, if it's a view nobody's ever seen before.) Setting your photography apart from the crowd is where developing a photographic style comes in. But getting to the point where your photography is distinctive and recognizable is no easy task. The faculty will talk about how photographers find their "voice", how they can call upon their photographic roots to help them, and why developing a style is so important.

 

 

Details

With 5-10 instructors and staff onsite, and attendance that is capped at 25, each student can be assured a low student-to-instructor ratio and ample personalized attention. The combined knowledge of the faculty is outstanding and attendees have a chance to get not one or two opinions on their work, but a dozen points of view from a cross-section of the profession assembled nowhere else.

Expect ample time for shooting in the field, one-on-one and group technical instruction, peer review of images you shoot during the week, portfolio reviews and career counseling. Be sure to also check the Daily Sessions page for a description of a typical day at the workshop.

Daily shooting and critiques can lead to a finished photo essay, or just a collection of photos for your portfolio by weeks end. Nikon will have digital cameras to loan on a 24-hour basis as well as a variety of lenses, with Lexar providing memory cards for the group. Apple will provide workstations for attendee use and indepth instruction on their leading photographic workflow tool, Aperture. We'll have desktop digital printers for use during the week and we'll cover best practices for getting the most out of your digital printer.

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Dave Black conducts an on-location portrait lighting session

Individual appointments with instructors for portfolio reviews and career counseling are encouraged. The week begins with a welcoming reception and ends with a farewell dinner, courtesy of our sponsors. This workshop is best suited for professional and advanced-amateur photographers who are looking to take their photography and careers to the next level.

We ask that you bring all of the equipment with which you normally photograph, especially Nikon shooters, as you will be able to use the large consignment of Nikon cameras and lenses in conjunction with your own. Photographers that currently use other brands of cameras are free to use your own equipment or check out a variety of digital equipment from Nikon, in addition to receiving instruction to get you up to speed. Apple will provide computers for student use, but we ask that you bring your own laptop if you have one available to you. Please let us know at the time of registration if you will be bringing a laptop.

We've included packets and information from 2008 below to give you a better idea of what to expect. While some details/dates/locations will change for 2009, you can expect the workshop format, structure and topics covered to be very similar to the 2008 edition. Please call 1-800-745-3211 with further questions, one of our associates would be happy to describe the workshop at length. We will continue to post updated information concerning the workshop.

Host Hotel

We will have the host hotel with special rates posted shortly. The faculty will stay at the the host hotel, but as almost all workshop sessions are centered at the Brooks Institute Cota Campus, you are free to stay wherever in town you'd like that fits your needs and budget. We'll be posting additional "workshop recommended" properties shortly.

Most workshop sessions are held at the Brooks Institute Cota Campus near the intersection of Cota Street and State Street, centrally located in downtown Santa Barbara, so you may choose any of the hotels in the town of Santa Barbara that fit your budget.

Travel

You may fly into Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) or drive in from the surrounding area. In the case that flights into Santa Barbara are fully booked, Los Angeles (LAX) is the next nearest airport (about 2 hours by car depending on traffic). If you fly into the area, we recommend renting a car for the duration of the week as transportation is not provided and having access to a car when and where needed will provide the most flexibility for getting out and exploring the area.

Tuition

$1950; includes the welcoming reception on Sunday evening, daily continental breakfast in the classroom, instruction, evening presentations, and the farewell dinner on Friday night. Please budget for lodging, car rental, and meals and you will need to reserve your own travel, lodging and car rentals. Please call our offices at 800-745-3211 to register with a $300 deposit, fully refundable until August 1st. After that time, if you need to cancel for any reason, your deposit is non-refundable, but can be applied in full to a future workshop of your choosing. Remaining tuition is due two months prior to the start of the workshop, so we will invoice you for the remaining amount just prior to that time. Note: We will not automatically charge your card for the remainder of the tuition if you pay your initial deposit by credit card.

Space still available!

A tuition discount of 10% is offered for full-time students and educators, workshop alumni, and members of our partnering organizations, AUN, NPS, NPPA, NANPA and ASMP.

The Workshop Registration form can be mailed or faxed to our offices. Please don't hesitate to call or email with any additional questions and you may also register over the phone if you would prefer.
Phone: 1-800-745-3211 Local/International: 1-303-295-7770 Email: info@richclarkson.com

 

 
Photos clockwise from top left : © Chris Linder, Bill Bowers, Summit Series of Workshops (2), Ed Broberg.  
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