4545 Connecticut Ave. NW #620
Washington, DC 20008
Toll Free - 1-877-512-5969
Local Phone - 1-202-537-0937
Fax - 1-815-333-0233
E-mail: info@washingtonphotosafari.com
"Brian and I had a wonderful, unforgettable time and took thousands and thousands of pictures. John and Sean did an amazing job in picking the locations for taking landscape and wildlife pictures (and paid the animals well to show up at the right time), providing enough food and water, and all that driving and being extremely patient in teaching everyone and answering our questions. I am surprised they weren't horse from talking so much. Brian and I learned a lot from John and Sean and give them high praise, and we can't wait for their next big week long photo safari. Thank you all for providing another unbelievable photo Safari."
P.M.
4545 Connecticut Ave. NW #620
Washington, DC 20008
Toll Free - 1-877-512-5969
Local Phone - 1-202-537-0937
Fax - 1-815-333-0233
E-mail: info@washingtonphotosafari.com
Next Safari: 07/12/2008
You cook a wonderful meal and your friends say: "WOW! That was GREAT! Delicious! What kind of OVEN did you use? You must have a great OVEN!"
You would be miffed, right? Because you know it's not the oven, it's the COOK who prepares a great meal. And the same is true in photography—it's not the camera, it's the photographer who makes the image.
Photography, like painting, is all about composition: the symmetry, the balance, the leading lines, the framing, the perspective, the points of interest in the image that draw the viewer's eye. So this Safari is all about training you to see and capture good composition in your photographs.
We begin the Safari in the atrium of the National Gallery of Art with a general orientation on photographic technique and principles of composition. Next we examine 10 classically composed photographs by an extraordinary black and white photographer from Baltimore who worked in the 1940s and 1950s, A. Aubrey Bodine. We then go inside one of the galleries to photograph and critique the compositional elements of small French paintings of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. We also look at samples of modern-day abstract art and photography.
Participants will then be sent off on their own to roam the East Building National Gallery of Art, taking pictures that embody some of the principles of composition they have learned on the Safari, photos of artwork, the Gallery's atrium, the sculpture, the museum visitors looking at artwork, or photos of the Gallery’s extraordinary architecture.
Finally, we gather once again in the atrium with the instructor to review and critique the photos taken from the point of view of good composition: symmetry, balance, interest, leading lines. In short, this is a Safari to help you become a more astute critic of your own photos.
The Safari is led by architectural photographer and Washington Photo Safari director E. David Luria who studied photography in Paris with a protégé of the French photographer, Henri Cartier Bresson, famous for capturing "the decisive moment" in his classic photographs.
Meet inside front entrance to East Building of National Gallery of Art, 4th St and Constitution Avenue NW.
Fee: $64 per person.
Photo: Richard W. Boone.
Next Safari: 06/14/2008
Here is a creative NEW Safari offered by Melanie Otto, the popular instructor who teaches you how to use your digital camera! It is a photo scavenger hunt in Old Town Alexandria where paired teams achieve specific photo goals assigned by Melanie, such as a double exposure that combines a face and a place, shoot something that shows shallow/deep depth of field, create images (series of 3 maybe) which shows subject, action, resulting in a story told in more than one frame, shoot one frame that shows a blur of subjects, shoot a frame that stops fast action, find something which leads you somewhere (doorway, path, sign), shoot a frame which shows a ghostly blur emerging from a “haunted” Alexandria townhouse, creative experiment with white balance settings, etc.
Each team then meets Melanie at a particular location to show the results and get their next goal. The purpose of the safari is to help you fully utilize all the F Stop/shutter speed/white balance/ISO setting features of your digital camera. The winning team—the folks who finish first—gets ice cream cones!
Sounds like Washington Photo Safari's version of the TV show "Survivor", right? Well, we decided to help you get AWAY from the TV set, OUT of the house to make your OWN fun, with your camera!
Meet on dock side of Torpedo Factory by the big bulls-eye, Cameron and Union Streets, Alexandria, VA.
Fee: $89/person.
Next Safari: 05/10/2008
Are you new to digital photography? Do you need help figuring out how to use the many widgets and gadgets of your new camera which does everything but make coffee? Join Washington Photo Safari’s all-digital Safari designed to give you outdoor/indoor fieldwork experience and training in such technical areas as white balance, mixed lighting, exposure compensation, film speed settings, etc.
Conducted by professional photographer and digital
camera specialist Melanie Otto, this safari will take you through the interior and exterior photographic challenges presented by the National Museum of Natural History, the National Sculpture Garden, and the adjoining National Gallery of Art.
Meet at front entrance to Natural History Museum, 10th St and Constitution Ave NW.
Fee: $89/person. Enrollment limited to 15.
Next Safari: 05/16/2008
Here is a great opportunity to get outdoor fieldwork experience and advanced training in such technical areas as "white balance", file compression, mixed lighting, exposure compensation, and ISO settings in a twilight and nighttime setting at the Tidal Basin. Conducted by professional photographer and digital camera specialist Melanie Otto, this safari will take you through the photographic challenges presented by the statues and waterfalls of the FDR Memorial at night and by the reflected images of the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial in the waters of the Tidal Basin. You will also learn how to blur your water images with slow shutter speeds, and how to fill your frame with haunting nighttime images of the Civilian Conservation Corps faces.
Must have STURDY tripod!
Meet at entrance to bookstore at FDR Memorial, West Basin Drive SW. between Ohio Drive SW and Independence Ave SW.
Fee: $89/person.
Next Safari: 09/28/2008
If you’d like to travel back in time, join us on this unique day-long photo experience led by Frederick photographer Judy Reisman to shoot the farms, barns and covered bridges of Frederick County, MD. The morning stops will include two horse farms, one with a bright red barn, the other with a white barn, and both with plenty of photogenic horses; a weathered wooden building that was used in the 1950’s as a general store and is now used as a motorcycle repair shop. On its front porch are displayed memorabilia from the area's rural past. Across the street is a dilapidated building that was formerly used as the post office for this community that was home to the Amelung glass factory and its workers. Daisy Mae, a rusting old red pickup buried in the vegetation in the back of the old post office, is a most photogenic subject.
Other stops include an old cemetery overlooking a large, well-preserved wood barn. It was here that local painters often sketched and painted landscapes of the farmland below and Sugarloaf Mountain in the distance. Afterwards, we will visit the barn and shoot its endless photographic possibilities for abstracts and texture. The most memorable stop for many Safarians on this outing is the next stop, a gourmet lunch at an upscale local inn, during which time we will have the opportunity to discuss photo-related topics.
The afternoon session will be no less photogenic as we make a loop through the verdant rolling hills and upper farmland of Frederick County and shoot the three very picturesque extant covered bridges in Frederick County and the creeks they cross. We will also make several other stops to shoot barns and picturesque landscapes.
Register EARLY, this one always fills up quickly. Please note that if there are any spaces left in the two weeks before the Safari, we will accept registrations from those who wish to do only the morning (farms and barns) or afternoon (bridges, farms and barns) portion.
Meet at Park and Ride off Exit 26, I-270 Transportation from Shady Grove Metro can be arranged for people without cars.
Morning session 9:00am-noon. Afternoon session 2:00pm to 5:00pm.
$179/person for the full day, includes gourmet lunch; $89 for either morning or afternoon.
Photo credit: Andrew Jezioro.
Next Safari: 06/08/2008
If you’d like to travel back in time, join us on this unique day-long photo experience led by Frederick photographer Judy Reisman to shoot the farms, barns and covered bridges of Frederick County, MD. The morning stops will include two horse farms, one with a bright red barn, the other with a white barn, and both with plenty of photogenic horses; a weathered wooden building that was used in the 1950’s as a general store and is now used as a motorcycle repair shop. On its front porch are displayed memorabilia from the area's rural past. Across the street is a dilapidated building that was formerly used as the post office for this community that was home to the Amelung glass factory and its workers. Daisy Mae, a rusting old red pickup buried in the vegetation in the back of the old post office, is a most photogenic subject.
Other stops include an old cemetery overlooking a large, well-preserved wood barn. It was here that local painters often sketched and painted landscapes of the farmland below and Sugarloaf Mountain in the distance. Afterwards, we will visit the barn and shoot its endless photographic possibilities for abstracts and texture. The most memorable stop for many Safarians on this outing is the next stop, a gourmet lunch at an upscale local inn, during which time we will have the opportunity to discuss photo-related topics.
The afternoon session will be no less photogenic as we make a loop through the verdant rolling hills and upper farmland of Frederick County and shoot the three very picturesque extant covered bridges in Frederick County and the creeks they cross. We will also make several other stops to shoot barns and picturesque landscapes.
Register EARLY, this one always fills up quickly. Please note that if there are any spaces left in the two weeks before the Safari, we will accept registrations from those who wish to do only the morning (farms and barns) or afternoon (bridges, farms and barns) portion.
Meet at Park and Ride off Exit 26, I-270 Transportation from Shady Grove Metro can be arranged for people without cars.
Morning session 9:00am-noon. Afternoon session 2:00pm to 5:00pm.
$179/person for the full day, includes gourmet lunch; $89 for either morning or afternoon.
Photo credit: Andrew Jezioro.
Next Safari: 11/09/2008
Spend a day exploring the Refuge that Time magazine called "nature on the throne of her glory." Twelve miles south of Cambridge, Maryland, the tidal marshes, freshwater ponds, evergreen forests and late fall colors of this 27,000 acre refuge provide a wealth of rich photographic subjects -- including wildlife, scenics, abstracts and macro opportunities. Waterfowl will be plentiful, so bring your longest lens as well as a variety of other focal lengths to capture all this Refuge has to offer.
This trip is led by nature photographer John Witschey and limited to 7 photographers.
This Safari has always sold out so make your reservations early!
We will meet at the Vienna Metro Station and the price includes transportation.
Fee:$195/person.
Next Safari: 05/17/2008
There is nothing more satisfying than taking and sharing good pictures of our children and grandchildren. This workshop looks at basic techniques of informal child portraiture in a colorful outdoor setting. Bring your own children as models, or photograph the other children who attend. Instruction will be given on posing, background selection, lighting, composition and exposure. Offered in that time just after naps and before dinner.
Meet at playground at Connecticut Avenue and Chesapeake NW, Washington DC.
Fee $54 per adult.
Photo: Jonathan Shimmons.
Next Safari: 05/18/2008
Fast on the heels of Canon’s popular 30D camera, the new 40D features live preview, 10.1 MP and a burst rate of 6.5 fps, improved sensor, a 3-inch screen and interchangeable focusing screens, this Safari will help new 40D users and current 30D users put their cameras through the paces of ISO settings, flash settings, variable white balance settings, file compression, aperture and shutter priorities, focus settings, custom settings, menu navigation tricks, exposure tricks, use of the histogram etc. menu shortcuts inside and outside of the new National Museum of the American Indian.
Special exhibits at the museum pose unique white balance challenges for the digital photographer, especially the mix of daylight and tungsten light. The eight-story high atrium is a great place to practice wide-angle photography, and the carvings and statues provide challenges for your telephoto lens. Digital camera specialist Melanie Otto provides hands-on training for these exciting pieces of equipment.
Meet at Museum entrance at 3rd St and Independence Ave SW.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 06/28/2008
Meet at northeast corner of 16th and Irving St NW, one block from Columbia Heights Metro (Green Line).
$74 per person. Safari fee includes transportation from place to place and a $10 donation to Foundry Methodist Church.
Next Safari: 07/12/2008
You pushed the button. You have the picture. Great! NOW what? With a film camera that was generally the end of the process, all you had to do was pick the prints up from the lab. Nowadays, with digital cameras, taking the picture is only the first step in a more technical process from capture through print.
On this new photo Safari, professional portrait and wedding photographer Robert Blanken will walk you through the digital workflow process. First, he will review the pros and cons of shooting in RAW vs JPEG or RAW/JPEG when you capture the image. Then he will look at options for downloading into your computer, photo processing software options such as Photoshop and Lightroom, digital picture file management, methods for backing up your files, software systems for calibrating the color accuracy of your monitor and printer, and finally the printing process itself.
Bob will help you evaluate the most efficient methods for improving your digital workflow, especially when you have a large number of images to process at one time.
Note: this is NOT a workshop on Photoshop itself, which is covered by many excellent courses given through community colleges, by Eliot Cohen (info@tidalwave.net) at the Smithsonian Resident Associates, and online.
Bob Blanken, instructor for several Washington Photo Safari courses in portrait and wedding photography, is past president of The Professional Photographers Society of Greater Washington and the Maryland Professional Photographers Association. His photographs and albums have won numerous awards. He is VP of Education for the Greater Washington, DC Chapter of International Special Events Society.
Meet at Bob Blanken Studio, 6604 Persimmon Tree Road, Bethesda MD 20817.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 05/24/2008
Going on a big trip with your new camera? Do this Safari before you go! You love your new camera BUT, out of fear of doing the wrong thing, you always keep it on a nice, safe "Auto" or "P" and let the camera do the thinking. Or, you put it on "M" because you see the pros doing that and STILL your pictures come out poorly exposed! You are depressed! You are intimidated by the letters "A","S","M", or "ASM", or "Av" and "Tv". As a result, you only use $100 worth of the $500 worth of features on your camera! Does this sound familiar? You are not alone. Help is now on the way from a professional architectural photographer who has made every F-stop mistake in the book, E. David Luria, director of the Washington Photo Safari! This special photo Safari will concentrate on understanding WHY you would want to choose "Shutter Priority" or "Aperture Priority" or the "Portrait" setting, or the "Landscape" setting or the "Sports" setting or even the "P" setting for your film or digital camera, whether it is an SLR or a simple point and shoot or "prosumer" digital/film camera. You will learn how YOU—not the camera—can control the final image.
Our venue for this safari is the FDR Memorial , with its statuary and waterfalls providing excellent opportunities to experiment with narrow and wide depth of field, slow and fast shutter priorities, and the effect of wide angle, normal, and telephoto lenses on depth of field.
Bring your camera, tripod, and ALL your lenses for this very helpful primer on the proper use of your camera.
Meet at Visitor Center/Bookstore of the FDR Memorial between Ohio Drive and Independence Ave SW.
Fee: $69 per person.
Next Safari: 10/19/2008
This Safari is timed for the peak fall colors in Shenandoah National Park. With elevations ranging from just 1,000 to nearly 4,000 feet, we're guaranteed to find great colors. We'll also have great opportunities for landscape and macro photography, and we'll be on the lookout through sunset for wildlife, including whitetail deer bucks sporting their fall antlers and -- if we're very lucky -- a black bear or two. This popular Safari is led by nature photographers Judy Reisman and John Witschey.
We will travel as a group from the Vienna Metro Station; price for this Safari includes transportation from the station.
Fee: $159 per person. Maximum 12.
Next Safari: 07/27/2008
WITHOUT using Photoshop, how do you erase all the moving cars and people from your street scene? How do you get the yellows and greens out of your indoor pictures? How do you make the blue sky bluer and the white clouds whiter? It can all be done inside your camera when you take the picture IF you know what you are doing with filters! But which filters do digital or film cameras really NEED?
This indoor/outdoor photo Safari, taught by architectural photographer E. David Luria, will teach film and digital SLR owners how, why, where and when to use neutral density, graduated and color correcting filters, such as the circular polarizer, the warming filter, tungsten and fluorescent filters for color photography, and yellow and red cloud-enhancing filters for black and white photography. We will also go inside the Renwick Gallery for interior photography without flash and review the built-in filtration systems of digital cameras known as "white balance" settings.
Meet at The Renwick Gallery at 17th and Pennsylvania Ave NW.
Fee: $79 per person.
Next Safari: 06/21/2008
Digital and film SLR owners with external flash units are invited to learn the tricks of flash illumination from digital photography specialist Melanie Otto.
This unusual and useful photo safari will cover such topics as: understanding sync speeds, varying the power of your flash for fill in portraits, when to diffuse your light, use of bounce and swivel modes for reflected flash, colored gels on flash, use of the various creative flash options offered in digital camera menus, and painting with light for long exposures on large, dark interiors. The venue for this new safari is the beautiful Franciscan Monastery in northeast DC, with its gardens, shaded colonnades, and extraordinary interiors. Tripods, external flash units and SLR cameras required.
Meet at street entrance to Franciscan Monastery, 14th & Quincy Streets NE.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 07/26/2008
Not everyone can afford high end camera equipment, but you can still produce beautiful and interesting shots, especially with tips from professional photographer Bob Blanken who will help budding food and product photographers try their hand at capturing the colors and textures of various dishes and items that you may wish to advertise for sale on EBay. The afternoon will start with a discussion on what makes a good picture and examples of such. Afterwards, you'll be let loose in front of various studio light setups and you'll begin to snap away as he gives you pointers on where to focus, offer suggestions as to what type of lighting and light boxes would bring out the texture of the food, how to use reflectors to improve the lighting. There will be a variety of food and backgrounds to work with as we design, prepare and shoot. You'll be amazed at the quality images you can achieve with the various impromptu setups. For those shooting with a Digital SLR or a 35mm camera, please bring all of your lenses. Everyone should bring a tripod and any products you wish to advertise for sale.
Bob Blanken is past president of The Professional Photographers Society of Greater Washington and the Maryland Professional Photographers Association. His photographs and albums have won numerous awards. He is VP of Education for the Greater Washington, DC Chapter of International Special Events Society.
Meet at Bob Blanken Studio at 6604 Persimmon Tree Rd, Bethesda MD.
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Laurie Sennott.
Next Safari: 05/19/2008
If you think Georgetown is pretty in the daytime, wait until you see it through your camera's viewfinder at night! On this Safari you will learn the techniques of nighttime photography without flash, using a tripod and long exposures and adjusting the white balance settings on your digital camera or using color correcting filters on your film camera. Our Safari begins at Washington Harbor with the rising of the full moon at 8:24 pm during twilight above the Kennedy Center, as seen from the banks of the Potomac River. We then walk through the streets of Georgetown, photographing the 18th century homes and storefronts, illuminated in the soft glow of old-fashioned street lamps, with long exposures giving us the red and white tracing lines of taillights and headlights from the passing cars. We also move along M Street and up Wisconsin Avenue to capture the vibrant life of this historic entertainment, dining, and shopping neighborhood.
Meet at western end (closest to Key Bridge) of Riverfront Pier of Washington Harbor complex at 31st and K ST NW.
Fee: $64 per person.
Next Safari: 07/05/2008
In this Safari, we capture the unique colonial-style architecture of the homes, restaurants and storefronts of Georgetown's streets, including views of the C & O Canal. Then, we go down to the waterfront and photograph the Post-modern complex of Washington Harbour, with its columns and fountains and beautiful views of the DC waterfront.
During our last hour we get into a boat that takes us up the Potomac River all the way past the Jefferson Memorial, allowing us to photograph the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and other monuments of the nation's capital in the afternoon sun.
Meet at old Stone House, 31st and M St NW.
Fee: $64 per person.
Next Safari: 06/28/2008
For the most advanced amateur who has completed the Intermediate Level course on indoor portrait photography, Washington Photo Safari now offers an advanced level workshop on the principles of good indoor portrait lighting and posing with professional studio lighting equipment and backdrops, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken at his studio in Bethesda, MD.
This advanced workshop includes such topics as:
• Mastering Multiple Lighting Setups
• Main, hair, background, accents and fills
• Softboxes vs pan reflectors
• Glamour Lighting
• Profile lighting
• Metering
• Posing
• Hands
• Clothing consultations
• Developing your style
Bob Blanken is past president of The Professional Photographers Society of Greater Washington and the Maryland Professional Photographers Association. His photographs and albums have won numerous awards. He is VP of Education for the Greater Washington, DC Chapter of International Special Events Society. Note: Attendance at Informal Indoor Portraiture Intermediate Level (or equivalent experience) is required for admission to this class.
Meet at Bob Blanken Studio, 6604 Persimmon Tree Road, Bethesda MD 20817.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 08/09/2008
For the most advanced amateur who has completed the Intermediate Level course on indoor portrait photography, Washington Photo Safari now offers an advanced level workshop on the principles of good indoor portrait lighting and posing with professional studio lighting equipment and backdrops, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken at his studio in Bethesda, MD.
This advanced workshop includes such topics as:
• Mastering Multiple Lighting Setups
• Main, hair, background, accents and fills
• Softboxes vs pan reflectors
• Glamour Lighting
• Profile lighting
• Metering
• Posing
• Hands
• Clothing consultations
• Developing your style
Bob Blanken is past president of The Professional Photographers Society of Greater Washington and the Maryland Professional Photographers Association. His photographs and albums have won numerous awards. He is VP of Education for the Greater Washington, DC Chapter of International Special Events Society. Note: Attendance at Informal Indoor Portraiture Intermediate Level (or equivalent experience) is required for admission to this class.
Meet at Bob Blanken Studio, 6604 Persimmon Tree Road, Bethesda MD 20817.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 07/12/2008
Think you’re pretty good at taking pictures of people but would like to be even better? Good! We have the perfect safari for you: an introduction to the principles of good indoor portrait lighting and posing WITHOUT expensive professional studio lighting equipment, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken at his studio in Bethesda, MD.
If you want to learn how to photograph your children indoors, or your friends and colleagues in their homes or offices, or if you want to become a part-time informal portrait photographer in your neighborhood, come join us for a half-day beginner-level session on how to:
1) pose children and adults indoors in natural window light:
2) use bounce and swivel flash units and reflectors to achieve fill lighting;
3) select a plain background in the home environment WITHOUT professional backdrops
4) determine correct exposure and lighting on the face;
5) achieve a pose or composition that best reflects the subject's personality or interest;
6) place more light on one side of the face (main) and less light on the other (fill)
7) use simple slave flash units, like the Wein, for balanced lighting;
8) select lenses for portrait work (for SLR's AND point and shoots) that blur the background.
(This Safari, or its equivalent in experience, is required for admission to the Informal Indoor Portraiture Intermediate Level Safari)
Bob Blanken is past president of The Professional Photographers Society of Greater Washington and the Maryland Professional Photographers Association. His photographs and albums have won numerous awards. He is VP of Education for the Greater Washington, DC Chapter of International Special Events Society.
Meet at Bob Blanken Studio, 6604 Persimmon Tree Road, Bethesda MD 20817.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 07/19/2008
Think you’re pretty good at taking pictures of people but would like to be even better? Good! We have the perfect safari for you: an introduction to the principles of good indoor portrait lighting and posing WITHOUT expensive professional studio lighting equipment, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken at his studio in Bethesda, MD.
If you want to learn how to photograph your children indoors, or your friends and colleagues in their homes or offices, or if you want to become a part-time informal portrait photographer in your neighborhood, come join us for a half-day beginner-level session on how to:
1) pose children and adults indoors in natural window light:
2) use bounce and swivel flash units and reflectors to achieve fill lighting;
3) select a plain background in the home environment WITHOUT professional backdrops
4) determine correct exposure and lighting on the face;
5) achieve a pose or composition that best reflects the subject's personality or interest;
6) place more light on one side of the face (main) and less light on the other (fill)
7) use simple slave flash units, like the Wein, for balanced lighting;
8) select lenses for portrait work (for SLR's AND point and shoots) that blur the background.
(This Safari, or its equivalent in experience, is required for admission to the Informal Indoor Portraiture Intermediate Level Safari)
Bob Blanken is past president of The Professional Photographers Society of Greater Washington and the Maryland Professional Photographers Association. His photographs and albums have won numerous awards. He is VP of Education for the Greater Washington, DC Chapter of International Special Events Society.
Meet at Bob Blanken Studio, 6604 Persimmon Tree Road, Bethesda MD 20817.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 06/14/2008
Think you’re pretty good at taking pictures of people but would like to be even better? Good! We have the perfect safari for you: an introduction to the principles of good indoor portrait lighting and posing WITHOUT expensive professional studio lighting equipment, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken at his studio in Bethesda, MD.
If you want to learn how to photograph your children indoors, or your friends and colleagues in their homes or offices, or if you want to become a part-time informal portrait photographer in your neighborhood, come join us for a half-day beginner-level session on how to:
1) pose children and adults indoors in natural window light:
2) use bounce and swivel flash units and reflectors to achieve fill lighting;
3) select a plain background in the home environment WITHOUT professional backdrops
4) determine correct exposure and lighting on the face;
5) achieve a pose or composition that best reflects the subject's personality or interest;
6) place more light on one side of the face (main) and less light on the other (fill)
7) use simple slave flash units, like the Wein, for balanced lighting;
8) select lenses for portrait work (for SLR's AND point and shoots) that blur the background.
(This Safari, or its equivalent in experience, is required for admission to the Informal Indoor Portraiture Intermediate Level Safari)
Bob Blanken is past president of The Professional Photographers Society of Greater Washington and the Maryland Professional Photographers Association. His photographs and albums have won numerous awards. He is VP of Education for the Greater Washington, DC Chapter of International Special Events Society.
Meet at Bob Blanken Studio, 6604 Persimmon Tree Road, Bethesda MD 20817.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 06/21/2008
For the more advanced amateur who wishes to do good portrait photography, Washington Photo Safari offers a workshop on the principles of good indoor portrait lighting and posing with professional studio lighting equipment and backdrops, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken at his studio in Bethesda, MD.
If you want to learn how to use strobe lighting and professional backdrops or set up a studio in your home to photograph your children, or your friends and colleagues in their homes or offices with a portable mini-studio, or if you want to become a part-time portrait photographer in your neighborhood, come join us for a half-day intermediate-level session on how to:
Meet at Bob Blanken Studio, 6604 Persimmon Tree Road, Bethesda MD 20817.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 05/17/2008
For the more advanced amateur who wishes to do good portrait photography, Washington Photo Safari offers a workshop on the principles of good indoor portrait lighting and posing with professional studio lighting equipment and backdrops, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken at his studio in Bethesda, MD.
If you want to learn how to use strobe lighting and professional backdrops or set up a studio in your home to photograph your children, or your friends and colleagues in their homes or offices with a portable mini-studio, or if you want to become a part-time portrait photographer in your neighborhood, come join us for a half-day intermediate-level session on how to:
Meet at Bob Blanken Studio, 6604 Persimmon Tree Road, Bethesda MD 20817.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 07/26/2008
For the more advanced amateur who wishes to do good portrait photography, Washington Photo Safari offers a workshop on the principles of good indoor portrait lighting and posing with professional studio lighting equipment and backdrops, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken at his studio in Bethesda, MD.
If you want to learn how to use strobe lighting and professional backdrops or set up a studio in your home to photograph your children, or your friends and colleagues in their homes or offices with a portable mini-studio, or if you want to become a part-time portrait photographer in your neighborhood, come join us for a half-day intermediate-level session on how to:
Meet at Bob Blanken Studio, 6604 Persimmon Tree Road, Bethesda MD 20817.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 05/25/2008
If you want to learn how to take professional-quality photographs of homes, apartments, hotel suites, restaurants and other public or private spaces, this special practicum is designed to teach you the basics of interior and architectural photography. It will cover such topics as how to:
- balance indoor and outdoor light when shooting towards windows;
- balance indoor and outdoor light when shooting from windows into the room;
- get the whole room in one photograph;
- how to distribute light evenly across the room and its furniture;
- achieve correct color filtration or white balance for indoor and outdoor shots;
- emphasize the particular architectural details of a structure;
- utilize trees and flowers to improve composition of outdoor shots;
- choose the correct time of day for shooting outdoor and indoor photos;
- prevent converging vertical lines in architectural photography;
- use auxiliary flashes and hand-held ambient light meters;
- photograph interior public spaces WITHOUT a tripod
Our Safari will take us to a beautiful home in Northern Virginia owned by Washington Photo Safari client Matthew DeZee. Mr. DeZee and his wife Barbara have graciously given us permission to photograph the outside and inside of their home for this workshop The session is taught by professional architectural photographer E. David Luria, founder and director of Washington Photo Safari. Mr. Luria's architectural photographs appear in over 100 publications and he has photographed several hundred apartments, residences and restaurants.
Suggested equipment includes SLR adjustable camera, wide angle lens in the 10mm to 18mm range, sturdy tripod, auxiliary flash with bounce and swivel capability, familiarization with white balance menu.
This Safari for intermediate and advanced clients only.
Meeting place TBA.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 06/21/2008
Many people have asked us to do a safari at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Here, finally, is a special Safari designed by popular photo instructor (and kid-at-heart) Melanie Otto for camera-loving kids 6-12, accompanied by their parents. After giving them basic camera instruction, Melanie will send the kids and their parents off around the Zoo to "bag" a particular list of critters, that covers several letters of the alphabet, such as "L" for leopard, "Z" for zebra, "E" for elephant, "C" for chimpanzee, and "P" for Panda, or letters which spell a word that Melanie gives out. The winning team gets a prize! Is this cute, or what? Any digital camera is acceptable.
Meet at entrance to Kids Zoo Section of National Zoo, near Beach Drive entrance.
Fee:$59/child (no charge for parents)
Next Safari: 07/13/2008
Feeling close-up? Frederick photographer Judy Reisman will lead you out of cabin fever by taking you to the Lilypons Aquatic gardens in Frederick County, MD, only an hour or so from the DC area. There you will find a plethora of exotic lilies and other aquatic life to shoot. In addition to the flowers, there are landscaped aquatic ponds and many varieties of common and rare koi. This site is also a favorite for birdwatchers, as many winged creatures stop by to visit this water world.
This Safari will also cover macro and close-up photography. Judy will show you how to use close-up filters and extension tubes that can convert any lens into a macro lens. She will also demonstrate using bellows and a rail focuser for macro. Light modifiers such as reflectors and fill-in flash will also be demonstrated. You will be able to see a Lensbaby in action, and if your camera has a Nikon mount, try using one on your camera. If not, you can borrow the instructor’s camera and take a few Lensbaby shots, which will then be mailed to you. Additionally, Judy will show you how to use your own backdrops to enhance your photos and how to create "Monet"-like floral images in the field.
Photo credit: Judy Reisman.
Meet at entrance to LilyPons, taking exit 26 from I-270, west on Route 80, left on Park Mills Rd, right on Lily Pons Road.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 07/26/2008
The United States Marines have done it again! These "Semper Fi" people really know how to celebrate their history! First they endowed the country in 1954 with the magnificent 76-foot tall Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, VA., celebrating their victories in World War II. Now, they have built a SPECTACULAR $120 million facility in nearby Quantico that tells the history of the Marine Corps from 1775 to the present, with separate galleries devoted to such major conflicts as World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and Korea.
Each gallery is a treasure-trove of great photo opportunities and TRIPODS ARE ALLOWED! You will need a tripod and GLOVES inside the super-cool dark wintry gallery devoted to the Korean War, with shells bursting around you in the freezing cold.
You can get your camera right into the faces of life-size Marines in full combat. Architectural photographer E. David Luria will teach you how to get strong action shots inside this museum, using the white balance functions of your camera. We highly recommend using a 50mm F1.4 or F1.8 lens if you have one. (If you do NOT come away with great pictures, you WILL do 50 pushups!)
Join our carpools from DC to meet at Museum entrance off of Quantico exit on I-95.
Fee: $54. Presently serving and former US Marines get 20% discount by calling 202-537-0937.
Next Safari: 05/10/2008
Learn how to take great pictures BEFORE you go on that expensive trip! Join our standard "Monuments and Memorials" workshop, offered every Wednesday and Saturday, in which Paris-trained architectural photographer E. David Luria takes you to the most popular monuments and historic buildings in Washington: the White House, Lafayette Park, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the Albert Einstein, Lincoln, Korea, Vietnam, and Vietnam Women's Memorials, and to Union Station. While you are taking the pictures, Mr. Luria gives you hands-on tips in basic architectural photography, outdoor portraiture, and interior photography without flash or tripod.
Meet at Renwick Gallery, 17th and Pennsylvania Ave NW. Advance reservations required. Safari groups are generally 3-6 people only. Suggested as preliminary course before taking special safaris. Open to any photographer at any skill level with any camera, film or digital. No tripod needed on the morning itinerary.
Fee: $74/person half-day, includes transportation and materials.
Register for Half-Day on a Saturday
Next Safari: 05/14/2008
Learn how to take great pictures BEFORE you go on that expensive trip! Join our standard "Monuments and Memorials" workshop, offered every Wednesday and Saturday, in which Paris-trained architectural photographer E. David Luria takes you to the most popular monuments and historic buildings in Washington: the White House, Lafayette Park, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the Albert Einstein, Lincoln, Korea, Vietnam, and Vietnam Women's Memorials, and to Union Station. While you are taking the pictures, Mr. Luria gives you hands-on tips in basic architectural photography, outdoor portraiture, and interior photography without flash or tripod.
Meet at Renwick Gallery, 17th and Pennsylvania Ave NW. Advance reservations required. Safari groups are generally 3-6 people only. Suggested as preliminary course before taking special safaris. Open to any photographer at any skill level with any camera, film or digital. No tripod needed on the morning itinerary.
Fee: $74/person half-day, includes transportation and materials.
The full day version ($129/person) includes the morning session described above and, after lunch in Union Station, goes on to the colorful Adams Morgan entertainment/restaurant district for training in "right-brained" abstract photography, then to the magnificent Washington National Cathedral where we teach you how (and how not) to photograph church interiors and the most beautiful stained glass windows you will ever see in any church.
Our afternoon session ends at the famous 76-foot tall Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington, where you can duplicate the famous photograph taken by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal on Mt. Suribachi in 1945 and capture in your camera each of the six soldiers depicted in Clint Eastwood's recent movie, Flag of our Fathers, against a backdrop of the Washington Monument and the US Capitol across the Potomac River.
The Safari ends at 5:15 pm and we drop you off at the Rosslyn Metro Station on the Blue/Orange Lines.
Clients also have the option of taking the Afternoon Half-Day session only described above, beginning at 2:00 pm at the Old Town Trolley Desk at Union Station, and ending at 5:15 pm at Iwo Jima, with a drop-off at Rosslyn Metro. The cost of the afternoon-only half-day Safari is $74.
Register for Half-Day or Full Day on a Wednesday
Next Safari: 07/04/2008
Monuments at Night is cancelled for this date only!
Next Safari: 05/31/2008
The new Nikon D200, with its 10-megapixel sensor, its 2.5 inch viewfinder, high-peed shooting and wireless transmission capability has become a very popular item among serious digital photographers. This safari will help D-200 users put their cameras through the paces of ISO settings, flash settings, variable white balance settings, file compression, aperture and shutter priorities, focus settings, custom settings, menu navigation tricks, exposure tricks, use of the histogram etc. menu shortcuts inside and outside of the new National Museum of the American Indian,. Special exhibits at the museum pose unique challenges for the digital photographer, especially the mix of daylight and tungsten light. The eight-story high atrium is a great place to practice wide-angle photography, and the carvings and statues provide challenges for your telephoto lens. Digital camera specialist Melanie Otto provides hands-on training for this exciting new piece of equipment.
Meet at Museum entrance at 3rd St and Independence Ave SW.
Fee:$89 per person.
Next Safari: 06/22/2008
Attractive and affordable alternatives to the higher priced digital SLR’s, the compact, economically priced Nikon D40 with its 2.5 inch LCD screen and 6.2 megapixels resolution, the updated 8 megapixel Nikon D40x, and its older brother the D-50, have become very popular full-featured entry-level digital SLR cameras.
This Safari will help D-40, D40x, and D-50 users put their cameras through the paces of ISO settings, flash settings, white balance settings and sub-settings, file compression, aperture and shutter priorities, focus settings, custom settings, menu navigation tricks, exposure tricks, use of the histogram etc. menu shortcuts inside and outside of the new National Museum of the American Indian. Special exhibits at the museum pose unique challenges for the digital photographer, especially the mix of daylight and tungsten light. The eight-story high atrium is a great place to practice wide-angle photography, and the carvings and statues provide challenges for your telephoto lens. Digital camera specialist Melanie Otto provides hands-on training for these exciting new pieces of equipment.
Meet at Museum entrance at 3rd St and Independence Ave SW.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 06/29/2008
An attractive and affordable alternative to the higher priced Nikon D-200 SLR, the new Nikon D80 with its 2.5 inch LCD screen and 10.1 megapixels resolution has become a very popular full-featured pro-level digital SLR camera. This safari will help D-80 users put their cameras through the paces of ISO settings, flash settings, white balance settings, file compression, aperture and shutter priorities, focus settings, custom settings, menu navigation tricks, exposure tricks, use of the histogram etc. menu shortcuts inside and outside of the new National Museum of the American Indian,. Special exhibits at the museum pose unique challenges for the digital photographer, especially the mix of daylight and tungsten light. The eight-story high atrium is a great place to practice wide-angle photography, and the carvings and statues provide challenges for your telephoto lens. Digital camera specialist Melanie Otto provides hands-on training for this exciting piece of equipment.
Meet at Museum entrance at 3rd St and Independence Ave SW.
Fee: $89.00 per person
Next Safari: 07/05/2008
Getting a natural, relaxed image in posed pictures of friends and family is art, not science. It takes a number of ingredients, particularly mastering the science portion of photography so you, the photographer, can be natural and relaxed. This photo safari, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken, will use the wonderful settings available at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton MD for an instructional beginner-level workshop that will have you:
Meet at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD, 20902. (map)
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Bob Blanken
Next Safari: 05/10/2008
Getting a natural, relaxed image in posed pictures of friends and family is art, not science. It takes a number of ingredients, particularly mastering the science portion of photography so you, the photographer, can be natural and relaxed. This photo safari, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken, will use the wonderful settings available at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton MD for an instructional beginner-level workshop that will have you:
Bob Blanken Studios
6604 Persimmon Tree Road
Bethesda, MD 20817
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Bob Blanken
Next Safari: 06/07/2008
Getting a natural, relaxed image in posed pictures of friends and family is art, not science. It takes a number of ingredients, particularly mastering the science portion of photography so you, the photographer, can be natural and relaxed. This photo safari, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken, will use the wonderful settings available at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton MD for an instructional beginner-level workshop that will have you:
Meet at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD, 20902. (map)
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Bob Blanken
Next Safari: 09/06/2008
Getting a natural, relaxed image in posed pictures of friends and family is art, not science. It takes a number of ingredients, particularly mastering the science portion of photography so you, the photographer, can be natural and relaxed. This photo safari, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken, will use the wonderful settings available at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton MD for an instructional beginner-level workshop that will have you:
Meet at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD, 20902. (map)
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Bob Blanken
Next Safari: 08/02/2008
Getting a natural, relaxed image in posed pictures of friends and family is art, not science. It takes a number of ingredients, particularly mastering the science portion of photography so you, the photographer, can be natural and relaxed. This photo safari, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken, will use the wonderful settings available at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton MD for an instructional beginner-level workshop that will have you:
Meet at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD, 20902. (map)
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Bob Blanken
Next Safari: 09/14/2008
Getting a natural, relaxed image in posed pictures of friends and family is art, not science. It takes a number of ingredients, particularly mastering the science portion of photography so you, the photographer, can be natural and relaxed. This photo safari, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken, will use the wonderful settings available at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton MD for an instructional beginner-level workshop that will have you:
Meet at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD, 20902. (map)
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Bob Blanken
Next Safari: 07/06/2008
If you already have experience in portrait photography and are ready to move up to the next level, this safari will give you some advanced techniques in lighting and posing your subjects. Special emphasis will be on mastering the science portion of photography so you, the photographer, can be natural and relaxed. This photo Safari, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken, will use the wonderful settings available at Brookside Gardens, MD for an instructional intermediate-level workshop that will have you:
(Beginners level course a pre-requisite for this program.)
Meet at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD, 20902. (map)
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Bob Blanken
Next Safari: 05/24/2008
If you already have experience in portrait photography and are ready to move up to the next level, this safari will give you some advanced techniques in lighting and posing your subjects. Special emphasis will be on mastering the science portion of photography so you, the photographer, can be natural and relaxed. This photo Safari, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken, will use the wonderful settings available at Brookside Gardens, MD for an instructional intermediate-level workshop that will have you:
(Beginners level course a pre-requisite for this program.)
Meet at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD, 20902. (map)
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Bob Blanken
Next Safari: 08/16/2008
If you already have experience in portrait photography and are ready to move up to the next level, this safari will give you some advanced techniques in lighting and posing your subjects. Special emphasis will be on mastering the science portion of photography so you, the photographer, can be natural and relaxed. This photo Safari, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken, will use the wonderful settings available at Brookside Gardens, MD for an instructional intermediate-level workshop that will have you:
(Beginners level course a pre-requisite for this program.)
Meet at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD, 20902. (map)
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Bob Blanken
Next Safari: 09/20/2008
If you already have experience in portrait photography and are ready to move up to the next level, this safari will give you some advanced techniques in lighting and posing your subjects. Special emphasis will be on mastering the science portion of photography so you, the photographer, can be natural and relaxed. This photo Safari, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken, will use the wonderful settings available at Brookside Gardens, MD for an instructional intermediate-level workshop that will have you:
(Beginners level course a pre-requisite for this program.)
Meet at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD, 20902. (map)
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Bob Blanken
Next Safari: 06/15/2008
If you already have experience in portrait photography and are ready to move up to the next level, this safari will give you some advanced techniques in lighting and posing your subjects. Special emphasis will be on mastering the science portion of photography so you, the photographer, can be natural and relaxed. This photo Safari, taught by professional portrait photographer Bob Blanken, will use the wonderful settings available at Brookside Gardens, MD for an instructional intermediate-level workshop that will have you:
(Beginners level course a pre-requisite for this program.)
Meet at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton MD, 20902. (map)
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Bob Blanken
Next Safari: 05/17/2008
If there is one neighborhood in town that has experienced the most dramatic change over the past 15 years, it has to be Penn Quarter/Chinatown, the dynamic new place to go in the evening AND in the daytime! Anchored by the ever-popular Verizon Center sports venue, Penn Quarter now boasts an extraordinary feast for the photographer�s eye. So our photo Safari, led by architectural photographer E. David Luria, begins at the newly renovated National Portrait Gallery/Museum of American Art, then focuses on such architectural beauties as the nearby Monaco Hotel, the International Spy Museum, the famous Chinese gate in Chinatown (a gift from the people of Bejiing to their sister city of Washington DC), the block of unique Chinese stores and restaurants. We then move on to photograph the exciting new glass-sheathed Sidney Harmann Theatre, the Shakespeare Theatre, and the famous Lansburgh Apartment building (formerly Lansburgh Dept. Store). We end our Safari at the beautiful Navy Memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue, with its intricately carved inlay bas-reliefs of famous moments in US Navy history.
Meet in front of National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F St NW. Nearest Metro is Gallery Place, Verizon Center exit.
Fee: $54 per person.
Next Safari: 07/19/2008
Photography is a profession that can NOT be easily outsourced to other countries. Why? Because you have to be HERE to take the picture!
With careful planning while you keep your day job, you CAN turn your hobby and your love of photography into a lucrative profession. Many people facing retirement, reduced pensions or job layoffs have successfully become full-time or part-time photographers, earning significant income with their photo skills. This popular Washington Photo Safari workshop, taught by a person who’s been there, will explore ways to make a successful transition into photography as a profession. It will look at such options as shooting for stock, events, weddings, child portraits, sports, architecture, real estate, restaurants, food, pets, sailboats, landscapes, and lawyers. Participants will also be encouraged to explore areas of photography with which they are NOT familiar as possible options for career work.
The workshop will discuss such topics as: how do you get educated in photography? Once you get to be a GOOD photographer, how can you market your skills? How do clients find out about you? How do you build a business that supports yourself and your family in the style to which you have become accustomed? What kind of investment do you need in equipment? How do you set prices for your work? Where can you go for further training in photography while holding down your day job? How do you get published? How do you build a photo portfolio? How do you build a resume in a whole new career of photography, where nobody knows your name? Who are the potential clients in your own neighborhood and community? Which areas of photography have the greatest income potential?
The workshop will be taught by Washington Photo Safari founder and director E. David Luria, a professional architectural photographer who took up his hobby and made it his profession after being laid off from his job as a non-profit organization executive in Washington DC. Mr. Luria, a Paris-trained member of the American Society of Media Photographers, has had his images appear in 100 publications and on 30 magazine covers. His Washington Photo Safaris have trained several thousand people in the techniques of travel, digital, pet, nature and landscape photography.
Meet at the Party Room of Brandywine Apts., 4545 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington DC 20008.
Fee: $84 per person.
Next Safari: 05/18/2008
It is time once again for Washington Photo Safari's free semi-annual Pot Luck and Photo Critique session! One of the highlights of the DC social season, THIS is your opportunity to get a professional photographer's opinion of your work! We are committed to telling the truth, nicely. (Can you HANDLE the truth?) Bring 6-10 examples of your photos, good or bad, and one of our instructors will review them with you and make suggestions for improvement. They can be in print form, or as digital images on your own laptop's screen.
There is no charge for this service, but we DO ask you to bring some food for our Pot Luck. It can be something simple and thrown together like the dish in the attached photo (just KIDDING!), or a bag of chips, or a salad, or dessert, or a pasta, or a nice easy-to-prepare Duck Under Glass or Escargots A la Provencale, or maybe just a PICTURE of a delicious dish. (At our last Pot Luck, one of our clients - a confectioner - brought chocolate truffles! Can you top THAT?) But we promise that we will ONLY critique your photos, not your food!
This fabulous event takes place 3-6 pm in the vast international corporate complex of the Washington Photo Safari, at the Brandywine Apartments, 4545 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC, in the Party Room.
This is just two long blocks north of the Van Ness/UDC Metro stop on the Red Line, or one mile south of Chevy Chase Circle at Connecticut Avenue and Brandywine Street NW. There is plenty of on-street parking available at that time of day.
Fee: no charge.
If you can come, please RSVP to edavidluria@juno.com We look forward to seeing you AND your images!
Next Safari: 08/23/2008
Washington Photo Safari is pleased to offer for the first time a comprehensive, locally-taught course in professional wedding photography, taught by Bob Blanken, one of the premier wedding photographers in the DC area.
Weddings offer one of the most lucrative fields in photography, but if you plan to shoot weddings, you MUST know what you are doing! As once-in-a lifetime events, weddings are NOT a field in which the casual amateur should dare to tread without proper training! Limited to 12 students who are serious about getting into wedding photography as a career or part-time avocation, this course has three parts:
Part I of this three-part course will therefore first provide a half-day introduction to all the planning that must be done BEFORE the first picture is even taken, a review of minimum equipment needs, scheduling of the wedding, meeting with the family, shotlist negotiation with the families, and location scouting.
First Session: August 23, 2008, 9am - noon.
Part II provides another half-day training in how to pose brides and their family groups, practice in the use of strobes and ambient lighting at Bob Blanken’s professional studio, shots at a staged wedding rehearsal, what kinds of shots should be taken at the wedding itself and at the reception, the use of photography assistants, and proper lighting. Good posing techniques will also be discussed in this section, and it will also review suggested wedding photography contract provisions.
Second session: September 13, 2008, 9am - 1pm.
Finally, Part III of the course, lasting a full day, takes participants to a wedding and to a reception facility for on-location shooting practice with bride-and-groom stand-ins on how to photograph a wedding from church entry and procession, the ceremony, the reception, to the final departure of the wedding couple. Back in Bob Blanken’s studio, it also covers work flow, placement and delivery of wedding albums to the clients, and billing arrangements
Third session: September 27, 2008, 9am - 5pm.
Bob Blanken, who has shot several hundred weddings during his career, is a member of the Professional Photographers of America and its local affiliates. He is also a regular instructor in indoor and outdoor portraiture for the Washington Photo Safari and a member of the International Special Events Society (ISES) and the Meeting Professionals International (MPI). Bob has been certified as a Professional Photographer by the Professional Photographers of America and has received their esteemed Craftsman degree. His photographs and albums have won numerous awards including 17 nominations as Best Photographer of the Year and was the 2006 ISES Capital Award Winner for Best Social Photographer. Today, his company provides full photography services including onsite printing for special events.
The initial meeting place for Part I is at the studios of Bob Blanken at 6604 Persimmon Tree Road, Bethesda MD 20817.
The cost of the entire 15-hour course is $1,295, payable to Washington Photo Safari. Limited to 12 students.
Photo: Bob Blanken.
Next Safari: 06/01/2008
Woof! Meow! Want to learn how to take better pictures of your pet or other animals? Professional pet photographer Judy Reisman will show you how. We will be working with domesticated animals on this safari, but the techniques will be applicable to critters at the zoo and in the wild. Judy will also share her secrets of animal psychology in getting animals to cooperate and give you the special �look� that makes you say �Awwwww!� Posing will also be covered, using animals alone and with people, and you will learn how to use natural light, reflectors and your flash for pet portraiture. We provide the pet models.
Photo: Judy Reisman
Meet a Reisman Studios in Adamstown MD, near Frederick, MD.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 11/16/2008
Woof! Meow! Want to learn how to take better pictures of your pet or other animals? Professional pet photographer Judy Reisman will show you how. We will be working with domesticated animals on this safari, but the techniques will be applicable to critters at the zoo and in the wild. Judy will also share her secrets of animal psychology in getting animals to cooperate and give you the special �look� that makes you say �Awwwww!� Posing will also be covered, using animals alone and with people, and you will learn how to use natural light, reflectors and your flash for pet portraiture. We provide the pet models.
Photo: Judy Reisman
Meet a Reisman Studios in Adamstown MD, near Frederick, MD.
Fee: $89 per person.
Next Safari: 06/21/2008
Now THIS sounds like fun! We travel by Segway down Pennsylvania Avenue, the Avenue of the Presidents linking the White House with the Capitol, giving us excellent opportunities to practice architectural photography AND to have cool WHEELS as we go under the guidance of architectural photographer E. David Luria. We begin with the White House itself, then we photograph the magnificent Willard Hotel, Pershing Park, the City Hall, the Ronald Reagan International Trade Building, the Old Post Office, the Navy Memorial, and the Canadian Embassy, ending finally with the East Building of the National Gallery of Art and the long view of the US Capitol at the end of the avenue.
Meet at Capital Segway Tours base area at 1350 I St NW, Washington DC.
Fee: $119/person. Includes Segway training, photo instruction and Segway rental. Register EARLY for this one!
Next Safari: 06/15/2008
Join us in one of the most celebrated national parks east of the Mississippi. Shenandoah National Park at this early summer time of year is loaded with photographic opportunities, including whitetail deer mothers and fawns, abundant wildflowers, macro opportunities, scenic vistas, ancient rock outcroppings, and much more. This popular Safari is led by Judy Reisman and John Witschey.
We will travel as a group from the Vienna Metro Station; price for this Safari includes transportation from the station. Meet at exit of Vienna Metro station.
Fee: $159 per person.
Next Safari: 06/07/2008
As you shake his hand, President Thomas Jefferson looks deeply into your eyes, and he gazes intently at you as if to ask: "Sir! Have you actually READ the Constitution?"
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how do you get those 1,000 words into the picture? This special Safari will help you find those people-oriented angles on photos that tell a story at a glance, with each photo taken from a different point of view. Our venue for this Safari is the VERY cool Mme. Tussaud's Wax Museum, the newest addition to the Washington DC museum scene, where Thomas Jefferson is joined by life-size look-alikes of Presidents Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Reagan, Johnson, Nixon, Clinton and Bush. Presenting a perfect marriage of Washington and Hollywood, the Museum also displays a HOST of movie stars, sports figures, and musicians, along with Winston Churchill and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You will be able to photograph Julia Roberts, Tiger Woods, Mohammed Ali, Rosa Parks, Brad Pitts, Angelina Jolie, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Duke Ellington, George Clooney Babe Ruth, and many others. The likenesses are impeccable AND you are allowed to touch them, pose with them, and photograph them from any angle like a paparazzi-wannabee!
Architectural photographer and Washington Photo Safari director E. David Luria, who specializes in museum photography, will guide you in the use of proper white balance, exposure, depth of field experimentation, lens usage, ISO settings, low-light shooting without tripod, lighting, posing and composition so that your pictures tell an exciting story. A costumed model attending the event will also assist in helping your pictures tell a unique and different story at each display.
Meet inside front entrance to Museum at 1025 F St NW, closest METRO is Metro Center.
Fee: $74 price includes admission to Museum, photography instruction and orientation materials.
Min. of 15 persons required for this Safari. Non-photographer accompanying spouses/friends welcome @ $18/person, payable by check to Washington Photo Safari. This Safari makes a GREAT holiday gift,and gift certificates are available at "Half Day $74" price level.
Minimum of 15 persons required for this Safari. Non-photographer accompanying spouses/friends welcome at $18/person, payable by check to Washington Photo Safari.
This Safari makes a GREAT holiday gift, and gift certificates are available at "Half Day $74" price level.
Next Safari: 10/26/2008
Get up close and personal with our fine feathered friends. No big glass required for this opportunity to shoot avian wildlife. For this Safari with instructor Judy Reisman we will meet in Frederick County’s Cunningham Falls Park where rangers from the Md. Department of Natural Resources will place birds of prey (about 8 different species) on tree limbs and logs for you to shoot. We can expect to have a bald headed eagle, vulture, barn owl, screech owl, kestrel, as well as others. Before the shoot, Judy will provide tips on bird photography, show ways of avoiding distracting backgrounds and explain using fill flash to best advantage.
Meet at Cunningham Falls Park entrance.
Fee: $89 per person.
Photo: Judy Reisman.
Next Safari: 11/01/2008
One of the most beautiful hidden treasures of Washington DC is the Kreeger Museum, located above Georgetown on Foxhall Road NW. Designed by famed architect Philip Johnson, the Kreeger houses the extraordinary art collection of the late GEICO Chairman David Lloyd Kreeger and his wife, Carmen.
This priceless collection contains paintings by Picasso, Modigliani, Bonnard, Braque, Gaugin, Van Gogh, Klee, Monet, Pissaro and many others, plus sculpture by Rodin, Brancusi, Calder, and Henry Moore. On this photo Safari, led by E. David Luria, architectural photographer and director of the popular Washington Photo Safari, you will be given an exclusive opportunity to learn how to photograph these works of art, a privilege not given to regular Museum visitors.
Emphasis will be on photographic composition, exposure, and white balance settings for accurate color rendition without the use of flash or tripod. Then the Safari moves outdoors to photograph the sculpture on the outdoor patios against a backdrop of magnificent fall colors. Register early for this unique opportunity to have your camera bring the treasures of the Kreeger into your own home.
Meet at entrance to the Kreeger Museum at 2401 Foxhall Road NW, Washington DC.
Fee: $64/person, includes a $10 donation to the Kreeger.
Next Safari: 05/09/2008
Our newest workshop in travel photography, now offered every Friday morning, takes you to some of the most popular monuments and historic buildings along the 17th Street corridor near the White House in Washington DC.
Our itinerary includes beautiful Lafayette Park, the White House itself, the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the Corcoran Gallery, the American Red Cross building with its poignant statuary, the Organization of American States building, the majestic World War II Memorial with its fountains on the National Mall, and a session inside the magnificent Renwick Gallery (a Smithsonian museum of American crafts),with professional photographer E. David Luria providing tips on architectural photography, outdoor portraiture,and interior museum photography without flash or tripod.
Advance reservations required. Suggested as preliminary course before taking special Safaris. Suggested Metro stops: Farragut North (Red Line), Farragut West (Blue/Orange Lines)
Meet at Renwick Gallery, 1699 Pennsylvania Ave NW, northeast corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Ave NW. Advance reservations required. Suggested as preliminary course before taking special safaris. Suggested Metro stops: Farragut North (Red Line), Farragut West (Blue/Orange Lines)
Fee: $69/person half-day, includes 40-minute orientation on travel photography techniques, and materials.
Next Safari: 06/14/2008
One of the most beautiful churches in Washington, Washington National Cathedral offers great opportunities for exterior and interior architectural photography. Our safari begins with an orientation by architectural photographer E. David Luria and by Cathedral docent and acclaimed photographer Andy Bittner. We are then led by Mr. Bittner to locations inside the Cathedral not open to the public, and we teach you how (and how not) to photograph stained glass windows and church interiors without flash. We then move outdoors to catch exterior views of the Cathedral in a wintertime setting.
Meet at street entrance Cathedral, Wisconsin Ave NW.
Fee: $64 per person. Fee includes $10 donation to Friends of the National Cathedral.
Next Safari: 05/30/2008
Madison County Iowa has nothing on Columbia County PA., home to dozens of covered bridges in the beautiful setting of the Pennsylvania mountains. Ricketts Glenn State Park is alive with mountain streams that fall over one waterfall after another, with over 50 waterfalls in the park.
Come spend two days in central Pennsylvania with professional photographer Sean Quintilian as each day we set out to capture images for your office wall, photographing waterfalls in Ricketts Glen State Park and the covered bridges of Columbia County. We will be working from the town of Bloomsburg. There are over 25 covered bridges within a 20 mile radius of Bloomsburg.
Access to the waterfalls will require some moderate hiking. A sturdy tripod will be a must for this trip as well as a cable/remote shutter release. Lens in the wide angle to short telephoto range will be most useful, as well as a circular polarizer.
Our overnight accommodations will be at the delightful Inn at Turkey Hill, featuring exceptional rooms, a hearty breakfast each morning and home to an outstanding four star restaurant, dinner reservations for Saturday can be made a check-in on Friday night.
Wildlife photographer Sean Quintilian has traveled over much of North America in search of outstanding wildlife and nature photographs. His body of work includes images from 14 U.S. National Parks and dozens of National Wildlife Refuges, with over 100 species of mammals, birds, and reptiles recorded. Sean has spent over 600 days on location over the past 17 years including 20 weeks in Yellowstone National Park alone and he has led two of our safaris to Yellowstone. His work has appeared in publications, exhibits and a CD jacket, and his fine art prints have graced the walls of many offices and homes.
Offered 7 pm May 30 to 4 pm on June 1 2008.
Meet at Inn of Turkey Hill 991 Central Rd, Bloomsburg, PA 17815.
Fee: $295/person for Safari instruction paid to Washington Photo Safari, plus $135/person for two nights lodging and breakfast, double occupancy, (single supplement $135) paid to Sean Quintilian. Carpooling to Bloomsburg can be arranged by contacting Sean Quintilian at sqphotography@yahoo.com.
Photo: Pennsylvania Dept. of Parks.
Next Safari: 05/09/2008
This Safari is CANCELLED for February 8 only.