Expectations exceeded.
This was only my second workshop, and it far exceeded my expectations.
Jennifer and David know Death Valley, and were able to make changes to our itinerary when weather impacted our plans. But our experience suffered not at all. Every location was fantastic, and in a few short days it became very clear why this park is much loved. From exploring mud to rocks to sand, every location provided photographic opportunities that were greater than time allowed. There's so much to see! I am already thinking about how to make a return trip happen.
While out in the field, Jennifer and David constantly moved amongst the attendees, with both offering ideas, insights, and encouragement, as well as answering questions. Our attention was directed to things that we might not have noticed on our own; the emphasis was on seeing things differently. Home now, and working through my many new images, I'm very happy with what I captured. And disappointed that I didn't have more time.
The schedule was packed: we were up early, and took advantage of dawn, daylight, and dusk to explore and shoot. It was rather nice doing this in December, where we could get some sleep at night; there was little downtime during the day, and we made great use of the light.
The other attendees were all enthusiastic and friendly; the energy of our group was contagious. Some had been to DV before (multiple times!), and some were new. All enjoyed what our leaders planned; there was no boredom. I, personally, had many fantastic conversations.
In addition to a wonderful itinerary and group, we were introduced to David's new toolkit Rethink. As a long-time Lightroom user, I was blown away by the methodology that Rethink allows, and am currently working hard to retrain myself to use a new approach to my images, in order to expand the scope of my work. Rethink is a breath of fresh air, and affords an approach to post that I've never seen anywhere else.
This workshop, and this new tool, will have a lasting impact upon my work, as well as the way I perceive photographic opportunities. And that's what you want from a workshop, right? Lasting change.
Finally, I've fallen in love with DV, and I'm not sure that would have happened were it not for this experience. I get it, and I'm very, very glad. Five stars, would recommend.
