You have questions, here are some answers!

After we announced the 2014 Season yesterday afternoon, the emails and calls came flying in, and since I figure one person asked, a few others may have wondered!  So here are the most frequently asked questions and answers.

What is the cost of lodging at the, (fill in the blank) event?

We try to make sure that all our lodging is clean comfortable and reasonable in price.  We attempt to never let the lodging exceed $125. per night, we often are able to get rooms  below that.  Deluxe accommodations are often available at a higher rate if the attendee wishes to opt for them.

What happens during classroom time?

Actually several things.  We give our students time after morning and evening shoots to download and work on a few images.   We do extensive critiques session where our students learn how to make their images even better.  Jim and I and any guest leaders teach lessons  on appropriate photographic topics.  We also have informative question and answer sessions.

I noticed that you are doing fewer National Parks, any reason for that?

Yes, many other workshop companies specialize in Nature and Outdoor and cover most of the parks.  Our customer base seems to enjoy the Americana locations and they can be more cost effective for the attendee as lodging is generally much more reasonable.  In addition to that the National Park Service  has gotten more and more restrictive with their permit process, in some cases only allowing permits for a few as 10 people including leaders,that makes it very difficult to stay within the law and still offer those workshops in those parks.

I’m a new reader to your blog and some of these look great, what makes His Light Workshops different from the dozens of others out there?

Jim and I conduct our workshops with a focus on sharing God’s love with all who join us. We enjoy great fellowship, and really grow spiritually.  Just saying that would probably run off some folks, but others realize we may be just the right place for them.  Jim is one of America’s very best HDR artists, and is an excellent one on one teacher.  He is also an incredible shooter.  I’ve got 25 years experience running workshops and tours in the National Parks, Africa, the Galapagos Islands, and through out the rest of the world.  We really know our locations and can make your time count.  Now many others can say the same, but very few add the spiritual content!  We have an overwhelming satisfaction rating from our previous attendees, who are now friends!

What software will I need on my computer?

Some post processing program like Lightroom, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Aperture, or Capture NX2, your choice.  We talk about HDR and we use both Photomatix and Nik Silver Efex Pro. We also love and use the other NIK programs and The Topaz, and On One suites, but you might see how we use them to decide which ones will work best for you.  When you attend one of our workshops you will learn a lot of new and exciting ways to work on your images and these are the programs we use.

How much special equipment is required to do the Close-uo class in the Smokies?

While there are many ways to make great close-up images the best and most convenient ways would be to utilize a micro or macro lens (depends on who makes as to what they call it)  a 100mm or 200mm work best.  a moderate telephoto lens with automatic extension tubes can also work, or a good quality longer lens with a 2 element diopter works too.  The 100mm Micro/Macro lens is the easiest way  to work in the field.

You said you’ve made many changes fro this year, could you elaborate?

Happy to:

*  More one on one time in the classroom working on image processing with our attendees.

*  More one on one time in the field reviewing what the attendees are shooting and sharing our set-ups.

*  Full portfolio reviews with each and every student.  These will be conducted one on one with a 20 print selection or 20 images on the attendee’s iPad.

*  Starting with he rest of this years events we will set more time aside to fellowship both in the field and in the classroom, at meals and designated social times.

Hope that helps!  More questions?  Keep them coming!   May God get the Glory to all we do!

Blessings,

the pilgrim

Photo Note:  D700, 24-70  of the Augusta National Golf Course.