Hello everyone!

I've created this forum to provide quick, easy group discussion, Q&A and announcements about the upcoming Nikonians Academy Yosemite-Spring Workshop, May 14-17, 2009.

Please make sure you subscribe to this forum. This is where announcements about planning details will be made as well as the place for all attendees to post group questions for myself or others in the workshop.

Michael

A reminder about some things to pack: make sure you have a good sturdy pair of hiking shoes or boots. No flip-flops or sneakers! Also, as stated in the original workshop description, please make sure your bring either a flashlight or headlamp and at least one Nalgene or similar water bottle (32oz.).

As a repeat, here is the FAQ for our workshop:


PERSONAL NEEDS:
I have had email correspondence with some of you regarding personal needs. If you have any requests or needs, especially in regards to accommodations, please email me ASAP.


ACCOMMODATIONS:
We will be staying in Yosemite Valley at Curry Village in the hard-floor, canvas-sided tent cabins. While this might sound like 'roughing-it', they really are quite hospitable, with each cabin having a dresser with mirror, a desk and bed with full linens and wool blankets. The cabins do not have heat, but temperatures in mid-May are warm during the day and cool - but not cold - in the evening. If you are at all concerned about your evening comfort, we can requests additional wool blankets upon our arrival at check-in. Private showers are located near to our cabins at the Curry Village Pool House; none of the tent cabins have private bath.

Due to a reduction in the number of available lodging units in Yosemite Valley, the ability to acquire a cabin is very difficult. The concessionaire has worked with us in always securing cabins for our workshop needs even during the crowded peak waterfall season.


MEALS:
The workshop schedule usually allows for a sit-down breakfast and sit-down dinner every day, while some days we will have a sit-down lunch or have get a lunch to-go in order to maximize our shooting time. All of our meals will be at dining establishments in Yosemite Valley. You can budget that breakfast will cost between $8-10, lunch between $10-12 and dinner between $12-16. There is a surprisingly well-stocked grocery store in Yosemite Village is there is a need for additional food items.


ROCK FALLS:
During last year's ANPAT in Yosemite, two rock falls occurred directly behind Curry Village and just last Saturday, a rock fall occurred below Half Dome. While this might sound like a hazardous situation, rock falls are common in Yosemite, as the exfoliation of the valley walls are a regular geological occurrence that have shaped, and continue to shape Yosemite Valley.

Rock falls do have a tendency to occur more often in the late fall (such as last year's ANPAT) and early spring (last week's rock fall) as rain or melting snow enters the rock during the day but during overnight freezing temperatures, the water freezes and expands, triggering the rock fall. While rock falls can be dangerous and expected, their occurrences are part of the natural experience in Yosemite. During the workshop orientation, we will review the rock fall conditions and safety concerns.


WORKSHOP SCHEDULE:
The workshop will begin on Thursday, May 14 with welcome meeting just before lunch and then orientation, and will conclude Sunday, May 17 just after lunch (allowing for return to Fresno airport by 3pm). While some might have departing flight requirements that necessitate a earlier departure from the park on Sunday, I request that everyone make travel arrangements to arrive to Fresno airport no later than 8am on Thurs. May 14.

Each day will include a full-schedule of shooting of all the springtime environments of Yosemite Valley, from the waterfalls to the spring-time blooms. We will begin at sunrise and go to sunset each day, with some days going past sunset. There will also be optional exercises in "Painting with Light" and "Astro Photography" each night for those who wish to partake.

A detailed itinerary of our daily schedule will be provided to everyone during the workshop orientation.


TRANSPORTATION:
I would very much like to start a dialogue of carpooling to Yosemite from the airport, to avoid having a caravan of 11 vehicles with 11 people. I believe that 4 or 5 cars would easily support transportation needs both to the workshop and while in the valley. If there are members of this group who would like to spearhead the carpool discussion, I applaud you for your efforts; please email me as soon as you can.

For those flying, the airport of arrival and departure is the Fresno-Yosemite Airport (FAT). Those who are flying in to Fresno, if you arrive on Wednesday, there are several hotels located directly across the street from the airport, including the Picadilly and the Holiday Inn. For those arriving Thursday morning, please check if your flight arrives prior to 8am to ensure our timely workshop start.

For those driving, if your route passes through Fresno and you can contribute to the carpool option, please plan on meeting at the airport Thursday morning. If your route does not allow for transit through Fresno, please plan on meeting at the Curry Village Pizza Deck at 11:15am. (This meeting location could change to the Curry Village Lounge is current rehabilitation work is completed by our arrival. I will notify everyone of this change if it occurs.)

I will be in the airport's arrival lobby (near the Starbucks Cart) early Thursday morning to facilitate the carpools and our departure to Yosemite. I plan to have everyone together and we will leave promptly at 9am, arriving in Yosemite Valley by 11am.


TERRAIN:
Nearly all of our photo locations are either just off trail or in fairly level locations. Some might require light boulder-scrambling for additional vantage points. There is a 'To-Be-Determined' itinerary option for a full-day, nearly all downhill 'hike' from atop Glacier Point down to Happy Isles, providing the best and most exclusive vantage points for three beautiful waterfalls. While I like to include this day trip as it is the highlight and hallmark of the workshop, I understand that some attendees might have limitations in this type of trip or 'hike'. If you have concerns or reservations about this, please privately email me at: mmariant@nikonians.org

As reference to the difficulty level of this option, I can do it ... and if you know me or have seen me, you understand what I am saying. In other words, it's not that bad. It makes for a long day but with spectacular and wonderful photographs.


EQUIPMENT:
While a full-range of focal-length lenses, from wide to medium-tele is sufficient for this workshop, I am not one to state that the workshop requires certain lenses or cameras in order to properly capture the scene. Lenses that start in the 17mm range on the wide side and top out at 200mm on the long side will do a fine job. Chances of seeing wildlife and needing a 300mm or longer lens? About 1-5%.

A tripod is a must, however.

One piece of equipment that I strongly recommend is a neutral density (ND) filter of -6 stops. There are several options out there for ND filters, from varying density to gradated to the Vario-n-Duo. If you are new to ND filters, or only bring one, the -6 stop is a great starter, especially for the studies in water motion we will be doing during the workshop. The additional ND options that are available will only contribute to your photographic creativity, but certainly are not necessary for this workshop.

In regards to carrying your camera equipment, I strongly recommend a small photo backpack, waistbelt and/or chest harness (such as those from ThinkTank) as, especially in regards to our day-long trip, it will be much easier to carry your gear in this manner than with a bulky camera bag. When packing and choosing your gear to bring, remember one thing: keep it simple and light!

In the non-photographic equipment, a hat and sunscreen is a must. Good light-duty hiking boots or shoes with excellent traction are necessary as we will be off-trail and doing some light boulder scrambling at times and good foot traction and strong ankle support is necessary.

I've attached a 'visual perspective' as in an Elevation Profile for our Day Three full-day hike that will encompass multiple camera locations of several waterfalls from the trail.

The profile shows the elevation we start at and the elevation we will end at, over the course of the entire hike.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, please email me privately. I want to make sure that everyone is prepared, able and willing to partake on the Day Three Adventure. (We'll sleep in on Day Four if needed.)

Attachment #1, (jpg file)

Peter emailed me a few questions and I thought they would be best answered here for everyone attending the workshop to see:

"Day three looks good. Are we packing in our food, etc. or will we have access to concessions?"

We will be eating a early breakfast at Curry Village and then packing a lunch to go with us for eating on the trail. We will return to Curry Village in time for dinner that evening.


"Do you anticipate the need for a flash?"

There will be optional evening exercises in Painting with Light and Astro Photography that will utilize flashes. If you have a flash, I'd recommend bringing it. And remember fresh batteries!!!

From experience I have found that the SB-800 and SB-900 work best as their output makes the Painting and Astro Photography exercises much easier. Also, if you have the gel set for your flash, bring it also. I will bring a vast gel set to the workshop, but more options is always helpful.

Thanks for the questions Peter.

I understand keeping food in the tents is not advisable. So for packed lunches are you going to bring a cooler?

Will you be bringing your radios, or should we organize radios. I'd imagine they may be helpful driving and on our hike.

Two weeks to go! I'm looking forward to the trip.

Rob
Colorado Springs, Colorado
My Gallery

I have stayed in the tent cabins at Curry Village in the past and will recommend one more item you should have (Ear Plugs)! The tents are very close together, so if you don’t want to hear your neighbor in the next tent snoring bring the ear plugs. Also if you have food or coolers they have to go in the provided bear boxes outside the tent cabins. Bring a padlock to lock the box, it seems that some people have had coolers and food stolen in recent years.
Wish I was joining this group, you’re sure to have a good time. Btw. The pizza at Curry Village Pizza Deck is very good.

Doug

Rob and all,

The only day we will have a packed lunch is for the Day 3 hike and we will all purchase a lunch that morning, so no food will need to be stored day to day, aside from your own personal items.

During orientation, we will go through an extensive review of the "bear prevention procedures", including the use of the lockable bear boxes. And, yes, bring a padlock to lock your bear box. While they are bear proof with the boxes' built-in locking mechanism, that doesn't mean they are human-proof. A standard 'locker-style' padlock (either combo or key) will work; no unusual shaped locks as they won't fit in the locking mechanism. This provided good storage for any additional items of value you wish to secure.

As for the radios Rob is referring to in his post, I use the handheld GSM radios (Motorola, Uniden, etc.) during the workshop to keep in touch with the group as we break off into smaller groups. I have four radios that we will split up amongst everyone, however if you have a set that would like to bring as well, that would be greatly appreciated.

Michael

Take a light bulb socket adapter and a extension cord. There are lights in the tent cabins but no outlets.

>Take a light bulb socket adapter and a extension cord. There
>are lights in the tent cabins but no outlets.

As I mentioned in the detailed original FAQ email that went out earlier to everyone, this practice of using a socket adapter is not allowed in Curry Village due to the fire hazard and could void our concessionaire contract. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please *re-read the original email* and feel free to email me.

Sorry, just trying to be helpful. I’ll shut up!

Hello Michael,

Other than a car charger, what other options are there for recharging equipment?
Any idea on the daily itinerary at this point?


Peter

>Hello Michael,
>
>Other than a car charger, what other options are there for
>recharging equipment?
>Any idea on the daily itinerary at this point?
>
>
>Peter



Peter,

The daily itinerary is set and will be distributed to everyone during orientation, along with other pertinent information about the workshop.

As for electrical options, please re-read the original FAQ email that I sent everyone...

I am sure you have found sites to track the weather and weather forecasts - if not, I found this one: http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?site=hnx&textField1=37.7400&textField2=-119.6000&zone=1

There is a box called "Additional Forecast Information" at the bottom of the page and in that box a link to "Hourly Weather Graph" I found interesting.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

***IMPORTANT***NOTE WORKSHOP CHANGES BELOW***

Hello everyone!

With less than one week to go for the start of the Yosemite - Spring workshop, I wanted to give everyone some last minute updates and details.

For starters, the schedule for arrivals on Thursday morning stays the same: I will be meeting all those flying in to Fresno Airport at the Starbucks Coffee Cart in the Arrivals Lobby at 8:30am. We will get the rental cars, get situated and head for the valley by 9:00am.

(As a footnote to heading in to the park: There is a REI store in Fresno that can be a quick stop enroute Thursday morning, as well as a Hi-Tech Boot Outlet in Oakhurst (that has very good prices) also enroute. If anyone wants to make a stop, please make it known Thursday morning so we can plan accordingly.)

For the Fresno Airport group, I anticipate our arrival into the Valley and to Curry Village by 11:30am. I will take care of getting the lodging arrangements upon our arrival.

During this time, those driving into the park individually will be arriving at Curry Village. We will have a group lunch for those present around Noon in Curry Village at the Pizza Deck/Taqueria.

*** At 1:00pm, we will begin the Workshop Welcome and Orientation at the Curry Village Amphitheater, located adjacent to the Pizza Deck. Immediately after the orientation, we will head out to the first of our shooting locations.

The workshop itinerary has been finalized. It does have changes from the original workshop description posted online, based on several factors, including road construction, seasonal timings and access. The full itinerary will be provided to you and reviewed during the orientation.

*** Note that included in the itinerary are several mini-workshops of the educational variety, including exercises in High-Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography, Infrared (IR) Photography and Extended Exposure Water Studies.

As discussed in earlier emails and in here in the forum, there are filters that will be necessary to utilize these topics. Primarily, Neutral Density (ND) filters are must for this photography. While split-gradation filters are helpful in landscape photography (and could very well be utilized during the workshop), a full ND filter in the -3 to -6 stop range will necessary for the Extended Water Studies, which will encompass a great deal of our time. A Vario-N-Duo filter will work, if it can stop down enough.

Also, if you wish to partake in the Infrared (IR) Photography exercises, you will need either a camera that has been converted to an IR-only sensitivity sensor OR, for regular digital cameras, an IR filter. (For those die-hards, IR film and a film camera are always welcome!) There are some small variations in the type of IR filter you can get, but ultimately it needs to be identified as an IR filter. If you have different lens diameters and are trying to decide which lens to get the filter for, most of this work will be in the 70-200 range.

*** If you have ANY questions about the filters, please contact me ASAP!

The Day 3 Full-Day Hike has been discussed extensively and I think everyone is prepared for this. We will discuss how to pack and plan for your gear during the orientation.

The workshop will conclude on Sunday, Day 4, following a morning shooting assignment then a farewell lunch, at Noon. This should allow for everyone to make it to the airport for their departures or other travel arrangements.

As for arrival travel arrangements, this is what I have listed:

David M. driving independently.
Rick H. driving independently, arriving early.
William R. driving independently, arriving Thursday.
Nancy O. flying in to Fresno, driving independently.
Mike W. local, driving carpool, arriving Thursday.
Peter C. carpooling with Mike W., arriving Thursday.
Jens F. driving independently, arriving early, leaving late.
Rob M. flying in to Fresno, driving carpool.
Leonard R., flying in to Fresno, carpooling with Rob M.
Brad P., flying in to Fresno, carpooling with Rob M.

If this is correct for you, great! If this sounds foreign or there is an error, please contact me ASAP!

And to help curb the curiousity of what we will be doing each day, here is a brief listing of each day's shooting subjects:

***

Day 1: Welcome Orientation, Cascades and Tamarack Fall, Bridalveil Falls Profile, Star Trails with Half Dome

Day 2: Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, Fern Spring Dogwoods, HDR & Bridalveil Fall, Pioneer Museum, Wawona Rock Garden

Day 3: Full-Day Hike: Glacier Point, Illilouette Fall, Nevada Fall, Clark Point, Vernal Fall, Valley/Tunnel View

Day 4: Lower Yosemite Fall, Infrared Photography & Merced River, Workshop Conclusion & Farewell

***

OK, that should do it. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. Please take the time to reread the FAQ that was emailed to you or posted above here in the forum.

See everyone in a week in beautiful Yosemite!!!!

Cheers,
Michael

The vehicle is packed, and I begin my trek west early Friday. I will update progress when possible. Especially look forward to the Rock Garden.

DJM

http://shepartphotography.smugmug.com/

>The vehicle is packed, and I begin my trek west early Friday.
>I will update progress when possible. Especially look forward
>to the Rock Garden.


Have a safe drive!

I've arrived in CA. Look forward to meeting everyone on Thursday for four packed days of photography. I was lucky to catch the Crystal Geyser in Green River UT in action. This geyser is unique in that it is based on CO2 pressure rather than heat/steam pressure (thus the water is cold).

DJM

http://shepartphotography.smugmug.com/

Hi Michael – thanks for the update. Per previous e-mails and the following from your update: filters that will be necessary to utilize these topics. Primarily, Neutral Density (ND) filters are must for this photography. While split-gradation filters are helpful in landscape photography (and could very well be utilized during the workshop), a full ND filter in the -3 to -6 stop range will necessary for the Extended Water Studies, which will encompass a great deal of our time. A Vario-N-Duo filter will work, if it can stop down enough.

I purchased a SUNPAK 72mm coated digital neutral density 8 filter. Does this meet the requirement of a full ND filter in the -3 to -6 stop range identified above or is 8 too high? Please let me know asap so that I can make sure I have the right equipment.

I also got a Hitech P 72 mm .06 H.L Grad kit from Filter Connections.

Will these fit the bill? Do I need any other filters?

I am really looking forward to this workshop

Mike

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

>I purchased a SUNPAK 72mm coated digital neutral density 8
>filter. Does this meet the requirement of a full ND filter in
>the -3 to -6 stop range identified above or is 8 too high?
>
>I also got a Hitech P 72 mm .06 H.L Grad kit from Filter
>Connections.
>


The world of ND filters, and how they describe how much light is restricted, or the number of stops reduced, is not consistent and sometimes varies from manufacture to manufacture as they come up with their own naming system.

Some ND filters are described as simply -3 stop or -4 stop. Pretty simple. The more technical terminology is in a decimal system, where every .3 is one stop. So your Hitech .6 filter is a -2 stop ND filter.

Sunpack decided to come up with their own naming system. Turns out that the "Sunpack Neutral Density 8 filter" is really a ... -3 stop ND filter. Comes from -1 stop being 2x the exposure, -2 stop being 4x the exposure, and -3 stop being 8x the exposure. Thanks Sunpack for keeping it simple.

Sometimes the best thing to do is call the vendor you are buying from and ask them bluntly, "How many stops of light is reduced with the ND filter?"

One thing that you can do, is layer multiple ND filters to get the desired density. I know of several photographers that carry a -1 stop, -2 stop and -3 stop, so they have a full -1 to -6 stop range. Pricey, but works.

You have me driving independently. Are you expecting to see me at the airport Thursday morning or in Yosemite around lunch?

Nancy

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Nancy,

I didn't have any info from you as to where you were staying on 5/13, after your 3:30p arrival. I assumed you were staying in Fresno that night, and you would drive up with the rest of the group on Thursday morning, meeting at the airport.

I have you listed as driving independently since you have a flight out on May 17 that would require you to leave quite promptly after lunch, and that might not be conducive to a carpool situation. However, during the workshop we will utilize the carpool options with as many drivers as possible.

If you can't meet Thursday morning at the airport or you have other plans, please let me know.

Cheers,
Michael

Michael,

I'm staying in Fresno Wed. and will meet you at the airport Thursday morning.

Thanks,
Nancy

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

Visit my Nikonians gallery.

>Sorry, just trying to be helpful. I’ll shut up!


No, no! Please, share your feedback, comments and observations. I just need to be mindful about what is posted in a "public" forum.

Thanks!

Michael

Well, it's been a few weeks since our return from the Yosemite - Spring workshop and some of you are starting to post your images in the exclusive gallery for our workshop.

If you haven't started posting, please put all the images you would like to share in the gallery, found at:

http://images.nikonians.org/galleries/showgallery.php/cat/9581

Also, a new forum post has started as a wrap-up to our workshop, please visit the new forum post to share your thoughts and experiences with the rest of the Nikonians community!

Cheers,
Michael