Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Yosemite workshop details

 

Hey friends!  I'm so excited about the upcoming Yosemite workshop!  This is going to be a great trip! I can't wait to see what surprises our Creator has in store for us.  There's no place like Yosemite -- and in winter it's even more spectacular.  If you want to see Yosemite without the crowds, sharpen your photography skills, and pick my brain, now's your chance!  :)

Here are the details:

DATES: March 4-8 (Friday morning through Monday evening; optional Monday night stay for participants who need to fly out Tuesday morning)

COST: $475 (After February 4, $525)

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: February 8 (Lodging needs to be booked at this point, so this is a solid deadline!)

Airport pickup will be provided free of charge, as well as all transportation during the class.  If you're flying in, the best airports are Oakland or San Francisco.

And here's a sweet deal for you...bring a friend and you'll get $50 off your tuition!!

As to required gear...you just need a DSLR camera and basic knowledge of how to use it.  This is not a beginner course, but everything we'll do is adaptable to a wide range of skill levels!





Out of all the great things about doing landscape (and there are tons!), I think the best is that the skills you learn here apply to EVERY area of photography.  I'm a wedding photographer.  But I love to shoot landscape.  I've done it since I was a kid.  Landscape strengthens and refines so many skills I need -- watching the light, composition, perspective, and of course exposure and just hands-on time with my gear.  Not to mention tons of fun and adventure...which are important parts of life with a camera.  ;)

Let me know if you have any questions, friends!  Email, Facebook message, comment here, or just call me...looking forward to seeing you there!  :)







- Kelsey Schweickert

Discovering beauty...
 

Monday, January 10, 2011

Come photograph Yosemite National Park!

Hey photographers and students!  I'm doing a photography workshop in Yosemite National Park next month...and YOU are invited!  :)


Of all the places I've been, Yosemite remains the top of the list.  It's not just because I grew up backpacking and nordic skiing there; I really think there's something inordinately special about the place.  You see the hand of our Creator in such a beautiful balance: his majestic power in the towering granite cliffs and crashing waterfalls, as well as his grace and beauty shining through delicate frost designs on the pine needles or soft sunrise colors.  It's a stunning, intriguing, awe-inspiring, and completely one-of-a-kind place.



We'll cover composition for landscape, exposure and HDR, sunrises/sunsets and star trails (weather permitting!), do some post-processing in Lightroom, review/share/critique each day, and have plenty of random adventures.  :)  Most of all, we'll focus on hands-on time as we explore the magnificent Yosemite Valley with our cameras!

Cost and schedule details are still being worked out, but I'll post those soon.  Register early and you'll get a discount!
If there's anything I can teach you about landscape, it's to expect the unexpected -- we can predict a lot of things, but ultimately we're at the mercy of the outdoors.  It's an adventure with your camera!  And while I can't see into the future, I'm pretty sure I can guarantee you that we'll have experiences like Ansel Adams talked about: "Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter."


So when is it? Well, here's where you can help me out!  I'm looking at either February 25-28 or March 4-7, and I'll go with whichever gets the most votes.  Just comment here, email me at kelsey@photographybykelsey.net, or message me on Facebook.  Any other questions?  Let me know and I'll do my best to answer them!

- Kelsey

Discovering beauty...
 

Saturday, January 1, 2011

A new year...


Happy New Year to you!  :)

I'm sitting in front of my computer wondering what in the world I should write.  2010 was an awesome year.  It was good and bad, hard and easy, joyous and painful, horrible and incredibly beautiful.  You can identify with some of those things, right?  Did your year have some of the same stuff in it?

I’m excited about 2011.  I have no clue what’s ahead.  I have plans, and dreams, and questions, but I can’t see into the future.


And that’s OK.  With Jesus, life is an adventure!

It’s not about living a certain way, or measuring up to a certain standard.  It’s not about trying to do what’s right in order to keep him happy.  It’s walking through each moment with someone who is strong and true, who is a fierce warrior for my heart, and a tender Father and Friend who really cares about every intimate detail of my life.

“Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of the children of mankind!”
(Psalm 31:19)

Jesus is “not a tame Lion”, as C.S. Lewis says.  He’s unpredictable.  He’s wild.  He’s dangerous!  He’s not “safe”…but He’s good.

His heart is filled with love for us.  He delights in everything about us and He loves to be with us.  It’s never dull, being caught up in life’s adventure with him!


As a dear friend wrote me recently, “Just another reminder that Jesus is fighting for your heart today, that He will meet ALL your needs and that He's looking forward to spending the day with you today, tomorrow, the day after that and the day after that...till forever!  May your heart be kept in His love today and may you hear His voice.”

Well said.  Blessings on your 2011, dear readers!  Onward to the next adventure!

- Kelsey

Discovering beauty...

Kelsey Schweickert  |  San Francisco Bay Area wedding photographer
Visit my website  |  Email me  |  Follow me on Twitter  |  Facebook fan page