Join us, Rick Sammon, Juan Pons to experience one of the most majestic and amazing wildlife spectacles in North America. We are talking about Bosque del Apache, where you will find over 10,000 sandhill cranes, over 20,000 snow geese and a plethora of other wildlife. Renown for the "Blast offs" of tens of thousands of birds in the morning, Bosque del Apache is one place you MUST experience.

Rick and Juan will guide you in making the most amazing images you can imagine. If you are a wildlife and/or nature photographer this workshop will inspire you.

Bosque is not only about the cranes and geese, there is lots of other wildlife on the refuge but one of the often overlooked aspects of the refuge is the spectacular landscape.

While the cranes and geese with the stars of the show, Rick and Juan will provide instruction and shooting opportunities on HDR, Panoramic Photography, Wildlife Photography, Timelapse, Astro Photography and shooting video with your video capable Digital SLR.

Don't miss this once in a lifetime trip. We are deliberately keeping the group small and the costs affordable so make sure to sign-up as soon as possible.

Continuation from the first workshop session

For those that want to spend more time at Bosque we are offering you chance to extend your stay and save $100. If you are a participant on the first Bosque workshop (Dec 1- 5) you can signup for the second session for just $300.

Cost & Door Prizes

Cost of the workshop is $400

We will have a bunch of very cool door prizes to give away donated by our sponsors!

Workshop Schedule

Background information:

At this time of year and at this location the sunset/sunrise times are as follow:

Sunrise: 6:54am

Sunset: 4:58pm

IMPORTANT: We will be leaving ON TIME, we can't be holding up the rest of the group waiting for stragglers.

NOTE: coffee and a snack will be available before we leave the hotel.

Dec 5

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4pm - Meet at the meeting room in hotel for introductions, orientation and agenda for the next few days

6 pm - Group dinner at local restaurant 

7 pm - How to shoot birds presentation by Juan

Dec 6

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5am - Depart hotel - Sunrise shoot - Shoot Cranes, Swans, Geese at sunrise at Bosque (all)

9am - return to Hotel - Grab a heartier breakfast on the way back to hotel

Lunch on your own - but why not hang out with friends.

1:30pm - 3:00pm Download and Review Session

3:30pm - 6pm - Sunset shoot at Bosque Cranes, Swans, Geese at Bosque (all)

7pm - Dinner at Socorro Springs Brewery (all)

Dec 7

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5am - Depart hotel - Sunrise shoot - Shoot Cranes, Swans, Geese at sunrise at Bosque (all)

9am return to Hotel - Grab a heartier breakfast on the way back to hotel

Lunch on your own - hang out and show and compare pictures

You will have an option of 2 tracks for this day:

Track 1

2pm - 6pm - HDR shoot with Rick on some junkyards and old trains

Track 2

2pm - 6pm - Wildlife, birds and landscapes with Juan

Dinner on your own - but why not hang out with friends.

9pm - Astro Photography - Juan (optional)

Dec 8

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5am - Depart hotel - Sunrise shoot - Shoot Cranes, Swans, Geese at sunrise at Bosque (all)

9am return to Hotel - Grab a heartier breakfast on the way back to hotel

Lunch on your own

1:30pm - 3pm - Image review and Critique (All)

3:30pm - 6pm - Sunset shoot at Bosque Cranes, Swans, Geese at Bosque (all)

9pm - Astro Photography - Juan (optional)

Dec 9

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5am - Depart hotel - Sunrise shoot - Shoot Cranes, Swans, Geese at sunrise at Bosque (all)

9am return to Hotel to checkout & go home

What is included:

- World class instruction by Rick Sammon and Juan Pons

- Lots of fun

- An experience of a lifetime

- Door prizes

What is not included:

- Transportation Air & Land (You need to make your way to the town of Socorro, NM where we will be based for this workshop. You will also need to provide your own transportation during the workshop, however there may be opportunities to carpool)

- Hotel (we have made a group reservation, but you are still responsible for the costs of your lodging)

- Meals

Details

We will make the small town of Socorro, NM our home base during the workshop. We have set up a block reservation at one of the hotels in town and once you signup we will provide you with the necessary information.

The nearest airport is in Albuquerque, NM, about 1.5 hours drive from Socorro, NM.

Approximately 2 months prior to the start of the workshop, you will receive a detailed email with recommended equipment and clothing and various other details for the workshop.

In order to guarantee your spot on this workshop you need to pay in full. If for some reason you need to cancel, you may receive a refund until Aug 31st 2011.

We strongly suggest that you buy fully refundable airline tickets, and that you purchase trip cancellation insurance.

We try to keep the number of cars down on site. We can car pool, and you may want to car pool to and from our hotel.

Finally, check the weather before you leave home. It is often below freeing in the early morning.. but the days work up nicely.

Bring your wide-angle and tele lenses and sturdy tripods. Laptops loaded with Lightroom or Photoshop and HDR programs, too. Hand warmers are a good idea, too!