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Pete James Photography
USA
‘Roadtrip’
Photography Workshop Adventure

April 2019

Who hasn’t dreamt of jumping in a van and heading on an iconic road trip around America’s incredible South West!
Spending the days on the open road, exploring this stunning country, with nights camping under the stars; having mountains, forests, deserts and the Pacific Ocean as the backdrop as you wake from your tent in the morning. All the while hanging out with an awesome bunch of like minded people (who will undoubtedly become lifelong friends), all passionate about photography.
Not to mention, gaining so many new photographic skills and coming home with a load of stunning images to show off and make all your friends and family jealous!

The perfect trip is for the young and young at heart who like the outdoors and a little adventure. (average age 20-40 y/o)

So, what’s it all about ?..........

Tour at a glance:

Date: April 2019 (date to be confirmed)
4 USA States: California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah
Length: 13 days/14 nights
Departs and ends: Los Angeles
Group size: 6-10 plus Pete James, a photography assistant and a driver/leader
Accommodation: Camping 10 nights, motels 4 nights (twin Share) (single supplement available)
Meals: 12 Breakfasts, 13 Lunches, 12 Dinners
Staff: Pete James, one assistant and driver/guide
Transport: Private 13 seat air-conditioned Maxivan
Cost: $4995 AUD

Tour Highlights:

Joshua Tree National Park
Route 66/Seligman
Grand Canyon
Monument Valley/Navajo Nation Indian Reservation
Moab
Arches National Park
Canyonlands National park
Bryce Canyon National park
Zion National park
Las Vegas
Death Valley
Yosemite National Park
San Francisco
Monterey
Big Sur
Santa Monica
Los Angeles
The ‘road trip’ feeling
Returning with stunning photos and your new found photographic skills

The Tour:
The tour will have a majority of the logistics handled by a local (USA) tour company, who specialize in unique and custom tours such as my photography Workshop Tour. They supply the driver/guide, who will coordinate the day to day running of the tour, modern transport, all camping equipment, organize and book the accommodation, arrange food and coordinate cooking and have all the necessary permits for the national parks.

This tour is an organic, relaxed, informal and hands on trip, where we will all rally together to set up tents, cooking equipment, food preparation and cook. All while keeping the van clean on our roadtrip (which is pretty important on a long journey). The day to day schedule is not set in stone which allows flexibility to decide on the day, exactly what we will do; where we will shoot and what we will eat. Again, the essence of a true road trip.

America’s South West is the perfect place for a photography workshop tour, with such diverse landscapes on offer in a relatively small area. We will travel through and photograph dramatic and dry deserts with amazing rock formations, dunes and cactus, lush forests, wide open barren landscapes, stunning mountains and one of the most incredible stretches of coastline in the world.

I have personally been to the USA five times and actually drove most of the tour route last August, so know it well. I will also be heading back over there in March 2018 to research shooting locations in more detail and find some hidden gems that we can photograph during the roadtrip tour.

Included:
Transport (including a driver/guide)
Accommodation (camping & Hotels) (equipment supplied, BYO Sleeping bag & pillow)
All meals (a couple of exceptions - see itinerary below)
National Park entrance fees
Most tipping for driver/guide (feel free to buy them an ice cream or beverage)
4x4 guided tour in Monument Valley
Photographic tuition - Pete James + an experienced assistant

Excluded:
Airfares (must meet at designated hotel in Los Angeles)
Alcohol
Extra snacks or drinks along the way
Tipping in any restaurants, cafes or shops etc.
Personal travel Insurance (compulsory before tour)
Meals that are not included in itinerary below
Sleeping bag & pillow supply

Photography tuition:
When we arrive at a location to shoot a sunset or sunrise, we will all set up our own gear and find our own composition to shoot. Tuition is pretty informal as myself and my assistant walk around and talk to each person individually to help them improve on their current level of skill knowledge. Some locations myself and my assistant will have our gear out also to take some shots. We need this for both future promotion and it can also be helpful to others to see what we produce and share how we do it.

There is no formal group/classroom type talks or tuition. The best way to learn landscape photography is to be out in the field shooting with more experienced photographers.
If you have any questions at any time, be it while out shooting, at camp or on the bus, don’t hesitate to ask away.

There is no formal post processing tuition but we will be happy to discuss and help with any post process editing questions you may have while on the trip.

While we visit cities and towns you may wish to have your camera out and take street or travel type shots, both of which myself and my assistant can help you with.

Camping:
What better way for a landscape photographer to get close to the environment than to pitch tents in the stunning locations they wish to photograph. Wake up to the view of mountains, lush forests or dramatic desert scenes! This is also perfect for shooting night astrophotography as you will not need to wander far from the camp to get amazing shots of the stunning night sky above. If you are worried about camping, we don’t rough it too much with virtually all camping done in paid campgrounds with showers, toilets, laundromats, shops and some with swimming pools! Most camping is done at KOA campgrounds.

All camping equipment is supplied (except a sleeping bag and pillow) including spacious 2 man dome tents and thermarest sleeping mats as well as camp chairs and tables for the food and cooking equipment. When we arrive at our camp for the night, we all pitch in to set up the tents and help cook a delicious meal. It usually takes no more than 15 minutes to set up or pull down camp. Tents are shared with one other same sex person. If you would prefer your own tent, a single supplement fee applies. Each night we will have a roll of either cooking, washing up, cleaning the van or having a night off, so it is a really nice team building effort. When that's all done we can relax around the campfire and watch the night sky full of stars.

Food:
All meals will be supplied (ex. one or two meals - see itinerary below)
Most will be cooked at camp and we will stop at local supermarkets to buy supplies.
It will be fairly hands on, taking it in turn pitching in to help cook and/or clean.
Great team building !

Group size:
The number of guests on the tour will be 6-10 only with Pete James and one of his experienced photographer assistants on hand to give plenty of hands on photographic tuition you will be sure to take your photography skills to the next level and get some of the best shots of your life.
We will also have a designated driver/guide who will be American, english speaking and have extensive local knowledge of of the places we will be visiting.