Photography Workshop
Aveyron, France 9.14 - 9.19
Daily photo walks, exceptional food and wine.
Your fully planned adventure awaits.
Here’s the deal.
This workshop is designed for any photographer, novice or experienced, who is looking to push their craft. It is an opportunity to grow, make new friends, and experience a uniquely beautiful part of the world. You will return home with more confidence in your photography, more practiced curiosity, and likely some memorable images made along the way.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Sunday, September 14
Arrival
Workshop attendees arrive at Chateau de Balsac for afternoon/evening check in.
“Looking Inward”
Day theme: What are you looking for? Opening day will be a bit of a “getting to know you” journey. We will have some journaling exercises. We’ll talk about our individual goals for the trip. We’ll do some personal exploration about what we’re seeking and likely find insight that will inform each participant how they will dive into the remainder of the vacation.
Afternoon
Group gathering at the Chateau. Bring your pens and journals, and an open mind. We’ll do (as a group) some quiet journaling in response to prompted questions. We’ll go through introductions and team building exercises.
Evening
Dinner Herve Busset in Rodez. Casual introductions.
Day 2 - Monday, September 15
“Getting the camera out of the way”
Day theme: The group’s focus will be on becoming more comfortable with the camera so that it becomes less of a frustration or distraction that gets in the way of your process. We will dive into some basic photographic principles, camera settings, shooting manually, and the three elements that create an exposure. By removing the interruptions of the mechanics of the camera, the artist can do their work.
Morning
Breakfast
Meet and greet; Review the itinerary, photography themes, expectations for workshop; share protocols.
Morning Session: Getting to know your camera so that the camera can get out of the way. A fundamental of photography and the camera introduction. Followed by specific exercises using the camera around the property.
Afternoon
Lunch | La Grange
Tour of the Chateau de Belcastel
Project: Shooting 100% manual – 2 hours
Free time in the village.
Return to the Chateau.
Relax and get to know the history of the Chateau de Balsac, village, region, etc.
Recap and focus on what we learned; Q&A; share images using a large screen.
Evening
Dinner at the Chateau
Optional: Photography session on the property or in the village; assignment TBD.
Day 3 - Tuesday, September 16
“Minimalism and seeing through the photographer’s mind, not his lens.”
We will work on taking more ownership of the end result. We will work on previsualization. We will be colorblind and work on structure and composition. Minimalism v. Maximalism.
Morning
Breakfast
Review itinerary and photographic themes for the day.
Inspiration / Visual presentation before heading out.
Drive to Salles Le Source – opportunity to take photos of this ancient village and its cascades.
Afternoon
Lunch at Muret Le Chateau.
Drive to Conques.
Walk through Conques – fascinating medieval architecture and history.
Evening
Regroup at Chateau de Balsac - tour of property. Camera techniques, drills, experimentation.
Day 4 - Wednesday, September 17
“Street Photography, A Practice That Improves Every Photographer”
Leaning on the previous day’s lessons we will continue our evolution through the theme of street photography. Learning to anticipate the moment in order to be in the right place at the right time (with the right settings). How to get to the next level in photography. Getting faster with composition, learning to trust yourself, and work intuitively. Learn how your lens sees, so subsequently your lens learns how your eyes see.
Morning
Breakfast and review of the previous day. Discussion on street photography, do’s and don'ts, ethics, tips and tricks. A review of some of the legends in this genre.
Trip to Rodez Farmer’s Market.
Afternoon
Lunch - La Maison
Return to the Chateau. Continued exploration. Pastoral landscapes, textures, and portraits.
Evening
Return to the Chateau
Casual dinner
Photo sharing; discussion on editing. Discussion on how to read and edit your work. It’s one of the hardest things to do. Most photographers struggle with this challenge. How much can you remove from your work without compromising the narrative?
Slideshow presentation; wine and popcorn.
Day 5 - Thursday, September 18
“Putting It All Together - Pushing Your Curiosity to Drive Creativity”
Oh, to be a kid again. It’s time to play, explore, and continue to push our work. This will be a challenging and rewarding day!
Morning
Breakfast, review itinerary and photography themes. Photographic work will be around the property.
Optional: Photo walk or hike to Prieuré du Sauvage.
Lunch
Picnic at the Prieuré du Sauvage.
Evening
Regroup at Chateau de Balsac.
Inspirational slideshow.
Photoshoot with professional model, creative portraits and experimentation.
Day 6 - Friday, September 19
Morning
Breakfast, morning group review; farewell.
Accommodations
All six rooms have double beds. Rooms will be available on a first booking, first served basis. Please make your arrangements with Chateau de Balsac as early as possible to secure your room. Couples will be given preference to the larger suites with private bath.
Room 1: East Suite Chateau – Queen with private bath
Room 2: West Suite Chateau -- Queen with private bath
Room 3: 1st floor guest house west – Double bed, shared bath with room 4
Room 4: 1st floor guest house east – King bed, shared bath with room 3
Room 5: 2nd floor guest house west – King bed, shared bath with room 6
Room 6: 2nd floor guest house east -- Double bed, shared bath with room 5
How Much and What’s Included?
Cost - $3,700
Price is all inclusive except for travel to and from Rodez. That means this includes the workshop, accommodations for 5 nights 6 days, three meals for each full day, and transportation during the event. You will eat and drink very well.
Registration and payment is directly through Chateau de Balsac.
It is very easy to travel to the venue from the Bay Area. There are flights from SFO and surrounding airports to Paris. From there it is an easy flight from ORY to RDZ. Once you land in Rodez, it is a ten minute drive to the ranch.
Let’s go!
*Link will take you to the sponsor’s site for registration and payment.