This Arizona Highways PhotoScapes night sky workshop will begin with a special stop at the Kitt Peak Observatory where participants will have the opportunity to view night sky galaxies and utilize your own memory cards in their special cameras to take your own spectacular astrophotography images. After our time inside the observatory, we will have an opportunity to photograph outdoors using the observatory domes for interesting foregrounds in our night photographs. After our amazing evening on Kitt Peak, we will depart for Rancho De La Osa Guest Ranch in Sasabe, AZ where we will be based for the duration of the workshop. With many foreground subjects at the ranch and nearby, this is a perfect setting for night photography.

workshop dates: May 13-17, 2020

Pricing: $1,695 / $500 deposit

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SOLD OUT -- CALL TO BE PUT ON WAITLIST

Join me with Arizona Highways PhotoScapes to learn how to photograph and process star trails!

This workshop is for the intermediate to the advanced photographer who already has the essential skills required for night photography (operating camera in the dark, focusing at night, calculating exposures, etc.), this workshop will take you to the next level. We will review the techniques and methods for shooting star trails and discuss compositions before heading into the field each night to set up for shooting a two to three-hour series of short star trail exposures to be stacked, blended, and processed the next day. If desired, participants can bring a second setup (tripod/camera/lens) to shoot other night landscapes while the first camera is shooting the star trails. We will spend the time in the classroom on Saturday and Sunday learning how to set the proper exposure, stack star trail images in Photoshop, Lightroom and other software, add special effects to an image, and practicing post-processing to create the final images. You will come away from the workshop with great images and a deeper understanding of the components needed for successful night photography. The objective of this class is to focus on shooting multiple short exposures of stars to stack in post-processing to create dramatic star trail images. The entire process from pre-shoot planning to finished image will be covered so that students will have a final product to take home as well as an understanding of how to do it themselves. We will have two nights of shooting to be sure students get the images they need in the event that one night has poor weather, or if the student’s first attempt is not entirely successful.

Workshop dates: February 28 to March 1, 2020

Pricing: $995 / $500 deposit

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A travel photography retreat with Beth Ruggiero-York

Marouatte Castle, Dordogne, France

Capture the 'essence of place' in the Dordogne region of southern France    staying in Marouatte Castle and exploring the charming medieval towns, castles, gardens, and surrounding countryside. Our castle home during this week-long workshop is set on 270 beautiful acres that offer endless photo opportunities.

Our week will consist of day trips to the surrounding towns, castles, monasteries, markets and countryside, photographing around the castle and its grounds, including the full Moon rising over the castle on October 13th and the Milky Way on October 17th, classroom sessions and critiques, and fabulous meals at the castle or in the towns we visit.

You will fly into Paris and take the bullet train to the local train station, where you will be met by castle staff.

WORKSHOP FULL! CALL FOR WAITLIST OR SIGN UP FOR NEXT YEAR'S WORKSHOP

Workshop dates:  October 12-19, 2019

Pricing: $3,095 per photographer / deposit $1,500 upon signing up / balance due August 11, 2019

A non-photographer partner sharing your room: $2,095 (meals included but not local transportation; local car rentals are available). If 2 participant photographers share a room, the price is reduced $500 for each ($2,595/per person)

Payment is by personal check mailed to: 

Ruggiero Images LLC, 8648 East Windsor Ave., Scottsdale, AZ 85257

Credit card payments are accepted through PayPal (to Ruggieroimages@gmail.com). Please note that a fee of 2.9% for payments in the US will be added. For payments originating outside the US, a fee of 4.4% will be added.

Number of participants: 10

For more information and to sign up, email Beth at ruggieroimages@gmail.com or call Beth at (508) 241-4412

SOLD OUT -- WILL BE REPEATED JULY 25 - AUGUST 1, 2020

Itinerary and more details

Photograph the celestial skies over Monument Valley and Hunt’s Mesa with night photography expert Beth Ruggiero-York. For three nights, one of which will be camping on top of Hunt’s Mesa with our guided Navajo outfitter, we will hone our skills and practice techniques for capturing beautiful images of the night skies.

WORKSHOP FULL! CALL FOR WAITLIST

Workshop Dates: September 19-22, 2019

Pricing: $2,195 / $500 deposit

Location: Monument Valley and Hunt's Mesa, Navajo Nation

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SOLD OUT

The Northern Lights, or Aurora borealis, is one of the most magical and awe-inspiring subjects of the night sky. The excitement of photographing the flickering curtains of lights dancing across the sky cannot be compared to any other type ofshoot, day or night. The vivid colors of greens, yellows, blues, purples, and reds moving through the sky are seen in the far northern latitudes, and during this workshop, we will be in the interior of Alaska, the location of choice for shooting Aurora because of the high percentage of clear days through the year.

Join me with Arizona Highways PhotoScapes on this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Instructor: Beth Ruggiero-York

Pricing: $3,795 / $1,000 deposit

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Spend two weeks exploring some of the most spectacular sites in all of China, including the modern ambiences of Beijing and Shanghai. We begin our adventure in Beijing, which includes a visit to The Great Wall. We’ll fly to Guilin, home of the jagged mountain range that Popular Photography named as one of the top twenty sites in the world to photograph. Then on to the Longji (Dragons Back) terraced rice fields. Next, in Yangshuo we photograph the reflections of mountain peaks in the Li River and visit a fishing village. We then fly to Shanghai - some free time and a night photography session. We next take a bullet train (first class seats) to Huangshan with its own unique mountain peaks. Finally, a bullet train back to Shanghai for another stay. We've planned sometime on your own and some street photography, too. On November 1, transfer to the airport for your return home with your many images and remembrances of this wonderful tour.

With American Nature Photography Workshops, your co-leaders are experienced instructors. George has 60 years behind the viewfinder and has taught for over 20 years. Beth teaches photo workshops throughout the world. She started taking tour groups to China in 1984 and speaks fluent Chinese. She is the author of Fun in the Dark: A Guide to Successful Night Photography. See her bio here. This is a “turn-key” tour. It includes all lodging, meals (except on arrival day in Beijing) and transportation within China - two flights, two bullet trains (first class seats) and all ground transportation. This is a great time of the year to visit China. Come join us.

Workshop dates: October 18 - November 1, 2020

Instructors: Beth Ruggiero-York and George Theodore

Pricing: $8,995 / $1,500 deposit

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