HEART OF EUROPE
Switzerland - Germany - France - Liechtenstein - Luxembourg
July 26th - August 4th, 2008
ALL SPACES FOR THIS TOUR HAS BEEN RESERVED.
SUMMARY
After the successful "2007 Nature Photography Workshop" in Switzerland, we are happy to invite you to our "2008 Heart of Europe" Photography Tour. The tour will include spectacular Switzerland as well as some great castle locations along the Rhine in Germany and some other attractive locations in France, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.
Duration: 10 days
Dates: July 26th (Saturday) - August 4th (Monday) 2008
Number of participants: 10
Tour cost: USD 3195 (deposit of USD 1000 required upon sign-up)
Included: all hotels (accomodation in double rooms; optional - single room) , all dinners (without beverages), transport during whole tour (minivans, cablecars, trains).
Not included: international transportation zo Zurich
HIGHLIGHTS
- Lucerne, the town surrounded by Central Swiss Alps
- trip to magnificent Bernese Oberland and Zermatt (photographing Matterhorn, the most famous mountain of European Alps)
- photographing Einsiedeln, the biggest Benedictine monastery in Switzerland
- photographing spectacular sunset at Lake Constance on the border between Switzerland and Germany
- great castle locations along the Rhine in Germany
- visiting Strassbourg and its uniqe sandstone cathedral, the famous "Petite-France" district
- visiting Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the charming town of Colmar in France
DETAILED ITINERARY
Saturday, July 26.
Arriving passengers will meet in the Zurich airport at a specified time and place in the morning, and we will then transfer to beautiful Lucerne, about a 45-minute drive away. Lucerne lies on the west side of Lake Lucerne, and it’s a great place to begin our photo tour. We’ll check into our hotel, walk to a wonderful rooftop restaurant for lunch, and then we’ll explore the old city and photograph some of the wonderful art painted on the 14th and 15th century buildings. After dinner, we will photograph twilight in this classic Swiss environment. The famous Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge) is stunning at night and so is the Jesuit Church. Overnight Hotel Magic in the heart of the old town overlooking the river.
Sunday, July 27.
This morning we leave our hotel early and drive along beautiful Lake Lucerne to catch a cog-rail train up to Mt. Rigi. The views from here are spectacular in the low angled sunlight, and we take an easy walk along a path that offers continually changing compositions of the lake far below and the mountains that rise above it. Wildflowers are everywhere so you should bring a macro lens to fill the frame with the many species you’ll encounter.
We descent from the mountain on the cog-rail train and return to our van to head toward the Jungfrau area of Switzerland. In Lauterbrunnen, we photograph spectacular waterfalls including an incredible series of falls that are actually inside a mountain. We then take a cable car to beautiful Wengen, and then we go higher in the mountains to Mannlichen were we overnight. From this incredible vantage point three of Switzerland’s famous snow capped mountains loom above us: Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau. We can also see Lauterbrunnen far down below in the glacier-carved valley and Wengen on the plateau above it. From here we will photograph sunset on the Alps. Overnight Berghaus Mannlichen.
Monday, July 28.
The sun rises early in the summer in Europe, and we will be up to photograph the sunrise on the breathtaking peaks. We can then relax until mid-morning when we head toward Zermatt, a beautiful village made famous because of the incredible Matterhorn that rises dramatically above it. We will have a leisurely lunch in town and do some photography of the colorful flowers in the window boxes, and then we catch another cable car to take us to a hotel located in one of the most beautiful places in the world, Riffelberg. From our hotel, you get an up-close and personal view of the Matterhorn. We stay here because a short distance from the hotel is Riffelsee, which is a small lake that reflects the famous mountain. At sunrise and sunset, it’s a sight to behold. This evening we photograph the sunset. Overnight Riffelberg Hotel.
Tuesday, July 29.
An early morning wake up call gives us enough time for the short walk to Riffelsee for the dramatic sunrise shot of the Matterhorn. This sight will be one of the highlights of your world travels. After breakfast, we descend the mountain and head toward Lake Constance on the border of Switzerland and Germany. Enroute we stop at the impressive monastery in Einsiedeln and photograph the dazzling Baroque architecture of the cathedral. We continue through the Swiss countryside and arrive in Vaduz, the capital of Lichenstein, where we spend a short time in this tiny European principality photographing the interesting art and architecture here. In the late afternoon we arrive in the lovely village of Lindau on Lake Constance in time to relax before dinner. Sunsets on the lake are often spectacular, and twilight is also beautiful here. Overnight Hotel Helvetia.
Wednesday, and Thursday, July 30, 31.
We leave Lake Constance after breakfast and head toward Heidelberg. Arriving in late morning, we will photograph this classically beautiful medieval town and the dramatic castle that is perched above it. After lunch, we head toward the most famous area of Germany: The Rhine River and its castles. For the next two days we travel between Koblenz and Mainz, seeking out the best vantage points and the best light to capture the romance and history of the most photogenic castles on the Rhine. Part of the excitement of being here is that our hotel is also a castle. Overnight two nights Castle Hotel Schonburg.
Friday, August 1.
We spend the morning taking advantage of the beautiful light and photograph more castles, and then we head toward Luxembourg. We will visit the newly built Museum of Modern Art to photograph the remarkable architecture, and the afternoon will be at leisure to explore both the old and the new aspects of this tiny European country. Jim will be available if you’d like him to critique some of the images you’ve already taken. We will meet for dinner, and we’ll find a good vantage point for twilight photography. Overnight Hilton Hotel.
Saturday, August 2.
After a leisurely breakfast, we drive a couple hours to one of the most beautiful towns in Europe: Strasbourg, France. We spend the day photographing this picturesque town. Most notable is the incredible cathedral, but everywhere we go the sense of medieval life is evident. We will be photographing details, classic stone bridges, and then after dinner we will be out during the prettiest time of the day for photographing the cities and villages of Europe – twilight. Overnight Regent Petite France.
Sunday, August 3.
A short drive after breakfast brings us to another beautiful French village, Colmar. We have an entire day and evening to photograph the flower-decorated bridges, the lovely river meandering through town, the old church, the outdoor cafes, and all the other details that make this such a quaint, idyllic place. We will have time for Jim to do a final critique of your work, and he will be happy to suggest creative Photoshop solutions to make your excellent pictures even better. Overnight Novotel.
Monday, August 4.
Today we drive back to Zurich for our international connections and the conclusion of our photo tour. The wonderful experiences we had don’t end, of course, because now we will enjoy and share with friends and family the many amazing photos we took over the past 10 days.
TOPICS
Among the many topics Jim will cover are:
1. How to expose in extreme contrast and snow
2. How to protect the highlights from blowing out in your pictures
3. The RAW workflow
4. Composition techniques for landscapes
5. Professionally replacing backgrounds in Photoshop
6. How to shoot successfully at twilight
7. Creatively using extreme wide angle lenses
8. Exposure techniques for shooting the sun
9. How to clean your sensor
10. Understanding white balance
ACTIVITY
Moving between different shoot locations is done in minivans provided by LPW. Walking within the actual locations is moderate and easy-going. Temperatures are most-likely quite warm during this period.
SKILL LEVEL
The workshop is open to people of all skill levels and experience. The majority of people shoot with digital SLRs, but this is not a pre-requisite for attending this workshop.
Reserve your place now!
ALL SPACES FOR THIS TOUR HAS BEEN RESERVED.