Photo Workshop Abruzzo, Italy - June 11-15, 2009

Find this workshop and more on my new home page here

A 5 day workshop June 11-15, 2009 for a maximum of 8 participants in the beautiful Abruzzo at the best time for spring/early summer colors. The workshop is aimed at giving the workshop participant the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful areas of Europe and get some great pictures. You can find examples of pictures from Abruzzo in June here. The instructor is Hans Kruse, owner of HansKrusePhotography. He is very experienced in landscape photography and in post processing techniques. More of Hans Kruse's landscape photography work can be found here. The main focus will be to show and teach how to get pictures in his style and inspire the participants to further develop their own style.

The workshop will include

• lectures about composition, scene selection, post processing, etc.
• critique and discussion sessions about the pictures taken during the workshop
  
• morning and afternoon shooting sessions through the area with a selection of the most interesting spots for the time of year
  
• on location instructions and discussions about composition and technique
  
• opportunity to learn from fellow photographers

The schedule will be adapted to the weather conditions. The start is a morning shoot at sunrise (around 5:30) on a location and a drive through the area with stops at interesting locations. We will start early from the hotel around 4:30 and have breakfast when returning around 9:00-9:30. In the middle of the day there will be class room sessions with critique sessions, lectures on composition and post processing, etc. and some refreshments. Then a late afternoon shooting session with dinner at the hotel on return. At this time of year sunsets are very late and we may experience just one during the workshop, but we will experience the light in the last hour which is the best in the mountains. This is the schedule overview for the 3 full days. The arrival day will include an afternoon shoot as time permits depending on the arrival schedule. All will join for dinner and welcome at the hotel in the evening. On the day of departure there will be a morning shoot as time allows, so please arrange return journeys in the afternoon of the departure day if you plan to fly out on that day. The priority between shooting sessions and class room sessions is expected to maximize the opportunities to get some great shots from the scenic area and learn from working on location. Critique and repeated critique based on pictures taken on location will be attempted and one afternoon shooting may be shortened to make this possible. The preferences of the participants will be the deciding factor for this balance versus shooting on this particular workshop. Following the workshop images from the participants will be loaded in a subfolder of the instructor images from the workshop. The language of the workshop is English unless all participants are speaking the Scandinavian languages.

Images from the autumn workshop October 23-27, 2008 can be seen here and the images from the participants are in a subfolder.

There are no specific expectations for the skill level of the participants to get full value from the workshop. You will likely have been interested in photography for some years and have acquired a digital SLR and a few lenses. For landscape photography in this area the focal lengths from 24mm to 200mm in 35mm full frame terms will be adequate (approx. 15mm to 135mm on crop DSLR cameras). A wider lens can be useful and a longer lens also (16mm and 300mm in 35mm full frame terms). It is expected that you are familiar with your camera including the most typical functions. Bring a manual for your camera too. A tripod is recommended and a cable release for your camera. The instructor uses Canon cameras and have detailed knowledge of these cameras, however photographers with any camera are welcome. For post processing the instructor will use and show Adobe Lightroom 2.x and with additional processing in Adobe Photoshop CS3 (using Windows XP). It is recommended that the participants bring their own laptop for post processing. For critique sessions you will need a laptop to process your own images. You are welcome to bring examples from your portfolio for critique sessions on your laptop or in print, however the focus will be on critique of images from the workshop. The temperature will fall to around the freezing point at this time of year in the morning, so please bring warm clothes and good, comfortable footwear for the time we will spend outdoors. Only short walking distances are planned from the roads (up to 15 mins).

The cost of the workshop is 845 Euro which include hotel, meals and wine (breakfast, lunch time refreshments and evening dinner and drinks). A single room for each participant. The price does not include transport to and from the hotel (air fare, rental cars, etc.) and transport in the area. It is planned that the 8 participants and the instructor will drive in 3 cars for the shooting (the instructor in his car and 2 cars from the participants). To share a car e-mail addresses will be exchanged among the participants such that sharing of rental cars can be planned in advance. The distance from Fiumicino (airport of Rome) to the hotel located just outside of L'Aquila, is around 2 hours by car. A rental car no smaller than a Fiat Punto is assumed for 3 photographers per car including their equipment. Every day changing who is driving together. The reason for not including transportation is that it would add substantial extra cost to the workshop to include this and most participants would likely combine a workshop with a stay in the area. The hotel has conference facilities for class room sessions. The hotel is http://www.compagniadelviaggiatore.it. Only registered participants are allowed to participate in any aspects of the workshop, no exceptions. If you would like to bring a spouse or friend to the workshop, then please indicate this in the registration e-mail and we will try to accommodate such requests on a space available basis. A GPS unit is highly recommended and mobile phones to get reconnected, if getting lost. The instructor will have a mobile phone operational at all times.

Please book space on the workshop by sending an e-mail to Hans Kruse at hans@hanskruse.com or if you would like to ask additional questions about the workshop. You will get infomation about payment details and liability limitations. If you are not able to join this workshop or it is sold out, then please consult the workshop schedule or contact Hans Kruse. As the time of the workshop approaches (1-2 weeks in advance) you will get updates on the detailed schedule and meeting times and additional relevant information.

Feedback from workshop participants

.... I am even more hooked up on this hobby as I was before. My recommendation to other photographers is to go for it if you like landscapes. It is a wonderful area, and Hans know where to go.

Finn Worsøe, Denmark

.... Hans did a good job of integrating a group of people, many who never met the others before. Overall, a very good experience.

Matt O’Brien, Ireland

I really enjoyed Hans' Abruzzo workshop. The area offers some amazing landscapes and Hans does a lot of preparation beforehand, is familiar with the area and scouts out some great locations. Through this workshop I feel I have started to understand how to indentify, isolate and capture the essence of the landscape and to get some great images.

Alistair Owens, UK

.... But to sum it all up: A very pleasant and very giving experience. Not the last time I enroll on a Photo Workshop. And it could well be with Hans Kruse once again.

Frede Hansen, Denmark

.... Hans Kruse leads a very friendly and informal photographic workshop to well researched locations. I look forward to future workshops.

Des O´Riordan

I enjoyed the workshop very much, my enthusiasm for landscape photography got reinforced, and I decided to enroll on some more photography workshops in the coming years. More....

Fabian, Germany

This workshop turned out to match my expectations, which were pretty high in advance. It is not because I learned a few new tricks with the camera (I did), or the crash course on Lightroom 2. It is because I had the chance to witness a new attitude, a new and absolutely inspiring way to look at a landscape. Driving next to Hans and listening to his small comments on the hills, ridges, shapes or sheep passing by, and learning why we didn't stop there was a revelating experience, even so in such an amazing landscape where I could easily spend days just by looking at it, and contemplating on what to shoot next day, or maybe the day after that. The experience of being there at the exact spot where the rapidly changing interaction between light and land happens, and having an experienced photographer next to you, who tries to build on your thougths on what you see, instead of forcing you to think like he does, is really invaluable and I just can't think of anything else which can replace this opportunity.

Dávid Udvardy, Hungary -- http://www.motifnation.hu/

Photo Workshop Abruzzo, Italy - October 23 - 27

See images from this workshop here http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/abruzzo_autumn_2008

See my Photo Workshop Schedule here http://hanskrusephotography.com/workshops

A 5 day workshop October 23-27, 2008 for a maximum of 8 participants in the beautiful Abruzzo at the best time for autumn colors. The workshop is aimed at giving the workshop participant the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful areas of Europe and get some great pictures. You can find examples of pictures here http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/italy_2007. The instructor is Hans Kruse, owner of HansKrusePhotography. He is very experienced in landscape photography and in post processing techniques. The main focus will be to show and teach how to get pictures in his style and inspire the participants to further develop their own style.

The workshop will include

• lectures about composition, scene selection, post processing, etc.
• critique and discussion sessions about the pictures taken during the workshop and personal portfolio
• morning and afternoon shooting sessions through the area with a selection of the most interesting spots for the time of year
  
• on location instructions and discussions about composition and technique
  
• opportunity to learn from fellow photographers

The schedule will be adapted to the weather conditions. The start is a morning shoot at sunrise (around 7:30) on a location and a drive through the area with stops at interesting locations. We will start early from the hotel around 6:30 and have breakfast when returning around 9:30-10:00. In the middle of the day there will be class room sessions with critique sessions, lectures on composition and post processing, etc. and some refreshments. Then an afternoon shooting session including sunsets (around 18:15) with dinner at the hotel on return. This is the schedule overview for the 3 full days. The arrival day will include afternoon shoot as time permits depending the arrival schedule. All will join for dinner and welcome at the hotel in the evening. On the day of departure there will be a morning shoot as time allows, so please arrange return journeys in the afternoon of the departure day if you plan to fly out on that day. The priority between shooting sessions and class room sessions is expected to maximize the opportunities to get some great shots from the scenic area and learn from working on location. The language of the workshop is English unless all participants are speaking the Scandinavian languages.

There are no specific expectations for the skill level of the participants to get full value from the workshop. You will likely have been interested in photography for some years and have acquired a digital SLR and a few lenses. For landscape photography in this area the focal lengths from 24mm to 200mm in 35mm full frame terms will be adequate (approx. 15mm to 135mm on crop DSLR cameras). A wider lens can be useful and a longer lens also (16mm and 300mm in 35mm full frame terms). It is expected that you are familiar with your camera including the most typical functions. Bring a manual for your camera too. A tripod is recommended and a cable release for your camera. The instructor uses Canon cameras and have detailed knowledge of these cameras, however photographers with any camera are welcome. For post processing the instructor will use and show Adobe Lightroom 2.0 and with additional processing in Adobe Photoshop CS3 (using Windows XP). It is recommended that the participants bring their own laptop for post processing. You can also bring examples from your portfolio for critique sessions on your laptop or in print. The temperature will fall to around the freezing point at this time of year in the morning, so please bring warm clothes and good, comfortable footwear for the time we will spend outdoors. Only small walking distances are planned from the roads.

The cost of the workshop is 745 Euro which include hotel, meals and wine (breakfast, lunch time refreshments and evening dinner and drinks). A single room for each participant. The price does not include transport to and from the hotel (air fare, rental cars, etc.) and transport in the area. It is planned that the 8 participants and the instructor will drive in 3 cars for the shooting. To share a car e-mail addresses will be exchanged among the participants such that sharing of rental cars can be planned in advance. The distance from Fiumicino (airport of Rome) to the hotel located just outside of L'Aquila, is around 2 hours by car. A rental car no smaller than a Fiat Punto is assumed for 3 photographers per car including their equipment. The reason for not including transportation is that it would add substantial extra cost to the workshop to include this and most participants would likely combine a workshop with a stay in the area. The hotel has conference facilities for class room sessions. The hotel is http://www.compagniadelviaggiatore.it. Only registered participants are allowed to participate in any aspects of the workshop, no exceptions. If you would like to bring a spouse or friend to the workshop, then please indicate this in the registration e-mail and we will try to accommodate such requests on a space available basis. A GPS unit will be useful and mobile phones to get reconnected, if getting lost. The instructor will have a mobile phone operational at all times.

Please book space on the workshop by sending an e-mail to Hans Kruse at hans@hanskruse.com or if you would like to ask additional questions about the workshop. You will get infomation about payment details and liability limitations. If you are not able to join this workshop or it is sold out, then additional workshops may be arranged subsequent to this one in the weeks following. As the time of the workshop approaches (1-2 weeks in advance) you will get updates on the detailed schedule and meeting times and additional relevant information.

The photographer at work in Sweden

Abruzzo - Campo Imperatore continued

The plains of Campo Imperatore have an altitude from 1500 to more than 2000 meters. Although trees can grow at this altitude, there are almost no trees to obstruct the view. Cattle and sheep are grazing here from spring to autumn.





Large parts of Campo Imperatore is fairly flat and other parts have more dramatic properties where the areas are connected



At one end of the plains closest to L'Aquila there is hotel Campo Imperatore connected with the valley below by a cable car. This hotel is connected through the Campo Imperatore by a good road as seen on this picture



The following is a view over the valley leading up to the hotel



At this point there is a good view of Corno Grande (2912m) in clear weather



Often this area will be covered with clouds and mist.

Abruzzo - Campo Imperatore

I spent 4 weeks in the autumn of 2007 in Abruzzo in Italy. Abruzzo is located in the heart of Italy only 1.5 hours by car from Rome. Despite that it is as if the two places are a world apart. The following Google map shows the location.


Show map in separate window

The Abruzzo area is dominated by a number of national parks that are protected and ranks among the largest green areas of Europe. My interest in this area is coming from the passion I have for nature photography.

Here I will show some of the magnificent scenery from a part of Abruzzo called Campo Imperatore. It is located as shown in the following map. You can zoom in and out on the map. Click on the small link below the map to view the map in a sepate window in the browser.


Show map in separate window

Information about Campo Imperatore can be found in many places, e.g. http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campo_Imperatore and I will not replicate all that great information.

Campo Imperatore is a large relatively flat area surrounded by large mountains and at the perimeter small historic and pictoresque villages complete the picture. In the following I will show some views fo this area. Click on the pictures for a larger view.



In the background you see the castle of Rocca Calascio and the church in front of the old castle. This picture was taken in the afternoon about an hour before sunset. The light was beautiful and there was no wind. In such a situation this area is very calm and soothing for the sole. No sounds of modern life is disturbing here. Walking across the hills is an experience in itself. In the distance you may hear a bell from a herd of cows grazing.

Here you see the Rocca Calascio castle



and the church Santa Maria della Pietà



These pictures were taken one day when the sky was looking grey and dull in the valley. It just happened that Calascio, the inhabited village below the castle, was on the edge of the clouds. The clouds stretching like a sea with no end in sight. Above the air was clear and cool in the autumn light. No signs of modern life except the few cars of the tourists, but walk along the paths leading from the castle towards Campo Imperatore, there would be no signs of modern life.

Here is another view with Corno Grande (alt. 2912m) in the background



Campo Imperatore has many breath taking views and changes by the time of the year. My trip started in October and ended in late November when the snow had come and finally the roads were blocked for further investigations. Autumn is a wonderful time to visit this area and the light changes constantly and the same areas can look completely different from one day to the next.

Here are some other views of the landscape from almost the same viewpoint.







Notice the small cows that have just been at the water and now go back to their favorite grazing areas.



The pictures so far were taken in October and as late as early November. Gradually the weather grew colder and the snow came in the middle of November and covered the plains at Campo Imperatore. This changed the landscape completely and now you see the following scenes



and towards Corno Grande which is covered by clouds



All pictures shown here can also be seen at http://www.pbase.com/hkruse/italy_2007