Old Car City and Southeastern Railway Museum Photography Workshop

October 15-17, 2019

 

Join me as we visit a “Photographers Paradise” called “Old Car City” north of Atlanta Georgia.  Old Car City is mostly a forest with of 6 miles of trails meandering thru the over 4000 cars on 34 acres, all of which are 40 years old or more. Many of the cars are covered in pine needles, leaves, vines and other vegetation.  Some have been lifted by trees growing under them, and one with multiple trees growing thru the engine compartment has been affectionately named the “Two Ton Flowerpot”.

During this unique workshop we will spend two days and a rare chance to photograph at night in the worlds largest classic car junkyard.  Come and enjoy Fall in the beautiful vegetation of the deep south that is intertwined with the thousands of cars that reside in Old Car City.

We will also photograph the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth GA.

 

This is an exciting opportunity to improve your photography or simply add unique photos to your portfolio.  I will cover many technical aspects of photography and teach you to improve your “Photographic Vision”.

Old Car City

Old Car City in White, Georgia contains the worlds largest known classic car junkyard. Visitors enjoy the beautiful vegetation of the deep south that is intertwined with the hundreds of cars that reside in Old Car City.

Old Car City started as a small general store in 1931 and is still family owned and operated. Come enjoy the Old South environment, folk art, ghosts of beautiful classic cars, and much more! With over 34 acres and over 4000 American-made cars from the early 20th Century, these cars, trucks, vans, and even a couple school buses are placed in such a way as to be ideally suited for photos, videos and custom camera shoots.

Over the 8 decades since first started, thousands of photographers, videographers, ad agencies and media companies have visited Old Car City USA. Popular news magazine and newspaper companies, like CBS Sunday Morning, the New York Times, the BBC and Georgia Public Television, have made press releases and/or video segments and transmitted it worldwide.

Mayor of Old Car City USA, Dean Lewis, welcomes all who come out to visit his varied collection of automobile art with a little help from Mother Nature.  Among the many cars at Old Car City USA, there is the last car Elvis Presley ever bought back in 1977 just a couple months before he died. Also, a movie starring Andy Griffith and Johnny Cash used one of the cars that now call this place “home.” The honorary mayor of the “City,” Dean Lewis, is also an artist in his own rite with some of the most unique canvas…the Styrofoam cup. In his upstairs loft, Lewis has hundreds of Styrofoam canvases featuring his artistic talents on display along with some paintings he will proudly show off.

Southeastern Railway Museum

The Southeastern Railway Museum occupies a 35-acre site in Duluth, Georgia, in northeast suburban Atlanta. In operation since 1970, the Southeastern Railway Museum features about 90 items of rolling stock including historic Pullman cars and classic steam locomotives. In addition to the rolling stock there is a wide variety of railroad artifacts and an extensive archive. The grounds also contain the restored 1871 Duluth passenger train depot, a G16/Park train ride, and a model railroad housed in Building 1.

Ride in restored cabooses behind restored antique diesel locomotives, stand next to the massive driving wheels of the locomotive that once pulled passenger trains to Key West on the “railroad that went to sea,” tour the business car that helped bring the Olympics to Atlanta, pose on the platform of the private car once used by President Warren G. Harding, and see just how green Southern Railway green can be as you walk the length of the diesel-electric locomotive that ran the point on the last Crescent before AMTRAK assumed control of the famous train.

About the Workshop

Our workshops are based on digital photography, the assistance that I can provide and the immediate feedback of digital make “in the field” workshops one of the most effective teaching formats available.  Whether finding the correct exposure, looking through the viewfinder for the perfect composition, or learning how to use the equipment, you can’t beat real world experience.  Classes are kept small, it’s all about personal, individual attention. Digital offers a number of benefits for learning photography including:

1. Immediate feedback on exposure and composition
2. Immediate critique from the instructor an other participants
3. Ability to do reviews and projection
4. Automatically capturing all shooting information (Meta Data)
5. Ability to manage work flow while still on location

HDR Photography

We will be dealing with extreme lighting conditions during this workshop and the use of HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography is a technique to work around the limitations of our cameras capability.

HDR is technique used in imaging and photography to reproduce a greater dynamic range of luminosity than is possible with standard digital imaging or photographic techniques. The aim is to present a similar range of luminance to that experienced through the human visual system. The human eye, through adaptation of the iris and other methods, adjusts constantly to adapt to a broad range of luminance present in the environment. The brain continuously interprets this information so that a viewer can see in a wide range of light conditions.

Learn how to capture and process HDR images with both Adobe Lightroom and Photomatix Pro software to achieve a totally different look.  Adobe Lightroom uses standard processing techniques on a 32 bit image, while Photomatix produces  a “Tone-mapped” image with a more edgie look.

 

HDR processed in Adobe Lightroom.

Readers of my website are entitled to a 15% discount on Photomatix Pro by entering “GregDisch” without the quotes as a coupon.

Painting with Light

Painting with light is a technique used when photographing at night to illuminate your subject by controlling where and how much of the scene is lit.  These keeps most of the shot dark only letting what you want to show in the picture.  We will learn different techniques during the night shoot using flashlights, LED light panels and other techniques.

Workshop Itinerary

Changes to the Itinerary

In order to offer the best experience possible for the workshop participants we reserve the right to alter the itinerary when our judgment warrants it.  This could be due to unforeseen circumstances, closures, weather or other conditions beyond our control.  We may also alter due to new or unexpected photographic opportunities that may arise.

Proposed Itinerary

Monday October 14:

Optional get together to get acquainted and have dinner together.

Tuesday:

Meet for breakfast and then head to Old Car City in White Georgia for a day of photographing.  We will break for lunch and then finish up at 5 pm and head to dinner.

Wednesday:

Meet for breakfast and then head to Old Car City in White Georgia for a day of photographing.  We will break for lunch and then finish up at 5 pm and head to dinner.

Thursday:

Travel to Duluth Georgia to photograph at the Southeastern Railway Museum.

We will have a evening night shoot at old car city, the exact night will be determined at a later time, considering weather.

 

Workshop Policies and Information

Cost

The workshop fee per session will $750.00 per participant.

What is Included

Your workshop fees include full instruction and location guiding.

Included in the workshop fee is the cost of admission to Old Car City, the special night shoot at Old Car City, and the special photo shoot at the Southeastern Railway Museum.

What is Not Included

Transportation to and from the workshop, lodging, meals, incidental expenses, gratuities, and items of a personal nature are not included. My philosophy on lodging and meals is that by not including them in the workshop each participant is free to choose their own level of accommodation and choice of meals.  I have some participants stay in high end motels, while others prefer camping or RV’s.

Lodging

Lodging is not included in the workshop fee.  Lodging is available in both White GA and  Cartersville GA only a few miles from Old Car City.

Meals

Meals, drinks, and snacks are not provided, and are the responsibility of the participant.  We will generally plan to eat as a group, but you are free to eat on your own if you wish.

Group Size

We keep our group size small, this provides for a high degree of personal attention and a great amount of flexibility in making the workshop the best possible experience for the participants. This workshop is limited to a maximum or 6 participants.

Health and Physical Considerations

All participants should be in generally good health, walking and moderate climbing may be necessary in outdoor workshops and you will be responsible for carrying of your own equipment on location shoots.  If you are taking any medications be sure to bring a supply sufficient for the duration of the workshop. If you have any concern about your ability to participate in a workshop please contact us before registering.

Equipment Needed

To get the most from the workshop you should have a Digital Single Lens Reflex  (DSLR) or mirrorless camera, tripod and an assortment of lenses.  That being said, it is the photographer not the camera that makes the photo.  You will need a laptop computer to use, remember to bring all software, drivers, cords, and camera manuals when attending any workshop.

A good sturdy tripod is an essential piece of equipment for doing night and landscape photography along with a cable release or timer to keep the shutter open.    We have a great variety of subjects and shooting situations so a good selection of lenses is suggested.  Be sure to bring a camera backpack or bag to carry and protect your equipment.

Registration, Payment, and Refund Policy

You can register any way you like, just so I get your information, you can use the online registration, the contact form, email,  postal mail, or call me on the phone (479-414-6889) either to register or just ask a question.  Registration is done on a first come basis, so register early to secure your space.   A deposit of $500 is required to reserve your space, and full payment is due 30 days prior to the workshop. Enrollment is limited in our workshops, so once you have been accepted your participation is important to us – we are counting on you to attend. If you must withdraw from a course, we must receive written notice of your cancellation, and then apply the following refund policy:   We do not make refunds on workshop fees. We do not make partial refunds for unused portions or services of a workshop for any reason whatsoever. If we are able to fill your space in the workshop we will give full credit towards another workshop. If we are not able to fill your space we will issue 50% credit towards a future workshop.  If there are openings I will accept last minute registrations when possible.

We can accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in the services to be provided. We reserve the right to change our arrangements should conditions necessitate, or to cancel any aspect of the workshop due to exceptional circumstances.

In the unlikely event that we need to cancel a workshop we will refund all monies paid, in full. Notification of our cancellation will be made via either a telephone call or an e-mail to you at least 14 days prior to the beginning of a workshop other than an emergency. We cannot be responsible for phone messages and e-mails not being received in a timely matter due to your service providers. We cannot be responsible for non-refundable airline tickets unused or other travel arrangements because of a workshop cancellation. All workshops have a minimum participation level which must be met or the workshop may be canceled.

Non Photographer (Spouse, significant other, or friend)

We welcome spouses to join you on the workshop experience however “workshop activities” are limited to registered, paid attendees.  You may have a non photographer accompany you to all activities but they must pay for the workshop.  If they wish to accompany you on the trip but not attend the workshop activities, but stay with you, finding other activities during the day,  and  meet for meals and social type events that is perfectly acceptable.

Liability Waiver

All participants will be required to sigh a liability waiver before beginning a workshop.  As there is always an element of risk in any adventure associated with the outdoors, participants must read the liability release form carefully. Participant’s signed/dated release will certify that said participant is physically fit and capable of participating in outdoor photography exercises in field locations, and is fully and completely aware of any associated risks created by field locations and weather.

You will also need to sign a waiver at Old Car City.

Weather

The more the better, at least as far as the photography goes.  Workshops will not be canceled and no refunds will be made due to weather, we will not be responsible for any additional costs that may be incurred by weather delays or cancellations due to weather, flight delays, or other. Participants should come to the workshop prepared for all weather conditions. This time of year it could be 90 degrees and sunny one day and 30 degrees  the next.

Trip Extensions

We may be able to extend your trip in the area, if you would like more time and personal instruction.  Please contact us for more information and rates before the workshop.

Smoking

We prefer that you do not smoke, however if you must please abide by the following guidelines.  Smoking is not allowed in or near vehicles, during instructional sessions, during group meals, or at other times when in close quarters with other workshop participants.

 

gdisch On May 14, 2019   /   Uncategorized   /   Leave a comment