People
& Culture of Belize Photo Workshop—
only 1 room left without moving, 2 more if you don't mind being
moved mid-week! February 6-13, 2010
Saturday afternoon at 5:00 through Saturday evening
at 7:00
$1,795
(discounts available)
Limit 10 with 2 instructors (maximum 5:1 student-to-instructor
ratio) Click
here for more information about accommodations, nearest airport, etc.
Imagine staying in a screened, rosewood cabana with thatched roof and private
bath at an eco-friendly lodge nestled in 100 acres of private rain forest
in southern Belize and featured on the Jan/Feb 2010 issue of National
Geographic Traveler. Situated right on the placid Moho River and surrounded
by lush, tropical gardens, it has easy access to stunning waterfalls, Mayan
villages where you'll see tortillas being made by hand, ancient ruins, an
organic cacao farm, river scenes, and the flora and fauna of the jungle,
including Scarlett Macaws, all of which you'll enjoy photographing.
In addition, you will be welcomed into the modest homes of the Mayan people in the area, help them making tortillas or chocolate, and get a real feel for the culture of the area.
In the process, we'll encourage you to seek your own vision, teach
you how elements of composition and the magic of light work in concert to make
wonderful photographs.
This is a location that you may want to share with your spouse or significant
other. They are always welcome at our workshops and instantly become part
of our group. For them, there are also additional activities such as horseback
riding, kayaking, swimming, hiking, chocolate making, and medicinal plant
walks. Of course, we can partake in these, too!
Because we are headquartered in a small, intimate lodge, we only have room for
10 participants (plus spouses and guests), so it is really important to book
your cabana early and make your deposit if you want to join us during this special
week. In fact, February was fully booked last year, thus the urgency in making
your deposit early!
In the Mayan villages, we'll be invited into people's homes, and with English
being the language of Belize, you will have no trouble communicating with these
lovely people. You'll see them in their traditional dug-out canoes on the river
or their children scampering alongside you as you enter a village.
The Mayan people near the lodge still live as subsistence farmers in small villages
of 15–30 families. While it may seem like nothing has changed for hundreds of
years, as you observe, you’ll see various outside influences at work, such as
the men's clothing, childrens' school uniforms, and the occasional gas stove.
The villagers mostly live in board houses with thatched, palm-leaf roofs.
Some families are still cooking tortillas and roasting cacao over traditional
mud fireplaces with comals, round, cast-iron griddles. Most families are still
making corn tortillas in the traditional manner by hand. You’ll see this, including
stacks of dried corn, husking, boiling, grinding, shaping the tortillas, and
cooking them in some of the homes that you’ll visit.
This will be a great place to really learn how to use your small strobes or on-camera
flash to really capture the people and culture of this region of Belize.
We start out with some technical information before heading out for our first afternoon of photography. Our workshops include the following:
Maximum 6-to-1 ratio students to instructors
Opening reception with wine and local fare;
Primer booklet to help you get started;
Daily shoots;
Access to some special locations;
Imaging and processing with the latest version
of Lightroom (timing will vary depending upon our locations);
Lots of individual instruction in both the field and classroom;
Critiques, both individual and group;
Discussions on various aspects of photography, including digital workflow;
Plenty of opportunities to sample the excellent local fare;
Final group critique and show on our last day (what many feel is the highlight
of the workshop experience); and
Lots of fun and frivolity throughout!
If you have not already done so, be sure to check our FAQs for
questions you may have as well as equipment and installed downloads you need
to bring to the workshop including, if necessary, the free, 30-day, trial versions
of Adobe products.
Click here for more
information about accommodations, discounts, PayPal payments, trip insurance,
closest airport, etc. There are no other practical accommodations nearby, so
at the very least, reserve your room; you can always cancel later.
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