We have been touched and gratified by the many thank-you notes and comments
we have received from our participants and those whom we fondly
call our "spousal units," including these from our spring Maine workshops, Maine's Acadia National Park, formerly Maine Coast & Lighthouses. For more comments from other workshops, click here.
"Hi Margo......what to say, what to say - I LOVED being back in the classroom with you and Arnie. The photography and images we all created, in the midst of a blanket of Fog as thick as Pea Soup most every day in Acadia, continues to awe me. I am more inspired than ever before and hope to see you again soon for more fun, instruction, inspiration, and most of all....LAUGHTER!
"Enjoy your future travels, be safe and create magnificent pictures as only you and Arnie know how to do....like I said, I want to be you when I grow up :)"
Nikki Richman, Maine, USA
"I totally enjoyed and learned so much at the workshop and will definitely be back next year. I hope that all is going well with you. Have safe travels."
Donna Herbert, New Hampshire, USA
"Hi guys,
"Just a quick note. We hope your travels home were uneventful after the long, laugh-filled and sometimes-foggy week! Thanks again for all of the coaching, teaching and mentoring. Also friendship. We truly enjoy being with you two.
"It is hard to express the feeling of what really happens during the workshop, both on and off the field! ...
"Chris and I just completed the Acadia National Park photo workshop with Margo and Arnie. This was our fifth workshop with Barefoot Contessa Photo Adventures, and we will be back. Margo and Arnie are two of the best workshop leaders in the field today. They work extremely hard to present excellent venues and accommodations for their students. Their skills as instructors are not equaled. As alumni of BCPA, Margo and Arnie knew what to expect from us and focused on challenging us to higher levels. There were several new students in the workshop and Margo and Arnie quickly grasped their needs and mentored them in a similar manner for their skill levels. If you are looking for great locations, top-notch mentoring, and meeting new friends who enjoy your passion, any workshop with The Barefoot Contessa is for you. Thank you again.
"We look forward to seeing you in Death Valley.
"Love you guys!"
Chris & Gary Olejniczak, Wisconsin, USA
"Thank you again for the time over the last few days! Last year, I had not yet developed a vision, but I knew what I liked and didn't like after I took an image. You helped push me to find that vision, stand by the way I see, and make it my personal style. Since then, I've developed a clear and strong style, a signature of strong lines and colors. Coming into the workshop, I knew you'd push me and that I'd take better images coming out than I had going in - just as I did last year. I had to be willing to bend my style, while still holding true to my strengths. So, I tried new things, was open to your suggestions, and came out with more stunning images...probably more because of the rain than in spite of it!!! Thank you for your support and mentorship - I appreciate it more than you know.
" I cannot wait for mid-coast and foliage. I'm excited to go ahead and do the Sun-Tues instead of scouting.
As much as I'd love to have you to myself for a day, I have surprised myself with how much I enjoyed hanging with the group. I can't tell you how great it is to find something other than my job where I can have something in common with people in a room and fit in. I might be an odd fit, but after two of your classes, I do feel like I fit. Like I said, I appreciate you both and your classes more than you know.
"Thanks again and I will see you both in late July!"
... and later ...
"And I should probably mention - thanks for watching out for me while I shot from the middle of the road, on the ground, coming out of a turn, in the rain and fog. Who else would do that to allow someone to get a photograph?!?!? No one I know. You were like a protective mama bear when that car came around the corner. Only when I'm with you both have I let myself go and completely forgotten what's going on around me to take an image. I literally feel that safe - in spite of Arnie's quote. Wasn't it, "Fences are for normal people?" I think we've proven we aren't normal!
"
Kristin Woodman, New Hampshire, USA
"If you have not been on one of Margo's trips – do yourself a favor and go!
"Prepare yourself for a great time immersing yourself into your favorite subject – photography and beautiful scenery! Having fun people with you does not hurt either.
"It's been months now since I've been, and when I review my images taken on that trip I know that they are the best I have made so far. I'm now planning a 2nd trip with Margo." In fact, Diane and some of her friends are signed up for the 2011 Savannah & Her Lowcountry workshop.
Diana Powell, Tennessee, USA
"Thank you. I got here safely. Glad I left when I did. It was a three hour drive and I met a deer on the way home. Scared me wide awake!
"Thanks again for the wonderful time and all the teachings. I will do my best to take it as a step to improve further."
Kristin Woodman, New Hampshire, USA
"I
can’t thank you enough for making this workshop as fun as it was enlightening.
There were days where my cheeks hurt from cracking up. I also can’t
stress enough how our time spent in New Harbor has brought me back to
how I used to approach “making” photos with film. You’ve reawakened
senses long forgotten and the reasons that I fell in love with photography
in the first place. I’ve already scouted a few areas along the South
Shore and as you promised, I’m seeing things for the first time in places
I’ve photographed for years. Again - I can’t thank you enough."
Bill Burke,
Massachusetts, USA
"I
just returned from the Maine Coast & Lighthouses workshop. I am not
sure what was better, the photography and instruction or the humor and
camaraderie. It is hard to eat and belly-laugh at the same time!
"I had about an eight hour drive
home on Sunday which provided plenty of time to reflect on the workshop
experience and distill many thoughts down to the "meat," as
Arnie says. For me it came down to this.
" The advice, guidance and encouragement
you provided helped push the envelope of my creative comfort zone, thereby
enlarging that zone and as well as helping to remove the cobwebs from
my vision. When we are encouraged to look beyond what we immediately
see that attracts our eye photographically, that experience comes into
play the next time we go and shoot and enables us to take a wider view
of creative possibilities.
" I like to use analogies. This reminds me
of the physical joints in our bodies. When young they are flexible,
with a wide range of motion. As we age, that flexibility and range diminishes.
If an effort is made to stretch and extend that range through exercise,
it may pay off in improved use of that joint. So, following that thinking,
you are a fitness club for creative vision ;-).
"Thanks
again for a great time. I loved it."
Ross Attix,
Pennsylvania, USA
"We
really loved our week with your team. Let's say that we are enthusiatic
about getting better! And, I am sure that next time, Marie-Jo will be
a student.
"Thank you again!"
François Parent,
Québec, Canada
"I
hope you're safely back in North Carolina. I feel bad that I was unable
to say good-bye to you. Nonetheless, I want you to know that I had
an amazing experience at the workshop. I learned so much, and on top
of that, had so much fun. I look forward to taking another workshop
with you... You all are very special people.
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