the travel photography dream team tour, feb 2011

***both february and march tours are full. we will maintain a waiting list for both tours***

san cristóbal de las casas, chiapas, mexico
Field Instructors: Nancy Rotenberg, Brenda Tharp & Nevada Wier
Photoshop Techniques & logistics: Jeremy Woodhouse

Saturday, February 19 – Sunday, February 27, 2011 and Wednesday, March 2 – Thursday, March 10, 2011

application form

You are not going to want to miss this opportunity to photograph with four of America’s most active travel and nature photographers – all together for six days in the wonderful colonial town of San Cristóbal de las Casas in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico. This town is still remarkably “Mexican” and does not boast the crush of expat winter residents that many other colonial towns in Mexico do – on the other hand it is still well set up to take care of visitors who choose to travel beyond their comfort zones.

There are a maximum of 18 places on this instructional tour together with the 3 field instructors (and since it is billed as an instructional tour, the instructors are encouraged to photograph). Participants will be divided into 3 groups of 6 people and each group of 6 will be assigned an instructor for the day. The instructor will rotate every second day so that during the 6-day tour each participant will have the opportunity to work with each instructor for two days, giving them the opportunity to experience distinct photographic styles.

Jeremy will be offering Photoshop technique classes, specifically related to travel photography during the day, and as well as making sure the tour runs smoothly, he will float between each group to help out.

Each instructor will make a presentation during one of the evening sessions. These will include programs on Creativity in Travel Photography, Photography & the Creative Life, and Visual Design, and The Versatile Travel Photographer. These sessions will include audio-visual presentations and there will be plenty of time for interaction with the instructors. The sessions alone will be worth the price of admission!

We will meet in Mexico City on Sat, Feb 19. We will then travel together as a group to Chiapas on Sun, Feb 20. We fly direct from Mexico City to Tuxtla Gutierrez (flight included in tour fee), the capital of Chiapas, where we will pick up our transport to San Cristóbal – a little over an hour (85km).

Instructional sessions will take place from Mon, 21- Sat 26. We will travel back to Mexico on Sunday, 27 and then return home.

Detailed Itinerary
Day 1, Sat 19 Feb
Depart US. Overnight Mexico City Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico

mexico city at dusk from the torre latino americano

Day 2, Sun 20 Feb
Depart Mexico City. Fly to Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas where we will be met by our driver. We will make the short drive of around 60 miles to San Cristóbal de las Casas.
Overnight Hotel Ciudad Real

Day 3, Mon 21 Feb
Field Instruction: Group 1 – Nancy Rotenberg, Group 2 – Brenda Tharp, Group 3 – Nevada Wier.
Midday Photoshop techniques – Processing with Adobe Camera RAW.
Evening session group review of participants images of a pre-assigned project.
Overnight Hotel Ciudad Real

color in the streets of san cristobal

Day 4, Tue 22 Feb
Field Instruction: Group 2 – Nancy Rotenberg, Group 3 – Brenda Tharp, Group 1 – Nevada Wier.
Midday Photoshop techniques – Understanding Levels and Curves.
Evening session presented by Nancy Rotenberg. Photography and the Creative Life.
Overnight Hotel Ciudad Real

Day 5, Wed 23 Feb
Field Instruction: Group 3 – Nancy Rotenberg, Group 1 – Brenda Tharp, Group 2 – Nevada Wier.
Field Trip to San Juan Chamula
Evening session presented by Jeremy Woodhouse. The Versatile Travel Photographer.
Overnight Hotel Ciudad Real

the market and church at san juan chamula

Day 6, Thu 24 Feb
Field Instruction: Group 1 – Nancy Rotenberg, Group 2 – Brenda Tharp, Group 3 – Nevada Wier.
Midday Photoshop techniques – Simple Dynamic Range Techniques (Photomatix Software needed).
Evening session presented by Brenda Tharp. Visual Design.
Overnight Hotel Ciudad Real

Day 7, Fri 25 Feb
Field Instruction: Group 2 – Nancy Rotenberg, Group 3 – Brenda Tharp, Group 1 – Nevada Wier.
Midday Photoshop techniques – Perspective and the lens correction filter.
Evening session presented by Nevada Wier. Creativity in Travel Photography.
Overnight Hotel Ciudad Real

the "yellow wall", san cristobal

Day 8, Sat 26 Feb
Field Instruction: Group 3 – Nancy Rotenberg, Group 1 – Brenda Tharp, Group 2 – Nevada Wier.
Evening session Final Show of participants’ images.
Overnight Hotel Ciudad Real

Day 9, Sun 27 Feb – Return to Mexico City and then on to your final destination.

Tour Price: $3,350
To book your place on this instructional tour, please contact jeremy@pixelchrome.com
Deposit: $750 due to secure spot.
Includes
• 8 nights accommodations based on single occupancy, ground travel to and from Tuxtla Gutierrez to San Cristóbal
• Field trip transportation.
• Roundtrip domestic airfare from Mexico City to Tuxtla Gutierrez.
• Breakfast
• Park entrance fees, day tours and excursions as shown in the itinerary.
• Extensive pre-departure information and services.

Full and final payment is due 90 days before the tour.
Limited to 18 people

Excludes
International air fare; other airfare if noted in exceptions; air fare tax; airport departure tax; airport transfers; additional transfers or accommodations that may be required by those not traveling with the group; excess baggage charges; meals not included in itinerary; activities listed as optional, or those taken on your own; passport/visa expenses; personal medical or travel insurance; any expenses of a personal nature, such as room service, laundry, beverages not included with meals, medical expenses, film or processing, any activities not specified in tour itinerary or listed as optional, or any items not listed in what is included; upon the completion of your trip, modest gratuities to the local guides and the drivers are customary; tips for meals not included in itinerary.

Note: The land costs on international tours is based upon current exchange rates. Although the rate has been relatively stable, should it change, there may need to be an adjustment in the land cost.

Deposits, Cancellations and Refunds
A deposit of $750 per person is required. Payment in full is required when bookings are made less than 90 days before the departure date. Space is subject to cancellation by Pixelchrome, Inc if payment is not received when due.

If a passenger wishes to cancel they must send notification in writing to: Pixelchrome, Inc, 605 Rouen Drive, McKinney, TX 75070. fax 214-544-3012. At the time we receive your notification, the following per person charges apply:
• 121 days or more before departure: $200 cancellation fee.
• 91-120 days before departure: $375 cancellation fee, plus Pixelchrome’s costs, as well as fees that are charged by the suppliers providing the services included in your tour, and/or the airlines providing the air transportation.
• 31-90 days before departure: $575 minimum cancellation fee, plus Pixelchrome, Inc’s costs, as well as fees that are charged by the suppliers providing the services included in your tour, and/or the airlines providing the air transportation. Fees may range from 25% to 100% of tour costs.
• 30 days or less before departure or anytime after departure: NO REFUND.

Refunds for services that are voluntarily not used by you cannot be made.

Air
When making your international flight arrangements it is important to discuss flight times with Pixelchrome, Inc before booking any airline tickets. This will avoid you having to pay airline cancellation penalties.

Please contact Pixelchrome, Inc for destination airfare estimates, specific flight time arrivals, and departures.

Fitness and Health
This trip is not strenuous and anyone who is reasonably fit should be able to take part in most of the activities. You may experience general fatigue due to the long flights and the change in time zones. You will need to be sufficiently agile to climb in and out of the tour van and should be able to carry and manage your own equipment. Some hotels do not have elevators.

If you have any special needs or any physical condition that you feel might prevent you from fully participating, please contact Pixelchrome, Inc with your concerns (469-371-5310).

You should also be aware that medical services or facilities might not be readily available during all or part of your trip. This could include emergency medical care, presence of physicians, or adequate medication

Insurance
Each participant must be covered by medical insurance that is valid overseas.
We strongly urge you to evaluate your risk and to take out insurance on your trip. It is vital for you to realize that if you experience a delay or find it necessary to cancel or cut short your trip for any reason, you will lose part or the entire sum you’ve invested in it.

Travel insurance helps to minimize the risk of monetary losses you would incur in the event of a delay of your departure due to weather, airline strike, missed connection, etc., your inability to travel for reasons such as illness, injury, unforeseen financial complications and other personal circumstances, or if you were required to cut your trip short for medical or any other reasons.

There are restrictions and limitations on any insurance program. For this reason, choose your insurance carefully. Check their policies regarding trip cancellation, baggage, and medical insurance. It is to your advantage to apply for insurance at the earliest possible time, so don’t delay in making a decision.

Subject to Change
This itinerary has been carefully constructed to assure participants the best this destination has to offer; however, should events arise that are beyond our control, activities and hotel arrangements are subject to change without notice. Above is a summary of typical areas you will explore. Since there is no possible way to visit all of them, your guides will plan each day considering the interests of the group and the weather at hand. Be assured that we will make substitutions that are as similar in quality and interest as possible.

Leaders’ Biographies

image ©michael clark

Nevada Wier
Nevada Wier is an award-winning photographer specializing in the remote corners of the globe and the cultures that inhabit them. Nevada’s journeys have taken her throughout Southeast Asia, India, China, Nepal, Africa, New Zealand, Central Asia, Mongolia, South America and other obscure regions of the world.

Her work is represented for licensing by Getty Images and Corbis. Nevada has been published in numerous national and international publications, including: NG Adventure, Geo, Islands, National Geographic, Outdoor Photographer, Outside, and Smithsonian. She is a Fellow of The Explorer’s Club, a member of the Society of Woman Geographers and was featured in a Northwest Airlines international television and print ad campaign.

Her recent exhibit, A NOMADIC VISION: 25 Years, just completed a six week viewing at the Verve Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Nevada’s books are The Land of Nine Dragons – Vietnam Today, Abbeville Press, 1992,photography from contemporary Vietnam, winner of the Lowell Thomas Best Travel Book of 1992 award, and Adventure Travel Photography, Amphoto, 1993. She was a participating photographer in A Day in the Life of Thailand, Collins, 1995, Planet Vegas, Collins, 1995, and Mother Earth, Sierra Club Editions 2002. She is currently working on a new book A Nomadic Vision, publication TBA.

Nevada was featured in a National Geographic Explorer television episode on her travels down the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia on assignment with National Geographic magazine and was one of the photographers in THROUGH THE LENS for the National Geographic Channels. She was a frequent photographer on Canon Photo Safaris (OLN & ESPN). She is also a regular guest on The Travel Channel. Nevada is a lecturer for seminars and professional panels, and a featured speaker for banquets and conferences. She was recently on a nation-wide tour with LIVE… from National Geographic.

Nevada has guided the gamut of outdoor programs in the mountains, deserts and rivers of the world. This includes 20 years as a Course Director/Instructor for Outward Bound, a boatman for AZRA on the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River and a professional ski patroller in New Hampshire. She has traveled and trekked extensively on expeditions and private explorations in search of unusual places and photographs.

Nevada is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

image ©jeremy woodhouse

Nancy Rotenberg
Nancy Rotenberg is a freelance photographer/writer/educator. Her images and editorial have appeared in magazines such as Adirondack Life, Birds & Blooms, Canadian Camera, Country Gardens, National Geographic, Nature’s Best, Peterson’s Photographic and Outdoor Photographer. Nancy’s work has also been used for Hallmark, Red Oak, Reiman Publications, Renaissance and Sunrise Greeting Cards; as well as in calendars such as Inner Reflections, Nikon, Mitsubishi, Smith-Southwestern, Teldon and Willow Creek.

Nancy is the author of four books: How To Photograph Close-ups In Nature, Capturing Nature’s Intimate Landscapes and her latest books, Photography and The Creative Life, and La Luz del Pueblo – Discovering a Sense of Place in San Miguel de Allende, Luz Books, 2009

Nancy has been leading photography workshops and is a popular motivational speaker at photography conferences. In February of 2008, Nancy was chosen as a keynote speaker at The North American Nature Photographer’s Association. Nancy’s goal as instructor is to encourage other photographers to create visual statements that go beyond documentation, to photograph and connect intimately, with awareness and the capacity for appreciation.

To see more of Nancy’s work, or for more information about her other workshops go to her websites at naturaltapestries.com or Photography with Heart Workshops.

brenda tharp

Brenda Tharp
A widely published photographer and writer, Brenda wrote and produced the acclaimed book Creative Nature & Outdoor Photography, Amphoto Books, 2003. She is featured in The Best of Nature Photography, and has written many articles on creative photography for magazines and e-zines including Outdoor Photographer, Shutterbug’s Outdoor and Nature Photography, Apogee Magazine, Photo Migrations, Petersen’s, and more.

Her award-winning photographs are published internationally, in magazines, brochures, ads, and books. Clients have included Audubon, British Gas, Canon USA, Kodak, Chronicle Books, Michelin Travel Guides, National Geographic, Sierra Club, Sunset Magazine, and a variety of greeting card, calendar and paper products clients, including Pomegranate, Healthy Planet, Chromazone, Audubon, and Sierra Club.

Early in her photography career, Brenda realized she had a gift for teaching. With positive feedback from her first students, she pursued this idea and within just a few short years was teaching several weekend workshops each year, privately. Upon moving to California in 1990, she continued her teaching with Pt. Reyes Field Seminars. Soon after, she began teaching at Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, Maine Photo Workshops, and with Rocky Mountain School of Photography. Since 1998, Brenda has also been conducting international photography workshops – in western Ireland, Italy, and Mexico. Brenda is currently teaching three on-line courses with Betterphoto.

Her stock photography collection is online at AGPIX.com and she is represented by Getty Images and Danita Delimont Stock Agencies.

image ©nancy rotenberg

Jeremy Woodhouse
Jeremy Woodhouse is an outdoor photographer based in McKinney, Texas. He spends much of each year on the road photographing travel images, landscapes, cityscapes and wildlife. Before moving to the United States in 1991, he lived in South Africa where he first developed his passion for wildlife and nature photography.

Jeremy worked as a freelance graphic designer in the UK, South Africa, and the US before he began living his dream of being a full-time professional stock photographer. Whether he’s photographing a herd of elephants at a waterhole in Botswana, or capturing the last light as it falls on the Tokyo skyline, Jeremy continues to bring his designer’s eye to the creation of his images.

His images have appeared in many magazines such as National Geographic Traveler, Natural History, Nature’s Best, Ranger Rick, and Texas Highways, and he has received awards in photographic contests such as the Nature’s Best International Photography Awards, the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, and the PDN/National Geographic Traveler World in Focus Travel Photography Competition.

As an owner of the stock photography content development company, Blend Images, the world’s leading multi-ethnic commercial stock agency, he is now investing more of his time photographing lifestyles and people.

His work is also represented worldwide by Masterfile, Getty Images, Blend Images, Superstock, DRK Photo, and Spaces Images.

His book La Luz del Pueblo – Discovering a Sense of Place in San Miguel de Allende, Luz Books, 2009 is a collaboration with Nancy Rotenberg. It is Jeremy’s second book having also collaborated with Texas photographer Richard Reynolds in a book called Texas Impressions, Far Country Press, 2006.

san cristobal de las casas
Strikingly positioned in the highlands of Chiapas, there is an intense and otherworldly quality to San Cristóbal de las Casas. The streets rise and fall with brightly colored houses, green mountains all around. Thick white clouds pours over their peaks, while clean, clear light spills across the city. Between the rows of red-tiled roofs, churches and mansions rise up with regal presence. The ghost of colonial past lingers in San Cristóbal.

Rich in indigenous culture and history, San Cristóbal de las Casas is an anthropologist’s dream. The Maya, who are descended from an ancient and ingenious civilization, are a strong presence in and around the city. In many respects, Chiapas more closely resembles Guatemala than Mexico.

Around one million Maya inhabit Chiapas. Their villages tend to be distinct, possessing their own unique laws, dress codes and languages. Often, many features of their daily lives are pre-Columbian in origin.

Particularly around San Cristóbal de las Casas, the Maya have managed to preserve their ancient customs and beliefs. Religious life tends to contain the most vivid manifestations of their pre-Hispanic past, with a form of Catholicism that leans heavily toward the Pagan. Around San Cristóbal, the old gods are worshipped as much as the Saints.

chiapas
In this majestic state you can find all that is offered by the nature, cut through by plentiful rivers, hills and volcanoes, and impenetrable jungles. It has hundreds of lakes, waterfalls, as well as an exceptional flora and fauna. The water of the huge dams Malpaso, Angostura and Chicoasen, is here accumulated in dozen of rivers and lagoons. Chiapas produces precious woods such as Mahogany and the Rosewood, that are used to make good quality furniture and beautiful carvings.

Generally Chiapas has a humid, tropical climate. In the past, natural vegetation at this region was lowland, tall perennial rainforest, but this vegetation has been destroyed almost completely to give way to agriculture and ranching. Rainfall decreases moving towards the Pacific Ocean, but it is still abundant enough to allow the farming of bananas and many other tropical crops near Tapachula. On the several parallel “sierras” or mountain ranges running along the center of Chiapas, climate can be quite temperate and foggy, allowing the development of cloud forests like those of the Reserva de la Biosfera el Triunfo, home to a handful of Resplendent Quetzals and Horned Guans. Chiapas is home to the ancient Mayan ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilán, Bonampak, Chinkultic, and Toniná.