introducing the MAINE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP 2017
February 3-6 | 2017
Freeport | MAINE
featuring
CJ NICOLAI TYTIA HABING CATE WNEK
$1800 ($1700 early-bird by June 15)
click here to sign up (full or half-deposit)
Winter is one of the most beautiful times in Maine, with days full of crisp blue skies, sparkling white snow, and an almost all day golden hour that ends in a spectacular sunset. It’s also the quiet season for photographers -- a time for personal reflection and creative growth.
Drawing upon world-renowned, talented photographers, this workshop will offer a blend of learning, practicing, and exploring various aspects of photography. Picture yourself waking up early for a snowshoe walk in the woods, followed by a homemade breakfast and a day full of workshop sessions in a wonderfully spacious house on the tip of Moore Point in Freeport, Maine. Finish out your day sitting by warm, crackling fire with a glass of wine, or a cup of cocoa, chatting the business with fellow attendees. Enjoy and repeat for the next day!
The three-day workshop gives you meaningful time to relax, time to introspectively look at your work and how it can be improved, and most importantly, time to make some lasting friendships. While shooting both indoor and outdoor locations, you'll have the chance to watch instructors, ask questions, and photograph the models yourself, enabling you to come away from the weekend with new images for your portfolio. In addition, this workshop also includes a complete set of portfolio reviews by all three instructors, CJ, Tytia and Cate. There will be ample time for attendees to shape the conversations and content.
All meals will be gourmet and catered at the home, with fresh, delicious ingredients. You’ll find decadent chocolate chip cookies in a jar in the kitchen, and homemade bread to accompany your late night kitchen chit chats. Over the weekend, you’ll enjoy some of the best delights that Maine has to offer.
The cost of the workshop covers all meals, your accommodations, portfolio reviews, and all of the workshop content. An in-room massage, small yoga class, or relaxing reiki session can be arranged for an additional fee. The fee is non-refundable, but is transferrable to another willing photographer.
the SCHEDULE
Friday
1-5pm Arrival
5pm Drinks! + Welcome Dinner
Saturday
7am Snowy Walk, Sleep in, OR Yoga, Massage or Reiki
8am Breakfast
9am SHOOTING WORKSHOP 1: Using Available Light with CJ + Models
Noon Lunch
1 pm LESSON 1: The Personal Project - Tytia
3pm SHOOTING WORKSHOP 2: Mastering Backlighting at Golden Hour - Cate + Model Family
6pm Dinner followed by Wine, Cocoa, and Cookies by the Fireplace
Sunday
7am Early Bird Walk in the Snowy Woods
8am Breakfast
9am LESSON 2: How to Critique - Group Portfolio Review - CJ
Noon Lunch
1pm LESSON 3: Stepping into the World of Fine art - Tytia
3pm SHOOTING WORKSHOP 3: The Nature Portrait - Tytia + Children Models
6pm Dinner followed by Wine, Cocoa, and Cookies by the Fireplace
Monday
8-9am Breakfast
9am LESSON 4: The 5-minute portrait with CJ
10am SHOOTING WORKSHOP 4: Trading Headshots with CJ, Tytia, + Cate
11am Wrap-up/Final Q&A
Noon Hugs, Pack your bags, and Go for lunch and Shopping in Freeport or Portland
the INSTRUCTORS
Photo Credit: Shelley Rodgers
CJ Nicolai is best known for her soulful and emotive portraiture. CJ is a dedicated film shooter and proponent of photography as an art form. Her work and workshops have been featured by the Analog Photography User Group, Kodak’s ProPass Magazine, Black and White Photography Magazine (London) and Adore Noir Magazine. Her writings on photography and art have been featured on innumerable blogs. Her essay "What Every Aspiring Photographer Should Know" has been translated into ten languages. Her photographs have been displayed and sold in numerous solo and group shows worldwide, including the Photographer's Gallery, Denver, and Elevator Gallery, Toronto. CJ’s workshops have been widely praised since her first one, which took place near London, UK in 2005. Since then she has taught hundreds of photographers of all levels across the US, Canada, and the UK. . Her students and alumni include many of the top portrait photographers working today. website | facebook | instagram
Photo Credit: Joanna Davies
Tytia Habing lives and works in Watson, Illinois very near where she grew up on a working farm. Having spent most of her adult life living in the Cayman Islands, she moved back to her roots a few short years ago. She holds degrees in both horticulture and landscape architecture and is a self taught photographer. Tytia's been published in Lenscratch, Fraction Magazine, Orion, The Sun, Black + White Magazine, Shots Magazine, and National Geographic to name but a few. Her work has been featured in joint exhibitions nationally and internationally, and she has two upcoming solo shows in the works. Most notably, her work has been shortlisted for both the Black and White Photographer of the Year 2015 sponsored by Leica and Critical Mass 2015. website | facebook | instagram
Photo Credit: Christina Wnek
Cate Wnek is a light-loving mother and wife living in Maine. Her film and digital photography focuses on documenting her two boys growing up together. Her goal is to record the level of imagination and energy she sees in them when taking the picture. Her work is widely recognized for the use of light, the expressions and as well as the feelings of the moment. Cate's photography is animated, real, whimsical, honest and storytelling. After shooting with a DSLR for several years, she is making a foray into film with medium and large format cameras. This year, Cate's work has been published in Click Magazine, DPI Magazine, One-Twenty-Five Magazine and Lemonade & Lenses. She has also been featured on the notable blogs Let the Kids Dress Themselves and Little Bellows.
the HOUSE
The spacious stone house sits at the end of a long peninsula in a private neighborhood on Moore Point in Freeport Maine. It is just 30 minutes away from the Portland Jetport, and 10 minutes away from LL Bean and a plethora of outlet stores. This well-appointed home has 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and plenty of living space for lounging and mingling. Ample southerly light, a private beach, and rocky shore -- the house is a retreat in itself. It's also just 5 minutes from Wolf's Neck Farm Park, which has trails through woods and spectacular rugged shorelines that are always changing with the tides, which will be perfect for our outside shoots. In fact, this house has been used by LL Bean for its catalog shoots. Please note that bedrooms will be shared (we're all friends, right?) and roommate requests are welcome.
getting THERE
By Air: The closest airport is Portland Jetport (PWM) which is 20 minutes from Freeport. Car rentals or taxis are available and it’s a 20 minute drive to Freeport. Other airport options include Manchester NH (MHT) which is 1.5 hrs away, and Logan Airport in Boston MA (BOS) which is 2.5hrs away.
By Bus: From Boston one can take the Concord Coach right from the airport via South Station and arrive in Portland in 2.5hrs. From there, you can pick up a bus to Freeport, or rent a car.
By Train: The Amtrak Downeaster runs from Boston to Freeport via the Boston South Station. This stop is not at Logan airport; you must take the T or taxi from Logan airport to North Station, and the train will bring you to Freeport (3hrs)
By Car: Freeport Maine is 2hrs by car from Boston; 5hrs from Montreal, Quebec; 4.5 hrs from Hartford CT; and just under 6 hrs from NYC. Car rental from the airports or carpooling/car rental sharing with other attendees is recommended. There are taxis available from Portland Jetport Airport. The house is located 10 minutes from downtown Freeport, however there is no taxi service in Freeport, Maine.
Please note: All driving times are approximates and can vary depending on weather and traffic. Please contact Merritt or Cate if you have any other questions
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Maine Photography Workshop is a joint venture of Maine based photographers Cate Wnek and Merritt James (MerrittInTheEveryday.com) and aims to bring talented photographers together to inspire, learn, create, and collaborate in the beautiful state of Maine. For more information, please contact Cate (catewnek@gmail.com) or Merritt (merrittintheeveryday@gmail.com).