Fall 2020
Willow Creek Ranch Photo Workshop - Fall 2020
CALL or EMAIL FOR AVAILABILITY
Dates: September 20-26, 2020
Location: Willow Creek Ranch at The Hole-In-The-Wall, Kaycee, Wyoming
Workshop cost; Workshop cost; $1800.00
- This is all-inclusive. This fee includes a $100.00 gratuity for the ranch cooks and crew. It covers the workshop, meals, snacks, tips, and lodging during the entire workshop, as well as airport-ranch-airport transportation.
YouTube Willow Creek Ranch Photo Workshop playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSW3da4_ADM&list=PLP4BSSwv_Ph1PZvgkPWFaZgG3duuVz2yc
Video from Spring 2019 Workshop: https://youtu.be/fsw1lD5i_Ds
About Adam : Adam Jahiel is an internationally recognized photographer who lives and works in the American West. Mostly known for his photography of the American Cowboy, his photography has taken him all over the world. His poetic and dynamic images have been exhibited and published across the globe. In 1996, he became the first living photographer to have a one-man show at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, in Cody, Wyoming. His photographs are in the collections of the Nevada Art Museum in Reno, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, as well as private and corporate collections. Adam has had a varied professional career. He has worked for the motion picture industry, and adventure projects, most notably as the photographer for the landmark French-American 1987 Titanic expedition. His work has appeared in most major U.S. publications, including Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, National Geographic, Smithsonian and countless others.
About the workshop: The goal of this workshop is for people to learn and grow as photographers, and have the luxury of 5 days to learn, think, share, and experiment. I encourage people to push past their existing comfort zones. We have a modern meeting room, with a large, flat screen TV, and a digital projector system, and snacks Plug in your laptop, and leave it there all week. The room is always accessible. Typically, the cowboys wrangle horses early in the morning, eat breakfast, saddle up and head off to work in some of the most beautiful landscape you have ever seen. Between shooting opportunities, we meet, look at photos, share ideas, ask questions, and learn new things.
What this workshop is not... I am aware of many workshops where hired models pose in front of tried and true backgrounds at the perfect time of day, orchestrated by the "teacher" and his/her helpers. Everybody lines up. Everybody shoots the same picture. Every picture is unoriginal. Everybody gets to go home with a picture-postcard, where they did exactly what they were instructed to do. I don't regard this as "learning". To me, it seems pointless to spend the time, money and effort to go into one of these “canned" situations. I want to see my people stand on their own two feet, sweat, take risks, experiment, fail, learn from their mistakes, and develop their individual ways of seeing and personal style. I want to help you help yourself.
Willow Creek Ranch, is an actual, working ranch. We are often at the mercy of cattle, horses, the work at hand, and the weather. There is no set schedule or daily plan. We follow along, observe, and photograph. It is the real thing.
Testimonials:
“Being a great photographer doesn’t always translate to being a great photography teacher. Adam defies the odds and delivers on all counts—in spades. He generously shares insights that build on each student's personal style, opening our minds—and eyes—to the craft of making rich, memorable images. Adam's teaching and way of seeing the West will stay with you long after the workshop ends. ” — Maura Allen
"Out of all the photographic workshops I have had the opportunity to attend and teach. the Willow Creek Ranch Workshop is the real deal. Real people on a real working ranch with real mud, dirt and grime. It is a rare chance to get this close to live action with cattle, horses and true grit cowboys/cowgirls. In short, this is one workshop not to be missed." - Tom Kirkendall"
Adam led our small group in Cuba last spring. It was a rich and rewarding experience and Adam is a knowledgeable and kind leader. I highly recommend his workshops for the personal touch he lends to the experience," --Jody Miller, Palm Springs, California
Agenda: My goal is to help photographers learn and grow. There is no set agenda, because everybody brings a different mix of experience, knowledge and individual vision to each workshop. You will learn from me, your fellow participants, and from your own experiences. I love to help people to understand, appreciate, and use light to create photographs. When we first meet, I take stock of what I think people need, and what they would like to accomplish, and build the workshop from that information. I can help edit images, and demonstrate some Photoshop methods, but I try and keep it more about shooting and seeing and less about technology. We will be looking and talking about photographs, videos, and film. In the evenings, folks can go back and edit pictures in the meeting room, socialize, or sleep. The ranch has a very familial atmosphere. My first workshop at Willow Creek was in 2013, and the family who own the ranch are as accommodating as possible. It won't take long for you to feel like it is a 'home away from home'.
Meals: The meals are plentiful, and snacks are always available. The cooking is fantastic. Please note: I am not responsible for weight gain... Accommodations: There is a main bunkhouse, bunkhouse/cookhouse, and several cabins, with all the comforts of home. No hot tubs or golf course, but pretty much everything you need. You will probably have a roommate.
Payment: Payment in full is required to reserve your spot. You can pay by check or use your credit card. Getting there: The nearest airport is in Casper, WY, about 2 hours from the Ranch. We provide transportation from Casper, to and from the Willow Creek Ranch, in order to avoid people having to rent cars. As your travel schedules become firm, please email me your travel information so I can start working on the logistics.
Other airports in the area are Sheridan, WY, (2 hours), and Billings, MT, (3 ½ hours, comes through Sheridan).
Workshop arrival and departure time:
Arrival: Attendees can aim to arrive at the workshop between 12-6 p.m. on the 20th. Since travel logistics can vary, please check with us with your plans so that we can accommodate and know when to expect everybody. Some folks will fly into Casper the day before, spend the night in a hotel, and get picked up around noon on the workshop arrival day. Departure: Most attendees will choose to leave the morning of the 26th. We can get most people to their flights out of Casper on the 26th, if their flight is not early in the morning. For early morning flights, we suggest you spend the night in Casper and leave on the 27th.
Photo opportunities: Unbelievable. Infinite. Incredible. Landscapes, cowboys, horses, sheep, pets, old buildings, petroglyphs, horses, longhorn steers and amazing night skies. We will go out to several locations, photograph the cowboys moving and working cattle. We will be photographing cow-work and branding. Weather permitting, we will camp out at the location where Butch Cassidy's cabin used to be. It is glamping, not camping, as tents are set up, food is prepared for us from the chuck wagon, and the only finger we have to lift is to push the shutter button on your camera. We stop when we want to stop and do what we want to do. I am often driving one of the ranch pickups as well. This workshop is about you, and not about me, and I am always more than happy to help you. I try to limit the number of participants to 8 people, which ensures me the opportunity to give everybody all the attention they need.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: What skill level do I have to be? This workshop is designed to accommodate ALL levels, from beginner to pro. Again, the workshop is more about training your eye, and appreciating light, than anything else.
What equipment do I need to bring? Bring what you have. Don’t make the mistake of being over-encumbered with photo-gear. If you have a second camera, even a point and shoot, bring that. It is always nice to have a backup camera. Cameras and lenses are not bomb-proof! Since you will be hours away from the nearest camera store, plan ahead!
Equipment suggestions: Essential: Camera(s) -Lenses(s) -Batteries: Important to bring several batteries. I suggest at least two. If you are shooting and checking your screen all day, you will go through a lot of power. Battery charger: Very important Memory Cards: Memory is inexpensive. You don’t want to run out of this, although many will be downloading to their laptops if they choose