General Planning Thoughts

• Insert thoughts here
• Is it possible for us to get an earlier start so we can arrive in the mountains at first light to take the advantage of the "Golden Light" found at sunrise? If we meet and leave early we can always sleep on the bus on the way. (Is that similar to "you can sleep on the plane?" <Craig>)
• Sunrise/Sunset times for 6/27/2010: 5:34AM to 8:37PM

• To do this we need to arrive on Saturday to be there early Sunday morning so could we offer a round robin of one hour classes Saturday night (perhaps, followed by a group dinner at some local venue)?  

  • Topics:

    • Multi-segment orientation:  Preview of Rocky Mountain National Park and other sites (preparing participants for the views we will see tomorrow);  how to prepare for tomorrow's Safari (what to bring, how to pack, working with a team); purpose of individual and team assignments; lunch/dinner planning; what the sponsors will be offering (ex: Canon bodies/lenses, with purchase options at end of Safari) 

    • Digital SLR Techniques

    • High Dynamic Range Photography

    • Panoramas - equipment and techniques for shooting

  • From previous e-mail conversation about this topic:

    From Don:

    Bill Frakes and I led a photo workshop together in Monterey this June.

    <clip>

    We did not do the up front instruction, but instead focused on helping folks make better images while in the park.  

    From Larry:

    I like the idea of not having a class beforehand....it's just an idea that helped me when we were in Monterey.  However, NECC is a much different vibe.  Among the ADEs who go, we'll have a "captive" audience online, so we can pass along info beforehand, and maybe even do a little "webinar" kind of thing beforehand, just to get people's minds right before we set out.  (Note:  The webinar idea seems to be a far superior idea to some kind of evening class on the day before.  Plus, the webinar should be captured and archived so participants who come into the fold late can go back and watch all the content.  Too, many of us will want to watch the programs again, as a way of refresher.) (Larry)

  • I feel that tring to do the workshops on Saturday is overkill for our purpose of this Photo Safari. Plus getting to bed early may be a priority for some of us older folk. I agree with Scott that we could provide tutorials and webinars that people could look at before traveling to Denver. I suggest the webinar I did for ISTE this past school year, though not on the level of what Don and others could provide, as a example of prior learning that could be helpful. (Craig)

• Pre-Safari Tutorials or discussion topics (possibly online beginning in April or May to build excitement!)

  • Safari Equipment (Photo gear to bring and why)

  • Aperture Tutorials

  • Sharing of photos by members of the participant group -- photos that might relate to the purpose of our safari, except highlighting some aspects of local communities.  Sorta like "practice" at the local level.  Then, members of the participant group could critique each other's work.  This would have the potential of elevating the quality of our work produced on the Safari.

• Suggested topics for ISTE workshops to follow Safari, participants do not need to be part of ADE Safari but could be invited for added experiences (Perhaps we could submit these together and teach as a team)  [Gordon]

  • Aperture: Seeing the light of the photographer workflow (6 HR)  [Gordon]

  • HDR Photographic techniques (6 HR including local safari in Denver during workshop)   [Gordon]

  • Digital Stories: Creating photo books with Aperture (3 HR)  [Gordon]

  • One picture is worth a thousand worksheets! (session)   [Larry]

  • Podcasting with Pictures:  Mashups for Dynamite Podcasts! (session or 3-hour workshop)    [Larry]

• Places to consider in the mountains

  • Maroon Bells (mountain range)

  • Garden of the Gods

  • Mount Evans (alpine tundra, big horn sheep, alpine lakes, view, highest road in North America)

  • Rocky Mountain National Park

    • Trail Ridge Road (highest continuous highway in the US) - gorgeous tundra views, Alpine Visitor Center at ~12,000 feet where we could end up in time for breakfast (they serve hot chocolate year-round!)

    • Bear Lake and/or Glacier Gorge - Great, short hikes for those who are so inclined with gorgeous views of the 14ers in the area. Alberta Falls is an easy, short hike from the Glacier Gorge trailhead and a very popular photo spot.

• Clothing to consider wearing in mountains

  • Jacket--it is cold

  • Layers!

  • Sturdy hiking shoes

• Other items to bring along

  • Medicines

  • Simple First-Aid supplies (band aids, lip balm, sunscreen)

  • Money for snacks, meals, souvenirs, camera equipment (in case Canon, etc., decide to sell their wares at the end of the Safari), etc.

  • Compass (or GPS device)

  • Sunglasses

  • Flashlight (small--that will fit in your backpack)

  • Pocket Knife

  • Spare batteries

  • Spare Compact Flash or SD cards (memory)

  • Lens cloth

  • Water tablets (in case you need to purify stream water)

  • Whistle

  • Binoculars

• Food to eat while there

  • Elk Jerky

  • Buffalo Burgers

• If, for some reason, we wanted to do Saturday night in Loveland, we have a brand new La Quinta Inn and Conference Center. It would cut about an hour off our drive time since we're about 30 minutes from the gates of RMNP and 45 or so from some prime photography. Of course, the tradeoff is getting to Loveland from DIA and back to Denver after the safari. Again - just throwing some things out to see what people are into. (Scott)

  Just add one more day of rental to the van for those that want to take this option. (Craig)

  I'm wondering--if some of us wanted to fly into Loveland (or, is this even possible?) on Saturday, we would need to make accommodations for our luggage, in preparation for the trip back to Denver after the safari.  Is it possible that we could check our luggage with the hotel in Loveland, then stop back by there on the way to Denver, or is that too far out of the way from Estes Park back to Denver?  Otherwise, we'd have a bunch of "regular" luggage on the safari van/bus that would take up extra space. How would we handle the conference luggage?  (Larry)