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Description
Norman McGrath, one of the world’s most renowned architectural photographers, will lead this 10-day workshop and master class in one of the world's most cultural and architectural cities. St. Petersburg, Russia was founded by Peter the Great and expanded further by generations of Russian tsars who had almost unlimited resources and matching ambitions to surprise the world with the their best palaces, gardens, cathedrals, churches and summer residences. They employed the greatest European architects of their time, building up this capital of Russian Empire over a 200 year period. St. Petersburg is also the cradle of the Russian revolution with all the related upheavals and cataclysms. Although after the revolution of 1917 it was no longer the capital it remained the main hub of science, arts and culture in the USSR. Built on the banks of the Neva River, St. Petersburg boasts over 340 bridges.

We will be photographing the city, the tsars’ summer residences, museums, gardens, bridges and other architectural wonders as we explore the art and craft of architectural photography. We will be working mostly with digital SLR cameras which are logistically easer to handle, but you are welcome to use film cameras if you prefer. We will do our best to have the film processed quickly. This is an opportunity not only to learn the history and architecture of Russia, but also to build a portfolio as you expand your technical knowledge and artistic vision. We will have a guided tour of the city and tour of one of the world's greatest art museums, The Hermitage, as well as visits to interesting locations in the local art world.

Norman will work with you guiding you through the process of visualizing and interpreting as you discover and develop your own personal style. There will be daily group discussions, demonstrations, critiques and one-on-one sessions with Norman who will help you edit your images and build an impressive portfolio. We will be photographing in the field for up to 5 hours daily. The class will cover many aspects of the architectural photography including business issues, promotion, portfolio reviews, licensing and publication rights, insurance and technology.

Instructor Norman McGrath
Norman McGrath is one of the world’s most accomplished photographers of architecture and interiors. Major architectural publications have featured his images. His book, Photographing Buildings Inside and Out, has sold more than 47,000 copies. He also co-authored the recently updated Manhattan Skyscrapers and did the photographs for Skyscraper Rivals, both for Princeton Architectural Press, The American Sunset, and with his wife Molly, Children's Spaces. He has been leading workshops in architectural photography for the Maine Media Workshops, Palm Beach Workshops among others, since the late 1980's.

Workshop Schedule
We will be staying in Pushkin, summer residence of the Russian tsars.

Workshop officially starts Sunday night with a get-together and dinner. On Monday, September 8 we will have a guided tour of St. Petersburg visiting many notable sites. During the workshop there will be group field trips, solo assignments, demonstrations and lectures. Each morning we will meet to review and critique the previous day’s photographs and discuss the next assignments. There will be a night-time location assignment presenting lighting challenges. On the last evening of class, there will be a dinner and a screening of photographs taken during the workshop.

Costs: $4895 Double Occupancy • $5695 Single Occupancy • $2895 Companion Double Occupancy.

This includes tuition, 11 nights of hotel accommodations, breakfasts, lunches, first and final dinner, land transportation, admission fees, private guide and driver.

Not included: airfares to and from St. Petersburg, dinners (except as noted above), tips to guide and driver and visa to Russia. Expect to pay about $1000 for a round trip between New York and St. Petersburg (LED) in September, 2008. Of course, advanced reservations can get you lower air fares.

Note: Because of currency instability there could be a small surcharge if US$ drops significantly against Euro before August, 2008.

Registration
A deposit of $100 secures your participation in the workshop. Enrollment is limited to 15 participants, companions are not included in the 15. Final payment is due on June 1, 2008.

Please click here to register.

To see a slide show of St. Petersburg on my last trip there, please click here.

Companions
Companions are welcome to join you on the city tours, for meals and the final evening screening and party, but not permitted to attend the shoot with instructor, portfolio reviews or critiques.

Cancellation policy
All deposits be refunded in full if the workshop is cancelled due to low enrollment. For a full refund minus the $100 registration fee we must be informed no later than June 15, 2008. If you decide to withdraw from the workshop after June 15, 2008 the full refund (minus the $100 registration fee) will be issued only if there is a replacement for you. Refunds cannot be made for participant no-shows. If you plan to purchase airline tickets yourself, please make sure that the tickets are refundable.

Norman McGrath is highly committed to lead this workshop and he welcomes any inquiry regarding this workshop. But if his schedule makes him unavailable the workshop will be led by an instructor of equal credentials.

Links to St. Petersburg Information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pushkin_%28town%29
http://www.saint-petersburg.com/virtual-tour
http://architecture.about.com/library/weekly/aa090501g.htm

Any Questions Regarding Workshop:
Emil Lansky: emil@emillanskyphoto.com / 973.879.2556 / http://emillanskyphoto.com

Technical Questions Regarding Workshop:
Norman McGrath: normanmcgrath@verizon.net / 212.799.6422 / http://normanmcgrath.com

Air Travel Arrangements and Travel Insurance
Rosa Aizenberg (R&R Travel): rosalya7@yahoo.com / 718.356.7146

Accommodation and Special Requests
Susan Lansky: susanlansky@yahoo.com / 917.599.8824

 

The St. Petersburg images on this page are courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg

Register Now!