Every great adventure sport photographer actively participates in many of the sports they shoot. There’s no way to “fake” authentic action shots, you have to have an intimate knowledge of what’s actually happening during the moment. Yet it’s tough to find a week long workshop that mixes the doing and the shooting. Now there is. While there will be discussions and reviews, this won’t be a sit around the classroom type of workshop. We will blend a week of active sports with a week of shooting and learning.

The Adventure Workshops bring participants together that are both willing and able to hiking, biking and kayaking to locations, shoot and model each day. In addition, review sessions will allow everyone to learn from what is being shot. Reviews will be done at La Mision, our HQ on the beach with one-on-one critiques, as well as group slide-shows and discussions.  Specific assignments will be given to individuals to improve specific areas based on feedback from our workshop mentor. The group is small so there will be tons of time to interact with Jose and get immediate instruction during the day. More formalized critiques will happen throughout the week during class-time.

We are so serious about our adventures that we’re requiring you to fill out a questionaire to make sure everyone going to be at a compatible level.

Join us for a week packed full of sports and adventures in Baja. Remember, you’ll be working both sides of the camera, shooting and being shot. We’re going to be working hard riding single track, paddling in the Sea of Cortez and hiking through the La Giganta mountains.

Between editing, shooting, eating and sleeping, we’ll spend lots of time in and around Loreto. We’ve carved out a day to explore the nearby fishing wharf, and a trip to Loreto wouldn’t be complete without a rugged ride up to San Javier Mission. Along the way there will be time to stop and set up a few shots or maybe we’ll decide to cruise right up to the Mission and explore it further. This is a great opportunity to mix adventure sports with travel and lifestyle photography.

Fishing boats in the Sea of Cortez

A short history of the area from Wikipedia

Loreto (or Conchó) was the first Spanish settlement on the Baja California Peninsula. It served as the capital of Las Californias from 1697 to 1777, and is the current seat of the municipality of Loreto in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. The city of 14,724 people (2010 census) is located on the coast of the Sea of Cortés, about 350 km (220 mi) north of the state capital, La Paz.

The town was founded in 1697 by Jesuit missionaries, who found a steady spring of fresh water on this site. The Misión Nuestra Señora de Loreto was founded in the town in 1752. The town served as the capital of the province of Las Californias from its founding until the capital was moved to Monterey on February 3, 1777. The town then became the headquarters for the Lieutenant Governor of California Viejo (later the province of Baja California).

Loreto caters mostly to U.S. travelers, with daily flights from the U.S. state of California to Loreto International Airport. Many American tourists enjoy fishing in “pangas” for “dorado” (Mahi-mahi or Dolphin Fish). Local restaurants will willingly prepare the daily catch of the tourists. Loreto has an excellent museum that coexists alongside the historic, but still active, parish. Loreto has active sister city relationships with Hermosa Beach and Cerritos, California, USA.

There are seven buildings in Loreto from the 18th to the 20th century that are considered historical monuments by the federal government; the most important is the Mission of our Lady of Loreto, which is at the start of “the royal road” (“el camino real”), an historic corridor that follows north along the ancient route of the Spanish missions, to its ending in Sonoma, California, USA. In the neighboring town of San Javier are five historical buildings, most importantly the Mission of Saint Francis Xavier (Misión de San Francisco Javier), the best preserved mission in the peninsula. The ruins of Mission of San Bruno, the first mission of Baja California, founded in 1683 but abandoned a mere two years later, are twenty kilometers north of Loreto.

The Jesuit Missions Museum (“Museo de las Misiones Jesuíticas”) is located beside the Mission of our Lady of Loreto. It has a collection of religious art, weapons and tools from the 17th and 18th centuries that were used in the Spanish missions in Baja California.

In the “La Giganta” Mountain Range , Sierra de la Giganta”, there are cave paintings in canyons and rock shelters. The nearest sites to Loreto are “Cuevas Pintas” (15 km to the west) and “La Pingüica” (60 km to the North) The cave paintings from the indigenous groups of Baja California are world famous and some of them have been added to UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites.

The price of the workshop includes:

Saturday night to Friday night at La Mision based on double occupancy. (Add another $350 if you want your own room.)
Meals are included but not the “adult” drinks that usually go along with dinner. We’ll be having most of our meals at La Mision. It will be up to you to pick up the bill on Thursday’s “night on your own on the town.”
All local transportation is taken care of; bikes, kayaks, shuttles, etc. are all included. So you just need to pack your camera equipment, laptop with your usual editing software and enough hard drive space to handle a weeks worth of shooting. Make sure you also pack personal equipment like bike shorts, shoes, and any other gear you might want to have along for the week, take care of getting toLoretoAirportand we’ll take care of almost everything else.

Total Cost: $2600 USD

If you’re looking for more information drop us an e-mail and we’ll get right back in touch.

Keep in mind this is a baseline for your week in Loreto. We always stay flexible based on weather, locations, and group dynamics, so the schedule may change here and there to make for a better workshop.

You have the option to come one of two weeks, the itinerary is the same for either week.
First week starts March 10, 2012 and the second week starts March 17, 2012.
Sunrise is approximately 6AM and Sunset 6PM

Saturday, Arrival Day

Arrive Loreto 2pm local time
Meet instructor & group for dinner @7:30 and slideshow
Discuss next morning assignments

Sunday, Local Market Day

Early morning photography at local Loreto Fishing Wharf 5:00-7:00
Breakfast @ 8:00
Class 9:30- 11:30
Lunch @11:30
Photography at Market 12:30 to 2, market closes at 2pm
Class time 2:30 to 4:30
Sunset Photography nearby
Dinner @ 7:00 followed by evening discussion & plan for Monday

Monday, Hiking Day

Early Breakfast @ 5:00
5:30 Van leaves for Canyon
Back for Lunch @ 1:00
Discussion afternoon 1-4pm
Evening light Photography
Dinner @ 7:30

Tuesday, Sea Kayak Day

Breakfast @ 5:00
Sea Kayak launch @ 6:00
Lunch on boats
Sea kayak along coastline.
Photography afternoon/evening
Bonfire on the beach at Sunset  & catered dinner local wine & beer.

Wednesday, Mission Day

Breakfast @ 7am
Class Time 8-11am
Jeep drive to Mission, 2 hrs rough road with jeeps
Lunch at Saint Javier Mission
Photography
Drive back to Loreto
Group Dinner out on the town @8pm

Thursday

Flexible morning
Editing and class discussion afternoon 12 – 4pm
Free time and dinner on your own

Friday, Mountain Biking Day

Breakfast
Mountain Biking Photography all day
Instructor and class Slideshow Night
Final dinner & slideshow

Saturday

Big farewell breakfast
Late checkout
Shuttle to Airport

Jose received a BA from Cornell University, where he began shooting pictures for the annual. After completing his Masters in Journalism at the University of Missouri, he joined the staff of the Miami Herald. Since 1981, Azel has been a freelance photojournalist for international magazines. As a consultant on photojournalism and multimedia, Azel has worked for Apple Computer, Inc., Scholastic, Inc. and Time, Inc. In 1993 he founded Aurora Photos that today is a successful photo agency with some of the greatest outdoor images in the world, www.auroraphotos.com

As far as hiking goes, there are very few  formal trails in the Sierra de la Giganta, so a local’s perspective is invaluable. This is where Dave Kelly comes in. He’s a New Englander that has been coming to Loreto for the past 20 years, and his knowledge of the surrounding area makes our adventures come together like a well rolled burrito….  The multitude of mule paths and local trails winding through the mountains can be rugged and dusty, but it’s well worth it to get into some of the unspoiled arroyos and canyons that will be our backdrop for trail running, hiking and mountain biking photography.

Hiking in the mountains

Mountain Biking in and around Loreto is slowly growing, so there are lots of trails, paths and dead-ends. It’s a perfect place to take advantage of the unexplored areas that surround Loreto: Lots of variety, rocky slabs, twisting single track and wide open vistas. Between the days of shooting, biking, and the free time here and there, you’ll be able to keep your legs in shape and get some fantastic shots of desert, mountains and canyon riding. Bring your camel-back and sunglasses, there’ll be plenty of sunshine, dust and dirt.