Adventures Northwest Photography Workshops reflect our ongoing love affair with photography.  We’ve been devoted to the art form for decades and live to make exceptional photographs that capture the beauty, relevance and meaning to be found in the beautiful world around us. Great photography starts with seeing, really seeing, both the big picture in its incalculable grandeur and the tiny details that tell small and intimate stories. Every day begins with a sense of anticipation and excitement for the visual beauty that surrounds us—whether we’re in Alaska or the North Cascades or among the sensuously entwined madrone forests of the San Juan Islands. We understand how fortunate we are to be immersed in beauty and feel grateful for the opportunities to convey this beauty to others through our art.

Photo by Marie Duckworth

Our workshops are immersive and hands-on. More than simply a tour, we are focused on delivering the kind of practical, useful information that will enable you to take your photography to the next level. Group size is small, affording opportunities for one-on-one attention as well as group instruction. We believe in helping our students through the entire process – from composition and camera technique to file organization, editing and processing, post-production fine-tuning and finally, optimizing for printing. All students will go home with at least one print —ready for framing —from the workshop.

In addition to the technical aspects of digital photography and processing, we’ll focus on how to pre-visualize images and take advantage of lighting conditions, foreground/background juxtaposition and the color palette to maximize the impact of our photographs. In our group discussions we’ll discuss the art of composition, the elimination of the extraneous, and visual techniques to maximize impact and highlight the essential elements of a theme.

Adventures Northwest Magazine has been the Pacific Northwest’s premier outdoors magazine since 2006. The magazine is dedicated to exploring deep connections to the glorious natural world of the northwest and inspiring readers to discover (or rediscover) this deep and timeless connection.  One of the most effective ways to express this, we believe, is through the art of photography. Images can convey the beauty of these landscapes in a way that goes beyond words and resonate in both our minds and our hearts, touching people in lasting and powerful ways. When we express a genuine love for the Earth and all its beauty, we invite others to join us as passionate fellow travelers on a journey of discovery and to become advocates for the protection and healing of our planet.

Alan Sanders has been making photographs since the 70’s and teaching photography since the 80’s. He has taught at the University of Alaska, Anchorage and Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. His photographs are part of the permanent collections of several museums as well as many private collections.