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Detailed Description PDF »Equipment List PDF »
Alaska is a land of raw beauty, untouched and pristine, with Denali as its’ crowning masterpiece. This 6 day photography workshop gets off the beaten path to create original images of Denali and other spectacular areas in Alaska. This trip will include hiking and camping on green tundra hills with stunning views of Denali, and traveling onto the Matanuska Glacier to photograph glacial formations and ice climbers. Both landscape and adventure sports shooting will be covered on this workshop. The workshop offers instruction from beginning concepts to advanced techniques; the images participants create will be stunning!
Length: 6 Days
Deposit: $250 (Balance Due: 60 days prior to the starting date.)
Group Limit: 8-13 participants, 2 guides
Cost Includes: Professional Guides, 4 nights hotel accommodations, 2 nights camping accommodations, Talkeetna theater/class room, full van transportation from Anchorage to course locations and back to Anchorage, gate fees, food (17 meals) , group gear, and personal camping equipment needs.
Cost Does Not Include: Transportation to or from Alaska, optional flightseeing fare/fees, personal clothing and personal photography equipment. Please see Equipment List for details.
This course will combine 4 nights in local hotels and 2 nights camping in the field. Course locations will include Talkeetna, the Peters Hills bordering Denali National Park and the Matanuska Glacier. In addition to field sessions, a conference room will be used for the Talkeetna classes. For the backcountry camping section, participants will be outfitted in Talkeetna for any necessary items, (refer to the equipment list for more information). The hiking part of the workshop will consist of a short hike to a tundra ridge where a basecamp will be set up. Participants will sleep in tents, and a larger basecamp tent will be available for class sessions. Cooking will be done by the instructors in camp. Day hikes will be offered with light packs to explore other photo opportunities in the area. On the Matanuska Glacier, we will walk to the glacier on a rustic dirt and rock trail, upon reaching the ice, basic ice - walking crampon techniques will be taught to participants to enable safe movement on the glacier.
Travel Day: Arrive in Anchorage, Alaska and check into the Millennium Hotel. This night’s lodging is included in the cost of the workshop and we have made a double occupancy reservation for you. The hotel has a complimentary Airport shuttle, please call 907-243-2300 upon arrival for your pick up.
Day One: You will meet your instructors at 8:00 am in the lobby area of the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska. Please enjoy breakfast on your own prior to our 8:00 am meeting. After an orientation, the group will travel by van to Talkeetna, AK where you’ll check into the Swiss Alaska Inn and meet for lunch. The afternoon will be spent photographing in beautiful downtown Talkeetna; the quintessential Alaskan village that is located at the confluence of three rivers with views of the Alaska Range.
Day Two: The workshop will start with a morning shoot, with optional flight-seeing/aerial photography. After breakfast the group will have a class session reviewing images and teaching other topics including workflow and TTL flash use. Lunch will be provided. After lunch we will spend the afternoon doing a gear check and outfitting for the hiking/camping section in the Peters Hills. In the evening we will explore nearby areas for shooting and do more image reviews.
Day Three: We leave Talkeetna and drive to the trailhead in the Peters Hills. From here we begin the hike into the Peters Hills and establish camp. Our time spent here will continue with teaching photography techniques and exploring the stunning views, sub arctic tundra and lakes. A large base camp tent will be set up for classes and meals.
Day Four: We will spend the entire day photographing in the Peters Hills area. We will be teaching photography techniques and we will explore the stunning Alaska Range and Mt. McKinley (Denali) views, macro sub arctic tundra and lakes on our own and within small groups.
Day Five: We return to the vehicles and drive to the Matanuska Glacier. We will travel through the Talkeetna Mountains over Hatcher Pass. Photography options are endless as we travel through Hatcher Pass Independence Mine—a historic mine operation in a majestic alpine setting, past bright patches of pink fireweed and the turquoise waters of the Little Susitna River en route to the glacier. We will photograph the Matanuska Glacier in the late afternoon, evening and check into our hotel near by the Matanuska Glacier.
Day Six: We will wake up to the stunning Matanuska Glacier. It is one of Alaska’s most accessible glaciers. After breakfast at the hotel we will drive 10 minutes to the parking area of Glacier Park Resort. From there we will walk 15 minutes to the ice. We will spend the day photographing all aspects of the glacier including jagged ice formations, glacial rivers and our ice climbers. We have hired ice climbers to model for the group on adventure sports shooting techniques. In the late afternoon, the workshop will return to Anchorage, check back into the Millennium Hotel, (lodging this night is included) and have a final dinner out in Anchorage. For those flying to/from Anchorage, you can plan your return flight late this evening or the next morning.
The workshop is open to all levels of experience in photography. You should be in good physical condition, as you will be carrying a backpack of 30 pounds while hiking 2 miles and gaining 800 feet in elevation to reach our base camp in the Peters Hills. The Peters Hills trail is a ATV trail with mostly good footing but occasional rocky and wet areas. From our base camp we will be taking short hikes off trail in the tundra to photograph. The trail to the Matanuska Glacier is rocky and we travel that slowly to ensure we reach the glacier safely. Once on the glacier we travel with crampons on the ice to avoid slipping. Good balance is required, but no previous crampon experience is required.
Tom Bol, Lead Guide
Tom Bol is an editorial and commercial photographer based in Colorado. Since receiving his journalism degree he has covered
the globe photographing for a variety of clients. National Geographic Adventure listed Tom as one of "50 of America's Top
Visionaries" for his photography. Tom and his work have been featured in national advertisements by Nikon and Elinchrom,
and he is a Bogen Mentor and Lensbaby Guru. Tom is a regular contributor to Digital Photo Magazine, and writes for other
photography magazines as well. His images have been used in magazines, brochures, billboards, books, postcards and calendars
worldwide. Tom is a former Alaskan resident, and has guided extended backcountry trips from Denali to the Arctic. More about
Tom and more of his work can be seen at www.tombolphoto.com »
Colby Coombs, Assistant Guide
Colby Coombs owns and operates Alaska Mountaineering School, LLC in Talkeetna. He earns a living as a mountain guide, but has
spent his life toting a camera around the Alaska Range. His specialty is multi-row panoramas.
All the food is included in the cost of this workshop (17 meals). The menu is open at the restaurants except for alcohol. You can eat a hearty breakfast at the Talkeetna Roadhouse with reindeer sausage, a slab of halibut at the Twister Creek, or a juicy steak at the Long Rifle. During the camping section, the meals we provide are hearty, nutritious and balanced. We eat soups prior to each dinner and pastas, rice and bean burritos, pancakes and cereals. Our rations come from organic wholesalers from Washington state and a modern supermarket in Anchorage. All our meals can accommodate vegetarians; please contact us if you have any dietary restrictions.
AMS will provide the group gear for this workshop such as tents and kitchen. We will also supply each participant with a
sleeping bag, pad, parka, crampons, ski poles as necessary. Please see the Equipment List for the items you will need and other details.
An important part of every course is to incorporate minimum-impact techniques into our strategy. AMS takes great care to serve as a role model for wilderness travel and Leave No Trace ethics. AMS strives for each group to understand minimum-impact living and traveling skills appropriate to the wilderness area we work in.
Alaska Mountaineering School (AMS) is a professionally run operation located in Talkeetna, Alaska. We are small, and our word of mouth reputation extends far. We teach instructional courses and leads guided climbs in the Alaska Range, Talkeetna Mountains, and Chugach Mountains. AMS promotes excellence in responsible mountaineering and wilderness travel by educating and guiding others. Our participants learn all the components to expedition life-outfitting, camping, traveling, and enjoying oneself in the company of team members. The camaraderie that forms is an experience in and of itself.