JULY 22-29, 2006
SPIRIT OF CENTRAL MEXICO: SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE
with Gary Oakley & Robert de Gast (All photos this page ©2004 Gary Oakley)

STILL AVAILABLE WITH OWN TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
Tuition only $1050 - call for details

Street life, culture and ruins! Explore life in the heart of Mexico! Plan now for this 5 DAY workshop in Mexico’s famous artists’ mountain retreat with internationally known photographers former and current long-time residents of San Miguel. Program includes optional cooking, language and yoga classes; history tours.

Not a beach, not a border town, San Miguel and neighboring villages have a culture all their own and the warmth of the people is absolutely contagious. This town of 40,000 in the high desert is very Mexican, with customs, traditions and festivities that are both intriguing and photogenic. The light, scenery and textures attracts artists from all over the world; therefore, San Miguel also has the flavor of a town influenced by American ex-patriots. This contrast provides photographers a wonderful opportunity to shoot contrasting culture.

Join us for five glorious days of photography in San Miguel de Allende with two photographers who know their way around! It is hard to find a more suitable location for a photography workshop: visit private, bougainvillea-covered villas, enchanted desert ruins of a mining ghost town, colorful streets and street life, off the beaten path abandoned chapels, vibrantly painted crumbling stucco walls, narrow cobblestone alleyways, stunning 500-year old architecture, historic sites from the cradle of the Mexican independence movement, penitente churches, desert landscapes, zesty marketplaces, all combined with a hodgepodge of the modern-day: loud concrete advertisements, dusty tire shops, crowded buses, and ubiquitous street dogs (Gary’s favorite!).

This is both an opportunity to photograph the beautiful and the real; the cultural contrast between old and new, rich and poor, dirt and pavement, quaint and modern. The location allows the photographer to make beautiful imagery, but it also evokes intellectual exploration of the unspoken communication that exists between shooter and subjects and how that affects imagery. What does the photographers’ race, socio economic background, status affect the final image? Much is unspoken and unseen. You will learn to read the light, capture candid moments, and compose landscapes.

After a full and rewarding day of shooting, the evenings will be spent relaxing in a quaint café or joining the group for a cooking exhibition, passionate history discussion, folk art lesson, yoga session, or brush up language skills with lecture on the off-beat things we gringos say.

5 days of shooting and evening programs with 2 unscheduled days to explore or take optional trips to Guanajuato, the silver mining gem of Spanish colonial Mexico with 6 named streets and 3,000 alleys or Atotonilco the famous penitente church full of history and intrigue.

You have always wanted to go . . . Gary and Robert have created a delightful cultural immersion and an exciting photo workshop, so NOW is the moment!

Activities for guests or non-photographic companions are diverse and easily accessible: Spanish classes, art workshops, hot springs, shopping, biking tours, hiking, jeep tours, ballooning, colonial house tours, art tours, botanic gardens, colonial city tours, yoga, gallery hopping, spas, sketching ruins, … Activities for children or teens can be arranged on a case-by-case basis. A parent or guardian must be responsible for supervision. We will provide a list of activities and contact information to each participant. Payment can be made directly to each vendor. Private instruction typically runs $10-15/hr for language and art instruction.

• Good shoes! Good Shoes!. We will be walking a great deal and the sidewalks are notoriously dangerous with holes and crumbling. If you have weak ankles bring light hiking boots!
• Bring a sweater and light rain gear.
• Passport! Or at least a birth certificate.
• Cash or Travelers Checks. Mexico is mostly a cash economy. Except for a few tourist amenities cash is ubiquitous. It is not cheap in San Miguel (meals run $5-10) so bring enough funds for activities and free days. There are cash machines in town which are reasonably, not completely, reliable.
• Photo equipment, tripod, memory cards, extra batteries. Digital camera is required to review work.
• Travel Insurance. Call for details.
  

SCHEDULE 2006 STILL AVAIABLE WITH OWN TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS REGISTRATION DEADLINE: July 21, 2006 (Final Payment must be received at WWA) Your travel plans should ensure arrival in San Miguel de Allende 7/22 for evening greetings. WORKSHOP 07/23-07/29 Sunday-Saturday

Each day will begin with breakfast at the hotel. Lunch will be portable on most days and Dinner will be at local restaurant on workshop days. NOTE: This agenda may be modified for weather or other unforeseen events. Saturday July 22nd: Leave Denver on Continental Airlines, 11:20am. Arrive Leon/Guanajuato International Airport at 5:35. Transfer to Vans for 1.5 hour ride to San Miguel. Evening Welcome. Sunday July 23rd: Equipment check, culture discussion. Alleyways, Central Jardin, cathedrals. Afternoon visit abandoned chapels. Evening Program: Language and Street names. Monday July 24th: Market colors and photojournalism. Afternoon: ranchos and Haciendas. Evening: Mexican History and Folk art. Tuesday July 25th: Unscheduled free day to shoot and explore. Optional trip to nearby hotsprings, Atotonilco Church, History tour or pottery factory. Optional Evening Program: Artist Lecture on Composition Wednesday July 26th: Pozos Ruins and village. Evening:Mexican Cooking. Thursday July 27th: Unscheduled free day to shoot and explore. Optional trip to stunning silver town: Guanajuato. Friday July 28th: Street life and countryside:outskirts, Atotonilco, original San Miguel mission. Evening Program: student presentations. Saturday July 29th: Recap and Goodbye. Leave to Airport at 1pm. Depart Leon at 5pm. Arrive Denver at 10pm.

ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTORS? Robert de Gast is an award-winning photographer and noted writer. His work has appeared in major publications and has ben exhibited in Europe, Mexico and the United States. He is the author, most recently of Behind the Doors of San Miguel and eight other books. He has lived in San Miguel for 10 years and teaches and lectures while continuing work on photographic essays. Gary Oakley began photographing in Central America in 1987 while living in Guatemala and has traveled extensively throughout Mexico, the culmination of which was a year in San Miguel photographing street dogs for an upcoming book, The Dogs of San Miguel. Known internationally for his wedding work, Gary travels worldwide on assignment. His images have appeared in numerous books and magazines, notably: The New York Times, In Style, Conde Naste, The Knot, Vogue, Bride, and Confetti Magazine. Books Credits include: The Knot's Complete Guide to Weddings In The Real World, and Destination Weddings. WHAT'S INCLUDED • GETTING THERE • PRICE Workshop includes: Air (Continental Airlines-Denver to Leon, Mexico), Hotel in San Miguel (3 star), meals (5 days), ground transportation, 5 days of photographic instruction, 5 evening programs. TUITION, TRANSPORTATION & LODGING: $2,875 (Non-photographing guests:$1,975) TUITION ONLY: $1050 - CALL FOR DETAILS. TERMS: 50% deposit reserves your space. Cancellations by May 15th will incur a $200 cancellation fee. Full payment due June 15th is non-refundable (unless substitute participant is found, in which case payment is refundable less the $200 cancellation fee).