Upcoming Workshops:
Sierra and Owens Valley, Oct. 2004
.Sign up by calling
800-848-0448
Space is limited!
Coastal New England Workshop 2005
THE VENUE The workshop will be conducted in and around the coastal village of Marion, Massachusetts. August is a beautiful time in New England. The center of Marion, nearly unchanged since the last century, is typical for its quaint old homes sitting up close to the street so the yards of voyaging sailors required no care. Window boxes overflow with flowers and climbing pink roses bramble over white picket fences. Nearby is the famous port of New Bedford. Whaling sea captains built their homes there and in surrounding towns such as Marion. Known today for the largest fishing fleet in the country, and in the 1800s as the whaling capital of the world, one can see the New Bedford fishing boats docked along the wharves unloading their catches or preparing for their sea voyages. Along the waterfront is the historic district with cobble stoned streets and stately buildings dating back to the late 1700's. We will also photograph in the New Bedford Whaling Museum. This unique museum features a one third scale model of a whaling ship that stands in a huge room surrounded with windows and columns. Throughout the museum are many seafaring artifacts, ship models, oil paintings and scrimshaw. Outside of the historic district stand century-old textile mills which line the harbor. Across the harbor is Fairhaven Unitarian Memorial Church which is oddly known as "The New England Cathedral", replete with flying buttresses carved angels, flora, and fauna and stained glass windows by Tiffany. The vestibule is graced with bronze gates and mosaic floors. On Sunday we will take the small ferry to Cuttyhunk Island on a photographic expedition of the beaches there which are littered with old wooden barges from the Second World War era.
TUITION Tuition is $595.00 per person, and does not include meals or lodging. Attendance is limited, and in order to reserve a spot we recommend that all reservations be made by Friday, July 27th. You may reserve space in the workshop by mail or telephone, 800-848-0448. We accept VISA, Master Card and American Express or you may make checks payable to The Wisner Workshops. Full payment is due by July 30th. Non-photographing spouses may attend the workshop free of charge. ADDITIONAL COSTS: Whaling Museum admission is $4.50, ferry about $20. If insufficient attendance requires that the workshop be canceled, the decision will be made on August 6th, and all participants will be notified by telephone. Tuition is fully refundable if for any reason the workshop is canceled by The Wisner Workshops. The extent of liability of the Coastal New England Workshop or the Wisner Company, Inc. shall be limited only to the return of fees paid for tuition. If YOU need to cancel after August 6th, we will credit you for a future workshop.
LODGING AND ACCOMMODATIONS You are responsible for your own arrangements however, we can suggest a few Bed & Breakfasts available here in Marion. Call us for their names and numbers. Prices range from $40.00 to $100.00 per night. Some share bathrooms, one has a swimming pool, two are in walking distance to the harbor, and all are on beautiful grounds and are 5 minutes away from our camera factory. A nice campground is 5 minutes away, in Rochester (508)763-2454.
GETTING STARTED: We will meet at the Wisner camera factory lobby, 732 Mill St./Rt. 6, Marion, MA at 3 P.M. on Saturday. We will conduct registration, pass out schedules and other information, and introduce the instructors. The workshop will officially end at 12:00 noon on Wednesday.
EQUIPMENT Bring your large format outfit (4x5,5x7,8x10 or 11x14) in your case or backpack with tripod, film holders, meters, and any other needed gadgets. Bring the amount of film that YOU are comfortable with and have it loaded. A Polaroid 545 is helpful. Be prepared for serious field work.
CLOTHING There is a saying here in New England, that if you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes. That goes double for the coastal areas. In August it can be hot and humid (90's) to down right chilly (50's) and there is no way to predict which it will be at any time. Generally mornings start in the 60's and climb to the 80's or 90's by mid-day. Layers of clothes work best. Don't forget bug repellent and sun screen.
CARS Because we will be doing some local traveling to our locations, a car is part of your equipment. We can, and probably will, do a certain amount of car pooling to improve logistics.
TRAVEL: AIRPORTS AND CAR RENTALS Marion is half way between two major international airports; Logan in Boston, MA. and Green in Providence, RI.. The car rental companies represented at Green are Avis (401-736-7500), Budget (401-739-8900) and Hertz (800-654-3131). At Logan: Hertz (617-569-7272), Budget (617-497-1800) and Avis (617-561-3500).