CHARACTER Drumheller – Canalta Jurassic Hotel

CHARACTER: An exploration of the art of portrait photography with Dave Brosha and Wayne Simpson.

LOCATION: Drumheller, Alberta.  If you've always wanted to come visit the beautiful Alberta Badlands...this is your time. 

If you love portrait photography, and the idea of capturing the essence of a person and their soul in memorable images, be sure to check out our yearly workshop series, "CHARACTER", dedicated to the end-to-end art of portrait photography. 

Rather than a simple workshop, however, this will be a three-day event in an amazing location with long days, lots of laughs, an incredible amount of hands-on creative time, and the ability to see the end-to-end process of passionate and experienced Canadian portrait photographers, Dave Brosha and Wayne Simpson, with absolutely no secrets: from visualization to execution to post-processing and beyond.

Consider it a year of portrait photography school jammed into three days.

DATES: June 17-19, 2025

COST: 

• Option 1: Pay in Full
  Total Cost: $1,650 + tax
  Payment: Full amount due upon registration
  

• Option 2: Installment Plan
  Initial Deposit: $750 + tax due upon registration
  Installment Payments:
  • First Installment: $450 + tax, due in Sept 2024
  • Second Installment: $450 + tax, due in March 2025

(NOTE: The $1650 + tax is the Workshop Fee only - accommodation, meals, or transportation not included although carpooling is encouraged).

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE (note: details subject to change)

Day 1

• 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Event kick-off with Dave and Wayne
  Introductions, slideshows, and a talk about finding your vision and voice in your portrait work. During this morning's presentation, they'll examine a variety of styles and influences and talk about the ideas of both pre-visualization and creating within the moment. Participants will be expected to share their biggest current portrait challenges as Dave and Wayne will take note and work on helping each participant overcome these challenges.

• 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM: Lunch break/travel to location #1

• 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM: The Art of Location
  Dave and Wayne will lead participants on a walk-through of the location, both inside and out, and explain environmental features that stand out to them as well as various storytelling components that can be utilized for strong portraiture. Once the walkthrough is complete, participants will separate to jot down ideas, concepts, and potential portraits.

• 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM: The Art of Portrait DEMO #1
  The group will split up - half will go with Wayne and half will go with Dave as they demo a short portrait session. In this time, they will talk aloud about their entire thought process, including obstacles they're trying to overcome, posing, expression, lighting, and mood.

• 2:45 PM - 3:30 PM: The Art of Portrait DEMO #2
  Groups swap instructors for a second demo, mirroring the first session's structure for exposure to both teaching styles.

• 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM: Participant photoshoots
  Participants will break into small groups and be assigned subjects and proceed to create for 2 straight hours. Participants will help and support each other, as will Dave and Wayne.

Day 2

• 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Lighting for MOOD + STORYTELLING
  While Day One demos were more focused on the essentials of strong portraiture, Day Two will see Dave and Wayne get more advanced and focus more attention on lighting to create a mood, multi-light set-ups, effectively balancing ambient and introduced lighting, and "lighting-for-the-face (not just for the sake of lighting). As with Day One, the group will split up and see demos from both Wayne and Dave before diving into late-morning shooting.

• 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM: Lunch break

• 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM: Participant photoshoots/Flat-out creative
  Participants will break into small groups and be assigned subjects/models and proceed to create for over 4 straight hours. Participants will help and support each other, as will Dave and Wayne. Unlike Day One, participants will be assigned specific portrait tasks and challenges to allow them to focus on skill-building and in-the-moment creativity.

Day 3

• 7:30 AM: Meet-up/Morning Creative + Field Trip
  Location to be determined. But it may be anywhere within 50-75 kilometres of Drumheller.  We'll share details at the event and we can all arrange carpooling then.

• 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Group brunch (optional, at participant's own expense)

• 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Post-Processing/Participant Critique
  One of the over-looked and/or rushed aspects of many workshops, Wayne and Dave will spend time going over their entire end-to-end editing process, which will include "live" edits of some of their images, explaining different Lightroom and Photoshop techniques. After their demos and discussion, participants will have roughly one hour to work on their images from day one. Final group editing session, slideshow, and critique.

NOTES:

• Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops for the editing sessions. However, arrangements can be made to share laptops if necessary or hop onto Dave and Wayne's laptops if needed.
• This workshop is limited to a maximum of 16 participants so expect a lot of hands-on shooting time with lots of support from Dave and Wayne.
  

TRANSPORTATION:
The price of the workshop does not include transportation. Participants will need to arrange car rentals or carpooling with other workshop participants.

PAYMENT and CANCELLATION POLICY

• Deposit Requirement: A deposit of $750 (non-refundable, plus tax) is required to secure your spot. This deposit is part of the overall cost and ensures your participation in the event.
  
  
• Final Payment: The final payment is due according to the installment schedule previously mentioned or participants can choose Option 1 and settle the full amount upfront if preferred.
  
  
• Cancellation and Transferability: While spots are non-refundable, they are transferable. This means that if a participant is unable to attend, they may find another individual to take their place. It is the participant's responsibility to sell their spot if they are unable to attend.
  
  
• Contact Information for Queries:
  • Dave Brosha: davebrosha@gmail.com
  • Wayne Simpson: wayne@waynesimpsonphotography.com

For any additional questions or clarifications, participants are encouraged to reach out directly to either of the event organizers.