Eastern Slovakia 2020

3 DAYS PHOTO WORKSHOP FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS OF ANY LEVEL IN PICTURESQUE EASTERN SLOVAKIA

THIS WORKSHOP IS NOT AVAILABLE ANYMORE. PLEASE JOIN US ON A DIFFERENT WORKSHOP…

Eastern Slovakia is the magical place on Earth, where you can still find the best of its beauty and unique habits of this country – and all of this you will experience on your own during this workshop! The epicenter of our experiences and photo sessions will be picturesque town Bardejov, which is on the UNESCO heritage list. City miraculously survived all wars and attacks of communistic landscape planners and was able to maintain its unique character and history. We will be exploring Bardejov together and we will photograph it a lot, but during three days we will go to see other places too – we will visit nearby famous Bardejov spa and also tiny village just around the corner, where standalone chapel in the middle of the field will pose for us. And for one afternoon and evening we will travel to Spiš region, where stands the biggest castle in the Central Europe – Spiš castle, impressive and photogenic subject with the panorama of High Tatras mountains behind it and which is by the way also on the UNESCO heritage list.

But we will not limit ourselves only to beauty of landscape and cities of Eastern Slovakia, but we would also like to present you typical Slovak habits and thus we plane to include to the agenda (optional) photographing portraits with models in unique folklore costumes from the local region. We will photograph unusual portraits and we will decently combine local culture with historic sites and we will put them also in the contrast with a current urban environment.

Small group of max 12 participants to ensure great experience for everyone, so we can dedicate enough space and individual instructions for everybody. You will learn new photography techniques and equipment, you will understand landscape composition and you will see how and why light conditions have such an important role for landscape photography so you can capture beautiful photographs. You will also experience photographing portraits with everything what is required for such a session – working with model, accessories, selection and importance of the spot for the session and many creative ideas. All that in relaxed atmosphere of same-minded photo enthusiasts. Beautiful, cozy and very conveniently located hotel in the center of the city with restaurant and wellness spa – and with an easy access to most of the places.

Date: Saturday 8 August – Monday 10 August 2020
Instructors: Patrik and Monika Banas

Itinerary for our workshop*:

Friday 7 August 2020

Arrival to Bardejov
19:00 Meet and greet – optional meeting a night before the workshop in the hotel. Logistics and more details for the following three days. No photo shooting is planned for this evening.

Saturday 8 August 2020

6:00 Sunset above the hills with lonely chapel, silence in the countryside
9:00 Breakfast
11:00 Architecture through the centuries – unique houses and their details in the outdoor historical museum and new age designs of the boulevard in Bardejov spa (including lunch)
15:00 personal free time, nap, siesta, wellness, early dinner…
18:00 Golden hour in the historic center of Bardejov, cobalt blue sky and amazing reflections of the old city square, city hall and monumental basilica – all that surrounded by colorful historic town houses
22:00 Stars above Eastern Slovakia – optional night shooting and star trails creation

Sunday 9 August 2020

8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Creative portrait photo session with models in folklore costumes from the local region
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Transfer to region Spiš (about one hour drive, transport is included in the price of the workshop)
16:00 Majestic Spiš castle which we will be discovering from far away but also close up and personal. How to place it the best in the landscape, but also how to frame it to the background of High Tatras mountains. And we will hope that farmers will arrange fields with fantastic landscape props – hay rolls! Those are not guaranteed though 😉
19:00 Blue hour at Spiš, combining great castle lightning against cobalt blue sky background
21:00 Late dinner and return to hotel

Monday 10 August 2020

8:00 Breakfast and check out
9:00 Exploring tiny old streets of Bardejov and less know parts of the city, details of building and houses. Majestic city walls will invite us to experiment with shutter speed and maybe we will also try to create “studio conditions” in the middle of the day, for example next to historic moat. And also we will go to take a photo of a new architecture, which looks like from the science fiction movie
12:00 Lunch
13:00 End of the workshop

*Please, bear in mind, that this is a “vagabond” style photo trip, so we will be catching light, shadows, clouds and agenda can change based on the current weather situation. More detailed agenda will be shared prior the workshop or agreed together on the spot.

Workshop price includes:

workshop fee – 3 days photo experience at the best locations
100% availability and mentoring of your experienced instructor all the time
additional instructor – portrait photographer and portrait photography instructor
all transport during the workshop
models and portrait photography in folklore costumes
all logistic and organizational support at the locations
great atmosphere and bonus smile 😉

Total price: 399 CHF

Do not wait and book your picturesque Eastern Slovakia trip now!

(399 CHF is apx. 360 EUR / 399 USD / 9400 CZK… exact price will be calculated at the checkout in your local currency based on the actual exchange rate.)

Accommodation: Workshop price does not include accommodation. But we have reserved rooms in the beautiful and modern hotel with restaurant, summer terase, wellness spa and breakfast – right in the center of Bardejov. We strongly encourage you to stay in the same hotel, which will be our morning starting point and where we will return late evening. However, you are free to find your own accommodation, but if you’ll decide to stay at a different place we require punctuality – sunrise will not wait 😉

Price for three nights with the breakfast in this hotel (9.1 out of 10 rating), two people per room is 130 CHF (apx. 120 EUR, 3100 CZK). Single room available for double the price. More info about the hotel can be sent upon request.

Payment by bank transfer / wire or with US checks payment is available. Please contact us.

Gift certificate option available! Please contact us here to agree details.

Requirements: Basic understanding of your camera, tripod (we have few to borrow, contact us if you need one). This will be a very intensive 3 day photo trip and we will be shooting from early morning till very late night, so as for any landscape photography trips, be ready for lack of sleep 😉 All scouted locations are however accessible with the car, perfect spots are always within a reasonable walking distance and physically this trip is not very demanding. Also, all shootings are of course voluntary, so if you decide to skip one, it is up to you.

Weather: This is an outdoor photo trip and of course we hope for ideal weather conditions. Timing of the photo trip has been selected to maximize our chances of favorable conditions – and for the most beautiful landscape views, for example fields with hay rolls. However, please be aware that weather can change and cannot be guaranteed. We will be monitoring weather forecast closely and will flexibly reshuffle our agenda to maximize the potential of our trip, but no guarantee can be made for ideal sunrises, sunsets, clouds or blue sky. Nevertheless, landscape photography is also about learning how to take pictures in a different conditions and we will do my best to teach you how to understand weather in photography and how to plan and shoot in inclement weather if it will occur (which is often very photogenic, by the way ;-)).

Payment and cancellation policy: To book your spot, payment must be made in full. If your booking will be cancelled by 29. 2. 2020, you will be refunded workshop fee – minus 50 CHF non refundable deposit (or equivalent in your currency). After 1.3. 2020 you’ll be refunded workshop fee (minus 50 CHF non refundable deposit) only if we will fill your place from the standby list, otherwise no refund is possible. Finding replacement for your spot is encouraged and of course fully accepted. Refund for the accommodation is based on the hotel’s refund policy.

Minimum 5 participants are required to organize this photo trip. In case of unlikely event of cancellation at our side for any reason, your payment will be refunded in full.

Please see more detailed “Terms and Conditions here”.

Booking your spot for this particular photo trip serves as placing an order with pixien photo workshops (Monika and Patrik Banas) and constitutes as acceptance of these “Terms and Conditions”. Every participant will be required at the beginning of the workshop to sign and accept Accident Waiver and Release of the Liability, which can be downloaded here.

Transfer to Bardejov is not included in the price, but we will be happy to help with car-pooling coordination.

How to get to Bardejov, Slovakia?

By car – if coming from the west, follow the directions to Poprad, Prešov and then Bardejov.
Bardejov is also easy to reach by bus or train. We would be happy to help you to plan your itinerary, contact us.
Plane – nearest airport is in Košice (KSC) with direct lines to Prague, Germany or UK (more connections from KSC here), about 75 minutes drive to Bardejov. Another airport is in Cracow, Poland (KRK) – about 2.5 hours drive from Bardejov. Direct connections from KRK here.

Questions? Email us and we will be delighted to answer any questions. pixien@pixien.com