Peru: Monumental and Spiritual: Cusco During Semana Santa and Machu Picchu

Instructors:
Harvey Stein & Adam L. Weintraub

Workshop fee:
$2950-$3250, depending on enrollment numbers

Most of this workshop consists of photographing in the restless streets of Cusco during the celebrations of Holy Week. We will be active and engaged in making great images. We'll cast off each day in search of meaning in a city alive with passion and symbolism, especially during Easter - we'll be fully immersed within this thriving city, contrasts and contradictions abound.

We'll break up the processions with one of our own to Machu Picchu, a great way to breathe and sort out all the wonderful activities we’ve been seeing. This time of year is one of the best seasons to visit the area, with lush greens and mild temperatures, slightly fewer tourists than normal and thus fewer lines, meaning more time at the actual sanctuary.

We'll be working with wonderful light, open and friendly locals, unique places and open spaces. Informal discussions with Harvey and Adam and fellow participants will give the week special resonance as we ask what it is that inspires us and our vision.

Digital/Film:

The use of digital cameras is encouraged for ease of shooting and convenient viewing of results for critiques. This also eliminates costs for film and processing. You are welcome to shoot slide or black/white film but this won’t allow for processing and critiquing in Peru.

Please bring digital camera(s), laptop if possible for back-up & editing, an extra battery, memory stick/cards; it is recommended that you have a portable external hard drive for image back-up.

ITINERARY:

We begin locally in Cusco, gaining a bit of familiarity and friction, understanding a bit of the region and the people in the ancient capital of the Incas. Home to a wonderful array of people, the city has evolved into a mecca of sorts and we’re here to understand this relation and become inspired.

We delve deep into the processions, the parades, the spectacle and the symbolism of Holy Week in a strong Catholic community with deeply spiritual peoples. Harvey will address many of the considerations of preparation and perspective, of project and image while Adam will address local customs and offer insight into local events (and photographic feedback when warranted).

We'll meet each day as a group to review events or share work and then go off again as we search for meaning in a city alive with passion and symbolism. Semana Santa will be the backdrop for the workshop, but the foundation is pure Inca. Cusco will be bursting with ambition and religious pageantry. Police and priests press past as they protect the route but the passion of the people is the real crux of our focus. There are processions of varying meanings; parades with the famous red ñuqchu petal tossed, paving the way in a sea of brilliant red, as the procession passes.

• April 12th – Saturday – morning arrival, rest & recuperation – welcome dinner
• April 13th – Palm Sunday – Palms, palms and more palms!
• April 14th – Monday - Señor de los Temblores – the most important day, processions, etc
• April 15th – Tues – Off to Machu Picchu for a private guided tour, overnight stay
• April 16th – Wed –Early morning back up to Machu Picchu for sunrise shooting, afternoon to Cusco
• April 17th – Holy Thursday – Cusco preparations, 12 typical dishes; local scenes
• April 18th – Good Friday – Processionals throughout Cusco
• April 19th – Saturday - Last day critique, one on one reviews; afternoon final presentations, farewell dinner
• April 20th – Easter Sunday – Depart to Lima mid-day; optional city tour in Lima

Note: A detailed daily itinerary will be sent to registrants for this workshop a month before departure.

Machu Picchu Excursion:

Leaving from Cusco early morning on April 15th, we'll travel by private bus through the gorgeous plateau of the Andean farmlands towards the Sacred Valley. We depart the famous Inca village of Ollantaytambo by Orient Express train for Aguas Calientes, arrive at our hotel for a bag-drop before heading straight up to Machu Picchu for our private-guided tour by an English speaking guide with thorough historical and architectural knowledge of the site. A delicious dinner and an early bedtime for us as the morning of the 16th we're up at 6am to get to the ruins before the trains of tourists even leave Cusco. That’s three hours of photographing in relative solitude and introspection at one of the world’s most memorable sites. As we come down from our Machu Picchu high, we'll take the noon train & bus back to Cusco.

INSTRUCTORSM:

HARVEY STEIN is a professional photographer, teacher, lecturer, author and curator based in New York City. He currently teaches at the International Center of Photography. Stein is a frequent lecturer on photography both in the United States and abroad. He is the Director of Photography at Umbrella Arts Gallery, located in the East Village of Manhattan. He has also been a member of the faculty of the School of Visual Arts, New School University, Drew University, Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Bridgeport. A recipient of a Creative Arts Public Service (CAPS) fellowship and numerous artist in residency grants, his sixth and latest book, Harlem Street Portraits, was published in the fall of 2013. Other books of Stein’s photographs are Parallels: A Look at Twins, E.P. Dutton (1978); Artists Observed, Harry Abrams, Inc. (1986); Coney Island, W.W. Norton, Inc. (1998); Movimento: Glimpses of Italian Street Life, Gangemi Editore, Rome (2006) and Coney Island 40 Years (Schiffer Publishing, 2011). Stein’s photographs and portfolios have been published in such periodicals as The New Yorker, Time, Life, Esquire, American Heritage, Smithsonian, The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Glamour, Forbes, Psychology Today, Playboy, Harpers, Connoisseur, Art News, American Artist, New York, People, Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, The Hopkins Review (cover) and all the major photo magazines, including Camera Arts, Black & White Magazine (cover), Shutterbug, Popular Photography, American Photo, Camera, Afterimage, PDN, Zoom, Rangefinder, Photo Metro, fotoMagazine (Germany), photo technique and View Camera.

ADAM L. WEINTRAUB is a photographer based in Seattle, but cultured in Cusco. His PhotoExperience.net workshops and tours combine inspiring artists who offer insight and collaboration in an intimate setting. He has more than 15 years of local knowledge and connections in Cusco, where he used to run a B&B overlooking the picturesque Cusco valley. He is currently involved in efforts to create a permanent archive of the famed indigenous Peruvian photographer Martin Chambi. Adam is a past three-term President of Blue Earth Alliance and is widely published, collected, hired and admired for his personal work. His recent book, Vista Andina, offers a contemporary photographic perspective on the Andean region of Cusco. He currently distracts himself with his hip new Gastro-Bar, Museo del Pisco, situated in the center of Cusco, bringing the magical elixir of Peruvian Pisco to the masses.

DETAILS:

Registration Info:

To reserve your space in a PhotoExperience workshop in Peru, a deposit of $400 is required at the time of registration. We cannot hold space in a workshop without a deposit. Once your deposit has been received we will send you a statement of your account, with the balance due March 15, 2014, though full balance can be made at time of registration. We will accept no further registrants after March 15th, 2014. We will limit the number of registrants to 12.

TO REGISTER:

Email Adam L Weintraub of PhotoExperience.net (register@photoexperience.net) or call directly 206-817-4686 Pacific Daylight Time. Of course, you can call/email me or Adam with questions.

Cost: $3250 per person for an enrollment of 6-9 students: $2950 per person for an enrollment of 10-12 students.

Fee includes all instruction & materials, lodging, welcome & farewell dinners, all breakfasts & most lunches, non-alcoholic drinks, entrance fees and transfers. The flights to Peru and Cusco are not included. If there is space, a companion who is not a photographer is welcome at $2050-$2250.

Single supplement - $525 per person
If you prefer a single room, there is a single supplement fee of $525 per person. If you're traveling alone and wish to share accommodations, we’ll try our best to find you a roommate. If that is not possible, you will have to pay the single supplement charge.

Extra expenses would be individual excursions outside of group activities or entrance fees to museums or churches in Cuzco, taxis, dinners except for the first and last, alcoholic drinks as well as tips for guides and drivers. You may expect this to total between $10 and $30/day depending on personal preferences.

Travel/Lodging:
All breakfasts and most lunches, transportation and all lodging is included. All hotels are 3 star or more with wonderful character, local staff and secure and comfortable surroundings. Lodging is included once you arrive in Cusco for the nights of the workshop. Additional nights need to be arranged and reserved in advance for the nights not covered during the actual workshop (but you MUST reserve these nights in advance!). The last evening of April 20th is not covered. Travel to/from Cusco (via Lima) is not included. Flight arrangements to Cusco can easily be arranged from the United States (or your country of origin).

Cancellation Policy:
We rely on your attendance to make important arrangements, so if for any reason you need to withdraw, please notify us at least 45 days before the start of the workshop. At that time we will refund your deposit, less a $250 cancellation fee. If notification of cancellation is made between 30 and 45 days before the start of the workshop, we must retain 50% of the workshop fee. If notification of cancellation is made less than 30 days before the start of the workshop there will be no refund. For these reasons we highly recommend Travel Insurance as explained below. PhotoExperience reserves the right to cancel a reservation if full payment has not been received by 90 days before the start of the workshop, your full deposit would then be forfeited. PhotoExperience is not responsible for cancellations due to medical emergencies. In the event that the workshop must be canceled due to inadequate enrollment, all fees and deposits are refunded in full or may be transferred to another workshop within 12 months. PhotoExperience is not responsible for reimbursement of non-refundable airline tickets in the event of a workshop cancellation. There are no exceptions to our Cancellation Policy.

Travel Insurance:

We strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance. We recommend Travel Insurance Services of Walnut Creek, California for this purpose. Their number is (800) 937-1387 and their Web site is http://www.travelinsure.com/cobrand/select/photoex.

With this insurance you can protect yourself against unforeseen circumstances that might prevent your attendance. We suggest a plan which offers coverage for medical and dental emergencies, lost baggage, missed connections, and trip cancellation should you unexpectedly need to cancel. PhotoExperience is not responsible for cancellations due to medical emergencies or reimbursement of airline tickets in the event of a workshop cancellation.