Door County WI Autumn Colors Regional Event (October 21-24, 2024)

Leader | Travel and lodging | What to expect | General Information

Register

 

Event Overview

Monday October 21, 2024 at 7:00pm to Thursday October 24, 2024 at 11am.

Join Hank Erdmann for an Autumn Regional Event in Door County, Wisconsin. Door County is on a peninsula that sits between Green Bay and Lake Michigan.  Being a peninsula, it offers more than 250 miles of coastline! You’ll find a variety of environments here from coastal and wetland to grassland. While this area is beautiful in any season, it is especially photogenic during Fall when each turn in the road reveals a dense tree-scape tapestry of gold, red and orange. Door County is one of the best locations in the Midwest for fall color photography.

Early Registration:  $785 NANPA Members/$985 Non-members by September 20, 2024

After September 20, 2024:  $885 NANPA Members/$1085 Non-members

Last Date to Register: October 7, 2024

Maximum Number of Participants: 10

Dates:

Preparatory Webinar for participants: October 8, 2024 at 6:30-7:30pm (ET) (optional)–“Photographing Autumn Color on the Door Peninsula of Wisconsin”

Monday October 21, 2024 at 7 pm to Thursday October 24, 2024 after brunch at 11 am.

Post event Image Sharing and Feedback Webinar for participants: November 12, 7-9 pm (ET) (optional)

Registration and Meet & Greet

Monday evening October 21, 7 – 8 pm at the hotel meeting room

What to expect

Our Door County Autumn Regional Event is timed for prime autumn colors but do remember the timing of leaf color change varies greatly from year to year.  After an orientation on the first night, we’ll spend the next 2.5 days photographing around Door County. We’ll photograph from sunrise to sunset, taking a midday break.  Breakfast will be after the morning photo shoot and dinner will be before sunset.

Door County has five Wisconsin State Parks (we will visit 3 of them), numerous county parks and public preserves, and many roadside photographic attractions.  Door County features 250 miles of shoreline, more than any county in the USA and we will experience some of the best pieces of that shoreline.  The farthest travel time to any of the locations we’ll visit is forty-five minutes and many sites are a 15–20-minute drive away.

All genres of images are possible.  We might create autumn leaf study close–ups, forest color landscapes, lake shore sunrises and sunsets and intimate landscapes of autumn brilliance.  Pattern and texture and abstracts are great possibilities in this environment.  We will even photograph an autumn forest with a squiggly road running through it!

This event is designed for amateur and professional photographers interested in improving their photography skills or looking for location guidance to capture the best shots.

This tour is open for 10 participants to give each plenty of time with the instructor and to retain flexibility based on weather and the best opportunities. In the event of a sold-out trip, with a sufficient wait list, we may enlist a second leader to lead a second group.  Such a group will not travel to the same place within a park or site.

Leader

Hank Erdmann

Hank Erdmann is a professional natural history photographer and photographic educator who resides in Will County, Illinois.  He has photographed throughout North America, making the Midwest his primary geographic area of interest.  A love of history, especially the maritime history of the Great Lakes, kindles a special interest in the ports, shorelines, islands and natural areas of Lakes Michigan and Superior and their surrounding environs.

Hank has taught workshops and photography classes and has led photography tours since 1983 in places such as Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain National Park and Smoky Mountain National Park.  He helped start the photography program at The Morton Arboretum near Chicago and has taught numerous classes and seminars in the upper Midwest.  Hank currently teaches workshops at for the Clearing Folk School in Door County, Wisconsin and other organizations in the Chicago area.

Hank has been photographing the Door Peninsula since the early 1980’s and is intimately familiar with its environs and nature.

Travel and lodging

We will be based in the Sister Bay, Wisconsin during this regional event. 

NANPA is holding a block of hotel rooms for event participants for the rate of $207 per night + tax at a hotel in Sister Bay, WI. Hotel details and reservation procedure will be shared with registered participants.  

The last day to register in the NANPA room block is August 19, 2024, but we encourage participants to make their hotel reservations before July 19 if possible.

Airports and Ground Transportation

The closet Regional Airport is in Green Bay, Wisconsin and is about 1.5 hours drive south.

The next closet and major airport is Milwaukee, Wisconsin, about 3.5 to 4 hours drive south.

Transportation to and from the hotel and during the event is not included and is the attendees’ responsibility. Car rental is available at the airport.

Car Rental:  A regular rental car will be fine; we will not be driving on roads that require extra clearance or 4×4

Event Transportation

Transportation to and from the hotel and during the event is not included and is the attendees’ responsibility.
Ride Sharing:  We will be starting each day from hotel.   Ridesharing is encouraged to reduce the size of our vehicle presence and improve the traveling/following experience. You are welcome to either drive or ride with someone. This is also a great way to meet people and make new friends during the event!
Note that NANPA does not have insurance for carpooling arrangements and assumes no liability for them. Carpooling, ride sharing or anything similar is strictly a private arrangement among the participants. Participants assume the risks associated with this travel.

Meals:

All meals except Brunch on the last day are on your own. The brunch location will be announced at the Meet & Greet/Orientation.

 

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE:

Please note schedules are fluid due to weather conditions, and other variables.   A more detailed schedule will be provided for registered attendees.

• Meet at 7:00 pm in the hotel meeting room for Meet and Greet, welcome, introductions and opening remarks by leader followed by a short presentation. It is recommended that you get dinner before the meeting.

Tuesday 10/22/24

• Sunrise 7:14 am, Sunset 5:56 pm
• Morning photo shoot, leave hotel at 6:15
• Photo shoot of squiggly road with fall color
• Breakfast 9:30 in Sister Bay
• Midday photo shoot and/or rest time
• Evening photo shoot
• Dinner in Sister Bay 7:30

Wednesday 10/23/24

• Sunrise 7:16 am, Sunset 5:54 pm
• Morning photo shoot, leave hotel at 6:00
• Breakfast 9:30 in Baileys Harbor
• Midday photo shoot and/or rest time
• Evening photo shoot
• Dinner in Sister Bay 7:30

Thursday 10/24/24

• Sunrise 7:16 am, Sunset 5:54 pm
• Morning photo shoot, leave hotel at 6:15
• Site TBD by local conditions
• Brunch with the Group (included in the event fee). The event wraps up after brunch around 11 am. Note hotel check out is at 11 am.

General Information

This event is designed for all levels of photographers – amateur, intermediate, advanced and professional – interested in improving their photography skills or looking for location guidance to capture images of wildlife and landscapes.  If you are new to photography, be sure to ask Hank for help. He will be available to answer questions, explain techniques and in general help you improve your photographic skills.  If you already have plenty of photography experience, Hank will ensure that you’re in the best locations at the best times for those perfect shots.

Please keep in mind that this NANPA Regional Event is designed to be a photo tour, not a photo workshop. In other words, there are no formal instruction sessions planned, there are no assignments, you will not be receiving any handouts or the like. That being said, your leader Hank has experience as a photography workshop leader and is available to answer questions and give you guidance. If you need help, please advocate for yourself and speak up and ask for help – Hank is happy to help. Be aware that many of your fellow participants may also be accomplished photographers in their own right and may be able to help you too.  Part of the regional event experience is the camaraderie that comes from sharing experiences and lessons learned among participants.

This tour is open for 10 participants to give each plenty of time with the leader and to retain flexibility based on weather and the best opportunities.

Please know your camera before you arrive and bring your manual, just in case we need to look up something.

Attendance and participation at NANPA Regional Events is limited to registered attendees only.  Anyone wishing to participate in any portion of, or travel with a registered attendee during the group event must contact the NANPA office and pay the full registration fee.

Health and fitness

There will be no excessively stressful hiking.  Some sites are rugged and trails rutted or root filled. We will be along some low cliff areas where caution is required. Most photo shoot locations will be very close to where we park. Sneakers are not good options for this event, hiking boots (normal or ankle high) are strongly suggested.  Most locations have outhouse or toilet facilities, a couple do not.

Weather & Clothing

Historical average temperatures for this area and time of year vary from a low in the 20’s to a high in the 70’s degrees.  Bring a coat, gloves and hat to cover the lows and light top to cover the highs.  Dressing in layers really makes sense. Temperatures can change significantly and quickly.

Clothing for time of year:

• Warm Coat and Pants
• Fleece Under Layer – Can be added or removed as the temperature changes.
• Rain Jacket & Rain Pants – For rain and wind protection. We photograph in all weather, save a downpour.
• Hat, gloves

Hiking Boots – preferably prepped with waterproofing

Suggested Camera Gear:

• Camera – DSLR or mirrorless, full frame or cropped sensor. Also, bring the camera manual should you need to consult it. A smartphone camera as backup is better than no camera, the latest smartphone cameras are quite good and good for snaps of your group.
• Lenses – There will likely be photo opportunities for your full range of lenses, from extreme wide angle to telephoto and macro. Lenses from wide angle to long telephoto could be used, but wide lenses and short tele-photos will be the most useful. Wildlife photography is not a feature of this event, but we do experience some animal sightings.
• Non-abrasive Lens Cleaning Cloth and Wipes.
• Tripod – Sunrise, sunset, twilight and nighttime light levels are too low to photograph properly without a sturdy tripod. A lightweight carbon fiber tripod with a ball head is recommended.
• Memory Card Storage per your habit and a bit more just in case. There is no local store available for purchasing these items.
• Camera Battery Charger and Extra Batteries.
• Polarizing filter(s) to fit each of your lenses.
• Neutral Density Filters, Graduated Neutral Density Filters
• Shutter Release – You can use a locking cable release, a wireless remote, or the camera’s self-timer (except in BULB).
• Rain Cover – For camera and lens protection. (we photograph in all-weather except rain downpours)
• Laptop Computer – for downloading, processing and viewing your images.
• Image Processing Software – Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, or Elements or the software you prefer
• Back-up device – Such as an external hard drive.
• Flash Drive – For sharing images.

OTHER RECOMMENDED GEAR:

• Flashlight and/or Headlamp
• Battery-powered Alarm Clock/Watch/Cell Phone timer, don’t want to miss a morning photo shoot!
• Cell Phone
• Water bottle.
• Energy bars or other snacks. Meals are scheduled around photographing opportunities, not the other way around.

Regional Event Cancellation and No Refund Policy:  

NANPA will not offer any refunds for registrations for this event regardless of when the cancellation is made or the reason for the cancellation. NANPA reserves the right to cancel any event or activity due to insufficient registration or any unforeseen circumstances. NANPA will offer refunds if NANPA has to cancel the event. It also has the right to substitute presenters if those originally scheduled cannot attend. Registrants may purchase event insurance as part of the registration process through NANPA’s partner, Allianz. More information on this option will be shown during the checkout process for the event registration.

NOTE:  If you do not purchase event insurance at the time that you pay for your registration, you will NOT be able to go back and purchase it with Allianz later.

If you choose to purchase travel insurance separately, you can do so with your own insurance carrier, or NANPA members can receive a special travel insurance rate through USI Affinity/Travel Insurance Services.