Pennsylvania Flower and Garden Workshop Regional Event (April 13-18, 2025)

Registration is now open

PRICE:

Early Registration: $1059 NANPA/ASMP Members, $1259 non-members by February 12, 2025

After February 12, 2025: $1159 NANPA/ASMP Members, $1359 non-members 

If you are not currently a member, you may want to consider joining NANPA to take advantage of member pricing on all regional events (1 year membership $100)

The event fee includes all garden and farm entrance fees.

Maximum number of attendees: 8

Last date to register: March 21, 2025

DATES:

• Sunday April 13, 2025 at 4:30 pm to Friday April 18, 2025 at 1 pm
• Preparatory Webinar for participants March 6, 2025 7 – 8 pm (ET) (optional)
• Post event Image Sharing and Feedback Webinar for participants April 28, 2025 7 – 9 pm (ET) (optional)
• Registration and Meet & Greet
  • Sunday April 12, 2025 at 4:30 pm in the hotel meeting room.

EVENT OVERVIEW:

Join Mary Louise Ravese for a flower and garden workshop based in America’s Garden Capital – the greater Philadelphia area. We’ll visit the area’s crown jewel – Longwood Gardens during the prime time for their spring bulbs display which features 200,000 bulbs and more than 80 varieties of tulips. This extensive garden on the former DuPont estate offers a wide variety of flower and plant subjects in both formal outdoor gardens and a large indoor conservatory. In the fall of 2024, Longwood Gardens completed a major multi-year restoration project and opened a new 32,000-square-foot conservatory. During this workshop we will visit Longwood Gardens over two days. Next, we’ll have a “straight out of Holland” experience at a nearby tulip farm. Acres of tulip rows of different colors offer a variety of photo possibilities from macro closeups, to shoot throughs, and intentional camera movement. Rounding things out, we’ll visit two other area gardens. One offers a forest woodland setting with an abundance of spring ephemeral wildflowers including more than 5 different varieties of trillium, as well as flowering bushes and trees. We’ll also visit a botanical garden on a large estate that offers a variety of romantic and whimsical garden “rooms” along a meandering path through softly rolling hills. Part of the fun is the broad diversity of flower and garden photo opportunities that Mary Louise has curated for this event.

 

YOUR EVENT LEADER:

Mary Louise Ravese–

Mary Louise Ravese specializes in fine art nature, travel and creative photography from locations across the world. Professionally trained in the use of both 4×5 and 35 mm cameras, today Mary Louise shoots with full-frame mirrorless cameras, producing award-winning imagery in color and black and white. Her photographs are in private, university & corporate collections in over 40 states, and are exhibited nationally. She has published images in calendars, magazines, books and websites, including special projects for National Geographic Maps and The Nature Conservancy. She is a member of the North American Nature Photography Association and the Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association. In 2021 her image was given the NANPA Showcase Judges’ Choice Award in Macro/Micro/All Other.

Mary Louise is an accomplished photography educator and a regular speaker and competition judge for photography clubs around the country. Through her company, Bella Vista Photography, Mary Louise enjoys teaching both the technical and aesthetic aspects of photography. Based in North Carolina, she has led monthly photo walks at NC State University’s JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh as well as classes and photo workshops at a variety of locations across the US and abroad.

You can learn more about Mary Louise, her photography and the classes she offers by visiting her website at www.bellavistaphotography.com

WHAT TO EXPECT: 

The greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area is known as America’s Garden Capital with over 30 garden sites within 30 miles of Philadelphia. In Spring the landscape finally comes alive with flowering trees and plants in a celebration of color. In this workshop we plan to visit 4 sites as we explore a variety of approaches for photographing flowers in different environments from formal gardens to the controlled environment of a conservatory, to flower farms and woodland forest settings.  In this 5-day photography workshop you’ll learn different flower photography approaches from macro and close-up techniques to creative capture techniques like intentional camera movement (ICM), multiple exposure and shoot-through. In case of rain, we may opt for additional presentations on techniques like focus stacking and specialty lenses like Lensbaby Velvet as well as editing techniques like texture blending.

NEAREST AIRPORT:

• PHL Philadelphia International Airport is about 20 miles from the hotel
• ILG Wilmington Regional Airport is also a convenient choice

EVENT TRANSPORTATION:

Transportation to and from the hotels and during the event is not included and is the attendees’ responsibility. A rental car is necessary for this event and can be rented from the airport. A regular vehicle is sufficient, a 4×4 or high clearance vehicle is not necessary.

Ride Sharing: We will depart daily from the hotel. Ride sharing is recommended. You are welcome to either drive or ride with someone. This is a great way to meet and have fun with fellow photographers during the event. If you are a passenger in another participant’s car it is customary to offer the driver some gas money and chip in towards the daily vehicle admission fee as a courtesy.

Note that NANPA, and Mary Louise Ravese, do not have insurance for carpooling arrangements and assume no liability for them. Carpooling, ride sharing or anything similar is strictly a private arrangement among participants. Participants assume the risks associated with this travel.

LODGING:

We will be based in Glen Mills / Concordville, PA for this regional event.

Lodging is not included in the fee. NANPA is holding a block of hotel rooms for event participants at the rate of $99 per night plus tax.

Hotel details and reservation procedure will be shared with registered participants.

MEALS:

All meals except a group lunch are on your own. The date and location group lunch, which is included in the event registration fee, will be shared at the Meet and Greet. Attendees are encouraged to eat together with their group as part of the overall experience.

 

 

PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATION:

Some of the locations that we will most likely photograph include:

• Longwood Gardens (PA)
• Chanticleer Gardens (PA)
• Mt Cuba Center Gardens (PA)
• Local tulip flower farm (NJ)

The event fee includes garden and farm entrance fees.

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE:

Please note schedules provided in advance are always preliminary, the final schedule may be different due to weather conditions, and other variables.

Since we are visiting gardens during this event, our start and end times revolve around the gardens’ opening / closing times. Our photography will typically start at 9 am and conclude by 5 or 6 pm. The gardens are not accessible at dawn / dusk, so there will not be any planned sunrise or sunset shoots. The precise day we will visit each garden / farm is entirely dependent on the weather and wind and cannot be planned with precision in advance.

Since we can’t access the gardens and farm first thing in the morning, Mary Louise will show how to use light modifiers like reflectors and diffusers to achieve ideal images. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore more artistic techniques like intentional camera movement that can be used to create great images even when the light is not great for close-up images.

Sunday, April 13, 2025

• Arrival and check into hotel (check in time is 4 pm).
• 4:30 pm “meet and greet” in the hotel meeting room followed by a presentation introducing participants to the area and discussing some of the techniques for photographing in each setting.
• Dinner on your own

Monday, April 14, 2025

• Depart hotel for morning shooting session at Longwood Gardens
• Lunch on your own at the Gardens
• Afternoon shooting session – continue shooting at Longwood Gardens
• Return to hotel, dinner on your own

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

• Instructional presentation on ICM and shoot through technique
• Depart hotel for morning flower farm shooting session
• Group lunch at nearby restaurant
• Return to hotel, afternoon educational session
• Dinner on your own

Wednesday April 16, 2025

• Depart hotel for morning shooting session at Chanticleer Garden
• Lunch – break for mid-day
• Afternoon shooting session – continue shooting at Chanticleer Garden
• Return to hotel
• Dinner on your own

Thursday April 17, 2025

• Depart hotel for morning shooting session at Longwood Gardens
• Lunch on your own at the Gardens
• Afternoon shooting session – continue shooting at Longwood Gardens
• Return to hotel early afternoon for educational session
• Dinner on your own

Friday April 18, 2025

• Depart hotel for morning shooting session at Mt Cuba Center
• Lunch – break for mid-day
• The event wraps up after lunch at approximately 1 pm.

This workshop will serve as an introduction to the gardens of this area, but participants may wish to extend their stay through the weekend to explore on their own either these gardens in more detail or visit some of the other 30+ gardens in the area.

HEALTH AND FITNESS:

There will be no excessively strenuous hiking. Photo locations are relatively flat with a few small hills. Some paths are dirt/mulch and on uneven ground, while others are paved. Several gardens are quite large, so those with good mobility can explore a wide network of trails, while those with limited mobility can find interesting subjects without extensive walking. Participants can walk at their own pace, most gardens have benches available to rest if needed. Scooters are available for rent at Longwood Gardens, one of the larger gardens.

WEATHER

The average daytime temperatures at this time of year are between the low 50s to low 60s. Overnight temperatures can drop to low 40s. Dressing in layers is recommended. A light rain jacket and rain pants are also a good idea. Closed toed walking shoes or hiking boots are recommended. In the case of light rain, we may continue to photograph, while if there is heavy rain, if indoor conservatory photography is not an option, we may opt to have an educational presentation in lieu of photographing.

CLOTHING

• Hiking shoes/trail shoes
• Long Pants
• Long sleeved shirt to protect from sun
• Short Sleeved shirts
• Sun Hat
• Light gloves for pre-dawn times
• Sunglasses
• Lip Balm
• Layers for warmth
• Warm or windproof jacket

CAMERA GEAR:

• A DSLR or mirrorless camera
• Tripod (optional, but recommended)
• Tripod Head: Ball Head for most situations, Gimbal Head (e.g. Wimberly SideKick, optional but helpful for ICM shots), lenses for flower and garden photography.
• No specific lenses are required to participate, but the following are recommended:
  • a mid-range zoom lens e.g. 24-105mm
  • a telephoto lens up to 400 or 500 mm
  • a macro lens (e.g. 90mm, 100 mm, 105mm, 180 mm) (or macro lens alternatives like extension tubes and/or close-up filters/diopters)
  • specialty lenses like Lensbaby Velvet (optional)
• Off camera flash with diffuser (optional)
• Circular polarizing filter
• ND filter (s) (optional – helpful for trying intentional camera movement technique)
• Collapsible Reflector (preferably soft gold up to ~ 24”) (optional)
• Collapsible Diffuser (preferably ~24”) (optional)
• Multiple memory cards
• Non-abrasive Lens Cleaning Cloth and Wipes.
• Camera Battery Charger and Extra Batteries.
• Sensor Cleaning Tools
• Laptop Computer – for downloading and viewing your images.
• Image Processing Software – Good choices include Adobe Lightroom/Lightroom Classic and Photoshop

OTHER RECOMMENDED GEAR:

• A rain cover for your camera (an OP/TECH USA 8” or 18″ (depending on how long of a lens you need to cover) Rain sleeve is a nice inexpensive option) and camera bag
• Knee pads or small cushioned pad for kneeling (optional)
• Collapsable/camp stool for photographing closer to the ground (optional)
• Insulated lunch bag/box (we can pick up lunch fixings nearby to take with us and enjoy a picnic lunch which is permitted at some of the gardens)
• Cell Phone
• Water and snacks during the day

GENERAL:

We will be based in Glen Mills, PA during this regional event.

Please keep in mind that this NANPA Regional Event is designed to be a photo workshop with educational content. Don’t be shy about asking Mary Louise for help if you need it. This workshop is open for 8 participants to give each plenty of time with the leader and to retain flexibility based on weather and the best opportunities.

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 flowers and gardens.  If you are new to photography, Mary Louise will be available to answer questions, teach new techniques and help you improve your photographic skills.  If you already have plenty of photography experience, Mary Louise will ensure that you’re in the best locations for those perfect shots. Other participants are also great about sharing techniques, tips, and ideas. 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.

 

 

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