Getting There

Harrison Arkansas is located in the Northwest part of Arkansas. It’s roughly 4:30 hrs. from Memphis.

Located in the heart of the Ozark Mountains. It is nationally recognized as one of the “Best Small Towns in America” with a downtown lake and a beautifully renovated town square complete with hanging flower baskets. Harrison was previously featured in Where to Retire Magazine as one of the best retirement towns.

Harrison’s scenic canyons, hills, and rivers allow privacy and wide-open spaces, and the nearby cities of Branson and Springfield offer metropolitan amenities such as live performances and varied dining options. For outdoor lovers, canoeing and fishing amid the limestone bluffs and serene scenery on Buffalo National River are popular activities.

Transportation / Driving Conditions

Driving will be on paved roads and on a rare occasion we might get on a gravel road.  There is no need for high-clearance off-road vehicles or 4 X 4 vehicles, because we are not planning to take any dangerous high-clearance roads in the area.

Accommodations

Harrison is a small town and easy to get around. Our usual place to stay was the historic Hotel Seville.

1. Holiday Inn Express

2. Quality Inn

3. Hampton Inn

I’ll be staying at the Hotel 1929 Seville : 302 N Main St, Harrison, AR 72601 Ph: (870) 741-2321

Airbnb

You can find some great deals where people would rent out a room, apartment or even the whole house for a pretty reasonable fee. I’ve used them before across the country and never have been disappointed.

Laptop

We recommended bringing a laptop for the post-processing class (either PC or Mac), since we will be going over workflow and Lightroom post-processing in detail.

Accessories

Don’t forget to bring a flashlight, memory cards and extra batteries. Batteries deplete much faster in cold weather, so we would recommend to bring 2-3 extra batteries with you.

Clothing

The end of Oct. to beginning of November can bring all kinds of unexpected weather in the mountains. If you are from a warm area, you will need to get some warm clothes! Bring a winter jacket (water-resistant is preferable, in case it rains) and some clothing to layer up. Bring long underwear, gloves and a warm hat – you will thank us later!

Mornings tend to get really cold at times. With some potential wind, you will surely feel it. As for shoes, warm water-proof shoes are a must. No need for boots, as long as your shoes are a couple of inches higher than your ankle bone.

Equipment Recommendations:
Cameras and Lenses

You can bring any kind of camera gear with you. As for lenses, our recommendation would be to bring several lenses:

• Wide angle / ultra-wide angle: If you have a wide angle zoom lens, like a 12-24 or 16-35mm that can take filters.
• Normal range: A 24-70mm or a 24-120mm would probably be your most used lens during the workshop.
• Telephoto range: There might be good opportunities for using telephoto lenses as well. Grab something like a 70-300mm or a 400mm+ for possible wildlife.

If you don’t have one of these lenses, you can rent one at Lens Rentals in Memphis

Tripod

A tripod is an absolute must for this workshop. It will be needed for both sunrise and sunset shots. Don’t forget your tripod quick release adapters (we have had people before who forgot those). If you only shoot on a tripod, make sure to grab one that is easy to setup (provided that it is not flimsy) – we will be driving, hopping in and out of car quite a bit. There will not be any need for monopods or other camera support gear.
Please use a cable release or know how to work the camera’s timer delay to avoid camera shake.

Filters

• Polarizing filter: a must-have for fall colors. If you don’t have one, please purchase one as soon as possible or you can rent one at Lens Rentals in Memphis.
• GND filter: for sunrise/sunset shots, a soft-edge graduated neutral density (GND) filter is another item we would highly recommend. Take a 2 stop and a 3 stop GND. If you want to only take one filter, take a 3 stop soft-edge GND. Don’t forget a filter holder, as it will be easier on your fingers, especially in cold mornings.

Meeting Time

Everyone should be coming in early afternoon or evening on Friday the Oct. 27th. Our first “meet and greet” session, along with a primer on landscape photography will take place on the first day of the workshop.

Sunrise is 7:32 am and Sunset is 6:18 PM

Tentative Itinerary – Please note that the schedule is subject to change – any changes to the schedule will be emailed in advance to all workshop participants.

Friday

Oct. 27th  – Arrival and check-in

Saturday – Day 1 | Oct. 28th

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM – Meet and Greet / Planning
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM – Landscape Photography Class
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM – Lunch Break
1:30 PM – 3:30 PM – Landscape Photography Class Cont’d
3:45 PM – 7:30 PM – Photograph Fall Colors, Landscapes, Streams & Sunset

Sunday – Day 2 | Oct. 29th

Leave at 6:00 am for sunrise.
Field photography at one or more of the shooting locations in the morning and afternoon. Mid-day post-processing workshop and image review sessions.

Monday – Day 3 | Oct. 30th

Field photography at one or more of the shooting locations in the morning and afternoon. Mid-day post-processing workshop and image review sessions.

Things to Do

Discover Harrison

Physical Health State and Altitude

Please note that we will be traveling by cars when we are out shooting and there will be minimal walking / hiking needed (typically no more than a few hundred feet). We recommend our participants to be in good general health condition to enjoy the workshop in full. Depending on time/group we may have longer hikes to waterfalls and overlooks of approximately 2 miles or so roundtrip.

You will be asked to drink a lot of water / fluids during the workshop to avoid dehydration, headaches and other problems. We will be requiring each participant to sign a “Release of Liability” form on the first day of the workshop.

Altitude

The altitude is around 1350 feet above sea level or less where we will be photographing.

Here are some tips

• Drink extra fluids, such as juices and Gatorade with copious amounts of water, a few days before and during your entire stay.
• Staying well hydrated in the dry mountain environment.
• Avoid over-exertion and get as much rest as possible.
• Eat lightly.
• Drink a lot of water, but do it slowly.
• Limit alcoholic beverages. One drink at altitude equals two drinks at sea level; alcohol promotes dehydration.