Prepping for Your Adventure

The workshop will be based out two locations - Grand Marais, MN and Two Harbors MN. We will be moving on Wednesday, September 24 from Grand Marais to Two Harbors for the second half of the workshop.

We have blocks of rooms set up at both towns:

Grand Marais: We have rooms set aside for the evenings of September 22 and September 23 at The Shoreline Inn. Rooms are $119/night. Please call (218) 387-2633 to reserve a room (rooms are under Mike Murray - Four Elements Photo Adventures).

Two Harbors: We have rooms set aside for the evenings of September 24 and September 25 at Country Inn. Rooms are $185/night. Please call (218) 834-5557 to reserve a room (rooms are under Four Elements Photo Adventures).

We will have a Meet and Greet at 4:00pm at The Shoreline Inn on Monday, September 22. If you cannot attend the Meet and Greet, please let us know!

Note: You are not required to stay at the workshop hotels. We will base shooting departures and image processing out of the hotel, however you may stay wherever you like.

Dining is on your own. We will have a workshop dinner the last evening of the workshop. Some suggested restaurants: 

Grand Marais:

• Voyageur Brewing Company: 233 W. Hwy 61
• Blue Water Cafe: 20 W. Wisconsin 
• Angry Trout Cafe: 408 W Hwy 61
• Sven & Ole's Pizza: 9 Wisconsin 

Two Harbors:

• Black Woods: 612 7th Ave
• Rustic Inn Cafe: 2773 Hwy 61
• Madeira Bistro: 632 1st Ave
• Vanilla Bean: 812 7th Ave

Our typical day will be getting up early for a morning in-field session, eventually returning to the hotel so that you can take some time to review and edit your photos. During this time, we will be available for photo editing assistance if needed.

The photo editing sessions are optional, but they are a great way to learn and share ideas. The art of photography is about visually telling a story with your photograph. Constructive feedback is the best way to learn how to tell your story. These sessions are educational and non-judgemental. Remember, photography is subjective. Get creative!

Our priority is to assist you! We will not be taking photos - we're there to help you however you may need it! Please do not hesitate to ask any questions at any time. For the most part we will wander amongst the group to assist with questions, compositions and/or suggestions.

Transportation to all locations and any park entrance fees will be handled by us.

We are outdoors for most of this workshop and conditions can be unpredictable, so we want to put safety first. The locations on this workshop will vary from rocky shorelines to wooded paths with some easy to semi- difficult hiking, but there will be plenty of options for those that prefer a scaled back effort. Please let us know if at any time you are unsure about walking a specific trail. Some sites may not be for everyone, but we’ll have some alternative options nearby. Waterproof boots with non-slip soles are suggested (your feet will get wet) and hiking poles can be very useful!

So, please speak up if you don’t feel comfortable at any time. It’s much better to err on the side of safety than push yourself too far.

On the last day we will wrap up after sunrise so those traveling can get a jump on heading home.

We are into early autumn along Lake Superior, so our days can be cool. The average high is in the mid-50s to low-60s and morning and evening temperatures will be in the low to mid-40s.

Anticipate cool weather and bring layers!

Trying to decide what to bring along on a workshop can be an adventure in itself! Certainly bring along what you feel necessary. Here's what we consider important gear: 

• Camera body.
• Lenses - generally from the 16mm-400mm range.
• Camera backpack.
• Tripod. 
• Polarizer filter.
• Memory cards.
• Remote shutter release.
• L-Bracket for camera. (We recommend this model if you don't have one.)
• Batteries, battery charger, cables.
• Camera user manual.
• Camera rain sleeve.
• Laptop computer or tablet with image processing software. 
• Headlamp.
• Water bottle.
• Packable snacks.
• Waterproof hiking boots/winter boots.
• Rain jacket and pants.
• Hiking poles.
• Bring along layers for all temperatures.

If you're in the market to purchase some of the gear, please feel free to reach out to us - we have recommendations of brands that have a solid reputation and will serve you well.

If you are looking for gear, we encourage you to Shop Small! Four Elements Photo Adventures are proud business partners with The Camera Company in Madison, Wisconsin. As the largest camera company in Wisconsin, they have a wide selection and competitive prices.

We ask that all participants read and sign the liability waiver for the workshop. You can print off a copy in the Downloads section below - please bring a signed copy with you to the workshop.