An exclusive roadtrip with NORDphotography and Arlene Collins, for adventurous photographers looking to perfect their photography skills as we explore some of the most beautiful parts of Norway.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
This workshop is devided into 2 parts:

Part 1 focuses on street photography in Norway’s capital Oslo

Part 2 continues as a road trip through one of the most beautiful part of Norway. We will  explore the areas around Vågå, Flåm, Solvorn, Jostedalsbreen and Jotunheimen National park, we will stay at exclusive locations (Gammel Kleppe, Flåmsbrygga, Wallaker), and photograph everything from people, beautiful landscapes, mountains, waterfalls, glaciers, and the like as we train on perfecting our skills. 

You can join the workshop in Oslo on the evening of the 26Th of May, or join us as we start our road trip, at Gammel Kleppe Farm in Vågå, on the evening of the 29TH of May. The workshop ends on the evening of the 3rd of June with a traditional feast at Gammel Kleppe Farm. Participants depart Gammel Kleppe on the morning of the 4Th of June.

This workshop is for intermediate and advanced photographers, foreign or local, who have a working knowledge of their camera and are looking for new adventures to explore street-, portrait-, environment-, landscape- and travel photography. Our teacher Arlene Collins is a sought after American Photographer, who specializes in documenting remote cultures and changing civilizations around the world. She has taught workshops in Turkey, Morocco, Mexico, Vietnam, Cambodia, Croatia, Bhutan, Cuba, India, China, Tibet, Laos, Burma, Mongolia, Togo, Benin, Mali, Russia and Papua New Guinea thus far.

The first part of our adventure starts in Oslo, where we spend two days photographing this very accessible city. Oslo is an ideal location for photographers wanting to focus on street photography. There will be lectures and demonstrations.

For our second part we will travel by train to Otta, and from Otta, by bus to our home base Gammel Kleppe farm, located close to the small town of Vågå. Gammel Kleppe is one of Norway's best-preserved farms from the Viking era and will immediately take you back in time, with its historical atmosphere. The farm is situated on top of a hill with breathtaking views over three major mountain ranges, Jotunheimen, Rondane and Dovre.

At the farm formal classes will cover various techniques for producing dramatic landscape photographs and where you will learn how to light an environmental portrait using wireless compact flash units. Afternoons and evenings are reserved for demonstrations and for working on your shooting projects.

Our next destination is the small town of Flåm located alongside the Sognefjord, the world's longest and deepest fjord. The name Flåm, means "little place between steep mountains". This region provides many photographic opportunities such as, riding the Flåmbanen train to photograph the surrounding scenery or take a hike up the mountain for a different vantage point of the town or cruise the fjord and finish your day in town photographing Flåm's residents.

A short drive from Flåm is Solvorn. This region has two rugged national parks, the Jotunheimen National Park know for its mountains, waterfalls, rivers and the Jostedalsbreen with its glaciers. Each park offers diverse scenery for you to photograph. After two days in this area we make our way back to Gammel Kleppe Farm, where we conclude our adventure with a final critique and farewell dinner.

DETAILED INTINERARY:

THE FULL EXPERIENCE STARTS HERE:

(B = Breakfast / L = Lunch / D = Dinner)

Day 1   Oslo                      Rica Travel Hotel
Sat. May 26                       Arrive in Oslo and check into the Rica Travel hotel. Early evening group orientation meeting followed by dinner

Day 2   Oslo                       Rica Travel Hotel
Sun. May 27                      Morning class and afternoon city walking tour, and own your own explore the Ibsen Museum, Munch Museum, Henie Onstad Art  Center, The Fram Museum - The Polar Ship Farm and the DogA - the Norwegian Center for Design and Architecture, lunch & dinner on your own and evening group photography shoot  (B)

Day 3     Oslo                     Rica Travel Hotel
Mon. May 28                      Morning class and spend the day shooting in Oslo and explore its harbors many attractions such as the Nobel Peace Center, the Town Hall, the Castle and stop to photograph along the Aker Brygge walkway. In the afternoon continue exploring such sites as the OCA - Office for Contemporary Art Norway, a foundation created to exhibit contemporary Norwegian art, Vigeland Sculpture Park, the Kon-Tiki and Viking Ship Museums. Lunch and dinner on your own (B)

THE ROAD TRIP PART STARTS HERE:

Day 4  Oslo - Otta             Gammel Kleppe Farm
Tue. May 29                      Depart Oslo at 2:17 pm via train for a 3 hour ride to Otta, then it is a 30-minute bus ride to Vågå and Gammel Kleppe Farm. Evening group dinner and orientation meeting (B & D)

Day 5  Vågå                      Gammel Kleppe Farm
Wed. May 30                     This morning we have class and we will review your work from Oslo, after lunch and this evening you have free time to photograph in the local countryside. (B, L &D)

Day 6   Flåm                      Flåmbrygga Hotel
Thu. May 31                      This morning we depart Gammel Kleppe Farm for a scenic drive over the mountains to Flåm. On route we will be stopping to photograph this amazing landscape. We will stay the night in Flåm. (B, L)

Day 7 Flåm -Solvorn        Hotel Walaker
Fri. June 1                          Flåm is a charming town, located by the Sognefjorden the longest fjord in the world. Around the Fjord you can photograph from several vantage points such as from the Flåmbanen train, or hike up the mountain, or from a cruise ship and still have time to practice your environmental portraiture in town. After spending most of the day exploring and photographing in Flåm we then take a 2-hour drive to the town of Solvorn, where we will spend the night. (B)

Day 8 Solvorn - Vågå       Hotel Gammel Kleppe Farm
Sat. June 2                        Just beyond the town of Solvorn are two national parks, the Jostedalsbreen known for its waterfalls, rugged mountains, glaciers and the Jotunheimen known for its glaciers and some of Norway's highest mountains. We spend the day photographing in the park, which is on the way back to Gammel Kleppe Farm, where we will arrive in the evening. (B, D)

Day 9 Vågå                        Hotel Gammel Kleppe Farm
Sun. June 3                        Today is our final day at the farm and after breakfast students will edit their work and prepare for our group show. This evening is our farewell dinner and party. (B, L & D)

Day 10  Våga - Oslo 
Mon. June 4                       11:38 am depart Otta for our train ride to the airport/Oslo. 

WORKSHOP FEE:

THE FULL EXPERIENCE: OSLO-VÅGÅ-FLÅM-SOLVORN-JOSTEDALSBREEN-JOTUNHEIMEN-VÅGÅ:

Price includes:
- Workshop tuition
- Guides and location assistance
- Transportation:
         Train: Oslo-Otta
         Rental car/bus with driver: Otta-Vågå-Flåm-Solvorn-Vågå-Otta

- Accommodation
         Rica Travel Hotel – 3 nights
         Gammel Kleppe – 4 nights
         Flåmbrygga Hotel – 1 night
         Wallaker Hotel – 1 night
- Food:
         Breakfast
         3 lunches served at Gammel Kleppe.
         4 dinners served at Gammel Kleppe.

Total price – single room: NOK 27,500,-
Total price – double room: NOK 25.000,-

THE ROADTRIP PART: VÅGÅ-FLÅM-SOLVORN-JOSTEDALSBREEN-JOTUNHEIMEN-VÅGÅ

Price includes:
- Workshop tuition
- Guides and location assistance
- Transportation:
          Rental car/bus with driver: Otta-Vågå-Flåm-Solvorn-Vågå-Otta
- Accommodation
          Gammel Kleppe – 4 nights
          Flåmbrygga Hotel – 1 night
          Wallaker Hotel – 1 night
- Food:
          Breakfast
          3 lunches served at Gammel Kleppe.
          4 dinners served at Gammel Kleppe.

Total price – single room: NOK 21,000,-
Total price – double room: NOK 18,500,-

Not included in the fee are lunch and dinner in Oslo, Flåm and Solvorn, international travel arrangements, including flights, visas if required, airport transfers, personal expenses and medical and trip cancellation insurance.

Space in this workshop is limited.

Nordphotography requires a minimum of 7 participants for this workshop to run. If for some reason we are not able to reach our minimum number of participants, the workshop will be postponed/canceled and you will receive a full refund of money paid. We ask that you do not book a ticket to Norway until NORDphotography has confirmed that the minimum number is reached.

Enrollment is limited in this workshops, so once you have been accepted your participation is important to us - we are counting on you to attend.

ACCOMODATION:

Oslo: Rica Travel Hotel

Vågå: Gammel Kleppe Farm: one of Norway’s best preserved farms from the Viking area.

Flåm: Flåmbrygga Hotel: where every room has a balcony and fjord view. 

Solvorn: Wallaker Hotel: A hotel that has been run by the same family since 1690, and is consequently the oldest family-run hotel in Norway, with a history of over 310 years.

The above is subject to change.

ABOUT ARLENE COLLINS:
Photographer, educator, and freelance technical consultant, Arlene specializes in documenting remote cultures and changing civilizations around the world. She currently teaches and leads international photography workshops, offers a master photography class in her New York City studio and is available for private consultation.

Arlene studied with renowned photographers, including Lisette Model. She earned her MA in Media Studies from The New School and a MFA from Hunter College in New York City. She is on the faculty of Parsons School of Design and the Maine Media Workshops and for over 15 years she has taught at the International Center of Photography in New York City. Internationally she has lectured at The Centro de la Imagen in Mexico City, ROSPHOTO the Russian State Photography Center in St. Petersburg, Russia, Jerusalem Out of Focus in Israel, The Burmese Photographers Association in Yangon, Myanmar and at the Istanbul Photography Center in Istanbul, Turkey. In New York City, she was a panelist on the Night Photography Seminar at Photo Plus, and has reviewed portfolios at Photo Plus, The New York Photo Festival and for the Society for Photographic Education.

Arlene’s photographs have been published in The New York Times and World Press Review. In Holland, her Rodeo photographs were published in Amerika magazine and her Machu Picchu photographs were published in Hasselblad’s Forum magazine. Her Boxing photographs are in the permanent collections of the Museum of New York City and the Brooklyn Museum. Her photography advice was featured on cnn.com/travel, and her travel photography workshops have been featured on CNN/headlinenews/travel and in Travel and Leisure magazine.

In 2008, Arlene curated ‘From Afar: Documenting Traditions, Witnessing Transitions’ at the International Center of Photography Education Gallery. She also curated ‘Heaven and Earth’ a 2007 group exhibition at Gallery Chateau in New York City, featuring photography from the participants of her Ladakh, India photography workshop.