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Saturday, October 29 – Friday, November 4, 2011.

Bill Bamberger is your expedition leader. He teaches at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies.

Travel with us to Oaxaca, Mexico where you will explore the magic and mystery of Day of the Dead through photography– a feast for the visual senses.  This six-night, seven-day expedition is a cultural immersion experience.  During this annual festival the city vibrates with color, music, and Mardi Gras-like energy.  Come with us to document the food, religious symbols, people, cemeteries and family celebrations both in the city and in the rural Zapotec village of Teotitlan del Valle.   By the end of the week, you will use your digital SLR camera for visual storytelling and cultural discovery.

 

This workshop is limited to 10 participants.  Last year we filled quickly.  If this is something you’ve always dreamed of doing, don’t hesitate!

 

This workshop is for beginning and intermediate-level amateur photographers who want to learn more about their digital SLR cameras and move more comfortably beyond the automatic setting.  Topics covered include using natural light, aperture and shutter speed, using a tripod, night-time photography, using bounce flash, focusing on details, photographing people and taking the time to set up your shot.

 

Learning documentary-style photography is different from taking photographs as a tourist.   It involves some degree of assimilation and a greater understanding of the culture and people you are photographing.  On this journey you will photograph people in their natural settings, experience local rituals, visit family environments, all while immersing yourselves in both the city and rural life of Oaxaca.

You will review each other’s work, give feedback, and provide supportive critiques, as we mix class instruction with being out on the streets.  Instruction will include a mix of formal group discussion and individual feedback.  You will have the opportunity to undertake an independent project during our stay in the Zapotec village of Teotitlan del Valle that focuses on themes central to Day of the Dead family observances and ritual.

About Photographer and Educator Bill Bamberger

For two decades Bill Bamberger has been photographing Americans and their daily lives. His photographs have appeared in Aperture, Doubletake, Harper’s and the New York Times Magazine.  He has appeared as a featured guest on CBS Sunday Morning, About Books (CSPAN2), and North Carolina People with William Friday. His first book, Closing: The Life and Death of an American Factory (DoubleTakeBooks/Norton, 1998), won the Mayflower Prize in Nonfiction and was a semifinalist for the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award.

Bamberger’s work explores large social issues of our time: the demise of the American factory, housing in America, adolescents coming of age.  A trademark of Bamberger’s exhibitions is that they are first shown in the community where he has chosen to photograph prior to their museum exhibition. Closing: The Life and Death of an American Factory premiered in an abandoned department store a block from the closed furniture factory, while Stories of Home was first shown in a custom-designed 1,000 square foot mobile art gallery on San Antonio’s Mexican-American West Side.

Bamberger has had one-person exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Yale University Art Gallery and the National Building Museum.  He was one of fifty-six American artists to participate in Artists and Communities: America Creates for the Millennium, the National Endowment for the Arts millennium project where he produced part II in an ongoing series about teenage boys coming of age.

Bamberger lives in Durham, North Carolina and teaches photography at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He has lectured at museums and universities throughout the country and has taught classes and workshops pro bono in underserved communities across the country.

We selected Bill because of his unique perspective and in-depth experience.

Website:  billbamberger.com

Preliminary Itinerary (subject to change)

Day One, Oaxaca:  Meet fellow travelers and your instructor at our hotel for a pre-dinner gathering and discussion.  Group dinner.

Day Two, Oaxaca:  After breakfast, we’ll embark on a group walking expedition around Oaxaca city to see the highlights and get our bearings.  After lunch we will meet for class, then enjoy the free time  to capture the “magic hour” before dinner.  Options to explore markets, churches, street parades, public altars.

Day Three, Oaxaca:  After breakfast and class, have the day to explore on your own.  Then after lunch, we’ll go to the famed Xoxocotlan cemetery for an extraordinary Day of the Dead extravaganza. This is a VERY late night, so be prepared!  Options to explore Monte Alban archeological site or a crafts village.

Day Four, Teotitlan del Valle: After breakfast and a debriefing session, enjoy free time before we depart in early afternoon for the Zapotec weaving village of Teotitlan del Valle.  After check-in and lunch, we’ll enjoy a village walkabout orientation visiting artisans along the way. Then we’ll return to our bed and breakfast for supper.

Day Five, Teotitlan del Valle:  After breakfast and a briefing session, you will meet and spend the day with a local host family for a cultural immersion experience to capture Day of the Dead indigenous traditions. This might include helping to decorate the home altar, preparing and participating in the ritual lunch, and accompanying the family to the village cemetery.  We’ll see you back at our B&B after nightfall.

Day Six, Teotitlan del Valle: After breakfast, we will share experiences and photos of the prior day in our final class session.  After visits to local artisans, you’ll have the rest of the day on your own.  We’ll meet up in the evening for a Best of the Week photo exhibit and celebration supper.

Day 7, Teotitlan del Valle:  After breakfast and a group photo, we’ll complete the evaluation and summary before saying our goodbyes

Note:  Please make plane reservations to arrive in time to join us for the first evening orientation and dinner that begins at 6:30 p.m.  Your flight departure time should be no earlier than noon on Friday.  We are happy to make arrangements for you to arrive a day or two early or depart a day or two later at an additional cost.

What You Should Bring

1)     Your energy and enthusiasm

2)     Digital SLR camera

3)     Laptop computer

4)     Software for organizing and presenting images (such as Photoshop Express)

5)     Batteries and battery charger

6)     Camera Memory card(s) and data sticks

7)     Pen and notepad

Plus, sturdy, comfortable walking shoes, sun protection, sun hat

(Upon registration, you will receive a complete packet and information guide with suggested packing list and other useful information.)

 

 

Lodging/Accommodations. To keep this experience affordable, we have selected accommodations that are clean and basic.  We will spend three nights in Oaxaca and three nights in Teotitlan del Valle.   If you prefer luxury accommodations, please consider a different program.

Cost:  The basic cost for the trip is $1,295. USD. This includes six nights lodging double occupancy with shared bath, six breakfasts, three lunches, four dinners, transportation to the villages, and all instruction.  Most travel workshops of this type and length cost more than twice as much! It does NOT include airfare, taxes, gratuities, travel insurance, liquor/alcoholic beverages, some meals, entry fees, and transportation.

You will have the option of sharing a double room with shared bath for the base price of the trip.  Please indicate your preference.

Option A: Double room with shared bath; $1,295. Deposit to reserve: $650.

Option B: Double room with private bath; $1,495. Deposit to reserve: $750.

Option C:  Single room with private bath;  $1,645.  Deposit to reserve: $823.

Option D:  Add one night lodging in Oaxaca on Friday, October 28, +$150 each.

Option E:  Add one night lodging in Oaxaca on Friday, November 4, +$150 each.

Option F: Add additional nights lodging in Teotitlan del Valle, November 4+ for $55 per night.

Reservations and Cancellations

A 50% deposit is required to guarantee your spot.  The final payment for the balance due (including any supplemental costs) shall be postmarked by August 1, 2011.  Payment may be made by check or PayPal.  We will be happy to send you an itemized invoice.

Please understand that we make lodging and transportation arrangements months in advance of the program.  Deposits or payments in full are often required by our hosts.  If cancellation is necessary, please notify us in writing by email.   After August 1, no refunds are possible; however, we will make every possible effort to fill your reserved space or you may send a substitute.  If you cancel on or before August 1, we will refund 50% of your deposit.  We strongly recommend that you take out trip cancellation, baggage, emergency evacuation and medical insurance before you begin your trip, since unforeseen circumstances are possible.

To register, contact:  normahawthorne@mac.com or call (919) 274-6194.  Please make your deposit payable to Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC, and mail it to: Norma Hawthorne, 110 Blue Heron Farm Rd., Pittsboro, NC 27312.  Thank you.

This workshop is produced by Norma Hawthorne, Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC.  We reserve the right to alter the itinerary and substitute instructors without notice.