Photo Retreat in Santa Fe and the High Desert

Sante Fe

Santa Fe — known locally as “The City Different” — will act as our inspiring home base for the retreat. Artists have flocked to Santa Fe, New Mexico, drawn by the city’s vibrant and unique artistic community, rich cultural heritage, and breathtaking natural surroundings. The city’s distinctive adobe architecture, diverse landscapes, and a blend of Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo cultures create a melting pot of artistic influences. The annual Santa Fe Indian Market, numerous art galleries, and a thriving local arts scene contribute to the city’s reputation as a hub for creativity. During the five-day retreat we will walk the narrow adobe-lined streets, visit photography institutions and local artist spaces, photograph in areas only known to locals, and still have time each evening for exploring Santa Fe at your own pace. On arrival day, we’ll all meet together in the early evening for dinner.

The High Desert

The High Desert of New Mexico is renowned for its stunning scenery, including unique rock formations, expansive vistas, and a sense of tranquility that has attracted artists and nature enthusiasts. The area around Santa Fe that we will be traveling to is over a mile above sea level, an elevation that often results in clear skies and abundant sunlight. The play of light and shadow over the rugged terrain enhances textures and shapes, creating dynamic and visually appealing scenes. When Kai first started visiting New Mexico he expected the desert to be the perfect location for a black and white photographer, but over the past six years he has come to appreciate that the High Desert often features a rich palette of colors, including the reds, oranges, and browns of rock formations, contrasting with the blue skies and greenery of hardy desert plants. This color diversity adds vibrancy to photographs.

In addition to the natural beauty of the surroundings, we will be photographing in some small and quirky towns with distinctive southwestern architecture, historic structures, and eclectic artistic embellishments. With Spanish-era gravestones, old coal mining artifacts, and the former Santa Fe Chief railway infrastructure, there are a variety of compelling man-made details to photograph.

In keeping with our notion of a retreat, the vast and open spaces of the High Desert create a sense of solitude and tranquility and your photographs can convey these feelings of serenity and isolation.

Photography

This retreat can be a great opportunity to work on compositional ideas and storytelling. If you’re interested in working on a project, we can discuss ideas before the trip begins. Anja and Kai will of course be available to answer photography questions and to guide each student individually. There will also be time for you to explore on your own if you like.

Growth: Perfect for those looking to improve on their basics or for more advanced photographers who are seeking a creative recharge, this retreat provides an immersive and enriching experience in a supportive and inspiring environment. Going beyond technical skills you might gain in a workshop or class, the retreat will offer a broader perspective on photography, increased confidence in your creative direction, and a renewed passion for the art form.

Feedback: After you return home and have a chance to reflect on the photographs you made, we will gather online for a show-and-tell and constructive group critique with Anja and Kai.

What’s Included

• Photo exploration of a variety of city and landscape surroundings
• Photo walks through the historic, iconic downtown of Santa Fe
• Photography storytelling and composition coaching
• Daytrips by van to Plaza Blanca, Madrid, and many other locations such as churches, visits to local galleries and cultural spaces.
• Transportation by van to daytrip locations.
• Entry fees.
• Online group critique session two weeks after the retreat.

What’s Not Included

• Airfare
• Transportation to/from airports
• Accommodations are not provided, but we’ll email you several hotel suggestions
  
• Meals are not included, but Kai will select local restaurants for those who would like to eat together.

Terms & Conditions / Cancellation Policy

• To reserve a spot in the workshop, a non-refundable deposit of $500 is required. If you cancel 90 days or more before the beginning of the workshop, your payment, minus the deposit, will be refunded. If you cancel less than 90 days before the workshop, there will be no refund. Cancellations must be sent by email.
• Payment in full is due by August 1, 2024.
• Travel insurance is recommended.
• You are responsible to book and pay for your own travel to and from Santa Fe. Please book your flight so that you arrive in Santa Fe the afternoon of October 16, 2024 — we’ll meet for dinner together at 6pm.
• All registrations are accepted in the order received. Early registration is strongly recommended since space is limited.
• Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a guardian for the entire trip.
• Partners are welcome to join us in the evenings, but only workshop participants can travel with us during the day.
  
• We reserve the right to cancel the workshop for under-enrollment. If the workshop is canceled before departure, you will be refunded the full amount of the workshop, including the deposit.
• If you leave the workshop after it has started for any reason, you will not receive any refund.
• Itinerary is subject to change.
  

Anja Hitzenberger LLC shall not be held responsible for any damage to, or loss of, property or injury to, or death of, persons occasioned directly or indirectly by an act or omission of any other provider, and any loss or damage due to delay, cancellation, or disruption in any manner caused by the laws, regulations, acts or failures to act, demands, orders, or interpositions of any government, or by acts of nature, strikes, fire, flood, war, terrorism, sickness, theft, or any other cause(s) beyond their control. The participant waives any claim against Anja Hitzenberger LLC and its designated tour leaders for any such loss, damage, injury, or death. Anja Hitzenberger LLC reserves the right in their sole discretion to accept, decline to accept or remove any participant on any photo workshop. Anja Hitzenberger LLC reserves the right, without penalty, to make changes in the itinerary whenever, in their judgment, conditions warrant, or if they deem it necessary for the comfort, convenience, or safety of participants. You have assumed the responsibility to select an activity appropriate to your physical abilities and interests. You are personally responsible for being in sufficiently good health to undertake the activity.