Welcome!
This page is home of all the information regarding the Blackwater Falls/Canaan Valley Landscape Photography Workshop. It is text heavy, but hopefully full of helpful information.
The majority of this information has been shared via email, but being able to bookmark a web page for future reference might be easier. I will continue to update this web page with information regarding the workshop as needed.
Location - Arrival
This workshop takes place in the Blackwater Falls State Park region, with Davis, West Virginia, being the small town right near the park entrance.
We will meet at the Billy Motel (where most are staying) at 4:30pm on Wednesday, October 9th. The Billy Motel is right at the turn-off into the park and the motel’s address is: 1080 William Ave, Davis, WV, 26260.
Workshop Itinerary
Wednesday, October 9th: We’ll do a short meet and greet at the Motel then head into the park to get established at a sunset spot in the park. There we’ll continue with meet and greet and photography instruction while we wait for sunset.
Thursday, October 10th: Our first full day! We’ll be visiting waterfalls in the morning, late afternoon, and evening - plus an easy-to-access overlook for sunset. There will be a mid-day break to allow exploring the small town of Davis.
Friday, October 11th: We’ll start this day super early so we can visit Bear Rock Preserve in the Dolly Sods area. Then back to Davis/Thomas area for some exploration on your own with golden hour in Canaan Valley.
Saturday, October 12th: Early morning at Blackwater Falls where we’ll photograph the falls and wrap things up.
This itinerary is subject to change based on weather and what areas may look best. But the goal is to visit and photograph all of the areas above during the course of the workshop.
Lodging - Billy Motel
I have rooms booked at the Billy Motel where we will meet on Wednesday, May 17th. This is a small independent motel with a great location for the areas we are visiting. With close access to the Blackwater Falls State Park and walking distance to the downtown portion of Davis - it makes a great base of operations.
I have the rooms reserved. When you arrive at the motel, you will switch your room to your credit card and that’s it! Motel website: https://www.thebillymotel.com/
Weather
Weather can vary in the West Virginia mountains - especially on the day we head up to Bear Rocks Preserve. We photograph in wind and rain and sun - so I highly recommend a layered approach to clothing to make adapting to conditions easier.
Hiking
We will be hiking on this trip, though most hikes are relatively short. The West Virginia area is rugged and trails to areas are often less established than you might find in your local area.
Boots/Shoes
With that in mind, I highly encourage good sturdy hiking boots or shoes. These will help provide ankle support and even more importantly - good traction. Go with what works for you in those situations.
Hiking Poles
I also highly recommend using hiking poles. When hiking with a camera bag, it is easy to feel a little top-heavy (even if you are used to day hiking). I find hiking poles a huge help when on some of the West Virginia trails and strongly encourage bringing a pair on the trip.
Never used them before? I use these from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Cascade-Mountain-Tech-Trekking-Poles/dp/B096XDQFDM
They also have an aluminum version if you want to save some money.
Costco also sells a set that are pretty sturdy (and were in store as of a few weeks ago).
Packing Lists
A link to my more detailed packing list is below. It is not a comprehensive list but it should help ensure you are thinking about what to bring and help you be more prepared.
Here are a few specific items to highlight :
Headlamp (recommended) or flashlight
Medications
Smart Phone and Charger
Water Bottle (for hiking)
Camera Gear and Settings
The packing list covers the essential camera gear, though don’t worry if you don’t have all the lenses - bring your favorite or what you normally use for landscape photography. A tripod is highly recommended (I would say required). If you have filters (neutral density or polarizing), feel free to bring them - but don’t rush out to buy them just for the workshop, they are definitely not required. (If you only buy one - buy a circular polarizer).
Remember to bring memory cards - remember, a multi-day trip so you might need spares. Plus, camera batteries and chargers.
I recommend the following camera settings at a minimum.
Configure your camera to shoot in RAW or RAW+JPG
Enable the histogram in your Live View
Food
A few notes about food and meals on the trip. First, you are responsible for your own food and snacks on the trip (okay - I’m sure I’ll have extra trail snacks…).
There is a small grocery store in town (Shop and Save Express) that carries the essentials if you need to buy something in town or forget something.
There are several local restaurants in Davis and in Thomas (just 2 miles away) that make great mid-day meal spots between sessions. I can make recommendations (and even join you) for favorites.
The next note about food - we get early starts and are also out photographing at traditional dinner times until just after sunset. This makes mid-day a great time to eat in restaurants - but not so convenient for breakfast and dinner.
We won’t go hungry, but meal times are non-traditional.
Responsible Landscape Photography
I practice Nature First Photography Principles when practicing landscape photography. As landscape photographers, we can influence many others that visit these areas and I believe it is important to lead by example.
Essentially that means prioritizing the well-being of nature first and to obey the posted regulations and signs of the areas we visit.
If you are curious, you can see all of the Nature First principles here: https://www.naturefirstphotography.org/en/principles
Questions?
There is a lot of information here! Don’t hesitate to email me ( jeffrey@jeffreytadlockphotography.com ) if you have any questions or if it seems I've left something out. I will happily add to this web page anything I have missed.
Really looking forward to this workshop. You are going to love the West Virginia area and the landscapes it offers.