Cirque of the Towers: A Photography Expedition into One of America’s Most Spectacular Mountain Wildernesses
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You crave adventure; you aspire to become a better landscape photographer; so saddle up, partner, and journey by horseback into the grandeur that is Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Range of western Wyoming, August 3–10, 2013. This is another of the extraordinary Visionary Wild Photography Expeditions/Workshops, where a small group (10 for this trip) of passionate photographers will learn and achieve more with their cameras than they may have ever thought possible.
The Wind River Range of the Rocky Mountain chain is filled with geologic features, such as thrusting granite spires and deep basins and lakes, carved by glaciers and past ice ages. The Cirque and surrounding area is the most alpine-like environment in all of the Rockies, looking more like the Alps of Europe and the High Sierra Nevada in California.
The high meadows with their displays of alpine wildflowers and the pristine water features fed by mountain runoff are excellent subject matter for your camera in their own right. Pair them with the soaring cliffs of granite and great massifs of stone and you will have an abundance of elements to compose and capture landscape images of a high quality and imagination.
Recommended Cameras:
Nikon D500 | Nikon D3300 | Canon EOS Rebel T5 | Sony A7RII | Canon 7D Mark II
As you travel deeper into the Cirque to a basecamp at 10,000 feet, it will become clear you have entered a world both fantastical and overpowering. It’s like standing among the tallest skyscrapers and feeling very small. This is what the greatest landscapes do to you—they challenge you physically and creatively, almost daring you to stare them back with the eye of your camera and capture part of their soul.
In the hands of renowned landscape photographer Marc Muench and Visionary Wild host Justin Black, you’ll learn how to face the Cirque’s challenge with a strong vision of your own. They will guide the group through time and space, leading morning and evening sessions at the foot of the Cirque’s awesome ring of menacing peaks. At night, your vision will expand into astrophotography. At these altitudes, the universe reveals itself in one of the most stunning displays of light, shapes and patterns.
Receiving workshop and one-on-one instruction and critique from a photographer with the credentials of Marc Muench is a special opportunity. His 11 books, ESPN outdoor shows and hundreds of assignments, in many of the wildest places in the world, make him the best person to be peering over your shoulder as you compose an image of the Cirque. He has been guiding aspiring photographers just like you during more than 20 years of workshops and similar backcountry expeditions.
Many climbers are attracted to the many peaks in the Cirque of the Towers. Their activities could add interesting elements to your landscape images, using humans as counterpoints to the immensity of the environment. Some of the most famous mountains are Pingora, Mitchell Peak and Lizard Head, each standing as a sentinel over the landscape. Many are more than 12,000 feet in elevation.
The Bridger Wilderness, which encompasses the Cirque, is famed Mountain Man country; and if nature photography is your interest, then you may have a very good opportunity to photograph the deer, antelope, elk, moose and grizzly and black bear that still outnumber local human residents 10 to 1.
As deep into the wilderness Visionary Wild’s Cirque of the Towers Photography Expedition and Workshop will take you, you’ll be living in high-country style with a full-time camp manager and backcountry chef. They will make life easier and enjoyable, so you can concentrate on absorbing knowledge and taking a great leap forward with your photography skills.
If you want the grandest adventure you could have this summer, then circle August 3–10, 2013 on your calendar. Then, click on this link to learn more about the Cirque of the Towers Expedition and Workshop and reserve your space, as the party is limited to 10. Check out their other exciting workshops and bookmark the Visionary Wild page HERE: http://visionarywild.com/
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Photo copyright David Muench
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