Photography Weekend at Grimentz
“Why seek far afield when the good is close by?”
The perfect combination of your passion and an unforgettable weekend is only 3 hours away! Join us from September 14th – 16th to discover beautiful Grimentz and improve your photography skills with our experienced instructors. Besides different fields of photography, you will also have some time to have a closer look on editing and will get useful tips about equipment and techniques.
Arrival: Friday, September 14th, 3pm – Departure: Sunday, September 16th, 3 pm
What do we do?
Just for you, we put together a perfect program to practice, explore, improve, socialize, share, learn, enjoy, discover…
It’s going to be a fascinating escape from your everyday routine to fully concentrate on our common passion: photography. A picturesque old village with wooden houses, mesmerizing views, stunning nature combined with a group of likeminded people – could there be anything better? Let’s go for the perfect shot!
We will practice photographing landscapes, wildlife whenever possible, outdoor portrait shoots and night/astro photography. Our instructors will be there for you during the whole trip for any questions. There will be an editing session as well, where you will get personal feedback and help to select and improve your best photos.
Note: This trip will focus on hands-on photography rather than covering ‘the basics’. For the complete beginners, we recommend one of our beginner classes in advance for preparation.
What you can expect from this trip?
The best way to improve your photography is to practice, and we intend to give you many opportunities during this trip to do just that. Not just telling you what you are doing wrong, but supporting what you are doing right and giving constructive feedback on what to do better – and how.
During the first day, you will practice photographing the village with its people and architecture. After dinner, there will be a night photography workshop to practice astro photography, light painting and of course long exposures.
The second day will start with a trip to the Moiry Lake and Dam, with its beautiful nature, geometry and also many outdoor portrait practices. After dinner there will be a selection & editing session, where you can improve your photos with the help and guidance from our instructors.
On the third day we will enjoy and explore the incredible view of the “imperial crown”, where we will practice photographing the alps and more exercises on outdoor portraits.
In an easy and familiar way our experienced instructors will focus on creativity and experimenting, helping you with settings and technical questions whenever it’s needed.
On this photography weekend, expect to practice and improve:
- How to develop a more individual photographic style/voice
- How to say something/express yourself through your photos
- Applying rules of composition
- Landscape photography with colors and contrasts
- Outdoor portraits in different environments and light conditions
- Night and astro photography
- Editing techniques and how to form a series of images
- Tips & tricks for all kinds of situation
- Personal, constructice feedback, hands-on exercises, skill sharing
- Assignments to complete each day
Where do we go?
Located in the canton Valais, gorgeous Grimentz lies at 1.620 m in the Val d’Anniviers, French-speaking part of Switzerland. Diving into the atmosphere of the (g)olden days becomes quite easy here: centuries-old buildings, narrow alleys and cultural heritage next to panoramic views and breathtaking landscapes. The perfect spot to forget about hectic life and completely focus on photography. We will improve our landscape photography skills at closeby Moiry Lake and Dam and will enjoy panoramic views from Bendolla.
The price includes all transportation related to our programme in Grimentz. For Saturday, at some parts you can choose either public transports or hike.
We will help you if you have any questions and will send you detailed instructions about how to get there in your welcome information once you sign up for the trip. Since there are parking spots right at the house and public transportation in walking distance, you’ll easily make your way there.
Where do we stay?
You will be accommodated in cozy, modern chalets of Swiss Escape, which are fully equipped with kitchen, bathrooms and open lounge area. With optional private or double rooms, you can either enjoy complete silence and privacy after a great shooting day or share the experience with your partner or friend in a double room (2 ppl). There are limited numbers of both, so better pick quickly 😉
Breakfast, snacks and a welcome dinner will be included. Food and beverages outside Swiss Escape are not covered. Several options for lunch are available at nearby supermarkets, cafes and restaurants. We will have a get together dinner in a close-by restaurant on Saturday.
What is included?
- Fully loaded program of photography practice with our instructors during the whole weekend
- 2 nights in fully equipped comfy chalets in lovely Grimentz
- Welcome dinner & drinks on Friday, breakfast and snacks on Saturday and Sunday
- At least one experienced tutor per each 6 people group for personal attention
- Optional refreshment workshop (Friday) and editing/post processing workshop (Saturday Evening/Sunday morning)
- Whole day photography excursion accompanied by various close-by tours
Not included: Meals outside Swiss Escape, arrival and departure costs, insurance
Anything else?
Our highest priority is always the safety of our group, followed by satisfaction and best experience. We reserve the right to rearrange the programme due to unexpected changes and weather conditions. Not included in your rate are food and beverages outside Swiss Escape, arrival and departure costs, travel insurance and any optional excursions you may choose to book besides the arranged programme. Shared rooms can be shared with a partner or friend. In case we run out of private rooms, we will select another photography-enthusiast of the same gender.
Note: There will be a fix schedule every day, but we will have the flexibility to spend more time in specific places if needed/asked. Also, we hope to have perfect weather during the trip, but in case of unusual conditions, we might make changes with the group’s agreement.
Tickets
(until July 25th) |
Last Minute* (after Aug 13th) |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Room | CHF 940.- | ||
| Double Room (2 people) |
(per person) |
CHF 560.- (per person) |
*SPC Members will get a nice 15% discount on top. Become a member now!
FAQ’s
If for some reason you can’t make it on the trip, please email us ASAP by simply sending an email to hello@swissphotoclub.com.
The following conditions apply to cancellations and booking changes for the trip:
Up to 90 Days: 20% of the price is held as cancellation
89 – 31 Days: 50% of the price is held as cancellation
30 – 0 Days: 100% of the price is held as cancellation
Tickets are not for resale.
Unless otherwise stated in the course description, the group conversations will be in English.
Our instructors are all at least bi-lingual, so we will probably be able to help you in your own language in private, in case of any questions. Please check before registration if you do not feel comfortable in English.
No. The application is open to everybody who have the passion for photography and learning. This trip is for beginners as well as for pros because we believe that we all have different talents and we can all learn from each other. Even though, a basic knowledge of photography is highly recommended.
Once we receive your payment, we will get back to you with a short survey or a call to get to know your preferences for language and accommodation. As the trip gets closer, we will keep in touch with you again to confirm the trip, introduce the instructors, update you on the progress and communicate the full program.
If you decide to upgrade to private room, the conditions depend on the timing of your decision, pending of course on the availability.
Before the trip: Possible by paying the price difference at the time of your decision (e.g. if you bought an early bird ticket but decided to upgrade during normal prices, you pay the difference at normal prices).
After the trip has started: If you decide to upgrade during check-in, if there is room available, you will have to pay the price difference plus 20% of your original payment as penalty.
For shared rooms, we strongly recommend that you book with somebody you already know and are comfortable to share the room with.
If you book a shared room alone, that means you accept to share your room with any other participant regardless of gender or age.
With individual booking of a shared room, your booking can only be confirmed if there is another individual shared room reservation with us. Otherwise, depending on the time and availability, you have the option to upgrade to a private room reservation.
No. This trip will be organized by and for Swiss Photo Club only.
Children:
Your children must be at least 16 years old to join.
Pets:
We want to offer the best conditions to all the participants. That’s the reason why the pets are unfortunately not accepted.
Allergies and/or food intolerances:
We take seriously your allergies/ intolerances. You should let us know about everything when we’ll contact you.
Additional photo equipment:
We have a partnership with great photography manufacturers. If you need to buy photo gear for your trip, do not hesitate to contact us and we will send you a quote (hello@swissphotoclub.com).
There is no insurance included in the weekend photography trip. Please make sure you have health, travel and accident insurance coverage.
We will ask you to give us a way to get in touch with a contact person of your choice before the trip.
You and your beloved ones can contact all of us during our trip and our team back in Geneva and Zurich.
In case of any special allergies or medical treatments, we highly recommend to contact your doctor before applying for the trip.
Swiss Photo Club does not provide any insurance.
You can either pay via:
- Credit Card (fastest/prefered option),
- Bank Transfer (bank details – purpose: name sept trip)
- Invoice (send us an email with full name and billing address)
- Cash at any post office
If you’d like to pay by bank transfer, you can make it either by e-banking or from any post office (takes one day to reach us):
E-Banking (1 day):
Account owner: Swiss Photo Club
Address: Rue Henri-Christiné 5, 1205 Geneva
IBAN: CH77 0483 5144 2006 1100 1
BIC / Swift: CRESCHZZ80A
Pay in Cash at Post Office (2 days)
To pay at any post office, you can use the red payment slip below:
- Photography equipment for landscape and night photography (body, lenses, tripod, filters, strap, batteries, sd cards, flash, etc.)
- Laptop with Lightroom or Photoshop for the editing session (optional)
- Warm clothes according to weather conditions
You will get a recommended packing list with your welcome information