Spirit and the Soul with the Gan's

[Michael_Gan]

The Spirit and the Soul Retreat will be September 7,8 & 9 at Dillon Beach (Northern Marin Coast), California. Limited housing is available at the house with a B&B located 5 minutes away in the town of Tomales. PPA merit to each PPA member and a PPC merit for PPC members. Registration is online at https://prophoto.securesites.com/ppc/shopping.html. Proceeds of the first day will benefit the Professional Photographers of California's "California Sundays) education program.

Come join us an learn how to tap into your creative soul and enjoy the Marin/Sonoma wine country and Coast! Limited to the first 10 registrants.

[Joe_Galioto]

michael,
sounds great, now can you put one together for about 5 days between
february & april? that's what i'm waiting for.
september is the start of holiday session for me, but love to spend some time with you and pick your brain.
joe

[Stan_Lawrence]

"Come join us an learn how to tap into your creative soul and enjoy the Marin/Sonoma wine country and Coast!"

Sounds like a great time....not to mention really reasonably priced (read:should be about three times that).....

[Michael_Gan]

michael,
sounds great, now can you put one together for about 5 days between
february & april? that's what i'm waiting for.
september is the start of holiday session for me, but love to spend some time with you and pick your brain.
joe

We have slated a 5 day workshop for the first week of May which will be almost what Stan recommends The price for this shorter Retreat was for the benefit of PP of California.

btw. The panoramic image on the second page of the brochure is a view of Pt. Reyes from the Retreat's balcony

[Joe_Galioto]

michael,
5 days in may can work. when will the info & regestration be available?
joe

[Michael_Gan]

I will send you a brochure when we have it ready

[Joe_Galioto]

thanks michael, you will find the address on my website.
joe

[Michael_Gan]

I've been getting some inquiries about what we will be teaching in this Retreat, so here are some FAQs:

Will we learn how to take photos?

Yes! We will spend part of the first day getting everyone on a somewhat "same level". Then, throughout the retreat, we will be helping you with any problems you might have in achieving the images you want. We will help you to "see the light".

Will we get to learn how Leslie does those amazing images?

Yes! Well, sort of. We will show you some of the Photoshop Techniques we use, as well as Corel Painter. The key here is for you to not copy Leslie, but to learn to create your own amazing work!

Are we going to do only "fantasy" work?

No. We are going to help you create images that will make your heart sing. Some of you are more "traditional" photographers (like me) and some of you want to become painter types (like Leslie). The key is to guide you in your passions for why you became a photographer.

Are we going to learn how to sell our work?

Yes. This portion of the Retreat will deal with how you can bridge the gap between pure creativity and your clients need. Much of it will almost seem like attitude adjustment, but this is because you can make a good living by rising above every other photographer out there.

Are the housing costs higher outside of the retreat?

So Far, yes. We are negotiating a lower room rate for the Continental Inn which is about $185 per night (as opposed to staying at the Retreat at $125). I'm hoping we can bring the room rates down to at least $145. Stay tuned.

[Michael_Gan]

We have changed the room rates of the Retreat to $125/ night for single occupancy, $180 double occupancy, and $210 Triple occupancy. This includes Breakfast and Lunch (and one dinner by "chef Michael").

The Continental has one room left at $150 double occupancy (plus 10% room tax). Your meal plan at the retreat will be $75 per person all three days. We also have another two rooms lined up at the Mutton Inn (great name for a B&B on a sheep farm )

You may be laughing about the "Chef Michael" thing, but everyone tells me I should try out for the "Next Food Network Stars"...like I wanna turn another hobby into a profession!

Oh! We are customizing the workshop to each of your needs, so don't go waiting last minute to sign up! We need the time to create a needs analysis for your creativity! And, I need time to order you PPA merits in advance of your course completion. Also! So that we can make room arrangements for you.

[Michael_Gan]

Some recent works from Leslie:

"Paso Doble"



"Muse"