RGT Image Retreat and Mastermind

   The Mastermind starts Jan 1 2023. The tour is not until July 1-10. I have already explored where the best shots are and what time of day is ideal. That's a 10 day savings right there. What photographer wants to waste time looking for the right spot. Just imagine how many more you can get if they are already scouted out for you. Do it the Hollywood way. By the way French lavender fields are plentiful and stretch for miles, so you really have to know where to go.  Not at all like the 5 acre fields in the USA.

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   I am big on photographing culture also, so in addition to the best spots in beautiful lavender fields you'll have a unique opportunity to photograph local people in century old locations. I know you'll get great images because I have hired character studies and models to pose for us.  They come complete with model releases so you actually have images you can use. For those who aren't aware the privacy laws in Europe just became  a lot stricter in 2021. Can't even post on Facebook without the risk of being sued. Another RGT advantage worth it's weight in gold. Plus we will have blank releases in English and French that you can get signed if you come across a random person. 

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  During my 50 years in photography I have taken many photo tours. A few were good but most were bad. So in 1987 I started my own, and designed them as if I were a participant. What would I want on a tour. How would I like to be treated. I then went after the toughest market to reach - the professional photographers. The reason is because I could learn more from them. I am proud to say, to this day I have repeat customers from the trips in the 80s and 90s. Because I delivered the award winning images and we have FUN doing it. I do limit the number of photogs so everyone receives attention. 

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   Whether you are a seasoned pro or a rank beginner we all learn from each other. I know I am still learning. I even learn something from my 2 year old Granddaughter. Nothing about photography but how people learn and retain. And that's the reason I start a RGT Image Retreat months before we go. As my friend Brendon Burchard always says; "The best time to have a map is before you enter the woods." In this six months before we have a lot to talk about especially if you have not traveled recently.   And we have even more after the trip.  Learning does not stop after you take the image.

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After 51 years as a working professional photographer, I have collected bits and pieces from all the photogs I have met, many who have taken me under their wings and taught me the fine the points that make an image special. It is only after years of working with that knowledge that I have developed a system.  My only regret is that I wish I would have developed that system years earlier. It would have made my financial future much easier.

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   The bottom line is that TRAVEL doesn't make you a better photographer any more than an expensive camera does. I am going to teach you to be a better photographer BEFORE you travel, no matter your level. Our private group will have assignments every two weeks and we will all learn from each other. The goal is to make you a better photographer than you already are. It is NOT a competition. I know my personal photography style changes every five years, and if it doesn't I am not stretching my ability to learn. Which means I will not grow. Photography is rapidly changing and we all need to change with it.

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   By the way the classes will be recorded, so you can always refer back to them in your two year MasterClass. Plus I often take notes for you on key points so you can concentrate on absorbing knowledge.  I enjoy teaching and at my age I want to leave behind some of what I learned for future generations. That is what other seasoned professionals did for me and I now understand why. Keep in mind what I do (or any other photographer does) is not right or wrong, it is just what works for me (them.) If you come up with a few new points here and there, you soon develop your own style. Remember: We all learn from each other.

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  The last point I want to make is that I have been accused of being an animal, primarily an "Energizer Bunny."  My biggest fault is that even at the age of 72, I have been accused of wearing even young people down on a trip. So I have designed RGT Image Retreats in bite size chunks.  Sunrise - Breakfast - Mid Morn - Lunch - Afternoon - Dinner  - Evening. Yes it is a full day (10 to 15 hours) for a number of days, but you are welcome to stick around the campfire on any session you don't feel up to the hike. 

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   Below you will find a sample itinerary, but please keep in mind that  photography is always based on light and weather.   We will always find excellent locations, but things can change. For example if it is raining we may move a lavender field to a different day and do cobblestone streets in an ancient town, or photograph stone churches, or maybe even some iPhone or photoshop lessons. When you sign up, YOU will also be given the opportunity to tell me what you are looking for in this RGT Image Retreat and Mastermind Class. This is YOUR class not mine.

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Hope you can join us, it will be  the class  you always wished for. ~RGT