Photography Weekend at Grimentz
The perfect combination of your passion and an unforgettable weekend is only 3 hours away!
Join us to discover beautiful Grimentz and the neighbouring Moiry Dam.
Practice multiple fields of photography in a fun group, get personal advice and come back with stunning photos.
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.
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.
LOCATION
Located in the canton Valais, gorgeous Grimentz lies at 1.620 m in the Val d’Anniviers in the 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 close-by Moiry Lake and Dam and will enjoy panoramic views from Bendolla.
Reaching there is possible via driving (parking spots available) or public transport (train + bus). We will send you detailed instructions about how to get there in your welcome information once you sign up for the trip.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
What is the program?
- Village tour
- Night Photography
- Day trip to the incredible Moiry Dam Lake
- Lots of landscape, portrait and travel photography practices.
ACCOMODATION
You will be accommodated in cozy, modern chalets of Swiss Escape, which are fully equipped with kitchen, bathrooms and open lounge area. Breakfast and snacks are included.
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 😉
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. We will provide different challenges for all levels, give personal feedback on your work and show you how you can do better.
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 with natural light and external flashes.
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
- Using reflectors, flashes on and off camera
- Night and astro photography
- Editing techniques and how to form a series of images
- Tips & tricks for all kinds of situation
- Personal, constructive feedback, hands-on exercises, skill sharing
- Assignments to complete each day
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.
LAST TIME WE WERE THERE
FAQ’s
Unless differently stated in the trip description, the following conditions apply to cancellations and booking changes for each 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
Please note that some of the trips have stricter cancellation rules due to agencies we work with. In these cases, the cancellation policy in the trip description applies.
Tickets are not for resale.
For shared rooms, we strongly recommend that you book with somebody you already know and 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.
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.
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.
No, we have included even the boarding fees to make sure there are no surprise charges.
Normally you should only pay for your dinners at the selected restaurants at our stops, where you can use your credit cards. Plus any other personal expenses of course.
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.
Yes. Even though we highly recommend the city walk though beautiful Grimentz or a refreshment workshop on photography basics on Friday afternoon, the official programme and welcoming will start at 7 pm.
The chalets are are fully equipped, each including a kitchen, 3 bathrooms, 4 bedrooms, coworking and lounge area, free parking and wifi.
Yes, you can either apply for a private room, share it with your partner or friend or directly let us pick a match from the same sex for you. In case we run out of private rooms, we also will select another photography-enthusiast of the same gender for you.
No. This trip will be organized by and for Swiss Photo Club only.
Children:
Minimum age of 16 years is required.
Pets:
Pets are unfortunately not allowed to bring.
Allergies/food intolerances:
Please let us know about your allergies and food intolerances so we can adjust the organization according to your needs.
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
- Invoice (send us an email with full name and billing address)
- Cash (get in contact with us to arrange an appointment)
- Photography equipment for landscape and night photography (body, lenses, tripod, filters, strap, batteries, sd cards, 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