The 2023 Pegasus Workshop

April 10-13, 2023 - Postponed.  Please check back after June 2023

Workshop Outline

Monday April 10:  Meet and Greet, Arrive Mission San Antonio between 1:30 and 2 p.m.

Tues April 11:  Shooting 8 a.m.- 2 p.m., Editing 5-7 p.m. at the Mission, Night Sky Session at the Mission

Wed April 12: Editing until 10 a.m. at the Mission, Shooting 11:30 - sunset.

Thurs April 13: (check out), Shooting 6:30-10 a.m., Workshop Close 11 a.m.

Schedule Subject to Change based on weather, ranch activities, and participant preferences

Aspects of your workshop experience include:

  • Ranch Tour / Learn about the "Making Pegasus" Project
  • Just hang out with the horses
  • Editing Group in Meeting Room at Mission San Antonio de Padua
  • visit the Mission, its courtyard gardens, church, and museum
  • night sky photography session with Sharon West (weather permitting)
  • free time, and/or rest

$1500

Included:  Dorm-style Lodging, Meals, "Making Pegasus" Hat

Not Included:  Transportation, tips

Closest Commercial Airports are: Monterey, San Jose, San Luis Obispo

Shuttle from/to San Jose airport (SJC) will be available for up to 5 people, Monday and returning on Thursday afternoon for an additional charge

Register

All About the Pegasus Photography Workshop

The exciting thing about "Making Pegasus" is the unique horse experience.  Nowhere else in the world can you be with the selection of breeds and breed crosses all in one place!  If you're fascinated by the land where art and science meet, you'll be in your element at the Davis Ranch.  Every single horse is loved and revered for their personality, beauty, and traits.  Greg Davis' unique equine genetics research (collaborating with institutions such as U.C. Davis) seeks answers to which genes produce which characteristics, mapping the DNA, and observing the results of new genetic crosses.  You will get to photograph these equine wonders, and learn all about the Pegasus Project.

What will we be photographing?

  • Mares and Foals
  • Stallions
  • Portraits
  • Stallion Interaction
  • Horses in Motion
  • Horses with Beautiful Countryside Backdrops
  • The night sky with the Mission San Antonio and/or surrounding hills as backdrop (weather permitting)

What will we experience?

Being with these horses leaves an impression!  You will be given the opportunity to:

  • observe some of the most unique and beautiful horses in the world
  • improve your photography skills 
  • share with each other the shots you're getting
  • make adjustments to get different results
  • spend time with beautiful, large, powerful horses up close if you choose
  • learn about the Making Pegasus project from founder Greg Davis
  • share editing time in a shared space during the day when not shooting
  • learn about night sky photography from Photographer Sharon West
  • weather permitting, have the opportunity to photograph the night sky at the Mission

What is the location like?

Lockwood is a remote California Coastal Valley where wild boars and ground squirrels live abundantly and you'll hear the coyotes at night!  There is an Army base (Fort Hunter Ligget) in the vicinity, which adds an occasional plane to otherwise very quiet region.  Lockwood has one general store, but there are no restaurants.  You'll see mostly large ranches, horses, cattle, or crops.  The terrain is fairly flat land with surrounding hills.  The ranch itself is a large gradually sloping property with fenced sections and a natural spring that feeds two water holes.  This region is naturally dry with sage brush and sparse trees being the native landscape.  The photos below will give you a sense of what it looks like at the ranch.

What are the accommodations?

We are staying at the Mission San Antonio de Padua, a 20 minute drive from the "Making Pegasus" Ranch in Lockwood.  The rooms are very basic, but clean and recently renovated.  Each room has two twin beds and a sink and closet.  The shower and bathrooms are down the hall and are shared.  You have the ability to lock the shower room or bathroom door for privacy while you're using it if you wish.  As long as the dorms are not full, you will have your own room unless you request to share a room with a friend or family member.  There are 3 suites.  Two that have a queen bed in one room, two twin beds in another room and a private bathroom in between.  One suite sleeps 2 and has a private bathroom.  If you're interested in a suite, let us know and we'll see if it's available.  There would be an additional charge for the suite.

Our day time editing time will be in one of the beautiful meeting rooms at the mission.  The mission is a very peaceful, beautiful retreat place, so we are fortunate to be able to offer not only an educational photography workshop, but also a retreat aspect to the experience.  There is no wi-fi available at the mission.  They have good cell reception on site (though some carriers have trouble getting through the thick adobe walls).

What will meals be like?   What if I have dietary needs?

Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be available in the shared Refectory at the mission.  Meals will be simple to allow everyone to eat when they are hungry.  Meals will be either box-style for grab and go convenience or microwavable.  For example, if you plan to stay at the ranch past our morning shoot time, you should take your lunch with you when you leave the mission in the morning.  For any specific food requests, your meals will be clearly labeled.  The Refectory has a refrigerator, a microwave, and tables and chairs where you can sit and eat.  There is no sink, so only paper products are used.  There is an electric kettle for heating water to make tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.

If you prefer to bring all of your own food, you may.  Just talk to us about that option.

What is the take away?

You will leave with hundreds of images that you can play with, post, share, print and hang in your living room, or anything else you can imagine.   You will have learned with and from other photographers and will have new friends.  As with any educational opportunity, you get out of it what you put in, and what you seek.  If you are the spiritual seeker type, you'll walk away with an expanded heart and deeper connection to your own personal journey.  If you're a technical geeky type, you'll leave with the satisfaction of having explored some new experiments with your camera and/or editing software, and if you share your knowledge, you'll have helped a fellow photographer in their journey!  And so on.

What are people saying about the Pegasus Workshop?

"Greg (Davis) was really welcoming to all of us - made it so easy to be on his ranch and photograph the horses.  Even though there were fences to deal with, I really liked photographing the horses in the exercise pen!  I look forward to coming back next year!"  ~ Lyn Bowers

"It is an almost spiritual experience. The horses are incredibly beautiful and surprisingly gentle!  Being out in the field with the herd was absolutely amazing! The feeling was with me for several days afterwards!"  ~ Alane Whitmore

How do I register?

Scroll down and click on the Register NOW button.  This will take you to a new page which details the registration process and ways to pay.  If you have ANY questions, contact Lori.

About Lori Sortino

Lori has been photographing horses full time for years, beginning with observing them in the herd and learning herd behavior.  She has been photographing hunter/jumper and dressage professionally as well as polo and is very familiar with how to capture the power of the horse in motion.  She produces equine portraits in both natural settings and with black backgrounds and is proficient in background replacement and photo compositing.  She uses Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.  

Lori encourages each photographer to develop their own style and to create images that reflect how/what they see and the feeling they want to convey.  We each get an idea of what we're wanting to create, and the work we undertake to create that image is very personal and rewarding.  Lori will support you in that process.

Register NOW
Lori with 2022 foal

Photos from past workshops

A few of the "Making Pegasus" horses

stallion
Thunderprancing stallion in dirt field
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