Longwood & Chanticleer Gardens

Join Charles for four unforgettable days of arresting beauty in two premier Pennsylvania botanical gardens: Longwood Gardens and Chanticleer Gardens.

Nestled in the historic and picturesque Brandywine Valley, Longwood Gardens is filled with elegance and rich tradition. This 1,077-acre garden features 20 indoor and 26 dazzling outdoor garden displays and is a living expression of all that its founder, Pierre S. du Pont, found inspiring, meaningful and beautiful.

From its intricate fountain systems to the meticulous gardens with an ever-changing palette of colors, to the architectural grandeur, awe-inspiring discoveries await your lenses at every turn at Longwood.

Chanticleer Garden, on the other hand, is a more intimate, colorful contemporary garden located within an historic setting, about 45 minutes from Longwood.  It has been called the most romantic, imaginative and exciting public garden in America.  Intimate scenes and additional macro photography opportunities abound in this 35-acre garden.

We’ll spend three full days photographing at Longwood and one day photographing at Chanticleer.  You’ll have the opportunity to hone your macro skills, intimate garden landscape skills, and in-camera Impressionistic photography skills with a wide palette of blooming flowers, such as Rudbeckia, Tiger Lilies, Echinacea (purple cone flowers), Water Lilies, Anemone, Garden Phlox, Allium, Bromeliad, Anthurium, Camellia, and a wide variety of exotic orchids.

This workshop includes classroom lectures, stimulating assignments and supportive image evaluations.  Field instruction emphasizes creative macro, Impressionistic, multiple-exposure and artistic smartphone floral photography.

Throughout the week, you’ll receive lots of 1-on-1 personalized instruction from Charles both in the field and classroom, and there will be plenty of lectures sprinkled in and supportive image evaluations.

All skill levels and camera formats welcome, including smartphone cameras.  Participants should also have basic proficiency in post-capture image editing software, such as Lightroom, Photoshop or Snapseed. 

INCLUDES

Daily entrance into Longwood Gardens, one-day entry ticket to Chanticleer Garden, and five days of photography instruction in both the classroom and in the field — including field demos, classroom lectures, stimulating assignments and supportive group image evaluations.  (Note: Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a partial refund if you already have a membership pass to Longwood and/or Chanticleer.)

DOES NOT INCLUDE

Airfare, airport transfers, transportation, lodging, meals, optional trip insurance, and other incidentals such as laundry, phone calls, tips & gratuities.

LODGING

A block of hotel rooms has been reserved at a hotel in Kennett Square, PA (close to Longwood Gardens) at a discounted rate of $169/night, plus tax.  Please reserve your room before July 1, 2023 to guarantee this rate and hotel availability.  (Hotel name with reservation link will be provided upon registration.)

GETTING THERE

Daily flights are available into Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), a 40-minute drive from the hotel and Longwood Gardens.  Ground transportation is not included in this workshop, so you may wish to rent a car if you’ll be flying in from out of town.

ITINERARY

• Tuesday, August 1

Meet & greet and orientation session starting at 7 pm.  Inspirational slide show. Camera equipment overview.

• Wednesday, August 2

Morning entry into Longwood Gardens.  Photograph all morning.  Field demos.  Lots of 1-on-1 instruction.  Lunch in the gardens.  Afternoon lectures.

• Thursday, August 3

Morning entry into Longwood Gardens.  Photograph all morning.  Field demos.  Continued 1-on-1 instruction.  Afternoon lecture.  Possible afternoon shoot at Longwood Gardens or supervised “lab time” in hotel classroom (post-processing tips). 

• Friday, August 4

Morning entry into Longwood Gardens.  Photograph all morning.  Field demos.  Continued 1-on-1 instruction.  Possibly stay on to photograph the Festival of Fountains at Longwood.

• Saturday, August 5

Early morning entry into Chanticleer Gardens (before they open to the public).  Photograph all morning.  Lunch nearby on your own.  Return to photograph at Chanticleer after lunch (optional).  Return to hotel.  Work on images.

• Sunday, August 6

9 am to 12 noon.  Supportive group image evaluations.  Workshop concludes at 12 noon.

PROFICIENCY LEVEL

All skill levels and camera formats welcome, including smartphone cameras.  Students should also have a basic understanding of exposure and proficiency in post-capture image editing software, such as Lightroom, Photoshop or Snapseed.

PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY

No strenuous activity will be involved during the workshop; however, having a modest level of health and fitness will greatly enhance your experience.  You should be able to walk at least a quarter mile each day on uneven terrain, some hills and some flat ground at a reasonable pace unassisted.

CANCELLATION POLICY

All workshop withdrawal requests must be in writing and received either by US mail or e-mail and acknowledged by Charles Needle Photography. There are NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS POLICY, even for medical or family emergencies. Unless otherwise noted, based on cancellation date, the following apply:

• Greater than 91 days before the workshop start date: refund, minus a $300 administrative fee.
• Within 90 days of the start of the program: no refund.

Regardless of when you cancel, if you or we are able to fill your space, we will provide a refund of any payments made minus a $300 processing fee.

We encourage you to purchase refundable airline tickets and trip cancellation insurance. We strongly recommend trip insurance to protect you in the event of an unexpected situation that prevents you from attending the workshop. We recommend Travelguard or Travelex Insurance Services.

We reserve the right to cancel any workshop if the minimum student enrollment is not met, or due to any COVID-19 or other health concerns. In the event we cancel a workshop, you’ll be notified as soon as possible and be given the option to receive a full refund or apply your payment toward any future workshop within one calendar year from the date of cancellation.

We are not, however, liable for expenses incurred such as airfare or accommodations, and for this reason we also recommend the purchase of trip insurance. The financial liability of Charles Needle Photography shall be limited to the amount paid to Charles Needle Photography for this workshop only and shall not be extended to cover any other associated travel costs incurred (e.g. non-refundable air tickets, visa fees if applicable, clothing, equipment, miscellaneous transportation costs, lodging costs, medical expenses, travel insurance premiums, etc.).  For this reason, we highly recommend trip cancellation insurance.