Great Smokies -Oct 26-28, 2025
$565 Tuition only. (Does not include meals, lodging, rental car, airfare or gratuity.)
There is a reason the Great Smokies is the most visited United States national park. From the beautifully smooth sloping ‘smoky’ mountain views to the cool rushing cascades of water tumbling throughout the landscape, this park has something to offer everyone. From over 100 species of deciduous trees, 1500 types of flowering plants, multitudes of mammals, birds and reptiles and elevations ranging from 875 to 6643 feet in altitude, this park provides an endless bounty for the photographer.
Of all the seasons, Fall is the most magical in the Great Smokies. Join us as we spend the weekend exploring historic Cades Cove, beautiful mountain vistas and the many winding streams flowing throughout the park.
This workshop starts at 3:00 pm on Sunday and ends around 1:00 pm on Tuesday.
Tuition:
Full payment is required to hold your place in the workshop. No refunds will be issued after June 1, 2025 unless we have someone on the waitlist who can take your place. (See our Policies page for our refund and cancellation policy.)
Lodging:
Townsend Gateway Inn
8270 TN-73
Townsend, TN 37882
865-238-0123
(Rooms are held in a block under
NATURAL CONNECTIONS PHOTO WORKSHOPS....YOU MUST CALL AND ASK FOR A ROOM OUT OF THE BLOCK)
Rooms are blocked from Saturday, Oct 25, checking out Oct 28 at a rate of $130 per night.
The workshop does not start until Sunday afternoon on the 26th and ends around noon on the 28th.....so definitely book the 26th and the 27th. Limited rooms are available the day before the workshop on Saturday the 25th, so if you want to come in the night before the workshop starts, book early.
PLEASE CALL THE HOTEL DIRECTLY TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS - WE HAVE BOOKED PART OF THE HOTEL AND IT MAY SHOW NO VACANCY IF YOU TRY TO RESERVE ONLINE.
***Tell the hotel you are with Natural Connections Photo Workshops to book and get group pricing. The cut off date for the rate is September 1, 2025. After that time lodging is subject to availability at the prevailing rate. If the hotel personnel tell you they don't have a block for us, ask for Pete. You do NOT have to stay 3 nights to get our group rate.
Transportation:
Local Airport:
McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS)
2055 Alcoa Hwy
Alcoa, TN 37701
Car Rental - Major car rental companies are available at or near the airport. Participants will need to arrange their own transportation to, from, and during the workshop. We strongly recommend that participants share the cost of rental vehicles. We suggest this because some shooting locations on the workshop have very limited space for vehicles and we must require participants to carpool to these locations anyway.
FOR THIS WORKSHOP:
Accessories - We do not require that you purchase any specific equipment for this workshop. With that said, however, there are a couple of filters that we feel are very important to possess and whose effects cannot be replicated in Photoshop. A circular polarizer is very commonly used in landscape photography, especially when shooting water.
Weather – This workshop will take you through many shooting environments, so be prepared for whatever the weather may bring. Be sure to have rain gear for you and your camera. Bring layers to dress in as weather conditions can change rapidly in this environment.
