For Release: Immediate
Contact: Tessy Shirakawa
Phone: 970-529-4628

Mesa Verde Institute Announces 2007 Photography Workshops

Every year thousands of visitors capture images of the spectacular, world famous cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park through a variety of media. The Mesa Verde Institute will offer photography workshops led by Dr. Gene Balzer, Professor of Photography and Senior Faculty Member at Northern Arizona University .

Four separate workshops are scheduled: May 18-20, June 1-3, August 10-12, and October 19-21, 2006 . Each workshop is limited to 13 participants. Workshops begin at noon on Friday and end on Sunday afternoon. For further information and registration, please visit the Mesa Verde Institute website, www.mesaverdeinstitute.org

Mesa Verde National Park is a photographer’s paradise; workshop participants will come away with once-in-a-lifetime images. Stunning photographs of cliff dwellings require magnificent soft light and excellent composition. During the workshop, participants will visit these sites during soft light and work on compositions of the Ancestral Pueblo architecture. The group will be in archeological sites at off hours and photographing at a leisurely pace. The workshops are open to both amateur and professional photographers.

These workshops cater not only to the eye, but to other tastes too. From Friday lunch to Sunday lunch, the ARAMARK Mesa Verde Company will provide exceptional meals spotlighting sustainable foods and southwestern cuisine. These meals include two decadent dinners at the acclaimed Metate Room, which, perched atop Mesa Verde’s majestic landscape, was recently profiled in Nation’s Restaurant News and is rated one of the 10 best restaurants in Colorado .

Inaugurated in 2006, the Mesa Verde Institute was established to offer visitors an expanded and in-depth experience in Mesa Verde National Park . Through single and multi-day seminars, workshops, educational hikes, lectures, and special programs, visitors of all ages may engage in enhanced educational and interpretive opportunities and gain a new, behind-the-scenes understanding of Mesa Verde and the Four Corners region. In this spirit, the Institute is dedicated to sharing Mesa Verde with the world.

For further information and registration, including photographic equipment needs and rates, please visit the Mesa Verde Institute website, www.mesaverdeinstitute.org. For further information, contact Professor Gene Balzer at Gene.Balzer@nau.edu.

~ NPS ~