As you will probably have realised already while visiting my website, one of the important aspect of my work is sharing, sharing beautiful
moments graciously offered by Mother Nature.
Sharing this through photographs is one thing, but what about doing it all the way from the picture taking process? This is why I am now very pleased to invite you to join me in my photography workshops.
In my workshops, you will be able to :
- have a great time in nature, in the magnificent mountains of the Swiss Alps, in my company and with others who share your passion
- learn a very "practical" approach to landscape photography
- learn how to use your most important piece of photographic kit (and which has no price): your eye
- learn the different techniques that I use to take my own photographs (from start to finish)
- benefit from a very individual teaching thanks to a small number of participants in each workshop (5 max)
These workshops are conducted in a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere, the aim being that you all have a nice time while photographing
breathtaking landscapes, and at the same time learning many things which, I hope, will help you in your own quest of capturing great pictures.
LENGTH AND LOCATION :
These workshops are one, two or three day long.
They all take place in the Swiss Alps and Jura mountains, in areas that I know well for having spent much time photographing them, and chosen for their beauty and photographic interest.
The several day workshops allow you to discover more remote places but also wilder, and be able to photograph them under the best lighting conditions.
WHO CAN ATTEND :
All workshops, without exceptions, are open to beginners as well as more advanced photographers.
A small number of participant allows me to address the needs and questions of every one individually while still covering a broad range of photographic subjects.
(refer to the detailed description of each workshop for more information).
CONTENT :
A wide range of photography subjects is covered, from composition to accurate exposition, controlling depth of field, techniques of panoramic photography, use of filters,
post processing, and much more (refer to the detailed description of each workshop for more information).
According to the group's level and the needs of each participants, I develop further certain subjects. In other words I customise the workshops for you as needed.
I also naturally share with you all my little tricks and show you my way of working (which you will see is extremely simple)!
FITNESS LEVEL :
A minimum amount of fitness is required to be able to attend these workshops.
Now that said, let me reassure you right away as there is no need either to be an athlete!
Some of the workshops only require a few hours of easy walking with a limited amount of hills to ascend.
On the other side, others are more demanding and a very good fitness level is required as the amount of walking per day can be up to 6 or 7 hours with several hundred meters of positive ascent.
I therefore invite you to read carefully the detailed description of each workshop where you can find all the information on that subject.
And if you have any doubt, please do no hesitate to contact me for further information.
LANGUAGE :
The workshops are done in French.
If you wish to join one of the workshops but you don't master perfectly this language, no worries,
I will be able to translate in English or Spanish if required.
1. REGISTRATION:
1.1. Each workshop contains some walking in low altitude (> 2800m) in easy footpaths accessible to everyone with standard physical conditions. However, some workshops
require ascending and descending a total of up to 1000 meters in one day and the total walking time per day can be up to 6 hours.
It is therefore necessary to have a minimum fitness level to take part of these workshops. The detailed description of each workshop provides some indication of the
minimum fitness level required.
By registering to a particular workshop, the participant confirms having read and understood this recommendation and therefore confirms having the required fitness level for that workshop.
1.2. People who are under 18 years old but above 13 years old can participate to any of the one day workshops, providing a signed parental authorisation.
1.3. People who are under 18 years old but above 13 years old can participate to the multi day workshops, providing that a parent also participates to the same workshop.
1.4. For safety reasons, children under the age of 14 cannot participate to any workshop.
1.5. Registration to one or more workshops is only confirmed and the place guaranteed, once the total amount due has been paid (refer to Section 2. PAYMENTS below).
1.6. Registering to a workshop implies that the participant is available for the main date as well as the backup date (refer to Section 6. WEATHER CONDITIONS / BACKUP DATES).
1.7. If the registration is done by a different person to the one taking part of the workshop, the person doing the registration agrees that the person who will take part
accepts and respects the present Terms and Conditions.
1.8. After having received a participant registration, Samuel Bitton guarantees to immediately reserve the place for that participant in the chosen workshop.
However, if within the 5 days that will follow the registration invoicing, Samuel Bitton has not received the full payment from the participant, the registration will be cancelled and Samuel Bitton will make the place available again to other participants.
2. PAYMENTS:
2.1. In order to confirm a place in a workshop, the total amount is asked to be paid by the participant to Samuel Bitton at the time of registration.
Payments can be done via direct bank transfers, by credit cards, or via Paypal account.
All the necessary information to make the payment will be provided to the participant in an
email sent by Samuel Bitton confirming the registration request.
3. PRICE:
3.1. The workshops prices are in Swiss Francs (CHF), all taxes included. VAT is not applicable for this type of service.
3.2. The price includes:
3.2.1. The photographic teaching by professional photographer Samuel Bitton.
3.2.2. The breakfast (for one day workshops only).
3.2.3. A small notepad and paper for taking notes.
3.2.4. Any special means of transports during the workshop such as cable cars, chair lifts or trains, which might be required to access some areas in the mountains.
3.2.5. Detailed comments and objective critics from Samuel on the pictures you realise during the workshop.
3.3. The price excludes:
3.3.1. Any photographic equipment. Each participant must bring his own equipment. It will not be possible to hire any equipment from Samuel Bitton for the workshop.
3.3.2. Any other equipment required to participate, such as specialised clothing, walking boats, snow shoes, bivouac equipment, etc. Each participant must provide all his own equipment
(refer to the detailed description of each workshop for the exact list of required material).
3.3.3. The meals (except the breakfast for the one day workshops).
3.3.4. Any transports by car required during the day.
3.3.5. Any type of insurance (mountain rescue, cancellation, personal liability, etc.). Refer to Section 7. RESPONSIBILITIES AND INSURANCES below for further details.
4. CANCELLATION POLICY:
4.1. Cancellation from the participant:
4.1.1. Any cancellation received 20 days or more before the workshop date will be fully refunded.
4.1.2. Any cancellation received less than 20 days before the workshop date will not be refunded, except if the participant is able to propose another person
to replace her/him and providing that this information is provided to Samuel Bitton no less than 3 days before the workshop date.
4.2. Cancellation from Samuel Bitton
4.2.1. In case of very bad weather forecast, the workshop may be postponed to the backup date. Samuel Bitton will inform all
the participants via email or telephone at least one day before the workshop.
4.2.2. In case of very bad weather forecast also on the backup date, Samuel Bitton may be obliged to cancel the workshop completely. This is
always very regrettable, but these are the unforgiving constrains of landscape photography in alpine environment.
4.2.3. If the workshop is postponed to the backup date and the participant cannot attend, no refund will be made.
4.2.4. In case of only one participant registered, Samuel Bitton may decide to cancel the workshop.
4.2.5. In the cancelation cases 4.2.2. or 4.2.4, all participants will receive a full refund.
4.2.6. Any costs incurred by the participants to be able to participate to the workshop (booking of hotel rooms on location, transports, train tickets, etc.) will not be refunded by Samuel Bitton.
4.2.7. Any type of bank fees incurred to proceed with a refund to a participant will be at the cost of the participant.
5. LATE ARRIVALS AND EARLY DEPARTURES:
5.1. No refund will be made for any workshop hours or days missed due to late arrivals or early departure by the participant.
5.2. It is very important that each participant arrives on time for the start of a workshop.
Indeed any delay from a participant could compromise the possibility for the rest of the group to photograph the best lights.
In case of a late arrival by a participant, it is her/his own responsibility to find, at her/his own costs, the group at the location where the workshop is taking place, without penalising the other participants nor disturbing the good course of the workshop.
5.3. In case of an early departure by a participant, she/he will bear all the costs that may result (transport, hotel room, etc.).
If the departure is due to an illness or an accident, the participant will use her/his personal health, accident or mountain rescue insurance to which she/he will have subscribed prior to the workshop.
Any participant leaving the workshop before its completion will not be able to receive any refund for the time missed.
6. WEATHER CONDITIONS / BACKUP DATES:
6.1. As mentioned above in Section 4. CANCELLATION POLICY, in case of very bad weather forecast a few days before the workshop (heavy rain, storm, strong wind, etc...)
the workshop is, in a first instance, postponed to the backup date mentioned in each workshop's description.
6.2. If the workshop is postponed to the backup date and a few days before the weather forecast is very bad,
the workshop is then cancelled completely for obvious safety reasons.
6.3. Weather forecast is not an exact science, especially in the mountains. It is therefore not impossible that a workshop take place
but that the weather conditions end up not being ideal for photography. Although Samuel Bitton makes sure to organise workshops in locations offering spectacular and very photogenic views, he
obviously has no control over the weather conditions of the moment and therefore those views might not be fully visible due to clouds, mist, haze or the like. In such cases, this being
entirely out of his control, he provides no discounts or refund to the workshop's participants.
6.4. According to the weather conditions during the workshops, Samuel Bitton reserves himself the right to modify slightly their content.
However this will always be done in such a way that it will have a minimal impact on the photographic teaching.
7. RESPONSIBILITIES AND INSURANCES:
7.1. Participants Responsibilities:
7.1.1. All participants to the workshops should be aware that by taking part in a workshop they can run certain risks related to travel, transportation, outdoor activities,
eventual remoteness of medical facilities, etc.
They must therefore, bear all risks they may be involved with (injuries, property damage, death, medical expenses, repatriation expenses, transportation costs for
abandonment of the workshop, economic losses, etc.), and hereby release Samuel Bitton and not hold him responsible for
any and all liability, actions, causes of actions, debts, claims, and demands of every kind and nature in connection with their
participation in any workshop arranged by Samuel Bitton. The terms hereof shall serve as a release and assumption
of all risk for the participant, her/his heirs, executors and administrators, and for all members of the client’s family.
7.1.2. All workshop participants must be in possession of a valid insurance to cover risks related to illness, accident and an eventual
repatriation. This insurance must be valid for the location and time where and when the workshop is to be held.
7.1.3. When booking a workshop, all participants automatically agree to have read, understood and
accepted these Terms and Conditions, which constitute a binding contract between Samuel Bitton and the participant.
Also, the participant agrees to have reviewed the information given by Samuel Bitton concerning the particular
workshop, have correctly prepared herself/himself and arrives at the meeting point of the workshop with the necessary equipment indicated in the workshop description available on his website.
Samuel Bitton will not take any responsibility of participants inadequately prepared physically and/or equipment-wise.
7.1.4. All workshop participants are financially liable for property and personal damage, even accidental,
caused to third persons or property, including those owned by Samuel Bitton. The participants are strongly advised
to make provisions for these eventual events by concluding a personal liability insurance (or similar).
7.1.5. Samuel Bitton cannot be responsible for any theft, accident or loss that may occur during the course of a workshop.
7.1.6. Participation to a workshop is done at the participant's own risks. The price of the workshop does not include any mountain guiding from Samuel Bitton and therefore the participant accepts
to attend under her/his sole responsibility. Each participant is responsible for herself/himself and her/his own material and equipment
7.2. Samuel Bitton's Responsibilities:
7.2.1. Samuel Bitton is responsible for doing his best to guarantee that a workshop takes place as expected according to the information given in the workshop's detailed
description, and to maximize the learning and travel experience of the participants.
7.2.2. Samuel Bitton will not bear any responsibility for services that are beyond his control, such as lifts, huts, mountain cabins, hotels, restaurants, airlines and
transportation companies.
7.2.3. Under any circumstance Samuel Bitton will be liable for additional costs, loss, damage or personal injury, death, economic losses and delays caused by
third party agencies or companies, if not directly related to negligence from Samuel Bitton himself.
7.2.4. Samuel Bitton cannot be held responsible for incidents or events unforeseeable and external to Samuel Bitton during the workshop such as war, political unrest, strikes, incidents
caused by terrorist activity, natural or nuclear accidents, evacuations, maintenance problems of means of transportation, schedule changes, fires, technical problems beyond the control
of Samuel Bitton, airspace congestion, bad weather, safety measures, failure, etc. causing delays and/or changes in itinerary, for which the participant will bear any additional costs
associated with such events but not those relating to the provision of the original contractual benefits or agreed to replace them.
7.2.5. Samuel Bitton cannot be held responsible for any personal injury which would result from careless personal initiative during the workshop, not in accordance with advice
from the photographer.
7.2.6. Samuel Bitton bears no liability for any loss, damage or theft of luggage, clothing, photographic equipment or personal items of his workshop participants, which
should remain under supervision of the participants themselves for the duration of the workshop.
8. CONFIDENTIALITY:
8.1. Samuel Bitton agrees to comply with current legislations regarding confidentiality and protection of personal data and not to dispose, in any form or condition,
such information to third parties.
8.2. Samuel Bitton also agrees to implement the necessary security measures to ensure the protection of users' personal data against possible misuse or against unauthorized access.
9. APPLICABLE RIGHTS:
9.1. The present Terms and Conditions are governed by Swiss law.
