Bannerman Island
Just 1.5 hours north of New York City rests one of the most impressive ruins in New York state: Bannerman Castle. Built at the turn of the 20th century, it served as an armory, warehouse and mystery to those passing along the Hudson River. This is a rare opportunity to spend the night on an inspirational island and shoot until the dawn breaks the evening sky.
Workshop Details
August 4 & 5, 2023 — Sold Out, Join Waitlist Below
Two separate 1-night workshops. August 4 or August 5, 2023. Rain date is August 6. Your adventure begins on the afternoon of either August 4 or 5 and ends the following morning around 10 a.m.
$600 + applicable taxes. Register below.
Skill level
Open to all who have an understanding of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras.
Group size
8, with 1 instructor — 8:1 ratio
Location Website
Workshop Leader
Registration
| • Deposit of $300 is required to reserve your spot at the workshop. |
| • Balance of $300 is due on May 27, 2023. —> Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is May 26, 2023 (see cancellation and refund policy). |
| • The workshop fee does not include camping supplies, food, airfare to New York or transportation to Cornwall-on-Hudson. |
| • The workshop fee does include boat transportation to and from the island, and a farewell breakfast the morning after our shoot. |
The Bannerman Island Experience
Pack your tents and sleeping bags and join us for an overnight workshop at Bannerman Island. Make sure you have plenty of batteries, because you will have the option to shoot all night long!
Once we disembark from the boat in late afternoon, we’ll have the island to ourselves. A representative of the Bannerman Trust will give us a tour of the grounds, which includes the castle, residence and gardens. After that we’ll set up our camping gear and have plenty of time to roam all of the island.
We’ll take in the sunset as we prepare for a long night of creative long exposures. The waning gibbous moon will rise shortly before midnight to complement our light painting. We specifically chose these nights so that you can come away with a variety of images from different light conditions during an entire night of shooting.
Gabe will work one-on-one to make sure everyone can capture their vision of a Bannerman night.
After the sun rises we’ll take the boat back to the mainland and enjoy a group breakfast before saying our goodbyes.
What You Should Know
Participants must have at least basic photo skills, know their cameras well, and be comfortable shooting RAW in manual mode with a DSLR or high-end mirrorless camera.
Night photography experience is not necessary, but even folks with extensive experience shooting at night will find this class challenging, stimulating and inspiring. For more advanced night photographers, Gabe will offer guidance in the field if you mainly want to concentrate on creating portfolio images or learning more advanced techniques.
If you would like to attend this workshop but are unsure whether you have adequate night photography skills, we can offer pre-workshop tutoring to get you ready for your adventure with us. Alternatively or additionally, a few of us have written books that may be productive pre-workshop reads.
What You Will Learn
We hope to push you to step outside your comfort zone—to test the limits of what you and your camera can do.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
scouting and planning
composing and focusing in low light
long-exposure techniques
light painting
star trails
and more …
This workshop includes very hands-on, in-the-field instruction and assistance. Participants can stay up shooting as long as they, or their camera’s batteries, hold out. While in the field, Gabe will demonstrate his own techniques and will work with participants one-on-one to make sure everyone gets the most out of the workshop.
The island has generous room to explore, so everyone will be able to spread out and not get in one another’s way.
We do not tell our attendees what to photograph, and we won’t line you up in a row to all shoot the same thing (unless it’s helpful to get some people on track). Instead, we encourage you to use what you have learned to create your own unique images, and to let us guide you through the process should you desire.
We do not teach you to do what we do, but rather how to develop your own night vision.
Night & Light Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Travel
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own transportation—airfare and car rental/taxis.
Rental Car
You will need a rental car to get you to and from Croton-on-Hudson. There are no train stops or easy buses on that side of the river.
If you are interested in carpooling or sharing a rental car, let us know and we will try to connect you with another attendee looking for the same.
Nearby Airports:
Stewart (SWF) — 20 minutes to Croton-on-Hudson
New York (LGA) — 1 hour, 30 minutes
Newark (EWR) — 1 hour, 30 minutes
New York (JFK) — 2 hours
Lodging & Food
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own meals, snacks and accommodations.
There is no official hotel for this 1-night workshop. If you are local to the Tri-State area you can drive up and back the next day. If you are flying into New York City, feel free to stay at a hotel of your choice. If you want to stay close to Bannerman, the closest place with hotels and a small-town vibe is Newburgh, New York.
Recommended Camping Gear
You can choose to bring a tent or not. We do have access to a sheltered place in case of rain. It should be warm enough to sleep out under the stars with a sleeping bag/inflatable pillow. Or you can choose to stay up all night–many of our Bannerman alumni have earned that badge!
There is a very nice and accessible bathroom on the island.
Food
We recommend bringing a sandwich and snacks for your dinner out in the field at Bannerman. Bring a water bottle and a gallon of water, so you can stay hydrated for the 16 hours you’ll spend on the island. There will be a complimentary hearty breakfast at the Cornwall-On-Hudson Yacht Club after we come back to the mainland in the morning.
Weather
Expect daytime highs in the 80s F, lows in the 60s.
Recommended Attire
Shorts and short-sleeve shirts for daytime, light pants and long-sleeve shirts for night.
A sweatshirt and medium-weight jacket may be useful.
Comfortable and protective shoes are recommended for getting around. There won’t be long hikes, but we will be on trails, so quality trail shoes or hiking boots would be optimal.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this workshop is Easy. (See more about our classifications.)
No vigorous activity will be required during the workshop, but please consider your physical abilities prior to registering. There are 80 steps up from the dock to the top of the rock at Bannerman—very easy with a rest stop along the way. Around the island there will be a lot of loose and uneven terrain.
You should be comfortable carrying your own equipment in the dark.
Considerations
Please read our FAQs section for more information about skill and gear requirements, and other information that pertains to all our workshops.
If you have questions, please contact us—we're happy to talk it over with you.
A River Discovery from a Train …
“I love history and I love ruins and this place has it all.”
One of the most beautiful train rides you can take is the Amtrak north to Poughkeepsie, Albany, and eventually to Montreal. The train hugs the Hudson River for most of that trip and if you are lucky enough to get a river window seat, you feel like you are floating on water.
I was in one of those special seats on one of my first train rides up the Hudson. The view outside the window inspires you to take a break from the computer screens and become engrossed with the amazing landscapes and homes that sit along the Hudson.
As we left the likes of New York City and West Point behind, we came around a bend and the river opened up as wide as could be. And there was a castle, the last thing I expected to see in New York!
Had I gone through a portal and arrived in Scotland?
I quickly pulled out my phone and opened Google Maps. … No signal.
As we got closer I could see the huge cement letters spell out “Bannerman Armory Arsenal” at the top of the castle’s walls. I wrote this down and when I finally got reception, I began researching Bannerman.
At the time, the Bannerman Trust was not formed and the castle was visited only by intrepid boaters and kayakers. However, when the trust started offering tours, I was one of the first to buy a ticket. I love history and I love ruins and this place has it all.
I hit it off with several members of the trust, and Matt and I started teaching overnight workshops at Bannerman in 2010. I consider myself blessed to have spent 14 nights at Bannerman Island, and it never gets old.
In fact, it’s gotten a little newer! The ruins have been better stabilized. There is now a roof and museum at the residence, and legit bathrooms!
Revisiting a place over 13 years might seem strange, but I consider myself a very fortunate man who will never tire of Bannerman. And when I hear the train roar past us, I imagine that someone else is looking out that window and thinking, “What is that place? Why is there a castle in the middle of the Hudson? How do I get there? And is that a man in a fedora light painting a castle?”
