For Serious Photographers
Explore the ruins of America's first private zoo, nearly 100 years in the making.
Wild Abandon Schedule
Day 1 Agenda
Tuesday, October 22
9:00am: Welcome, introductions and opening creative exercise
9:30am: Historical overview of the Catskill Game Farm
10:00am: Masterclass 1: Narrative Lighting - led by Angela Strassheim
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Known for her technical lighting skills, alluring portraits and storytelling beyond the frame,, Angela will guide you through a hands-on transformation of space as you co-create a set from a simple table top shoot to an elaborate scene. Utilizing character actors and advanced lighting techniques, learn her signature style of establishing a sense of place, mood, and tone within a singular photograph.
12:30pm: Lunch
1:30pm: Masterclass 2: Haunted Space - led by Corinne Botz
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Learn to capture the essence of a space with fine art photographer, Corinne Botz. Using a large format film camera to demonstrate her personal approach, exemplified in her book Haunted Houses, Corinne will share her framework for “listening to space” that students can use to find their own unique point of view when photographing a new location. She will also cover technical strategies, tapping into your intuition to make images more personal, and how to improve your visual storytelling overall.
4:00pm: Creative Challenge (Details TBD depending on group skill level and interests)
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Experiment with using different art forms to craft a narrative in this creative free-for-all.
5:30pm: Free time for "Magic Hour" shooting on your own
6:30pm: Dinner
7:15pm: Campfire Ghost Stories - led by Corinne Botz
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Unwind from the day and cozy up around the fire as Corinne shares chilling tales from her Ghost Stories collection.
8:00pm: Workshop Wrap-Up
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Before heading to bed or back out into field for our optional night session, take a moment to reflect on key takeaways and set new intentions for your craft.
9:00pm: Optional Night Photography Session - led by Pete Mauney
Day 2 Agenda
Wednesday, October 23
**VIP Early Bird Admission to the Game Farm** - Open only to Day 1 Workshop participants (7:00am - 10:00am)
Special Access Admission - Section 1 (10:00am - 1:00pm)
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Urban explorers, content creators, models, film makers and photographers of all kinds - this one's for you! Enjoy access to the Game Farm, typically closed to the public, where you can create your ultimate visual masterpiece. Looking for a unique backdrop for your client's engagement session? Need an eerie setting for your indie film? On the hunt for content for your UrbEx channel? We got you! Bring your gear and shoot the day away.
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Have a specific vision in mind? Get in touch! We're happy to help you brainstorm the best location for your project and reserve one of the 100+ buildings and animal enclosures still standing for an additional fee.
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Looking for a more personalized experience? Sign up for a 45-minute one-on-one photography coaching sessions with our master instructors. These are highly limited so be sure to select your timeslot and instructor as an add-on during check-out.
Lunch*
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All Access Pass and Day Pass guests are welcome to stay on the property where lunch will be available for purchase, or go offsite to enjoy the many excellent local restaurants Catskill has to offer.
Special Access Admission - Section 2 (2:00pm - 5:00pm)
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All the same benefits as the morning session, but with access to a completely different part of the Game Farm.
Exclusive Behind the Scenes tour with Shawn, Catskill Game Farm General Manager (5:00pm - 6:00pm)
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On the hunt for something wildly different? Join Shawn on a specially crafted experience just for Wild Abandon guests! Hear stories from his lifetime of experience from zoo patron to property steward. On this rugged, road adventure you'll get a peak at the best kept visual secrets the Game Farm has to offer - from stunning vistas, to long-forgotten underground animal holding pens - and access sites never previously available to visitors.
"Nocturnal Creatures" - A Festive Halloween Mixer for Creatives (6:30pm - 10:00pm)
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Embrace your wild side! Close out your time at the Game Farm with a Halloween themed reception and mixer for creatives of all kinds. Photographers, urban explorers, content creators, models, makers, artists, necromancers - come connect! Featuring paranormal investigation tours with the women of Full Moon Paranormal.
Meet Your Guides
ANGELA STRASSHEIM is an internationally recognized art photographer with an extensive multi-national exhibition record. Angela’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums across the world including The Guggenheim Museum, The Whitney Museum, The National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Art Institute of Chicago, Yale University Art Gallery, The Walker Art Center, The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Musee de l’Elysee in Lausanne in Switzerland, Museum of Modern Art (MAC/VAL) in Paris, and the Wellcome Trust Collection in London. She was featured in the Whitney Biennial in 2006. Her work appears in many books including ReGeneration, 50 Photographers of Tomorrow (Thames & Hudson), and Role Models (Scala). She recently produced the cover image and story for Time Magazine’s first issue covering the Coronavirus Pandemic. Other publications include New York Times Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Exit, Wired, Art Pulse, and Mossless. She has received awards including Women in Photography LTI Lightside Grant, Bush Fellowship, McKnight Fellowship, Jerome Fellowship. Angela holds an MFA from Yale University, a BFA from Minneapolis College of Art & Design, as well as a Forensic Photography Certification from Metro-Dade in Miami Florida. Learn more about Angela's work at: www.angelastrassheim.com
CORINNE BOTZ is an artist and educator, whose practice engages with issues including narrative, space, gender, and the body. Her photographs have been widely exhibited, and her published books combining her photography and writing include The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death (The Monacelli Press, 2004) and Haunted Houses (The Monacelli Press, 2010). Botz’s photographs have been internationally exhibited at such institutions as the Brooklyn Museum, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Wurtttembergischer Kunstverein, De Appel, Turner Contemporary, Smack Mellon, Opalka Gallery, Welcome Collection, Alice Austen House Museum, and Benrubi Gallery. Her Oscar Qualifying short film “Bedside Manner” (2016) won the Grand Jury Prize at DOC NYC. Her work has been written about in numerous publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Art Papers, Foam Magazine, Hyperallergic, Granta, Bookforum, Modern Painers, and Time. She has held residencies at Sknowbegan School of Painiting and Sculpture, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Akademie Schloss Solitutde, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Mana Contemporary. She has curated exhibitions at Baxter St at CCNY and the International Center of Photography. Botz is the recipient of both the New York Foundation for the Arts and The Jerome Foundation grants. Her work is in permanent collections including the Brooklyn Museum and Museum of Contemporary Photography. She received her BFA from Maryland Institute, College of Art and her MFA from Bard College. Botz is on the faculty of the International Center for of Photography and John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUJNY). Learn more about Corinne's work at: www.corinnebotz.com
PETE MAUNEY has been either intently looking at or photographing the world around him for his entire life. Preferably at night. Studying film for two years at NYU led to a brief stint working in filmmaking before rediscovering the potentials of photography, years later, at Bard College. Here he finished both the BA and MFA programs. Keeping true to his roots, motion film back when and video now, have always been a part of his practice. Motion and stillness frequently overlap in his work. Working during the day for decades as a photographer of many people and things, and provider of esoteric photographic services for a range of distinguished clients, still manages to leave him time to escape into the world and explore the varied levels of darkness within driving distance of home base. Now on his 35th year in one place, after a childhood of frequent moves, he tries not to leave the confines of the small village of Tivoli, or the greater Mid Hudson Valley of New York State, where he lives with his family of humans and animals. To view more of Pete's work visit: www. petemauney.com
Ticket Options
Explorers and artists of all types and skill levels welcome!
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Exclusive opportunity to explore the Catskill Game Farm on your own
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Two half day options for entry, each featuring a different section of the zoo:
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10:00am - 1:00pm
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2:00pm - 5:00pm
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Need a unique setting for your client's engagement session? Working on a independent film? Looking for inspiration for your podcast or book? Bring your gear, props, clients, models, etc. and come create!
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Site specific reservations available for groups, get in touch
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Not an artist? Come stroll the miles of trails soaking up the nostalgia and stunning fall foliage.
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Add on a coaching session with our master photography instructors
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BONUS - Purchase a full-day pass and get in FREE to the Nocturnal Creatures party!
Come party with your creative pack!
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A Halloween mixer for creatives at the abandoned zoo!
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Hear authentic ghost stories collected by Corinne Botz
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Take a lantern tour with Shawn and the resident goats
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Seasonal treats from This and That Food Truck, crafted libations from The Catskills Cocktail Club plus spooky tunes
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Add on a paranormal investigation with the women of Full Moon Paranormal (limited supply!)
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Image gallery from our artists and workshop students
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Halloween, zoo or animal attire encouraged
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Prizes and giveaways!
Get the absolute most out of your time at the Game Farm! Includes all Day 1 Masterclass Benefits PLUS...
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Early bird grounds access on Day 2. Capture the best morning light and have the zoo to yourself!
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Complementary admission to the Nocturnal Creatures party!
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VIP gift bag including vintage Catskills Game Farm and Zoo ephemera
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$50 credit towards private 45-minute coaching session with one of our master instructors
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Virtual follow-up critique session two weeks after the workshop concludes ($150 value)
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Included meals and snacks as noted in schedule
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Special surprise photo souvenir!
A full day with three award-winning artists
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Hands on instruction in narrative lighting, visual storytelling and night photography
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Learn the history of the Game Farm and tour locations closed to the public
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Experiment with creative exercises to help reinspire your craft
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Showcase selections of your work at our Nocturnal Creatures Party
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Build your network and connect with fellow artists
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Hear how our master artists turned their offbeat aesthetics and into a cohesive body of work
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Enjoy a group campfire dinner cookout
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Invitation to join a post-workshop virtual critique session
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Special surprise gift!
Tues 10/22
Masterclass Photography Workshop
$825
Tues 10/22 &
Wed 10/23
All Access Two Day Pass
$1080
Wed 10/23
Special Grounds Access
Half Day: $75
Full Day: $150
Wed 10/23
Nocturnal Creatures Halloween Party & Mixer
$25 in advance / $30 at door
Selected work from our master instructors
Why attend Wild Abandon?
You're eager to learn from three master artists and instructors, Angela Strassheim, Corinne Botz, and Peter Mauney, whose work can be found in the private collections of major museums around the world including The Whitney, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Guggenheim, and whose photos have graced the pages of publications including Time, New York Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, and Vice to name a few.
You're curious to explore how mindfulness, intuitive photography, and positive psychology can help you to stretch outside of your creative comfort zone, unlocking new exciting possibilities for artistic expression.
You're looking for a supportive small group environment where you can learn, experiment and shoot.
You're interested in building your personal and professional community, ready to depart with new friends and collaborators.
You want exclusive access to an incomparable setting, the enchanting ruins of The Catskill Game Farm. Founded in 1933, the Game Farm was the first and largest privately held zoo in U.S. history.
You'd like to add stunning new images to your portfolio that capture the beauty of the abandoned against breathtaking Hudson Valley fall foliage.
You have a creative vision you're ready to bring to life! Grab a Special Access Pass for Wednesday, October 23 and enjoy unfettered access to dozens of buildings and miles of zoo trails, each with their own unique aesthetic. Have your pick of locations where you can set your gear and shoot the day away.
Sign up for one-on-one coaching sessions with our award-winning, fine art photography instructors on a technique or topic of your choosing.
If you love spooky season as much as we do, you definitely won't want to miss Nocturnal Creatures, our Halloween mixer for creatives on Wednesday night! *ALL ACCESS PASS BONUS* Day 1 Workshop participants are invited to display digital examples of their work during the reception.
All Access Pass holders receive a VIP gift bag including authentic, original ephemera from the Catskill Game Farm
...We can’t give every surprise away - trust us, there’s more!!
Contact
Questions? Drop us a line at the form below or at event@wild-abandon.com
Special thanks to our sponsors
