Photographer's paradise: tour and learn in Southern Florida

The Everglades Chapter, PSA, wishes to invite all PSA members and those interested in improving their photography to join us for the 1996 PSA Gold Coast Regional Convention to be held in beautiful West Palm Beach, Florida.

The various programs offered at the convention and the unique environment of southern Florida come together to provide any photographer, either beginner or advanced, the opportunity to learn as well as to photograph potentially award-winning images.

Besides a great selection of excellent programs that will be available at the convention, consider some of the tours, side trips, and extended vacations that are also available.

TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES

Tour #1

Tour #1 is a one-day trip on Thursday, April 25. From the hotel, a lucky group of photographers will travel to the West Palm Beach train station, which is about nine miles from the hotel. The group will then ride one of the commuter Amtrak trains to Miami. This 1 1/2 to 2 hour trip will take you through some of southern Florida's rural as well as urban areas with brief stops for passenger pick-up along the way until the train reaches its final destination in Miami.

Once in the Miami area, a short walk through an architecturally rich environment will take us to the "people-mover." This is an elevated train that will make a number of stops at platforms far above ground level and which are located at strategic points throughout downtown Miami. Photographers can get off and on the "people-mover" and also photograph the Miami skyline from the various platforms. Our travels will take us by a number of restaurants where you can choose to have lunch on your own.

By mid-afternoon the group will meet and take the train back to the West Palm Beach area and the hotel, where there will be enough time to get ready for the start of the convention Thursday evening.

Tour #2

Tour #2 will begin bright and early on Sunday after the convention has ended. A bus will leave from the hotel at about 6:45 a.m. and get us to the South Beach area and Art Deco District for the best of the morning light. The entire area is an historic part of southern Florida and provides many interesting photographic opportunities. Many books have been published about the unique architectural style. Many hotels have been refurbished, bringing back the feeling of the old days of Miami Beach. Some of you may have visited in those good ole days and now is the chance to revisit this region. Lunch will be provided at one of the cafes on South Beach itself.

A variety of sun worshippers inhabit the Atlantic Ocean beach only a short walk away. Take off your shoes and dig your toes into the beautiful sandy beach or splash through the rolling waves spawned by the Atlantic Ocean.

Aside from our two planned trips, several other opportunities to see local photographic spots of interest will be offered to those who do not elect to take the regular tours. Local PSA members on either Thursday or Sunday will lead mini-expeditions to such interesting places as Butterfly World, Lion Country Safari, and the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Specifics will be available to registrants at a time closer to the convention.

Pre- and Postconvention Tours

Special pre- and postconvention extended travel opportunities are also being offered. Both before and after the convention, a six-day photographic adventure to the fabled Florida Keys and Sanibel Island is being offered by Don Lyon, chief guide and outfitter for Close-up Expeditions and PSA Travel Adventures. He has operated photographic expeditions to southern Florida for over 15 years, and together you can discover enough photographic treasures to fill a pirate's chest.

The itinerary is as follows: Day One--drive from Palm Beach to Key West, photographing scenics along the way. Stay two nights at the lovely tropical paradise of the BW Ambassador Lodge. AAA gives this resort by the sea three diamonds. Rooms are large and attractive, and the grounds are beautifully landscaped with tropical foliage-unusual palms, brilliant hibiscus and claw-like heliconia. Fishermen wade on the reefs with their throw-nets just a few yards from the beautiful large swimming pool.

Activities include photographing the dramatic street entertainers during the nightly sunset promenade. The fire eater is a great fill-flash subject. The tram ride through old town is full of choice anecdotes for your own slide program. Photographing the Audubon House, colorful streets of Key West and nature scenics nearby will eat up your film.

Talk about eating--conch chowder or oysters on the half shell, followed by broiled red snapper or yellow fin tuna are great suggestions. Don will be seeking the colorful local places that make for good pictures as well as good eating. Save room for Key lime pie while Don tells the bittersweet story of its origin. The group will get an early start for scenic photography en route to Ft. Myers on Day Three. You can look for the rare Great White Heron, ospreys and other birds, and also photograph the brilliant and dramatic variations of blue from the beaches of the Keys. How about more Key lime pie for dessert since there will be a vote as to the best Key lime pie in south Florida at the end of the trip.

In late afternoon, arrive at the Best Western Beach Resort at Ft. Myers Beach (AAA 2 diamond). Kitchens, beach view and private balcony make this the ideal venue for interesting explorations. With three nights, we have time to explore Sanibel and Captiva Islands plus Estero Island.

Lovely sunrise and sunset scenes silhouetted with palms and windsurfers, gulls hovering with wings outspread and foam-flecked waves lapping against beaches strewn with exotic shells are some of the images we've all seen. Now is the time to capture them on film. Corkscrew Swamp, where a boardwalk takes us through a fascinating and beautiful natural world of giant cypresses and Virginia creeper, will produce stunning nature images by the dozens, and overall is a very exciting place.

On Day Six, return to Palm Beach Gardens via Lake Okeechobee and the rural heart of South Florida. In the early afternoon, you will arrive back at the hotel where tour services will end.

There are two departure dates, April 20-25 and April 28-May 1. Included are five nights, accommodations, double occupancy (single supplement is $260), transportation by van, guide services and admissions as described. All meals and beverages are paid by the guide from the $175 meal account with excess funds returned to the traveler. The price with 7 to 8 passengers is $1175 plus the $175 for meals which makes a total of $1332. Group size is limited to eight so reserve early on the convention registration form. Call Don Lyon with any questions at (800) 9958482.

Postconvention Sea Cruise

For those of you who would like to travel at group rates by sea as well as by land, a postconvention cruise aboard Carnival Cruise Lines, newest superliner, "Inspiration," is available. This is for those who enjoy the camaraderie of PSA members but prefer to be more on their own.

The Inspiration begins service on the high seas one month before the convention with two cruises through the Panama Canal. It is then going to be permanently situated in the Caribbean. The cruise we have arranged on Sunday, April 28, is the Inspiration's inaugural cruise to the Caribbean, so we will actually be a part of an historic cruise. The Inspiration carries 2632 passengers and weighs 70,367 tons. It features Vegas-style shows in the Paris Lounge, a full 7500 square foot casino, open from noon to 3 a.m. every day while at sea, a disco, a 2300 square foot gym with free weights, treadmills, etc., a separate 1500 square foot aerobics room, three swimming pools, six Jacuzzis, and a beautiful library with Old English charm.

Cabins feature two twin beds that can convert to a king size bed, and there are also cabins available that hold up to five persons. (There are different special rates for the third, fourth, and fifth persons in the same cabin.) Our inside cabin (no window) rate, guaranteed at Category 4 or better, double occupancy, is $1199per person. Our single occupancy rate for an inside cabin is $1865. Our outside cabin (with a window) rate, double occupancy, guaranteed at Category 6 or better, is $1299 per person. Our single occupancy rate for an outside cabin is $2065.

Our special group prices listed above include the cruise, roundtrip airfare from Ft. Lauderdale to San Juan, Puerto Rico, roundtrip transfers from the San Juan airport to the ship, all port charges and taxes, and trip cancellation and interruption, medical and baggage insurance. (The rates in the brochure list these things as extras.) Our price does not include shore excursions since these are always optional on a cruise. It also does not include transfer from the convention site to the Ft. Lauderdale airport for those out-of-towners who do not have their own transportation. (However, this is available at an additional cost of $20-$25 per person one way.) Tipping and alcoholic drinks on the cruise are also not included. For those who have never cruised, we warn you that unbelievable quantities of good food are included in the price should you desire to indulge to the fullest! There is even a nightly midnight buffet!

Depending on double or single occupancy, our group price represents a savings from the published brochure prices of from $575 to $1224 per person! If you desire, additional nights in San Juan or Ft. Lauderdale can be arranged. The itinerary of the Inspiration is exceptional. The ports of call offer fantastic photographic and cultural opportunities. You will fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Sunday morning, April 28. You may board the ship at 12:30 p.m.. The rest of the day you are free to explore the Spanish culture of the city. You can even have dinner in old San Juan if you desire since you do not have to be back on the ship until 9:30 p.m. at the latest. If you desire, you can stay on the ship all day. Dinner is available free on the ship even though it is still in port. Departure is at 10 p.m. Your international ports of call for the next seven days include:

1) St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands--a beautiful island and a shopping mecca;

2) St. Maarten--a Dutch island;

3) Dominica--(optional shore excursions feature nature);

4) Barbados--a British island; and

5) Martinique--a French island.

The variety of cultures is fascinating, and the beauty of these tropical islands is often breathtaking! There are many different shore excursions that you can purchase on board the ship at a reasonable price or you can choose to explore the islands on your own. You can even stay on the ship and not go into port at all, if you so desire. My wife, Nancy, and I will be aboard the Inspiration. I will give a free how to lecture on board about travel photography. Nancy, who owns an art gallery in Ft. Lauderdale, will give a free lecture on "Understanding Contemporary Art Jewelry and Art Glass."

If you would like to join us, a $200 deposit, refundable until February 20, must be sent to me immediately. Final nonrefundable payment in full must be received by February 20. Please call Nancy or me at (954) 581-5210, and we will give you specifics about how to sign up for this cruise. Family members or friends of yours not attending the convention will be able to join you on this cruise at the group rate if you wish. Share this exciting opportunity with us!

Programs

Aside from the great adventures noted above, our speakers list reads like a PSA's Who's Who. Pauline Sweezey, our PSA president, will put on a 3-D show. Liz Kerry will instruct us on portraits and Joseph Zaia will instruct us on how to shoot glassware. Fascinaing travel shows will be put on by Robert and Ronald Leonard, Jerry Siegel and Don Lyon. Bill Henderson and Jerry Turk have a great half-day seminar on video photography. Various aspects of digital imaging will be discussed by Richard Frieders, Wade Clutton and Fatima NeJame. James Paradise has a great way to make winning images by montaging and Ben Goldstein and Mervyn Hurwitz have planned wonderful nature shows. Lynn Maniscalco will tell us all about photojournalism accompanied by some great images. Other surprises are also planned for the meeting.

We hope you will take advantage of both the short and long trips Lhat we are making available as well as the excellent programs. There are so many different ways to increase your enjoyment of our wonderful convention. We are looking forward to welcoming you to beautiful south Florida!

COPYRIGHT 1996 Photographic Society of America, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group