Retreat Leaders:

Testimonials

• “It was a fantastic experience - a great way to launch my journey with OM photography.” ~Bill K

• This group of OM ambassadors will give their all to your experience. I attended their first macro retreat and was left 100% satisfied. The ambassadors are incredibly helpful, patient and oh-so-knowledgeable, not just about the shooting subject, but about the OM cameras and lenses we were using. Loved the variety of topics and opportunities to practice shooting different subjects and in different locations. This won’t be my last retreat! ~Cokie L

• This has been the most wonderful experience of my life. I have used OM cameras for many years but I didn't really know how to use them. and coming to this workshop has turned it alive for me. Learning so many different techniques and working with the wonderful instructors who work their hearts out to make it the best experience ever. Thank you. This has been my first workshop ever, photographic workshop and it was outside my comfort zone. But because it was so excellent and well organized and the instructors were so enthusiastic and helpful. It was a great experience overall and the food was excellent. ~ Stephanie from Oregon

• As a long-time Olympus and OM System enthusiast, attending the inaugural OM System Macro Photo Retreat in Maine in October 2024 was a truly exceptional experience. The opportunity to learn from six OM System Ambassadors—including experts like Chris McGinnis, Emilie Talpin, and Lisa Cuchara—was invaluable. I particularly appreciated the hands-on tuition in advanced techniques such as super macro, focus stacking and water drop refraction, which were the primary reasons for my attendance. Beyond the technical growth, the weekend was defined by a wonderful sense of camaraderie and support. Connecting with a community of like-minded photographers made the event even more memorable, and I am happy to have walked away with both improved skills and lasting new friendships. ~Mandy S

• I'm only halfway through, and already I've learned so much from the three um ambassadors that I had. I have three more to go. I can't wait. You learn a lot, meet a lot of new friends, have a lot of fun. That's the main thing. fun, camaraderie, knowledge, technique, it's all in the OM retreat. Thank you. ~ Cindy G

• You get a good chance to actually meet some of the OM ambassadors that get to see on YouTube and the places around. Learning a whole lot about macro and close-up photography. getting to try different things. ~ Chuck

• I've learned how to light paint in the woods. I'm having a lot of fun. ~ Kathy

• I'm at the OM retreat for macro and close-up photography and I had an epiphany while I was here. I hated the 60mm macro right here. I hated this thing. It has this little button over here that like it won't stay. It keeps snapping back on you. So, what what the heck? I have no idea what it was for. Lisa, the amazing ambassador, made me best friends with this lens. I love it. I have been playing with it for the last hour. I even confessed that I took pictures close up of a donut. So, go for this little thing. You know, you could stick it in your pocket. You could travel with it. She told me if she only had two lenses to go with, it would be the 60 and the 150-400. So, I'm a convert. Thank you to these six amazing ambassadors. ~Susie

• It's been amazing. I would have never learned all of the special features of my OM1 camera if I hadn't come here. We're only halfway through and I've done so many new things like refraction work. This morning I did light painting in the woods with the mushrooms. I never really even thought that was something I was interested in and now I love it. I've discovered new things that I can do with my photography that I didn't even know I wanted to do before. It's really really cool. I learned to do focus bracketing yesterday. I'm doing some focus stacking. I'm using all these computational things that I knew my camera could do, but I didn't really know how to use them as a photographer. So, I am thrilled, thrilled, thrilled, thrilled to do the second half of this retreat and then spend the next six months practicing and playing with all these new things I can do. So, thank you to all of the leaders for all the amazing instruction. The videos you sent out beforehand were so helpful. Then the classes, you guys are so friendly and approachable and answer every single question. There's no stupid questions. It's amazing. And I've learned so much just about some of the basic functionality of my camera that I didn't even know before. So, thank you all for that gift that you've given to me and all of us. ~Kery from Maine

• I signed up right away and I have not regretted it for an instant. I mean, the people that I've met have been fabulous. The ambassadors here, beyond all expectations, have been so helpful. It's just been fabulous. We share meals together. I’ve met so many people from all over the US. It's been fun. It's just been a great opportunity. I'm so glad that I didn't pass it up. ~ Pam from Omaha, Nebraska

• We are all learning a ton of stuff about macro photography and there's six or seven great instructors and everyone gets along. Everyone has a good time. people are sharing what they've done before and all sort of little techniques and the best part is I've learned a ton of stuff and I'm just going to be so much better off I think for having come here and I thank everyone. ~John L Great Barington

• This is my first photography retreat and I'm new to the OM systems cameras. So it was great opportunity to come learn from all these different instructors in one on one sessions. I hadn't planned to borrow any equipment while I was here, but got a chance to try out the 150 to 400 lens yesterday, which was a dream. I can see why everyone recommends it so highly. So, yeah, it's been really a great week and I’m enjoying it so far. ~ Sean

• It's been an amazing experience. The instructors could not be kinder, nicer, or more informative. I've borrowed equipment, which has been really helpful in knowing what to purchase. And my biggest fun for the whole time has been making friends with my 60 macro lens because up until this point, I wasn't quite sure how to use it. And now, I'm just so excited to go back home and have all the skills I need to to be able to be successful with that lens among others. So, thank you everybody. ~ Peg,from New Jersey

• It was wonderful and the learning curve was just through the roof and again thank you so much. Being new to the OM system, just having received my first camera in December, I had attended a workshop that had Emily in it and Steve and had Tom and Lisa and macro being my weakest area, I decided this was a great workshop to attend. And let me tell you, I'm leaving here with a lot of confidence being able to magnify, find my subjects in clear focus while doing, you know, focus stacking and close-up photography. I even tried focus bracketing which I thought I would never do and I'm going to go home and try to actually stack them and develop them. So, thank you ambassadors. It's been a great three days. ~ Sandra, from Minnesota:

• Hi, my name is Kiska and I am attending my second OM workshop. I cannot tell you how good this was. The immersion of all of this with six ambassadors is I there's no words. It's phenomenal. if you want to learn this camera, if you want to master things that you've been struggling with, even if you thought you were pretty good, there are a thousand nuggets every day you cannot lose attending an OM workshop. Do it now.

• I have been an Olympus user for maybe the last three years after being 60 years with Nikon and I couldn't be happier having transitioned to an OM/Olympus. But I want to say something about this retreat which I have gone to many retreats both personally, professionally and for photography. This was outstanding and I think OM should listen to the people who are providing feedback. This was outstanding. Beyond outstanding. the facility here is 7 acres of pure nature for us to work with on macro photography. there are birds, there are hummingbird moths, there are insects galore, there is everything here. Steve and his wife were absolutely wonderful hosts and organized the parking very well. I will say that your teachers I'm going to hope I remember everyone's name which was we'll start with Emily but Lisa not but Lisa and Tom, Chris Eric. Hope I didn't miss anyone. Steve I did mention Steve. That's right. His property and his cordiality. I can only say that the people who teach and taught us here were supreme education people who know how to work with people of all levels from those who are really IT and technology uh proficient to those who really didn't even know their camera and how to work it. No one was ever felt to be out of place. the bracketing, the water drops, the refraction, the basic compositions that we were to look for, the diffusors, the photography experience and learning this cameras were sensational. And I think that it would be wise for the corporate entities to listen to what we're saying that this was 42 registered people here. Not one person is leaving here without having learned their camera exposed to macro photography. I am really flying high from what I've learned and I'm very anxious to proceed. I have a 60 millimeter and once I get that down under my belt, I'm going to purchase the 90. ~ Bonnie

• I think this retreat was wonderful. The ambassadors, the amount of learning that I walked away with. So, I'm thinking flash photography, you know, water photography, composition, light, super macro. So, I'm walking away with with future purchases that I have to make to make sure that I'm a whole photographer in every aspect aside of landscapes. So, I do appreciate that. I think the attention to detail with parking, with the food, um, with lunch, with dinner, I think that was well executed. So, I really appreciate that. And just the groups. I think our group is so tight. You're you're walking away with lifetime, you know, friends. Like, we've all exchanged numbers and emails. So, I'm looking forward to seeing them in another retreat later on. I appreciate the the work that you're putting into these tools so we could be better photographers. ~Raquel