WORKSHOPS & TOURS
Nature photographers are explorers. Each time we bring the camera to our eye, we hope to discover something as pleasing in the viewfinder as is in our mind’s eye. And in the effort, we’ll likely learn something new about our subjects and ourselves.
View the gallery of UPCOMING WORKSHOPS and TOURS.
The elements of a Photography Workshop and a Photography Tour and the differences between the two are explained below. If you'd like to know more about these experiences, send us an email.
WORKSHOPS & TOURS
2023
April 25-29, 2023
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Townsend, Tennessee
May 1-5, 2023
NORTH CAROLINA WATERFALLS
Brevard, North Carolina
July 24-28, 2023
ELEMENTS OF NATURE: Capturing Wild Moments
Rockport, Maine
October 1-6, 2023
COLORADO FALL COLOR
Ouray, Colorado
November 29 - December 3, 2023
BOSQUE DEL APACHE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Socorro, New Mexico
December 5-9, 2023
WHITE SANDS NATIONAL PARK
Alamogordo, New Mexico
2024
January, 2024
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
Nevada/California
2023 Details & Descriptions
April 25-29, 2023
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Townsend, Tennessee
Experience spring in the oldest, most biologically diverse ecoregion in North America. The Great Smoky Mountains offer us abundant photographic subjects from the mountain tops that are just waking up to the river valleys that are green and glowing.
We’ll explore wild landscapes from old-growth forests, hilltop vistas, sweeping meadows and cascading rivers to intimate streams and surprising wildflowers that can be found year-round.
The human history of the Appalachian Mountains in this region is revealed in historic structures like cabins, barns and churches. We’ll explore those, too.
Our days in the park will include field trips to locations for sunrise and morning light, then afternoon light through sunset. These trips may be extended when conditions are good. Expect a few midday classroom sessions and image reviews as well as field lessons on location.
Plan on bringing a full range of lenses from a wide-angle zoom to a tele-photo zoom that extends to at least 200mm and as long as 400mm. These will be good landscape lenses when the scenery calls for them. You'll be provide with a thorough packing list when you register.
Though we won't plan on searching for wildlife, a long lens would be best for the surprise appearance of a black bear, a white-tailed deer or a wild turkey. Add a macro lens for possible wildflowers and other close-up subjects.
Our small group size of eight photographers and two leaders means you'll get plenty of individual attention in the classroom and in the field.
Combine this workshop with the North Carolina Waterfalls workshop for the complete Appalachian Spring experience.
Offered in cooperation with Rod Barbee Photo Workshops.
Learn more, see the Gallery and Register.
May 1-5, 2023
NORTH CAROLINA WATERFALLS
Brevard, North Carolina
Western North Carolina is a land of vast and verdant hardwood forests. Under the tall tree canopies, hundreds of waterfalls spill over Appalachian outcroppings.
Some falls are grand and easily accessible. Others are surprises off the beaten path. We’ll explore the best of them every day at the best time of the day.
Spring is the perfect time to experience this region’s temperate rainforests. Waterfalls are full and flowing, fed by the rains the mountains capture. The forest floor is alive with lush undergrowth and the last spring wildflowers. And the air is full of bird song as migrants pass through and residents return to their breeding range.
Consider this a landscape photography trip. Our main focus will be on selected waterfalls. Along the way, we’ll see cascading streams, towering trees, vistas of tree-covered ridges and woodland details like wildflowers, ferns and moss-covered boulders.
To capture it all, pack lenses ranging from a wide-angle zoom to a telephoto zoom. Add a close up lens for macro subjects. Have polarizing filters handy for each lens to control reflections and help slow down shutter speeds. Include neutral density filters to slow the speeds even more. You'll be provide with a thorough packing list when you register.
Our trip will be a hybrid of a photography tour and a workshop. To make the most of our time, we will spend the day in the woods going from falls to falls. In the late afternoon, we’ll return to our hotel for time to edit our images before we review and critique our work.
This plan allows us to take our time at each waterfall. We will discuss how to compose photos of the big picture and the intimate details. We’ll examine each place for its best views, its graphic elements and its potential for abstract images.
Our small group size of eight photographers and two leaders means you'll get plenty of individual attention in the classroom and in the field.
Combine this workshop with the Great Smoky Mountains workshop for the complete Appalachian Spring experience.
Offer in cooperation with Rod Barbee Photo Workshops.
Learn more, see the Gallery and Register.
July 24-28, 2023
ELEMENTS OF NATURE: Capturing Wild Moments
Rockport, Maine
What’s a Wild Moment? It’s a minute of good light. An animal’s quick action. A revelation about a wild place or thing. An epiphany. A surprise.
A Wild Moment is exactly what we hope for when we venture into the wild world with our cameras in hand. It’s when the elements of nature come together for a pleasing image that’s beautiful or powerful or engaging. But when the moment happens, are we ready to capture it?
Discerning photographers can distill these moments down to their essence. They make images that invite us into wild places we rarely see. They show us reasons to feel connected to wildness. They reveal the wonders of the natural world. They make us wish we were there.
That’s what we intend to do every day we’re together. To make captivating photographs like those, it takes an artistic eye, a creative mind and confident camera skills. We will learn how to cultivate all three. We’ll explore how the essential elements of a good image interact with each other. And we’ll discover the importance of perspective, preparation and patience.
Our workshop combines the best ways to refine your vision and gain inspiration. That happens in the classroom and in the field. We will examine the practical and artistic photographic elements like point of view, lens choice, camera settings and photographic techniques.
We’ll fine tune our skills for blurring and freezing motion, softening the background to isolate a subject, and getting complete depth of field in the landscape. We’ll look at how to improve our realistic, descriptive photographs. And we will also test our creative skills for finding abstract compositions of shapes, patterns, reflections, highlights, and shadows.
In the classroom and in the field, we’ll discover how to assess the qualities of our scene or subject, the light, the background and the conditions like wind and weather before we make a composition.
When we’re in the field, we’ll discuss these ideas before we even click the shutter. We’ll take time to refine our compositions before we move on to another place or subject. If we think photographically before we take a photograph, we’ll begin to make better images.
Our focus will always be on making the best photographs we can before we use image processing programs. The better a photo is to start with, the more time we can spend making more photos instead of fixing them in post-processing.
Most of our time will be spent making and reviewing the images from our field sessions. Our days will start with several sunrise sessions that are optional but highly recommended. After breakfast, we’ll meet in the classroom for short lessons followed by the reviewing of your images.
After lunch, we’ll explore and photograph a good location for the afternoon. After dinner, you may choose to edit and process your work in your room or some of us may gather to edit and chat in a common space.
This course is offered on the Rockport campus of Maine Media Workshops. The unique setting allows us to interact with other students during the week while we explore the Maine coast on our own.
Offered in cooperation with Maine Media Workshops.
Learn more, see the Gallery and Register.
October 1-6, 2023
COLORADO FALL COLOR
Ouray, Colorado
The Colorado Rockies in autumn are the definition of the season. Hillsides and valleys filled with fall color spread out below jagged peaks that push themselves into the wild blue yonder. The San Juan Range is southwestern Colorado's most dramatic example of this landscape. And Ouray is at the heart of it.
The graphic scenery around Ouray offers abundant opportunities at every turn from dawn to dusk. We'll explore it at the right time of day or maybe even night to make the most of our time in the field. We'll meet in the classroom on our first night for introductions and orientation. Then we'll spend our days exploring the classic locations and hidden gems of the Uncompahgre National Forest.
Along the way, we will share lessons in the field and composition advice at each location. We'll take our time to make and refine our compositions. Consider this a field workshop with only one indoor meeting and lots of productive time in the wild places.
Plan on bringing a full range of lenses from a wide-angle zoom to a tele-photo zoom that extends to at least 200mm and as long as 400mm. These will be good landscape lenses when the scenery calls for them. Though we won't plan on searching for wildlife, a long lens would be best for the surprise appearances of elk or mule deer. Add a macro lens for close ups of fallen leaves and autumn reflections. You'll be provide with a thorough packing list when you register.
With our small group of eight photographers and two leaders, you can count on personal attention in the field and during our midday breaks.
Offered in cooperation with Rod Barbee Photo Workshops.
Learn more, see the Gallery and Register.
November 29 - December 3, 2023
BOSQUE DEL APACHE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Socorro, New Mexico
Immerse yourself in the great gathering of waterfowl in their premiere wintering grounds of the West. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge offers dawn-to-dusk opportunities among thousands of Snow geese, Sandhill cranes and other migratory birds.
Biologists, rangers and experienced photographers are surprised how comfortable the birds are around people here. This means we can respectfully approach usually-wary subjects and capture their natural behaviors in their native habitat.
We will photograph birds in groups and individually, in flight, while foraging and at rest. We'll be with them and ready for predawn light and the mass fly-outs in the morning. And we'll wait for them to return to their roosting ponds while they fly in against blue skies until the last light of day.
Consider this a prime location for long-lens wildlife photography. Even though many birds are tolerant of nearby viewers, some of the situations are best captured with 400mm to 600mm telephoto lenses. You'll be provided with a thorough packing list when you register.
The days include daily sunrise/morning and afternoon/sunset field trips that may be extended when conditions are good. Expect a few midday classroom sessions and image reviews as well as field lessons on location.
With our group of ten photographers and two leaders, you can count on personal attention in the field and in the classroom.
Many photographers say this powerful experience has been on their destination wish list, but it is more remarkable than they had dreamed.
Pair this wildlife workshop with the landscape trip to White Sands National Park for a complete photographic adventure.
Offered in cooperation with Rod Barbee Photo Workshops.
Learn more, see the Gallery and Register.
December 5-9, 2023
WHITE SANDS NATIONAL PARK
Alamogordo, New Mexico
Explore the Chihuahuan desert's graphic landscapes and intimate details among the rare gypsum sand dunes of White Sands National Park. December offers the low-angled light and desirable conditions that reveal the dunes environment's simple beauty.
The park's expansive dunes are both stark and sensual. Sweeping panoramas stretch from your toes to the horizon. Dune ridges and ripples catch the light and cast curving shadows. This landscape asks to be photographed in both color and black and white.
Our days will include morning and afternoon field trips with midday classroom sessions and image reviews. Expect to be in the park early enough to prepare for the pre-dawn glow and first light. Afternoon outings will last until the light fades over the dunes and the nearby San Andres mountains.
Consider this a landscape photography workshop. With subjects from the grand vistas to intimate details, plan on packing a wide range of lenses from wide-angle zooms to longer telephoto zooms. Add a macro lens for close ups and desert details. You'll be provide with a thorough packing list when you register.
Our small group of eight photographers and two leaders means you'll get lots of personal attention in the field and in the classroom.
Pair this landscape workshop with the wildlife trip to Bosque del Apache NWR for a complete photographic adventure. December dates and details to be announced.
Offered in cooperation with Rod Barbee Photo Workshops.
Learn more, see the Gallery and Register.
January 2024
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
Nevada/California
Discover dramatic desert landscapes from graphic sand dunes and salt flats to rugged
mountain ranges and banded bluffs at the perfect time of year.
Death Valley's terrain looks stark and barren in the midday sun. But when the light is low and angular, the landscape comes to life. That's why we will venture to classic locations for the predawn and morning light, then return for afternoon and late-day light and post-sunset skies. We even plan on a night sky session, if conditions are right. In the middle of the day, we'll head into the classroom for lessons and image reviews.
Consider this a landscape photography workshop. With subjects from the grand vistas to intimate details, plan on packing a wide range of lenses from wide-angle zooms to longer telephoto zooms. Add a macro lens for close ups and desert details. You'll be provide with a thorough packing list when you register.
Our small group of eight photographers and two leaders means you'll get plenty of personal attention in the field and in the classroom.
Offered in cooperation with Rod Barbee Photo Workshops.
Request updates as we finalize the arrangements.
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS are ideal places for learning. You'll examine new photographic techniques, develop new image-making skills and test them in the field -- all while you explore great locations at the right times with like-minded people who are on their own paths of discovery.
A workshop combines all the elements of good learning. Classroom sessions introduce you to new ideas and methods. Field sessions allow you to put them into practice. Critique sessions where you view your work along with that of others give you a chance to evaluate images' strengths and places for improvement without a concern for judgment. And every step of the way, you have the benefit of instructors who are eager to help you improve your photographic skills.
PHOTOGRAPHY TOURS are special opportunities to explore great places at the right times with adventurous photographers and experienced leaders. Days are filled with field trips which most often include first light, last light and all kinds of conditions in between. Instructors discuss how to approach each opportunity along the way. Tours are as close to a total immersion experience as you get.
