Workshop Cost $250 (packages available)

In this 2 hour session I’ll teach you how to use basic camera settings and what effect each one exerts on the look of the photo.  We’ll spend time shooting photos and then reviewing them on the computer so that you can see how changing the settings affects your photos. I’ll also help you understand how to select your next pieces of gear for the type of photography you aspire to. This workshop requires your Interchangeable Lens Camera and a lens. If you don’t already have Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom on your computer, we can practice some fundamentals of post processing on my laptop. We’ll take a local walk to put your camera through it’s paces then review/edit images at a coffee shop or your home. This is a local workshop in the Ft. Collins area. You can also check to see if I may be traveling through your area, or take this workshop as a primer on-site if you’re attending one of my group workshops.

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Private Photography Workshops:

In the custom private workshop I provide one-on-one deep learning with your camera in a field setting. This is photography personal training. I can guide in many locations across the western United States and spots found on this website. I teach all nature photography techniques including landscapes, macro, wildlife/telephoto, milky way/star trails/night sky, wildflowers, motion blur in water and clouds, time-lapse video, cinematic video production and more. Location can be virtually anywhere. Half day workshops available in NoCo for $650. Full day workshop for $1000 plus travel expenses required for destinations. There is a minimum 2-day workshop commitment for non Northern Colorado locations, and 5-day commitment for international locations. Discounts available for multiple people…gather your photographer friends for your own, unique photo workshop experience.

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Any time of the Year

Composed of high elevation coniferous forest, RMNP can be photographed at any time of year because it’s always green (or covered in white of course). The best shots in RMNP require hiking. Photographing in winter avoids crowds and captures the crystalized montane environment. In spring the landscape is beautifully between seasons with glacial lakes partially thawed and the mountains still snow capped. Late spring and early summer are spectacular to shoot the Milky Way above mountains. Summer brings wildflowers, and is also a great time for a driving wildlife safari. Late September in RMNP is perhaps the most accessible place to photograph Elk. In early fall, RMNP’s few aspens turn gold, and many shrubs around the glacial lakes turn red. Full day workshop includes sunrise to sunset, or mid-day to night sky. Half day $650/Full day $1000.

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Late June to Early October

The San Juan Mountains offer the most opportunity in Colorado for world class photo compositions. Though rugged and remote, countless mountain roads deliver you to spectacular views making for endless private workshop possibilities. In June the mountain roads are finally melted. The vast aspen stands are lime-green with new leaves, and melt water stokes gushing waterfalls. July begins wildflower season and is a great time to visit the world-renowned wildflower basins. Mid summer is prime-time for a 4×4 camping trip traversing the epic jeep trails that give eye-level views of the San Juan’s peaks. The San Juan Mountains are one of Earth’s most marvelous places for fall colors, which begin in late September. The long mountain ridges are excellent for practicing panoramic photos.

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Late June to Early October

Crested Butte is a landscape photography jewel with desolate forest roads leading deep into the West Elk Mountains. In June the roads have melted off and new growth has turned the landscape lush green. Churning thunderstorms often brew up over the mountain valleys making for excellent lightning photography.  July to August usher in what is probably the best wildflower bloom on planet earth. Entire valleys become carpeted with swaths of yellow and purple flowers while other meadows become a firework display of over 50 species. Crested Butte offers far off vistas, close up conical peaks, and breath-taking fall colors that begin at the end of September. I can show you the best nooks of Crested Butte.

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Dec-Jan

Bosque del Apache is one of North America’s premiere destinations for bird and wildlife photography. Highlights include photographing the Snow Goose “blast off” during golden hour, Sandhill Cranes dancing, and various colorful shorebirds. We may even see Bobcat, Coyote, Mule Deer and Javelina. In this unique setting you’ll photograph birds with stunning mountains in the background. We’ll be patrolling the driving loop shooting out of my vehicle and getting out at a few spots. There are interesting birds and wildlife to photograph in all seasons, and of course tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese from October to January.

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October to June

Bisti badlands is like a natural sculpture garden created for photographers. It’s also an exciting environment to photograph the Milky Way from early spring to early summer.  We’ll shoot countless bizarre rock formations, hoodoos and balanced rocks during golden hour and into the night. I’ll take you to the precise spots of the most dramatic stone monoliths.  We can also photograph nearby Shiprock and Alien Throne. *Though Bisti can be photographed at any time because the landscape is static in appearance, summer is challenging because of extreme heat and long days between sunrise and sunset.

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Any Season

Sedona, AZ is unique for landscape photography because it’s a bustling town located directly within a wild oasis.  It may be one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. However, it’s busy and has many trail and parking restrictions that requires local knowledge to navigate.  Sedona’s notable photo compositions include Capitol Butte, Coffee Pot Rock, Sugarloaf Mountain, the Schnebly Hill Formation, reflection pools, the Seven Sacred Pools, Soldier Pass, Soldier Arch, the Birthing Cave, Devil’s Bridge, and beautiful shots with Agave in the foreground. Most of Sedona can be photographed any time because the vegetation stays green. In Winter you can avoid the crowds and capture snow on the red rocks if you’re lucky. In early spring, wildflowers abound in the desert. In late spring the cottonwoods get their leaves. In August the summer Monsoons bring exiting storm and lightning compositions.

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Any Season

There are few places on earth with as much variety for nature photographer as the Sonora Desert in SE Arizona. There are endless opportunities for macro, herping, landscape, night sky, wildlife and lightning photography. The region is also a hot spot for hummingbird, reptile and wildlife photography. Towering Saguaro Cacti with the Sky Island mountain ranges provide limitless landscape photo compositions where each one is unique. Dark skies allow for excellent night sky photography of star trails and the Milky Way. The Sonora Desert’s pièce de résistance is Monsoon season, from late July to Sept. The desert comes alive with biodiversity, replete with exciting opportunities to storm chase and photograph lightning. Read this for examples of the adventure found in the Sonora Desert.

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October to May

The Moab area is a vast territory of exciting arches, canyons and native ruins to photograph. In winter, crowds are thin, the snow-capped La Salle Mountains loom in the background, and short days mean there isn’t a vast break between sunrise and sunset. Spring is the beginning of Milky Way season and the weather is great. Though Moab can be photographed in any season, summer brings the challenges of extreme heat, crowds and long days to fill between sunrise and sunset.

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February to April

The inlets, bays and fresh-water refuges around Vero Beach offer spectacular photographic opportunities to get close to various species of large, beautiful water birds. I’ll guide you to the best spots for frame-filling shots of Roseate Spoonbill, Ospreys, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Black Skimmers, Tricolored Herons and many more. I’ll help you with the best settings and shooting modes for tack sharp bird in flight photos.

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April to November

Being in Baden-Württemberg is like being lost in a fairy tail. It’s a landscape of green, forested hills dotted with red-roofed towns. Pastures and vineyards give far off views of castles. I know the best photography spots to capture medieval villages, fachwerk timber houses, and enchanting forests. In spring the forest exudes life, which is perfect for macro photography. The moody weather is also beautiful to frame 1000 year old villages. In fall the heavily forested countryside turns rust and red with a preponderance of mushrooms adorning the forest. This is also when the vineyards turn red, yellow and orange, like Stuttgart’s Remstal. It’s possible to coordinate a private workshop with you on my annual travels here. Check out my nature documentary on Amazon Prime about Baden-Württemberg and newspaper article in the Stuttgarter Zeitung.

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May to October

Bavaria is one of the most beautiful regions on Earth for landscape photography because so many ideal elements are layered within single compositions. The steep, jagged Alps tower above alpine lakes and mysterious forests. Pastures with classic Bavarian farmhouses grace the foreground, with red-roofed, medieval villages in the distance. Many world-class shots are accessible by drive or short hikes. In spring, the meadows become lush green and are dotted with pink and purple wildflowers while the Alps are still thickly frosted with snow. The crowds are still thin at this time. The splendor continues through summer with long days to allow extensive exploration. In autumn, a haunting beauty reigns as the rust and yellow colors of deciduous trees intertwine with the Spruce forests.

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Any time of the year

New Zealand’s South Island is the most fun and diverse location that I’ve ever photographed. In the same day you can shoot snow-capped peaks, glaciers, rain forest, rivers and ocean. Having so many things to shoot so close by makes for very photographically productive days. I know the best spots to take you to in New Zealand.  In spring the mountains are still white and peak tourist season hasn’t begun. In summer the weather is mild and landscape at its greenest. In fall the tourists begin to thin and the Beech forests turn fall colors. In winter the tourists have thinned, the peaks are white and it’s Milky Way season.

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May to October

A fun macro photography workshop can be done virtually anywhere in the world. It simply requires a small natural space to slowly inspect the ground for interesting insects, herps, fungi or plants. In private macro photo workshops I instruct on how to achieve super macro 2x-5x magnification for insects, wide-angle macro for in-situ shots, using flash with a diffuser, and normal macro photography of mushroom and frog-sized subjects.

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March to October

Herping is a thrilling treasure hunt into nature to encounter and photograph reptiles and amphibians. Instruction will concentrate on wide-angle macro photography, aka in-situ photography, that captures the animal with its habitat in the background. We’ll also cover regular macro photography, using flash with a diffuser, focus bracketing, and using telephoto lenses. Forested locations offer all day herping with light hiking. Desert locations generally consist of road-cruising at night. I can create an itinerary and give instruction for any place in the world. I have deep knowledge of the Sonora Desert, Western North Carolina/Smoky Mountains, Missouri, Colorado and Baden-Württemberg, Germany. This is a 1 on 1 workshop only.

How it works:

• Base workshop cost is $1000 per day.
• Contact me to arrange itinerary and payment for non-local workshops.
• Typical shooting schedule is Sunrise, mid-day break, sunset, or mid-day shooting to night sky.
• Half-day workshops available in Northern Colorado/Rocky Mountain National Park for $650
• Additionally, you pay my mileage (fed rate) and lodging costs to non local (Ft. Collins) locations.
• Minimum 2 days commitment for non-local workshop.
• Discounts are offered for multiple attendees. Plan your own custom workshop with friends or camera club.
  • 1 person – $1000 per day
  • 2 people – $750 per person, per day
  • 3 people – $650 per person, per day
  • 4 people – $550 per person, per day
  • 5 people – $500 per person, per day
  • 6 people – $450 per person, per day
  • 7 people – $400 per person, per day
  • 8 people – $375 per person, per day
  • For groups of 8, further 10% discount for each workshop day after 2 days.

Additional Private Photo Workshop Locations:

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Cedar Mesa, Utah
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona

Don’t see one? just ask.

Private Photography Workshop Techniques

Available topics of instruction can include:

Landscape Photo Composition

Macro Photography

• Including Super Macro and Wide-angle Macro Photography

Focus Bracketing/Stacking

Panorama Composite Images

Making Sunstars

How to choose the right gear

Telephoto Wildlife Photography

 Bracketing and Blending

 Storm/Lightning Photography

Motion Blur in Water and Clouds with ND Filters

Milky Way Photography

How to make Star Trails

Time-lapse Video