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About this trip
Spend 5 days in a variety of locations around the beautiful and rugged San Juan Mountains of Colorado during a photographer’s favorite time of the year - Autumn!
Based in picturesque Ouray, Colorado, we will visit a variety of great locations in the San Juan mountains for fall foliage, combined with classroom work to better your photographic craft, including time to process and critique your images. We will shoot sunrises and sunsets as weather allows, with a few hours each day dedicated to classroom instruction and image processing. Weather permitting, we will take advantage of the dark skies (new moon Oct 2) to shoot at least one night of Milky Way photography.
Locations will include, but not limited to: scenic highways, forest streams, aspen groves, mountain lakes and epic mountain overlooks. Locations will include areas near Silverton, Ouray, Ridgway & Telluride, Colorado.
We will end the workshop on Monday with a group slide show and critique.
About the Trip Leader/Photographer
Colin D. Young is an award-winning photographer who has spent the past several years exploring the red rock Canyonlands of Southern Utah and the mountains of Colorado.
He is a certified and insured photography travel guide in Rocky Mountain, Arches, Bryce Canyon & Canyonlands national parks, and has been leading workshops and tours in Colorado & Utah for several years as the founder of Rock Light Photo Tours. He has led several fall foliage workshops in Colorado & Upstate New York over the past 10 years.
Field Lessons
- How to make your foliage images pop
- How to capture good images in challenging lighting conditions
- How to analyze a scene for compositional options
- Working with a range of lenses for a range of compositions
- Using filters to improve artistic results
- How to capture the Milky Way with your digital camera
Classroom Sessions
- Fall foliage photography techniques
- My Adobe Lightroom workflow for getting the most from your images
- How to shoot and stitch together panoramic images
- A positive group critique of images to end the workshop - this is a wonderful lesson in composition and seeing the world through other photographers' eyes.
Other Considerations
Skill Levels
All skill levels are welcome. Participants who have a good working knowledge of their cameras, a basic understanding of digital workflow, and some knowledge or exposure to Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop will get the most from this workshop.
Physical Demands
This workshop will involve 1-3 miles of hiking per day at 7,500'-10,500′ elevations (mostly short hikes). Participants must be in good physical health. If you are coming from sea level, plan to arrive a day or two early to acclimatize yourself to the high elevations. The rental house will be available one day in advance of the workshop.
Group Size
The workshop will be limited to 8 photographers.
Lodging Options
For all of my workshops, I rent a 4-5BR house that will be our home base, giving us a place to gather for classroom sessions, a kitchen to use for meals, and a chance to mingle with and learn from your fellow photographers. There will be a limited number of rooms available at the 5BR/3.5BA vacation rental property in Ouray, Colorado that will be the home base for the workshop (less than 1 block from the Ouray Hot Springs).
King Bedroom with private bathroom - $210/nt +tax dbl occ. (reserved for a couple)
Queen Bedroom (x2), shared bath - $150/night or $175 dbl occ.
Double Bedroom with shared bath - $130/night
Workshop Details
Registration Fee: $995 per person
Deposit to reserve a date: $300 (plus housing deposit as appropriate)
Dates and Times:
Workshop begins Thursday, Oct 3 at 3pm, and ends Monday, Oct 7th at 11am
Non-photographer/Tag-a-long Rate: $500
For a spouse/partner/friend who wants to come along, eat meals with the group, and travel to some of our shooting locations. Note: there is a double occupancy rate for the lodging options at the vacation rental properties.
Where to meet:
Participants will gather and be based at our home base vacation rental property in Ouray, Colorado. Directions and details will be sent well in advance of the workshop.
Getting to Ouray:
There are airports in Montrose (45 min), Telluride (1 hour), or Grand Junction (2 hours). For transportation to/from Ouray, plan on renting a vehicle. There are some rough roads in the area, so an SUV with 4WD/AWD and high clearance is a good idea if you plan to explore the area before or after the workshop. We will carpool to locations if you don’t have access to a vehicle described above.
What’s included
- Photography instructionClassroom and on-site instruction on capturing and processing fall foliage images and the Milky Way.
What’s not included
- AirfareRound trip airfare not included. Closest regional airports: Montrose (45 min), Telluride (1 hour), or Grand Junction (2 hours). Closest major hub: Denver (6+ hours)
- Local TransportationWe will carpool as possible, but access to a vehicle to get to Ouray, and while you are in the area is suggested.
- MealsWe will eat some meals as a group at restaurants in Ouray, but all meals are the responsibility of the student.
- HousingHousing options beginning the night before the workshop are available as an add-on package.
Available Packages
Registration fee for the Oct 3-7, 2024 San Juan Mountains Fall Color photo workshop, including all applicable local taxes. (does not include housing or transportation)
A room with a full/double bed and a shared bathroom in the 5BR/3.5BA vacation rental in Ouray, CO which will be the home base for the workshop.
4 nights (Oct 3-7) at $130/night + local room tax (1 person) The night of Oct 2 is available as an add-on if you wish to arrive early to explore or acclimate to the elevation in the area (Ouray is just shy of 8,000' above sea level).
Full price includes workshop registration and all applicable taxes.
A room with a queen bed and a shared bathroom in the 5BR/3.5BA vacation rental in Ouray, CO which will be the home base for the workshop. NOTE: if you are signing up for 2 people, make sure you select the 'no lodging' option for the 2nd person if you plan to share a room.
4 nights (Oct 3-7) at $150/night + local room tax (1 or 2 people)
The night of Oct 2 is available as an add-on if you wish to arrive early to explore or acclimate to the elevation in the area (Ouray is just shy of 8,000' above sea level). An additional charge of $25/night will be added for double occupancy.
Full price includes workshop registration and all applicable taxes.
A room with a king bed and a private bathroom in the 5BR/3.5BA vacation rental in Ouray, CO which will be the home base for the workshop. Please save this room for a couple only. NOTE: if you are signing up for 2 people, make sure you select the 'no lodging' option for the 2nd person if you plan to share a room.
4 nights (Oct 3-7) at $210/night + local room tax (2 people - save for a couple only) The night of Oct 2 is available as an add-on if you wish to arrive early to explore or acclimate to the elevation in the area (Ouray is just shy of 8,000' above sea level).
Full price includes workshop registration and all applicable taxes.
For a spouse/partner/friend who wants to come along, eat meals with the group, and travel to some of our shooting locations as an observe/cell phone photographer. Note there are double occupancy rates for the lodging options at the vacation rental property.