Excursion Outline

Rugged mountain peaks, valleys painted with gold, and historic mines scattered throughout our workshop, the Autumn in Colorado there’s only one word that will describe this workshop: Spectacular! The potential for great photographic opportunities are as vast as the mountain ranges that you'll capture.  

We can’t wait to take you on this magical journey back to the wild west of Colorado. The mountain peaks in this spectacular region stretch over 14,000 feet into the sky, making this is a place like no other. We’re heading west at the height of Fall Foliage when the aspens turn yellow and the valleys are bathed in gold kissed with beautiful morning light.

We’ll base our workshop out of the historic town of Ouray. Settled by miners in the mid 1800’s during the height of the mining boom, there were over 30 active mines in the area. When you walk downtown, many of the historic buildings from the 1880’s are still standing. Ouray is also the home to many hot springs that we recommend you visit after an early sunrise or late sunset session.

During this workshop, emphasis will be placed on not only assisting you in growing in your technical capabilities, but creating images that have depth and drama.

One thing we can guarantee is that you’ll come back with a high yield of images for your personal portfolio.

Itinerary

All locations and times visited will be determined by the conditions given. All elements are watched closely for the best photographic and learning experience. Locations are chosen each day to put us in the best locations for the best light and the Fall color.

Bonus Session
We've listened to our guests and have implemented something that has been hugely beneficial in our time together. Each workshop group will be invited to a live, recorded, online critique and post processing session, a short time after the workshop. This makes way for more shooting in the field and the option to learn from the comfort of your home and the ability to refer to the recorded session for future reference.

Day One
You've arrived in the historic town of Ouray, Colorado and we're sure you're already in awe by what you've seen on the drive in. We’ll meet and greet at the hotel as a group in the afternoon then head out to grab dinner together in downtown Ouray. Food is a great way to get to know each other! Afterwards, we'll head out into the wilderness where we’ll cover camera settings, composition and guidlines to photographing the mountains. This time in the field will be the foundation for the rest of our time together. We'll then make our way to our sunset location where we’ll jump into the pristine wilderness of the San Juan Mountains. By the end of this first evening, you’ll be fully knowledgeable of our “in field workflow”. Our focus for day one is to make sure you're fully equipped for the entire week.

Day Two
We'll all be eager to get started for our first full day of photography. We'll be up before sunrise and head out to a vista to capture the light illuminating the golden color around us of the Fall Foliage. We'll photograph as long as the light permits before heading to grab breakfast. If the light is accomodating we'll continue shooting after breakfast otherwise we'll enjoy an afternoon break before joining back up for an afternoon session and sunset where we'll capture the nearby vistas and golden valleys.

Day Three
Sunrise waits for no one and so we'll be up and in the vehicles (coffee in hand of course) for our sunrise session. Today will look similar to day two with us photographing as long as the light allows and taking a break during any harsh light. After a short afternoon break, we'll grab dinner together and then we'll head back out for our sunset session where we'll watch the sun set and then photograph the blue hour.

Day Four
Surrounded by nearby peaks and watching the golden leaves come alive in the morning light will be a spectacular way to start our day. We'll explore some of the nearby historic mines and buildings that remain from the golden era of mining. Learning to see light and knowing what to look for are important lessons that we'll discuss during our workshop. We'll continue to shoot as long as the light allows, enjoy a short afternoon break and then continue for our sunset session into blue hour.

Day Five
One last morning together and we won't want to miss a single beam of light. We'll be up again early to head out before sunrise so we're in position and ready for that gorgeous light that will pour into the valley. We’ll capture another majestic sunrise and then head to lunch before saying our “see ya laters” and catching flights home.