Colorado Fall Colors Photography Workshops








Join us for an experience of a lifetime in the dramatic San Juan mountains of Colorado. We will be photographing during peak fall colors and showing you our favorite locations. This will also be an educational experience with two professional instructors who will show you how to photograph everything from grand landscapes to small scenes.
Sept 28 - Oct 2, 2022
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Group Size
8
Investment
$1,995
Initial Payment – $995
Your Leaders
Location
Fly To
Denver, Grand Junction, or Montrose
Fitness Level
Easy
Description
Colorado scenery is already a photographer’s dream, but add in the yellow, orange and red of the quaking aspens, you have a set up for scenes that are amazing to photograph. Fall in Colorado is one of the most exciting times during the year. The colors are changing, the mountain peaks usually get their first bit of snow, and the air is crisp. We will take you to some of Colorado’s most scenic areas to photograph, focusing on everything from the colors, to grand scenes and more intimate scenes. This is one of the most scenic areas in Colorado, commonly referred to as “the Switzerland of America.” We will be photographing sunsets and sunrises, along with other mountain and fall color scenes. We will show you how to capture this landscape of color in the various lighting conditions that mountains provide. We will visit some popular areas, along with some areas off the beaten path away from the crowds that we have explored and discovered ourselves over the years. Come along to photograph and experience the most colorful time of year in Colorado with us!
What is Included
What is Not Included
Image Gallery



































What You Will Learn
In the Field
- How to read a scene to create compelling compositions using shapes, lines, visual mass, texture, and more
- Reading weather and lighting conditions to know when to go out on your own in the right light
- How to use apps to scout out your own locations and plan your next shoot
- When and how to use lenses to bring focus to your subject
- How and when to use a polarizer to make colors pop
- Depth of field and hyperfocal distance to help you create sharp photos
- Achieving maximum sharpness using focus stacking
- Creative use of ND Filters to create motion in clouds and water
- Creating panoramas without using expensive equipment
- How to take correct exposures for bright skies; to be later used for exposure blending
- Identifying the best light and how to expose correctly
Post Processing for Beginners
- Making dull RAW files pop in Lightroom and keeping files organized
- Use of local adjustments for dodging & burning, and many more creative opportunities
- Using white balance to create mood in your images
- Properly sharpen and reduce noise for maximum image quality
- Stitching panoramas easily in Lightroom
- Exposure blending using HDR for natural looking results
Post Processing for Advanced users
- Exposure blending using luminosity masks to create balanced, natural looking images
- Focus stacking using Photoshop and/or Zerene Stacker for maximum depth of field
- Blending different focal lengths to correct for wide angle diminishment
- Creative burning and dodging techniques to bring focus to your subject
- Using the Orton Effect to add glow to your highlights
- Creating drama with Light Bleed
- Using Midtone Contrast to make images pop off the screen
- Sharpening for web and print
Safe, Legal, Responsible.
We are proud members of Nature First Photography. This movement is dedicated to responsible nature photography. At its core are seven principles that we abide by and promote to our clients. We hope you will join the movement!
Concerned About Your Safety
We understand how important your safety is when we’re in remote locations. This is why David and Jennifer are both certified Wilderness First Responders, we are prepared for any situation large or small. We also carry satellite communication devices should we need rescue assistance in remote areas.
Legal
We always run our workshops on the up and up. For this workshop Exploring Exposure operates under a Special Use Permit on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, Gunnison, and San Juan National Forests. We are also an equal opportunity service provider.
Our Philosophy
We encourage you to find your unique style of creativity with focused training based on your style and skill level. You will experience a rigorous learning experience in the field and the classroom to take your photography to the next level.
Our passion is seeing you grow in your photographic journey. We put your interests ahead of our own. Early on in the workshop, we will not photograph at all. Our focus is your learning experience, and we will not run off to chase the light and leave you behind. As the workshop progresses, we will take a few photos in a limited manner. This is so you can see how we approach a scene, demonstrate techniques, and create comradery with the group. Our focus will always remain with YOU.
We understand everyone comes to workshops at different points in their photography journeys. We will be there to guide and help you, whether you are a beginner or advanced shooter. There is always something to learn about photography, and we will do our best to help you find your creative vision.
Above all, we want this to be a fun experience for you. With our small group size, we get to know our clients very well, and we feel like they are part of our extended family. We do this for the love of photography, and there is nothing that gives us greater joy than seeing our clients grow and find their artistic vision.
This workshop is very easy. Most of our locations we will be shooting near the road. There might be some brief, short hiking for some locations (all under a quarter mile in length with a gentle grade.) We will be at high elevations though, so a short hike can quickly leave you out of breath. There is one location we might go to that is about one mile with a somewhat steep grade up a dirt road, if you’re not physically able you can opt-out of this hike. We should be able to drive most of this unless it has rained recently.
Questions?
Please do not hesitate to send us any questions you may have, we would be happy to help.
Private Colorado Workshops
If you are looking for a private guide to show you around Colorado, look no further. As Colorado natives we have spent our lives exploring all Colorado has to offer. We can be your private tour guide or we can turn your experience into a full workshop training you on composition, vision, post-processing with Lightroom and Photoshop, all without the group.
Below are the locations we know intimately and would be more than happy to show you our favorite spots.
Crested Butte
Aspen
San Juans Mountains (Telluride, Ouray, and Ridgway)
Rocky Mountain National Park
Pawnee Grasslands
Great Sand Dunes National Park.