1 1

July 9-12‚ 2025 - Sold Out!

Select the dates below to join the waitlist

Workshop Dates
Investment: $2,795
Investment: $2,795
Sale Sold out
Learn More and Sign Up

  • Experience Level

    Beginner to Advanced 

    This workshop is designed for photographers of all skill levels. You'll receive personalized guidance to build on your strengths and overcome weaknesses. Expect to be challenged and grow, regardless of your starting point.

  • Fitness Level

    Easy to Moderate

    Short hikes at high elevation can leave you exhausted quickly. You must be moderately healthy for this workshop.

    More Info 

  • Curriculum

    Field Sessions & Classroom Instruction

    Our days will be split between sunrise and sunset field sessions, with classroom time and breaks in between. You'll learn techniques like: focus stacking, unique Lightroom methodologies, and developing projects to take your photography to the next level! This workshop will be more focused on in-field time rather than classroom.

  • Group Size

    Limited to 6 Guests

    We keep our group sizes small to ensure the individual attention you deserve.

  • Location

    Crested Butte, Colorado

    View Map 

  • Fly To

    Denver (DEN) or Gunnison (GUC)

    Check Flights 

Description

Colorado, known for its beautiful and diverse landscape crowned by the Rocky Mountains, comes alive with a stunning array of colorful wildflowers during the summer months, particularly in the mountain town of Crested Butte. Nicknamed the "Wildflower Capital of Colorado," Crested Butte's valleys and hills are filled with a breathtaking display of flowers in July, making it a popular destination for nature and wildflower photography enthusiasts. Our photography adventure will focus on capturing the beauty of the high alpine country, including waterfalls, alpine lake reflections, and meadows of wildflowers, while also exploring the stunning mountain scenery at higher elevations. With 10 years of experience exploring and photographing Crested Butte, we are excited to share our knowledge and expertise with you on this unique summer photography experience in Colorado.

Your Pro Leaders

  • David Kingham

    David is an accomplished professional photographer renowned for his evocative nature imagery. His work showcases intimate landscapes, stunning nightscapes, and masterful black-and-white photography. As the founder of Exploring Exposure, David is dedicated to mentoring aspiring photographers, helping them refine their skills and develop their artistic vision.

    View David's Portfolio 

  • Jennifer Renwick

    Jennifer is a professional photographer renowned for her captivating abstract and small scene imagery. With a keen eye for detail, she uncovers the hidden stories within grand landscapes. Jennifer is passionate about helping fellow photographers discover their unique style and guiding them to express their vision through meaningful projects.

    View Jennifer's Portfolio 

Itinerary

Preparation: Upon registration, a comprehensive itinerary will be sent to you, ensuring all the details are at your fingertips to help you plan your travel arrangements seamlessly.

Day 1

  • 2:00 pm: Meet for introductions and engaging presentations to prepare you for photographing Crested Butte's stunning landscapes during peak wildflower season.
  • Group Dinner: Enjoy a meal together, fostering connections among participants.
  • Sunset: Hop into Jeeps and explore the high country and backroads, capturing the beauty of Crested Butte in the golden light.

Days 2-3

  • Sunrise: Jump into Jeeps to photograph breathtaking landscapes in the soft morning light, seeking out the best locations in the high country and along backroads.
  • Breakfast & Rest: Refuel and recharge at the hotel.
  • Afternoon: Share your favorite images from previous outings, learning from and celebrating each other's achievements.
  • Classroom Session: Dive into exclusive Lightroom techniques to streamline your workflow and enhance your images, focusing on bringing out the vibrant colors and creating depth in your scenes.
  • Sunset: Hop back into Jeeps to photograph stunning landscapes under the warm evening light, exploring new locations accessible by backroads.

Day 4

  • Sunrise: Embark on a final Jeep excursion to capture the magic of Crested Butte's high country landscapes and wildflowers.
  • Breakfast & Critique: Enjoy breakfast, followed by an in-depth image critique session, receiving valuable feedback and insights on your work.
  • 1:00 pm: Workshop concludes, leaving you inspired and equipped with new skills, perspectives, and friendships forged through a shared passion for photography.

Focus on developing your eye for composition, mastering techniques, and refining post-processing skills to create images that showcase Crested Butte's unique beauty and your individual style.

What You'll Experience

Wildflower Paradise: Immerse yourself in the stunning beauty of Crested Butte's wildflower season, often referred to as the "Wildflower Capital of Colorado." Capture the essence of the vibrant and diverse blooms that paint the landscapes of the Elk Mountains and surrounding areas.

Diverse Photography Opportunities: Discover a wide array of photographic subjects, from expansive meadows blanketed in colorful wildflowers to intimate scenes along mountain streams and aspen groves. Explore the unique flora of the area, including the iconic Columbine, the state flower of Colorado.

Jeep Excursions: Venture into the heart of the wilderness on Jeep excursions to access remote and stunning locations. These guided trips will allow you to photograph the wildflowers and landscapes in the best possible light and away from the crowds.

Classroom Instruction: Benefit from comprehensive classroom sessions covering composition techniques, macro photography, and post-processing specific to the unique challenges of photographing wildflowers. We'll help you refine your skills and create captivating images that showcase the beauty of Crested Butte's wildflower season.

Personalized Guidance: Receive one-on-one support from experienced photographers who know the area intimately, ensuring you make the most of your time in the field and develop your unique creative vision.

Why Crested Butte Wildflowers in July?

Peak Bloom: July is the peak of the wildflower season in Crested Butte, offering an unparalleled display of vibrant colors and diverse species. From the lush valleys to the high alpine meadows, the landscapes come alive with a stunning array of blooms.

Optimal Weather: July in Crested Butte typically offers mild temperatures and clear skies, creating ideal conditions for outdoor photography. The warm, soft light of summer enhances the colors of the wildflowers, making for truly stunning images.

Important Details

Lodging: We have secured a block of rooms at the Nordic Inn in Mt Crested Butte, conveniently located near our photography locations and classroom sessions. We will have a special group rate, but the rates have not been set for 2025 by the hotel yet. For 2024 the rate was $200/night, but expect this to go up to potentially $275/night. More details will be provided upon registration.

Image Gallery

What's Included

  • Transportation in Jeeps
  • Two attentive instructors for a client to instructor ratio of 3:1
  • Water and snacks
  • Image Critiques
  • Tailored post processing instruction in Lightroom and Photoshop

What's Not Included

  • Lodging - we have a block of rooms held for you
  • Meals - we will be eating some meals together as a group​

Safety First

Your safety is our utmost priority, especially when exploring remote locations. As certified Wilderness First Responders, David and Jennifer are prepared to handle any situation, big or small. We also carry satellite communication devices to ensure we can request rescue assistance if needed in areas without cellular coverage.

Responsible

As proud members of Nature First Photography, we are committed to responsible nature photography practices. We abide by and promote the seven principles of this movement to our clients, encouraging them to join us in preserving the natural world we capture through our lenses.

Join Nature First

Legal Compliance

At Exploring Exposure, we operate with the highest level of integrity. We obtain all necessary permits, carry comprehensive liability insurance, and acquire any required certifications to ensure our workshops are conducted legally and ethically.

For this workshop Exploring Exposure operates under a Special Use Permit on the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests. We are also an equal opportunity service provider.

Our Teaching Philosophy

At our workshops, we are dedicated to helping you discover and develop your unique creative style through personalized training tailored to your skill level and photographic interests. Our goal is to provide you with a rigorous learning experience, both in the field and the classroom, to elevate your photography to new heights.

Your growth and satisfaction are our top priorities. We put your interests first, focusing solely on your learning experience. Throughout the workshop, we will take photographs alongside you to demonstrate how we approach a scene, share techniques, and foster a sense of camaraderie within the group. However, we will never leave you to pursue our own photographic endeavors. Our attention will always remain on you and your progress.

We regularly check in with each participant to provide helpful feedback and advice on your work, without being overbearing. Our biggest goal is to see you succeed and learn, and we are committed to supporting you every step of the way.

We recognize that each participant joins our workshops at different stages of their photographic development. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced photographer, we are here to guide and assist you. We firmly believe that there is always room for growth and improvement in photography, and we are committed to helping you refine your skills and find your unique creative vision.

Above all, we strive to create a fun, engaging, and rewarding experience for you. Our small group sizes allow us to build strong connections with our clients, fostering a sense of community and belonging. We are driven by our love for photography and find immense joy in witnessing our participants' growth and artistic development.

Join us on this exciting journey of photographic discovery, and let us help you unlock your full creative potential.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are spouses/partners welcome?

For this workshop, no. Unless they are paying full price for a seat. We are renting Jeeps and space is limited.

Will I have cell service during the workshop?

Cell signal is extremely intermittent in most of the locations we will visit, you should not expect to be connected all the time, at certain locations you may be offline for long periods, enjoy the silence. There is cell service and wifi available in Crested Butte.

Will weather cancel the workshop?

Dramatic weather is when the best photographs are created! Unless there are very dangerous conditions the weather will not stop us, in fact it will encourage us! No rain checks will be given for any weather related circumstances.

Will the instructors take photos during the workhop?

The instructors will take a few photos in a limited manner, this is so you can see how we approach a scene, create comradery with the group, and show you the same type of images you will be taking for our processing session. Our focus will always remain with you.

More Information

Fitness Level

This workshop is mildly strenuous, we will only hike short distances. We will be at extremely high elevations above 12,000 feet. Not recommended if you get altitude sickness easily or if you are scared of heights as many of the roads we are driving have steep drop offs and not for the faint of heart.

How to Get There

  • Option 1 – Fly to Denver International Airport and rent a car to make the 5 hour drive
  • Option 2 – Fly to Montrose Airport and rent a car to make the 45 minute drive.

Cancellation Policy

  • If you cancel 90 days prior to the workshop we will refund your initial payment minus a $100 fee.
  • 90 days before the start of the workshop, we will refund your initial payment only if we can fill your spot.
  • The full balance is due 60 days before the workshop. There will be no refunds on the full amount owed. We will attempt to fill your spot, if filled there will be a $100 administrative fee charged and the rest of your payment will be refunded.

There are NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS POLICY, even for medical emergencies. All cancellation requests must be in writing and received either by US mail or E-mail. We encourage participants to purchase refundable airline tickets and trip cancellation insurance. We strongly recommend trip insurance to protect you in the event of an unexpected situation that prevents you from attending the workshop. We recommend Travelguard or World Nomads.

We reserve the right to cancel any workshop if the minimum student enrollment is not met. In the event we cancel a workshop, participants will be given the option to reschedule to a later date or receive a full refund. we are not, however, liable for expenses incurred such as airfare or accommodations, and for this reason we also recommend the purchase of trip insurance.

Have Questions?

Feel free to reach out, we are happy to help!

Customer Reviews

Based on 4 reviews
100%
(4)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
P
Pat Polacek
Shared passion and skills in a breath-taking location!

The Crested Butte Wildflower Workshop by David and Jennifer exceeded my expectations! I especially appreciate their gentle manner of individualized instruction, and desire to see us improve our skills artistically and/or technically. They are very knowledgeable of the area, and took us to sites that they researched in the days prior to the workshop to take advantage of the best locations for the variety of scenes we would be photographing: wildflowers vistas and close-ups, sunrise / sunset on a mountain or range, an aspen grove, lake (pond) reflections, and waterfalls. Often, they would shoot a scene with their cameras, and show me how they saw the scene through their lens, and the settings, filters, focal length, etc they used to accomplish that. I had fun with Jennifer showing me some techniques to get abstract images, and both of them pointed out good composition opportunities. Their teaching approach is balanced between time in the field shooting, and classroom processing techniques. I came in with a love for the art of photography, and they elevated my skills so I will enjoy my lifetime passion even more! Overall, it was such a fun and rewarding photography workshop, and a highlight of my photography experiences!

W
Warren Diggles
Sunrise to Sunset: Fun-Filled Jeep Adventures in Landscape Photography

I recently attended my first photography workshop led by David Kingham and Jennifer Renwick of Exploring Exposure. From sunrise to sunset, our days were long but incredibly rewarding. This workshop exceeded my expectations in several ways.

One of the standout features was that the instructors rented 4x4 jeeps to transport us to various locations. This allowed us to access remote areas and cover much more ground than we could have by driving to trailheads and hiking. The combination of extensive hours and enhanced mobility enabled us to capture a wide range of light conditions across diverse landscapes. It was both fun and practical, maximizing our shooting opportunities throughout the day.

David and Jennifer were excellent instructors - approachable, knowledgeable, and attentive. They made sure to spend time with each participant, offering personalized guidance. While they provided helpful technical advice on camera settings, I found their insights on composition particularly valuable. The principles they shared will undoubtedly influence my approach to photography across various genres.

A highlight for me was the processing session led by David. Despite my years of experience in photography and post-processing, I learned new techniques that will streamline my workflow, improve my results, and save time. These are definitely going into my regular editing routine.

Overall, this workshop offered a great balance of in-field shooting, technical instruction, and post-processing guidance. The instructors' expertise, combined with the unique locations we were able to access, made for an enriching and memorable experience. I highly recommend Exploring Exposure workshops to photographers looking to elevate their skills and explore beautiful landscapes.

G
Gregory Trainor
An Amazing Experience

I just got back from an amazing workshop in Crested Butte with Exploring Exposure, and I had a great time. David and Jennifer took us to beautiful places and I got some portfolio photos. They were very helpful with setting up compositions and provided excellent feedback. The workshop group size was small so David and Jennifer were able to provide a lot of personal attention to each participant. Plus they were truly nice people to hang out with. I highly recommend Exploring Exposure workshops!

K
Keith Lisk

The Crested Butte Wildflowers workshop was the third workshop I have attended with David and Jennifer. All three provided a professional learning experience, not only from a photography perspective, but also from being taken to locations that are off the beaten path that I would never have found on my own. This has real value for me. David and Jennifer complement each other perfectly with their own sets of specialized knowledge. If you have an interest in abstracts, Jennifer is your go-to person. If night landscapes are your thing, David is the expert. Between the two of them, all the bases are covered, including post-processing. I especially enjoy the critique sessions during the workshops, which offer valuable advice and direction to composition skills and post processing. I hope to be able to attend more workshops with David and Jennifer in the future.

Other Workshops