Autumn in Colorado
2019
September 30th – October 4th, 2019
Capture the beautiful fall colors of
Southwest Colorado
San Juan Mountains Photography Workshop
Registration Closed
Look for the 2020 San Juan Mountains Workshop
Dates: September 30th – October 4th 2019
Fee: Registration Closed.
Participants: Max. of 8
Skill Level: Amateur – Professional
Info: workshops@jonsteelephotography.com
Phone: 860-984-3810
Workshop Overview
Photograph amazing colorful landscapes in Colorado’s beautiful San Juan Mountains, regarded as one of the most scenic locations in the world for fall foliage. Foliage in this area is never the same from year to year, and in some cases day to day. With the changing of the seasons occurring we may have incredibly colored aspens against the back drop of bare mountains one day to backdrops of snow covered mountains the next, to snow covered aspen trees the next. Come prepared for all types of weather because we will shoot in it!
Workshop Features
- Learn how the histogram will help determine how you can capture the dynamic range of your scene.
- Learn how bracketing properly will help you achieve maximum detail in your images
- Learn how to use ND filters in the field and when to use the different types
- The importance of your remote control, whether hard wired or wireless
- Working in the digital darkroom, Lightroom and Photoshop instruction
- How to use focus stacking for increased Depth of Field
- Become familiar with using a DOF calculator
- Learn to look at a scene for differing compositional components
- Shot planning and the tools I use for location scouting and weather monitoring
Workshop Itinerary
The San Juan Mountains can get very crowded on weekends in the fall. To avoid the crowds our workshop will be held during the week.
Day 1: Attendee arrival day, plan to meet with the workshop group at 2 PM in the Ridgway/Ouray area (location to be determined) for a meet and greet. We will then proceed to a location for sunset photography.
Days 2-4: Up before sunrise, the group will rendezvous and then proceed to a preselected sunrise photography location. We’ll shoot through late morning at which point we’ll take a mid-day break. We will reconvene mid-afternoon so that we can get to our location for sunset photography.
Day 5: Up before sunrise, the group will rendezvous and then proceed to a preselected sunrise photography location. We’ll shoot through late morning at which time the workshop will end.
Bring your laptop computer and we’ll review/critique photos as time and location allows, either in the field or at a yet to be determined meeting time & place
Accommodations
Lodging, meals and transportation not provided. We will be based out of Ridgeway and highly recommend making reservations as soon as you sign up for the workshop.
When arranging for your transportation keep in mind that we will be traveling on some dirt and gravel roads. In the fall, if it rains or snows, driving can be tricky on these roads and at the higher elevations so we recommend you reserve a 4 x 4 or an AWD SUV as soon as you book your spot. You will not need a high clearance, off road vehicle. The preference would be for workshop members to pool together in their vehicles when going out on location. This will help you to get to know other members of the group and to making parking availability at locations easier for all. A maximum of 3 participants will be able to ride with the host.
Preferred airport destination is Montrose Regional Airport, for those who need to ride with us. If interested we will share your name and contact information with other participants should you want to coordinate your flights and share car rental fees.
There are airports in Grand Junction (1.5 hour drive), Denver (5 hour drive), Colorado Springs (5 hour drive), Montrose (30 minute drive, regional airport) and Telluride (1 hour drive, regional airport) for those who’d like to fly in from elsewhere
Physical Difficulty
Attendees should be in good health and capable of working outdoors in bad weather and at high altitude. We will be traveling in cars and there will be minimal walking and hiking. It is important to know that we will be working in elevations above 7000 feet. Therefore, we recommend that you consult with your doctor beforehand to make sure you do not have high altitude sickness or problems. Because of the higher elevations we will provide water during the workshop. Drinking plenty of water qill help to prevent dehydration, headaches and other symptoms known to occur in some at high elevations.
You will be asked to sign a waiver to participate
What to Bring
- Digital SLR Camera
- Wide-angle to telephoto lenses. I usually cover from 17mm-500mm with my lenses but 17-300mm will work also. Note that for star photography you will need a wide angle lense that opens up to f4 or better.
- Sturdy Tripod
- Camera remote control
- Filters including polarizing and Neutral Density both graduated and solid
- Memory cards
- Headlamp
- Extra camera batteries, make sure your headlamp has fresh batteries also. Laptop (not required but useful for image editing and storage)
- Camera manual
- Sturdy walking shoes or hiking boots
- Rain gear
- Warm Jacket, autumn temps can go into the 40’s at night
Booking San Juan Mountains Photography Workshop
You can sign up for the San Juan Mountains Photography Workshop securely using your credit card via the PayPal link on this page or by calling Jonathan Steele Photography at 860-984-3810.
Any signups after August 1st must make full payment at the time of signup.
This workshop will go rain, shine or snow, as this time of year can be very dynamic with rapidly changing weather systems. No two years are quite the same.
No refunds will be issued after August 1st unless it is a result of Jonathan Steele Photography cancelling the San Juan Mountains Photography Workshop.
