Alpine Blooms: A Colorado Wildflower Photo Workshop (07/24/24 - 07/28/24)
Chase the wildflowers of Colorado on this photography workshop with Jess Santos & Ryan Oswald on July 24th to 28th, 2024. This workshop is designed to capture the pastel blues of the colorado columbine, vibrant pinks of indian paint brush and many other native blooms all backed by glorious, towering peaks. 🏕🌸
We will be photographing these dramatic landscapes during sunrise, sunset and under the stars using advanced photography techniques such as focal length blending, exposure blending, focus stacking, composites, blue hour blends etc. We show you how to analyze and capture the scene from start to finish to tell your story. Also learning how to use wide angle lenses to create depth and dimension and really bring the viewer into the photograph.
We will be staying at a Mountain Top Cabin!
This cabin is no ordinary lodging spot. It's perched at a breathtaking 12,000 feet above sea level in Picayune Gulch, giving you jaw-dropping views of the Animas River headwaters and the ghost town of Animas Forks. Who needs cable TV when you've got nature's own blockbuster right outside your window?
Sure, the Ritz might have fancy amenities and all, but can it make your heart race as you explore the untamed beauty of the San Juan Mountains? I think not! This cabin is the real deal, where the views are so mind-blowing, you'll forget all about room service and pillow mints.
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We will be including a Post Workshop Group Zoom Editing Session to cover putting it all together in the digital darkroom, this will be screen recorded for you to be able to finish your images at your leisure.
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⛰ All experience levels are welcome.
We are limiting each group to 8 students, to ensure that everyone receives our attention and to keep compositional possibilities uncluttered.
This workshop is very much based on weather so we have kept the itinerary flexible to be able to pursue the best available light for the scene. If it rains or conditions prove unsafe to venture out we will work on post processing, image critiques and in classroom sessions, there's always so much to learn both in field and in the classroom!
This workshop will require minimal hiking (no more than 1 mile) through rocky terrain at high elevations.
Planning your shoots
- Scouting and evaluating conditions
- Composing an image to grab the viewer’s attention
- Composing an image with a person in frame to show scale and tell a story
- How to work with light and how to find the best light for the scene
- Utilizing apps, such as PhotoPills, for more efficient planning
- Choosing the right lens, find your focal length
- How and when to use filters
- How to shoot with a plan or vision for editing
Capturing your image
- Histogram: How to read for perfectly exposed images
- Exposure control: How to use ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed in different scenarios
- Creative ways to use lens distortion
- Focus stacking & Focal Length Blends
- Bracketing and exposure blending
- Focusing at night to capture pin sharp stars and foreground
- Blue Hour Blending: How to capture blue hour & Milky Way
- Stacking for Noise Reduction: how to shoot the proper frames to stack
Bringing the image to life
- Lightroom and Photoshop: Learn our post-processing workflow
- How to blend multiple images together in Photoshop (Blue Hour Blends, Focal Length Blends, Exposure Blends, Composites)
- Luminosity Masks
- Dodging and Burning
- Blue-hour Blends
- Star-stacking: how to edit starry night skies with Starry Landscape Stacker (or Sequator)
- Understanding layers and masks
- Finishing touches using clone stamp and removing distractions
- Creating Orton glows and painting with light
- Sharpening: Creating sharpness in your final image
