Colorado Autumn Photography Workshop

Sept. 28th - Oct. 2nd, 2025

Space Available

$1690 USD

Instructor: Andy Cook

DESCRIPTION

Colorado rarely fails to leave an impression on the beholder. This is especially true during autumn when hues of yellow, orange and red play across the rugged terrain. Add deep blue skies and white snow-capped peaks and you have the ingredients of every landscape photographer's dream. Cool, crisp mornings, musky, autumn scents and elk bugling in the distance complete the assault on one's senses creating the most magical time to photograph Colorado.

FOCUS: Sunrise and sunset photography with beautiful foregrounds and rocky mountains in the background.

ADDITIONAL: Photograph intimate details such as frosty leaves or an aspen forest.

A gently, curving aspen trunk rises through this vertical image and is surrounded by a bush ablaze with orange, red and yellow hues of a colorado autumn. — Colorado Autumn

Photography location; This vertical image allows one to peer into the forest of slender aspen trees and enjoy a backdrop of yellow and green leaves. In the bottom of the image a zig zag fence makes it's way through the frame. — Colorado Aspen Forest

ITINERARY

The workshop starts on Sunday, September 28, 2025 at 7:00 pm with an introduction and discussion in the hotel lobby. We start photographing on the morning of Monday, September 29, 2025.

LODGING LOCATION: MTN Lodge Ridgway, 373 Palomino Trail, Ridgway, CO 81432. 970-626-5444.
Check-in Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025; Check-out Friday, Oct. 3, 2025.

Workshop ends after photographing sunset on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025.

Since peak color may extend past our workshop, participants may benefit by staying a few days after the workshop.

Workshop location; The foreground of this image shows an old, tattered barn surrounded by antique farm implements. Behind is a hillside ablaze with Colorado autumn colors. — Colorado Autumn Barn

DAILY ROUTINE

MORNING: We'll be at a photography location in advance of morning light and we'll stay at that location through sunrise. Sometimes we relocate to another photo location before going to breakfast.

MIDDAY: On some days we will have time for post processing discussions, demonstrations and/or individual instruction. Bring a laptop with Photoshop installed to receive processing aid with your images.

EVENING: In the afternoon we return to the field where we photograph until we are done. Dinner in a restaurant is scheduled for 3 evenings after photography, one evening meal is individual choice.

Photography location; The bottom third of this vertical photograph is an old, zig zag fence leading through an autumn field to a colorful stand of aspen trees with Mt. Sneffels above. The top two thirds of the image shows a dramatic arrangement of clouds that are side lit by the evening sun, and due to their long shape, direct attention to the summit of Mount Sneffels. — Mount Sneffles

REGISTRATION / DEPOSIT $300 USD

TERMS-CONDITIONS CANCELLATION POLICY

DEPOSIT or FULL

Registration / Payment

BALANCE

Pay Balance

REPEAT BALANCE

Pay Repeat Balance

Workshop location; Sturdy aspen trunks stand apart. Their bark bear the scars of winter browsing by deer and elk. Showing between the trunks is a wave of orange and yellow as the bushes behind reveal their autumn colors. — Colorado Aspen Trunks

DETAILS

EXPERIENCE: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

GROUP SIZE: Target number of participants is 8.

EFFORT: Easy - This workshop involves walking along roads. Walking surfaces are generally uneven, hiking boots are recommended.

CONDITIONS: Be prepared for changes in weather. Mornings can be very cold, like winter.

ELEVATION: The elevation range of our shooting locations is 7,000 to 11,000 ft. Proper hydration is a must at higher elevations.

Workshop location; In this autumn, vertical image, a higher view point looking down, a group of green aspen occupy the middle third of the image, while an orange group occupies the top third and a yellow group the bottom third, with several spruce tree interspersed throughout. — Autumn Aspen

TRANSPORTATION

AIR TRAVEL: Most people flying to this workshop will find flying into Grand Junction or Montrose, CO to be the best choice.

Driving time from Grand Junction to Ridgway, CO is about 2 hours. Montrose to Ridgway, CO is about 45 minutes.

DRIVING CONDITIONS: Usually non 4 wheel drive, dirt roads and paved highways. However, if it has been a wet season the dirt roads may become muddy and considerable rougher requiring a higher clearance vehicle; SUV. Road conditions vary year to year; SUVs are recommended. When possible we prefer participants car pool with each other to limit our impact and get to know one another.

MORE WORKSHOP INFORMATION

Workshop location; Morning rays side light this quintessential, Colorado, autumn scene. Above in the background a range of snow capped peaks push into the deep blue sky. Below, are rolling hills of autumn scrub oak and stands of fiery, orange aspen. — Dallas Divide, Colorado

EQUIPMENT

RECOMMENDATIONS: MORE WORKSHOP INFORMATION

FOR COLORADO AUTUMN: A lens range from at least 28mm to 400mm after the lens multiplication factor is recommended for landscape photography.

NOTE: The colors usually peak in the San Juan Mountains during the last week of September and the first few days of October. Occasionally, mother nature causes the leaves to drop earlier than this time; that is unpredictable and beyond our control.