PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP ADVENTURES
Bryce / Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2022
Thanks for a great workshop! It was an amazing experience. What differentiated your workshop from others we’ve taken was your passion and how it rubbed off on us; your subtle, yet direct, coaching of us to get the perfect shot; the fantastic discussions on the trail and at meal time plus the wonderful accommodations and five-star meals. This was a fantastic workshop from a great team. We will definitely be back!” David Adams – Plano, TX See all testimonials
A major confluence of geologic events have conspired over the ages to create a treasure trove of breathtaking landscapes in Utah’s southwestern corner. To take advantage of this wildly-diverse region, we’ve combined the most dramatic locations within Bryce Canyon National Park along with some of the most photogenic hidden gems within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Our itinerary includes two full days exploring the deep, narrow canyons of the Escalante River along the renowned Hole-in-the-Rock Road; one full day of photography in the Paria Canyons section of the Monument; plus 2 full days photographing Bryce’s kaleidoscopicly-colored pinnacles and hoodoos. We’ve timed this workshop to take advantage of the changing autumn colors in the Escalante canyons as well as the possibility of the first winter snows dusting the pinnacles in Bryce. If night-sky conditions are cooperative, we’ll also venture out after dark to photograph one of the most brilliant displays of star-filled skies anywhere in the American West. For the first 3 nights we’ll enjoy our comfortable rooms at the new Entrada Lodge in the small town of Escalante at the gateway to Hole-in-the-Rock Road. After that, we’ll head west to the historic Bryce Canyon Lodge – located a mere stone’s throw from two of the park’s most stunning overlooks – as our base to explore and photograph Bryce’s hoodoo-filled canyons. READ MORE
WORKSHOP FEES
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WORKSHOP DETAILS
Dates: October 28 – November 3, 2022 (5+ full days in the field)
Based in: Bryce Canyon NP & the town of Escalante, Utah
Maximum Number of Participants: 8
Accommodations: Included in the price of this workshop – We’ll spend the first 3 nights at the very comfortable Entrada Lodge in the small town of Escalante in the heart of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This new accommodation is truly a diamond in the rough and offers a high level of sophistication and comfort, unmatched in Escalante. After that, we’ll head west to the historic Bryce Canyon Lodge; a mere stone’s throw from two of the most stunning overlooks in Bryce Canyon National Park. This is the main park lodge located inside the park, not outside in the touristy gateway town. Single occupancy is our default option for individuals. If you are traveling with a friend or significant other and would like to share a room with them, please let us know when you sign up and we will provide you with the double-occupany discount.
Meals: We will handle all meal reservations and we’ll dine together as a group. Meals not included in the price.
Ground Transportation: You are responsible for your travel arrangements to Entrada Lodge in Escalante at the beginning of the workshop, and your return trip from Bryce Lodge at the end of the trip. During the workshop, including our travel day between Escalante and Bryce, we will share vehicles and carpool to our various photo locations.
Photography Skill Level: Novice to advanced – Jim will work closely with each participant based on his/her individual skill level.
Physical Difficulty: MODERATE While we’ll have easy, short walks of around 1/3 mile to many of our photography locations, we’ll also have 2 easy/moderate 2-mile round-trip hikes plus 3 moderate 3-5 mile round-trip hikes with elevation gains around 500 feet. One of these hikes will involve wading through a small stream along a canyon with rocks scattered along the streambed. Our hikes in Bryce will be at an elevation of 8,000 feet above sea level. Each person will need to be in very good physical condition. For specific details on each hike, see the workshop itinerary below.
WORKSHOP ITINERARY
This is a field workshop and as you can see from this itinerary, we’ll spend our time out in the field capturing images throughout the entire day for 5 full days. We will likely need to adjust this itinerary to accommodate weather and field conditions.
Friday October 28, 2022
5:30pm – Opening-night reception at the Entrada Lodge in Escalante, Utah.
6:45 – Dinner in town.
Saturday October 29, 2022
7:00am – Breakfast
7:45 – Depart for our day of photography in one of the Escalante River’s most beautiful canyons with its treasure trove of pools, waterfalls, alcoves, and Navajo Sandstone narrows. Accessing this canyon will involve a moderate 5-mile round-trip hike with an elevation gain of 500 feet. This hike will involve sandy trails as well as hiking along a small stream along the canyon floor with rocks and other debris scattered along the streambed.
4:00 – Arrive back at our vehicles and travel back towards Escalante for our sunset photo location. This will involve an easy hike from our vehicles.
7:45 – Arrive back at our lodge.
8:30 – Dinner in town.
Sunday October 30, 2022
7:00 – Breakfast
8:15 – Depart for our day of photography exploring another major tributary of the Escalante River with its sandstone narrows and swirling sandstone formations. This involves an easy/moderate 5-mile round-trip along a sandy canyon with a couple hundred feet of elevation gain.
2:00 – Arrive back at our vehicles, have lunch, then drive to another remote location for our sunset photo from the top of a large sandstone dome. This will involve a moderate 3-mile round-trip hike across open sandstone slopes.
7:00 – Arrive back at our vehicles and depart for Escalante.
8:45 – Dinner in town.
Monday October 31, 2022
6:45am – Depart for our sunrise location high on a canyon rim with sweeping views of the Escalante Canyons. An easy walk from our vehicles.
8:45 – Breakfast in town.
10:30 – Load up our cars, check out of our lodge, and depart for the remote western portion of Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument on our way to Bryce Canyon. We’ll spend the day photographing sensuous water-sculpted canyons and beautiful sandstone formations. Today will involve easy hikes with a total of 2 round-trip miles.
5:15 – Arrive at Bryce Lodge and check into our rooms.
6:00 – Depart for our sunset photo location on the rim of Bryce Canyon.
7:30 – Dinner in our lodge.
Tuesday November 1, 2022
7:00am – Depart for our sunrise photo location. Our vantage point this morning will be from the top of a high promontory with a breathtaking view. Accessing this vantage point will involve an easy/moderate hike of 1/4 mile with an elevation gain of 200 feet.
9:45 – Breakfast in our lodge.
11:00 – Depart for a quick photo session below the rim in a hoodoo-filled canyon.
12:00 – Depart for our next photo location high on the rim of Bryce Amphitheater. We’ll learn how to take advantage of warm reflected light during the often-difficult midday hours. This will involve an easy 1/2-mile walk from our vehicles with little elevation gain.
1:45 – Lunch at our lodge.
3:00 – Depart for our next photography location. This will involve an easy stroll from our lodge to the rim of the canyon where we will photograph a collection of backlit pinnacles and formations beneath the rim.
4:45 – Depart the lodge for our evening photo session to capture last light as it illuminates an assortment of sandstone pinnacles and towers at a remote overlook. This will involve an easy/moderate round-trip hike of 1 mile.
7:30 – Dinner in our lodge.
Wednesday November 2, 2022
7:15am – Depart for our sunrise photo location at one of Bryce’s most stunning vantage points. We’ll capture first light as it illuminates a kaleidoscopic amphitheater filled with hoodoos, pinnacles, and other bizarre formations. An easy walk of 1/4 mile from our lodge.
8:30 – Breakfast in our lodge.
10:00 – After breakfast, we’ll walk from our lodge and drop down off the rim to photograph warm reflected light in one of the deepest, narrowest canyons in Bryce. This moderate hike will involve a round-trip distance of 1.3 miles with an elevation gain of 550 feet.
1:00 – Lunch in our lodge.
2:30 – Depart for our afternoon photo session in the southern reaches of the park.
4:30 – Arrive back at our lodge.
5:45 – Depart for our sunset photo location at another dramatic overlook. We’ll capture the last rays of light as they illuminate the 10,000 foot-high rim of Powell Plateau on the eastern horizon as thousands of colorful pinnacles fill the foreground beneath us. This will involve an easy walk of 1/2 mile from our lodge.
7:15 – Dinner in our lodge.
Thursday November 3, 2022
7:15am – Depart for our sunrise location overlooking two broad valleys filled with a kaleidoscopic assortment of pinnacles. An easy walk.
9:30 – Breakfast in our lodge. End of Workshop.
WORKSHOP TESTIMONIALS
“I just wanted to take a moment to again thank you and Susie for a fantastic photography workshop. The setting was flawless; the locations you took us to were incredible – sunrise to sunset, and the knowledge learned invaluable. And for Susie – the ultimate host/partner who made sure every aspect of the workshop flowed with perfection… a special thank you. Every one of your workshops that I attend is better than the one before. The two of you are truly the Best in Class when it comes to photography workshops.” Fred Kraut – Salt Lake City, Utah
“I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful workshop you both hosted. It exceeded my expectations in every way. Thank you so much for being so kind, helpful and such gracious hosts and thanks for spending an extra amount of time helping me improve my photography skills. Jim, as I said, Susie is a jewel.” Debra Keener Brown – Houston, TX
“Thank you both for your tremendous graciousness, expertise, and efficiency. I am still flying high about the trip!” Dr. Cyril Mazansky – Boston, MA
“I wanted to thank you for helping me fulfill my dreams. It was truly special to have you share all of your knowledge and experience. Just when I think it can’t get any better, you guys raise the bar.” Peter Cabrera – Chicago, Illinois
“Thanks for a great workshop! It was really an amazing experience. What differentiated your workshop from others we’ve taken was your passion and how it rubbed off on us; your subtle, yet direct, coaching of us to get the perfect shot; the fantastic discussions on the trail and at meal time plus the wonderful accommodations and five-star meals. Thanks to Susie for anticipating the needs of everyone and for making sure we were delighted with every aspect of the journey. Overall, this was a fantastic workshop from a great team. We will definitely be back! David Adams – Plano, Texas
“Thank you for another outstanding workshop. We had a great time and thanks for being so attentive to Heidi. You guys rock!!!” Heidi & Wayne Inkpen – Edmonton, Alberta
“First of all, I want to thank you for a great workshop this week! The photo opportunities were fantastic, as was the group. Ralph Earlandson – Chicago, Illinois
“I enjoyed getting to know both of you. It was a blast exploring the canyons. I hope your following two workshops went as seamlessly as ours did. Susie; you are a spectacular hostess and Jim; you are very insightful!” James Ivy – Columbia, South Carolina
“Thanks to both of you for a really enjoyable experience. It was a great trip! I’m currently suffering through security in Las Vegas wishing I was back in Utah!” Paul Kaufmann – Del Mar, California
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