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Bryce Canyon Magical Light & Night Skies

Avatar Photo of Colin Young

Explore the wondrous hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park day and night on this 5 day photo workshop in Southern Utah, home to some of the best light for landscape photography in the world. Pending weather, we will spend at least 3 full days in Bryce Canyon National Park, with the balance of time in other nearby unique red rocks and slot canyon locations. Subjects will include, but not be limited to: unique rock formations, natural arches, slot canyons, canyon rim vistas, and night photography in an internationally recognized dark skies park. We will end the workshop with a group slide show and critique.

25 Sep 2025 - 29 Sep 2025   | 4:00 pm - 11:00 am

$1225

Bryce Canyon National Park Visitor Center, Utah 63, Bryce Canyon City, UT, USA

All Skill Levels

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Workshop Details


Registration fee: $1225 per person (includes 6.85% Utah services tax)





Deposit to reserve a date: $400 (plus housing deposit as appropriate)


Dates and Times


Workshop begins Thursday, Sept 25th at 4pm, and ends Monday, Sept 29th at 11am.


Non-photographer/tag-along rate: $400 – for a  spouse/partner/friend who wants to come along, eat meals with the group,  and travel to some of our shooting locations.  Note there is a double occupancy rate for the lodging options at the vacation rental properties.


Where to Meet


Participants will gather and be based at our home base vacation rental property in Tropic, Utah.   Directions and details will be sent well in advance of the workshop.





Field Lessons





– Recognizing and capturing the magical natural lighting in Bryce Canyon


– Making your red rock images pop


– Determining proper exposure


– Analyzing a scene for compositional options


– Using filters to improve artistic results


– How to photograph slot canyons


– Capturing the Milky Way with your digital camera


Classroom Instruction





– Photographic techniques for shooting the red rock sandstone of the Colorado Plateau


– HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography


– Shooting and Stitching panoramic images


– My Adobe Lightroom workflow for getting the most from your images


– Creating great black & white images from digital color captures


– A positive group critique of images to end the workshop – this is a wonderful lesson in composition and seeing the world through other peoples’ eyes.



Other Considerations





Skill Levels 


All skill levels are welcome.  Participants who have a good working knowledge of their cameras, a basic understanding of digital workflow, and knowledge or exposure to Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop will get the most from this workshop.


Physical Demands


Though locations visited during this workshop are readily accessible, the hilly terrain requires some moderate hiking (typically 1-3 miles round trip). Participants MUST BE IN GOOD PHYSICAL SHAPE  and able to climb and descend moderate to steep inclines. They should wear sturdy  boots and use caution on slippery and rocky slopes.  Keep in mind that the elevation in Bryce Canyon is 7500′-9,000′  above sea level, so a day in the area before the workshop is  recommended if coming from sea level.


Group Size


Maximum 6 photographers.







Lodging Options





For all of my workshops, I rent a 4-5BR house that will be our home base, giving us a place to gather for classroom sessions, a  kitchen to use for meals, and a chance to mingle with and learn from  your fellow photographers.  There will be a limited number of rooms available at the 5BR vacation rental property in Tropic, Utah that will  be the home base for the workshop.


King Bedroom with private bathroom – $165/nt +tax (reserved for a couple)


King Bedroom (x3), shared bath – $140/night or $165 dbl occ.


Queen Bedroom with shared bath – $125/night












What to Bring

What to bring:

  • A digital or film  camera capable of manual exposure settings.  Due to the short time frame  of the workshop, people with digital cameras, especially digital SLR or mirrorless cameras, will get the most from the workshop.
  • Plan to bring all of your lenses, from wide angle to telephoto (14-200), as the variety of locations will put all your gear to work! (if you have a wide angle prime for night photography, bring that as well)
  • A  sturdy tripod is essential for capturing the long exposures necessary to capture  sunrise/set, as well as the Milky Way (and perhaps a comet!).
  • All your filters. A circular polarizer filter, while not required, can be a useful tool for controlling glare and haze to make your red rock mages pop.   A graduated neutral density filter can be useful in some canyon rim locations at sunrise or sunset.
  • Hiking boots or other sturdy shoes
  • a good camera bag for hiking with your camera, batteries, a couple of lenses, batteries, snacks, etc.
  • A refillable water bottle or camelback for hiking
  • Warm weather layers and cold weather layers – Utah desert weather can include big swings in temperature, and temps can be chilly at sunrise or sunset, especially at higher altitudes.  Plan to bring a warm hat, gloves, and a warm jacket for the night shoot.
  • A headlamp or flashlight, in case we need to hike back after sunset, and for the night shoot.
  • Your own method of transportation to get around town.  We will carpool to locations as possible.
  • A  laptop computer loaded with Adobe Lightroom Classic(LRC) and/or Photoshop,  to best take advantage of the Lightroom workflow sessions, or whatever  software you use to process images. (a tablet with Lightroom (LR) can work as well)

 

About the Author

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Avatar Photo of Colin Young

Colin Young

Contact Me

Longmont, CO

Colin leads photo tours in Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colorado, as well as Arches, Canyonlands and Bryce Canyon National Parks out of Moab, Utah. He leads several multi-day intensive landscape and nightscape photo workshops in national parks across the U.S. Visit Website
BOOK NOW

25 Sep 2025 - 29 Sep 2025   | 4:00 pm - 11:00 am

$1225

Bryce Canyon National Park Visitor Center, Utah 63, Bryce Canyon City, UT, USA

All Skill Levels

BOOK NOW


About the Author

VIEW PORTFOLIO
Avatar Photo of Colin Young

Colin Young

Contact Me

Longmont, CO

Colin leads photo tours in Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colorado, as well as Arches, Canyonlands and Bryce Canyon National Parks out of Moab, Utah. He leads several multi-day intensive landscape and nightscape photo workshops in national parks across the U.S. Visit Website
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