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Moab, Arches & Canyonlands Winter/Spring

Avatar Photo of Colin Young

Spend a fantastic week exploring Arches, canyons, ancient rock art, the Colorado River, iconic movie and TV locations, and some of the best light for landscape photography in the world, at a time of the year that has great weather for photography, yet smaller crowds in Moab.

05 Mar 2025 - 09 Mar 2025   | 3:00 pm - 11:00 am

$1225

3453 Westwater Drive, Moab, UT, USA

All Skill Levels

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We’ll do a deep dive in the Moab area, visiting a wide variety of great locations in Arches & Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse Point State Park. We will also explore other great locations in and around Moab, Castle Valley & Bears Ears National Monument. The workshop will include classroom work to better your photographic craft, including time to process and critique your images. We will shoot sunrises and sunsets each day as weather allows, with a few hours each day dedicated to classroom instruction and image processing. If the weather allows, we will also do at least one night session of Milky Way photography.


Subjects will include, but not be limited to: Natural arches, canyons, ancient ruins and rock art, the Colorado River, iconic movie and TV locations, and optional night photography in internationally recognized dark skies parks. We will end the workshop with a group slide show and critique.



Field Lessons Included






  • Making your red rock images pop

  • Determining proper exposure

  • Capturing great images in challenging lighting conditions

  • Analyzing a scene for compositional options

  • Using filters to improve artistic results







Classroom Instruction






  • Shooting and Stitching panoramic images

  • Colin’s Adobe Lightroom workflow for getting the most from your images

  • Creating dynamic black and white images from digital color captures

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

  • High Dynamic Range photography techniques, including multiple exposures and use of grad ND filters

  • A positive group slide show and 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 2-4 miles round trip, and up to 5-6 miles per day). 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 Moab is 4000′, and Arches and Canyonlands are at 5000-6000′  above sea level.


Group Size


Maximum 6 photographers (new for 2025 – smaller groups make for more one-on-one instruction)






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 DSLR or mirrorless cameras, will get the most from the workshop.
  • Plan to bring all of your lenses, from wide angle to telephoto (14mm-200mm), as the variety of locations will put all your gear to work!
  • A sturdy tripod is essential for capturing the long exposures necessary to capture waterfalls & streams, as well as at sunrise/set.
  • All your filters. A circular polarizer filter, while not required, can be a useful tool for controlling glare and reflections on leaves and water.  A graduated neutral density filter can be useful at sunrise or sunset.
  • Hiking boots or other sturdy shoes
  • Rain gear and warm layers – Moab desert weather can be finicky in early March, and temps can be chilly at sunrise or sunset.  Gloves and a warm hat are sure to be useful.
  • 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 and/or Photoshop, to best take advantage of the Lightroom workflow sessions, or whatever software you use to process images.  A tablet loaded with Lightroom can work as well.

Notes

Workshop Details

Registration fee: $1225 per person (includes 6.85% Utah services tax, but does not include housing options below)

Deposit to reserve a date: $400

Dates and Times

Workshop begins Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 3pm, and ends Sun, Mar 9 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 the Red Rock Garden vacation rental property in Moab, Utah.   Directions and details will be sent well in advance of the workshop.

Housing Options

Accommodations are available in one of our two 3BR luxury vacation rental properties just 10 min. south of Moab, Utah, each with a private hot tub and a fully equipped kitchen, which will be a great base of operations for visiting  Arches National Park other locations in and around Moab.  One of the two properties will be the home base for the workshop, 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.  Prices shown do not include local taxes.

  • Private bedroom (King bed, pvt bath (3 avail): $175/night single occ, $195/night dbl occ.
  • Private bedroom (Queen bed, pvt bath (1 avail): $150/night $175/nt dbl Occ (1 Queen, 1 full)
  • Private Bedroom (King bed, shared bath (1 avail): $130/night – $150/nt dbl occ.
  • Private bedroom (full bed, shared bath(1 avail): $110/night $135/night dbl occ (2 full beds)

 

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

05 Mar 2025 - 09 Mar 2025   | 3:00 pm - 11:00 am

$1225

3453 Westwater Drive, Moab, 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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