Colorado Wildflowers and Night Skies

DATES: JULY 4-8 (2026)

LOCATION: CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO

DATES: JULY 4-8 (2026) 

Cost: $1899.00 plus Lodging

Instructors: Dusty Doddridge and Josh Merrill

Tour Overview:

Summer in the mountains of Colorado is a special time. As snow melts from nearby mountains, the sub-alpine meadows come to life with fields of delicate wildflowers. Afternoon thunderstorms add dramatic skies to the quintessential beauty of the wildflower meadows below. This high-elevation mountain world has it all with reflecting lakes, aspen groves, wildflower meadows, and the spectacular beauty of incredibly dark skies.

This workshop is timed for blooming wildflowers and a moon cycle for photographing the Milky Way. As with any natural phenomenon, wildflower timing can vary from year to year. We’ll follow the wildflowers wherever they are blooming, and have no shortage of compelling landscapes to photograph. As a final bonus, we’ll end our trip with a visit to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, with steep and dramatic granite walls. We hope that you’ll join us on this exciting new adventure!

Lodging:
During this tour we will stay in Crested Butte, Colorado, for the first 4 nights, and Montrose, Colorado for the 5th/final night. We will work with local lodging partners in order to secure a discounted block room rate where possible.

Fitness Level:
For this photo adventure you will need to be prepared for a moderate level hiking. Hikes will be relatively short, but will take place at high elevation. Ability to hike on rocky, uneven terrain, maintain balance and be away from vehicles or facilities for large portions of the day will be required.

Topics Explored: 

Professional Craft for Landscape Photography:

• Getting fluent with your gear and developing a consistent workflow in the field
• Achieving an optimal exposure
• Managing depth of field with focus stacking
• Capture for multiple exposure blending
• Capture for panoramic stitching
• Using filters effectively

Creativity in the Landscape: 

• Core compositional elements in the landscape
• Creative use of depth of field
• Long exposure techniques
• Learning and practicing new compositions

And we'll also do at least one image review session and share some advanced digital darkroom workflow techniques. 

Tour Includes:

• Pre-trip instructional PDFs on a variety of topics
• Guiding and field Instruction: Craft and Creativity
• Image reviews
• Instruction on digital darkroom workflow
• Post tour image feedback and darkroom support

Not Included:
• Food and Lodging (Lodging at the Paradise Inn is a required additional cost)
• Transportation to and from the workshop
• Participants can carpool, and are encouraged to do so

Suggested Equipment:
• Digital SLR or Mirrorless Camera
• Sturdy Tripod with Cable Release
• Wide Angle Lens and Telephoto Zoom Lens (We use the 16-35mm and 70-200)

• Wide angle lens with a maximum aperture of at least F/2.8 for night photography
• Filters: Circular Polarizer
• Lots of Memory Cards
• Extra Camera Batteries
• Micro-fiber Cloths
• Camera Bag/Backpack for Gear and Food/Water

Clothing for a variety of weather conditions from 40F to 75F
• Rain Jacket and Pants
• Down Layer
• Trail Shoes or Hiking Boots
• Gloves and Hat
• Plenty of Wool Socks
• Moisture Wicking Base Layer

Cancellation and Refunds:

Domestic Tours-

120+ days to start of tour = Refund of deposit (Minus $250 Admin/Processing Fee)

120 days or less prior to day 1 of tour = No Refund will be given

It is strongly recommended that you purchase trip insurance if you need to cancel your tour and are unable to complete the tour for any reason. We reserve the right to cancel the photo tour or change the tour itinerary for any reason including low enrollment in the tour. Contact us for suggestions on trip insurance.

Payment:
All you need to do is click the Register Here button below and tell us which tour you'd like to attend. We'll e-mail you an invoice that allows you to pay online by credit card. If it's 120 days or less prior to the start of the tour, the full tuition amount will be due in order to complete your registration. Prior to 90 days out, we'll invoice you for a deposit of 30% of the total tuition to hold your spot. We'll then invoice you again for the balance prior to the 120 day point when the full amount is due. 

We’ll be glad to answer any questions you have in advance of registration.