Tom and Cree just finished their Iditarod and Northern LightsPhoto Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They traveled with their group to Alaska to photograph the action and pageantry of the Iditarod and then on to Fairbanks for Northern Lights. Our group was surprised how caught up they became in the ongoing race standings. It was also a great year for aurora, with the lights showing up 4 times on the workshop.
To see photos from our Iditarod and Northern Lights Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s next:
Tom and Cree are headed to Central America for their Costa Rica Rainforest Workshop. We will be photographing tree frogs, macaws and 4 species of monkeys in Osa Peninsula.
What’s New:
It’s official! Tom and Cree just bought a house in Palmer, Alaska and will be moving in June. They will continue to offer workshops in the Lower 48 and abroad, just from a different home base. New address coming soon.
Want to join us in Alaska this summer? We have a few openings:
Nome: Arctic Birds and Musk Ox: June 17-22, 2024 – 2 spaces available Click here
Brown Bear Safari: August 13-19, 2024 – 2 spaces available Click here
Tom and Cree just finished their Indonesia Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They traveled with their group to Borneo and East Java in Indonesia to photograph the colorful people, places and animals of the area. Our group enjoyed the interactions among orangutans and were astonished at how human-like they were.
To see photos from our 2024 Indonesia: Orangutans and Volcanos, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s next:
Tom and Cree are headed to Alaska for Northern Lights and the Iditarod. We will be photographing the “Last Great Race” in three different locations and then searching for aurora in Talkeetna, Healy and Fairbanks, Alaska. As part of our route, we drive right by the entrance to Denali National Park.
Tom and Cree just finished their Oaxaca Mexico Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They traveled with their group to Oaxaca de Juarez in the mountains of Mexico to photograph the colorful people, places and food of the area. They loved the photo opportunities there so much that they decided to return for another workshop in Oaxaca in January 2025. We hope you will consider joining us.
To see photos from our 2024 Oaxaca Mexico Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
Note about covid on this workshop:
On the fourth day of the workshop Cree tested positive for covid. We want to share this experience to help you understand what that looks like on a workshop. As soon as Cree felt a sore throat she used a rapid test and it was positive. She immediately isolated from the group and spent the next 3 days in her room watching Netflix and learning online Spanish. Because she isolated so quickly, no one else on the group came down with covid. Tom tested negative and was able to continue teaching. He decided to wear a mask for the remainder of the workshop to protect others.
A few take aways from this experience:
Realize that covid is still going around and as a traveler you could catch it. If you have any syptoms that could be covid, notify the trip leaders immediately.
Always travel with several rapid tests, masks and extra medication in case you need to stay longer. We recommend talking to your doctor about bringing covid medications.
Realize that if you test positive you cannot travel with the group and will need to isolate yourself. You will need to pay for any extra rooms, meals or transportation required for your isolation. We strongly recommend travel insurance for all of our workshops for that reason.
Fortunately, the recent strains have been fairly mild and most people recover quickly. Preparation and early detection are key to keep the group protected. Keeping everyone healthy is a top priority at TBPW.
What’s next:
Tom and Cree will be heading to the jungles of Borneo and the volcanos of Java for the Indonesia Workshop. Then it is off to Alaska for Northern Lights and the Iditarod. Very different packing for those two workshops!
We are in the middle of teaching our two online classes this week. The topic of Artificial Intelligence has been getting plenty of attention. We want to invite you to attend our next free, online Happy Hour Chat on AI. We will be discussing AI in photography and looking at images modified and or created with AI. The session goes from 5-6 pm Denver MDT on Thursday, January 18. If you are an AI user, you are welcome to submit an image to share for the chat. Send an image or request the Zoom link at creetbp@gmail.com.
Sand not snow!
New Workshops for 2026
We have just started adding new workshops for 2026, including our Louisiana Birds and Bayous. Our Antarctica Workshop is already full with 20 people heading to South Georgia, the Falklands and Antarctica with us. We will be adding more workshops throughout the next few months and encourage you to check back frequently. We hope to post our 2026 Chilkat Eagle Workshop next.
Openings for 2024
Our Upcoming Openings button makes it easier to see which workshops have openings in the short term. We have a few openings in both 2024 and 2025. We look forward to seeing you in the field!
Today is the last day for us to take sign ups for our 2024 Northern Lights and Iditarod Workshop. We have a few open spaces if anyone would like to take advantage of peak northern lights season from February 29- March 8, 2024. Aurora, Alaska and some of the best sled dog photography in the world!
Speaking of Alaska, some of you have heard that Tom and I plan to move back to Palmer, Alaska in the next year. The timing is good for us and we look forward to returning to spectacular wildlife and landscape photography year round. Rest assured that we will be continuing all of our usual domestic and international workshops and perhaps adding a few new ones in Alaska.
We always love hearing from you! creetbp@gmail.com
Tom and Cree just finished their Bosque and White Sands Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. They traveled with their group to two locations in New Mexico to photograph thousands of birds in flight and capture dazzling pink skies on white gypsum sand dunes. The photos were so good this year, we decided to add another workshop there in 2024..
To see photos from our 2023 Bosque and White Sands Workshop, check out our trip report, click here
What’s New:
This year is the peak of the 11 year cycle for Northern Lights Photography. That means the displays promise to be dazzling for night photographers. Three spaces available on our Northern Lights and Iditarod Workshop in March 2024. Learn more
What’s next:
Tom and Cree will be taking a break for a few days in the jungles of Mexico. They will be at home for the holidays and then working on a few Online Classes for January.
Join us for the annual Bol Holiday Gift Guide and Celebration. Each year Tom and Cree recommend their favorite gifts for photographers. Everyone is welcome to attend. Send a link to your spouse/partner if they are shopping for you!
This online event is Sunday, December 10 at 5 pm. Click here and ask for the Holiday Guide Zoom link.
New this year: send in your favorite image from 2023 for a special Photo Image Celebration: Best of 2023. One image per person to celebrate your best work.
Tom and Cree just finished their Chilkat Eagle Photography Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. They traveled with their group to the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Haines, Alaska to photograph more than 3000 eagles. Expect to see this trip again in 2026.
To see photos from our 2023 Chilkat Eagle Workshop, check out our trip report, click here
What’s New:
Tom’s recent portrait with the new Nikon Plena Lens from our Route 66 Workshop will be published in the next few weeks. Our two models from the photo shoot should be happy to hear this.
Interested in joining us in Alaska to photograph northern lights? Three spaces on our Northern Lights and Iditarod Workshop in March 2024 are open. Photograph Northern Lights from Talkeetna, Fairbanks and right outside the boundary of Denali National Park. We follow the Iditarod for three days and learn all about photographing sled dogs in action. We even fly out to one of the Iditarod checkpoints to get closer to the action. Learn more
If you are interested in travel and wildlife photography, we have just one space open up for our Orangutan and Volcanos in Indonesia Photo Tour. Learn more
What’s next:
We will be in Monument Valley scouting for future trips for the next week. We already have a record 35 people on the Interest List for this workshop. We are glad so many of you want to join us.
We hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Tom and Cree just finished their Route 66 East Photo Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. They traveled with their group from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Amarillo, Texas photographing people and places from a time gone by. Speedlights, strobe lights and neon lights were all part of the trip instruction. Expect to see this trip again in 2026.
To see photos from our 2023 Route 66 East Workshop, check out our trip report, click here
What’s New:
Tom published another new article for Nikon called Tips for Photographing Fall Color: Click here to read the article. You will see photos from several past workshops like Ouray and Acadia.
Interested in joining us in Alaska to photograph northern lights? Three spaces on our Northern Lights and Iditarod Workshop in March 2024 just opened. This workshop will take you to three different Alaskan towns to photograph aurora as well as to the heart of the Iditarod. We even fly out to one of the Iditarod checkpoints to get closer to the action. Learn more
We will be in Haines,Alaska for the next two weeks to photograph eagles on the Chilkat River. If you are interested in travel and wildlife photography, we have just one space open up for our Orangutan and Volcanos in Indonesia Photo Tour. Learn more
Tom and Cree just finished their Ouray Fall Colors Workshop and want to share the highlights with you. Colors were peak this year on Red Mountain Pass, so we spent several photo sessions on the Million Dollar Highway, driving all the way to Silverton. The trip was so successful that we are offering it again in 2025.
To see photos from our 2023 Ouray Fall Colors Workshop, check out our trip report, click here
What’s New:
Tom just published an article for Nikon called theBear Essentials: Click here to read the article. Interested in joining us in Alaska to photograph brown bears? Three spaces on our Brown Bear Safari in August 2024 just opened. This workshop involves more walking than our Lake Clark trip, but gets us to locations with bears pouncing on dazzling red salmon. Learn more
We will be in Slovenia for the next few weeks with Strabo Photo Tours. If you are interested in travel and wildlife photography, we just had two spaces open up for our Orangutan and Volcanos in Indonesia Photo Tour. Learn more
At Tom Bol Photo Workshops, we celebrate great participant images by selecting a Photo of the Month. For July we chose an image taken on the Redwoods and Rocky Coastlines Workshopcreated by Scott Harrison. Scott worked as a digital imaging specialist for the LA Times for 33 years. His journalistic approach to photography comes out in the breadth of images he created on the workshop. You can see more of his images at www.harrysonpics.com
Congratulations to July 2023 ‘s featured photographer – Scott Harrison
Scott on the Redwoods and Rocky Coastlines Workshop
The Story…
On the second session on the evening walk I wanted to get a scene setter. I hoped to capture the overall picture. We started up the trail and met with the fog. I started using my 16 mm lens and shot about 20 versions of this scene.
I was trying to use the trail as a leading line. In half of the photos I included a person to give scale to the forest. Almost all of the people were members of our group.
My style – I always use 2 camera bodies. This time I had a 24-200 mm on one. My second lens is always special, in this case a 16 mm. Sometimes I use a LensBaby, sometimes an old manual focus lens.
I like to mix in a variety of focal lengths to tell a story. This keeps the images fresh and not repetitious. By adding a specialty lens I also get creative effects.
July 2023 Photo of the Month
EXIF Data:
Camera: Canon EOS RP
Lens: 16 mm
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec
Aperture: f/4
Shooting Mode: Shutter Priority
Exposure Comp -.03
Colors in the fog on the Damnation Creek hike
About Photographing in the Redwoods
I love it!
I’m not a landscape photographer per se, but I like to walk around and photograph things. It is a different world in the Redwoods. I loved the quiet and peacefulness. That is why I was often by myself on the workshop.
I was happy to be in the fog. In Southern California I deal with high contrast lighting all the time. In the fog the lighting is flat and I had the ability to capture more detail. The colors are also saturated. I found the colors were so bright that I had to desaturate them in PhotoShop.
Coquille River Lighthouse in Brandon, Oregon
Scott’s Tips for Photographing on a Workshop
Tip 1
Because of my background, I hate shooting the same photo that everyone takes. I stay away from the Grand Canyon and the parks in Utah. If I am there, then I take photos of the crowds in the foreground taking photos in scenic spots.
About 15 years ago I started taking road trips by myself. To plan my trips I used iphone apps like Roadside America. I also use Fotospot and Atlas Obscura. These apps give me information on all the unusual places in the country. I try to find things that other people do not photograph.
From my training with newspapers, we used to travel to a new town and go right to the local drugstore and look at the postcard rack. Find things outside of the mainstream, including in your own home town.
Tip 2
Join the local camera club and do photo walks. Going as a group can really help.
Tip 3
Listen to what the leaders are saying. I took the fern photo because Cree mentioned dialing back the exposure compensation to create a moody shot. I underexposed by 2 stops for that one. I also created a whole series from the Simpson-Reed Grove in black and white.
Low Key Fern in the Simpson Reed Grove
On Scott’s Horizon:
Route 66 in Oklahoma
Tucson and Saguaro National Park
South Dakota Badlands
New Zealand and Australia
Scott wandering in the redwood forest at the Lady Bird Johnson Grove
Online Image Celebration: Join us on August 10 at 5 pm Denver time to see more of the work created on our workshops in the last 4 months. This is a great way to celebrate new work. Sometimes people need more time to edit their images. If you were on a workshop you are invited to send in 3 images to creetbp@gmail.com. If you would like to join us, send a quick message here and we will send the link.
Tom and Cree are headed to Ecuador next for Ecuador Cloud Forest Workshop. In August they will be out of the office on a wilderness canoe trip in Canyonlands, Utah and then on a scouting trip in remote arctic Alaska.
