Tom and Cree just returned from Finland and their Finland: Winter Magic Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Eleven photographers joined them in Finnish Lapland to photograph aurora at night and to explore the Finnish forest during the day. The dazzling aurora displays and novel modes of transportation were highlights of the workshop.
To see photos from our Finland Winter Magic Photo Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are headed to Baja to photograph whales and sea life leaping out of the water. A highlight is sure to be touching Gray Whales from our small fishing boat.
Aurora Photography: Free Zoom Presentation – please join us for our next Happy Hour talk on Aurora Photography. Tom and Cree will walk you through all the settings, gear and techniques for capturing the aurora. February 11 at 6 pm MST Denver. Click here for the Zoom link. Feel free to invite all your friends and fellow photographers as well!
Tom and I celebrate great images from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For November we chose an image taken on our Arches and Canyonlands Workshop. The image was taken by SaraLynn Lehner and edited by her husband Dave Lehner while photographing at the Garden of Eden in Arches National Park. Dave and Saralynn are wildlife and landscape photographers from Colorado Springs.
Congratulations to November 2024 ‘s featured photographer – Saralynn and Dave Lehner
Saralynn and Dave in Castle Valley, Utah
The Story…
Saralynn: It took my breath away. I am not normally a person who likes deserts. I was thinking this scene is magnificent. How do I record this to capture the feeling after we leave?
I wanted to be sure I had my settings right. I am still learning the camera. I tried different apertures. I was thinking about exposure comp and asked myself “Do I want it lighter or darker?” Because I get so easily excitable, I had to think about my breathing. I was hand holding the camera and wanted to be still, so I took some deep breaths.
I took a whole bunch of photos. I moved to the left to get the arch in the frame. I felt very satisfied that I got it. I played with a variety of settings to make sure I captured the scene just right.
In the past I have not used my playback enough. On this trip I used playback all the time. I was walking back to the car and saw some tourists from India. They asked what we were photographing and I showed them my camera back. They said, “Oh my gosh, that looks like a painting.” That’s when I knew I really got it.
November 2024 Photo of the Month by Saralynn Lehner
Dave: I like using just one tool to edit. I found PhotoShop much easier to use than Lightroom and it really meets my needs. The editing was pretty straight forward. I masked the sky separately from the mountains. I brought the whites down a bit in the landscape because the mountains and clouds were bright. I added texture to the red rocks. This brought out some of the lines in the rocks.
I did a very minimal edit on the color. I did not want to effect the pink sky because Saralynn really captured it. I did not want to lose any of the red orange on the rocks. I really just stuck to changing the textures in the scene. I did remove a few minor road signs.
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon Z8
Lens: Nikon 100-400 at 360mm
Aperture: f5.6
Shutter: 1/320th
ISO: 640
Mode: Aperture
The Garden of Eden in Arches National Park by Saralynn Lehner
About Photographing in Arches and Canyonlands
Saralynn – I loved it. I was so surprised at how beautiful the rocks and the arches were. This was especially so when the sun came out. Monument Valley was beautiful too. Arches had so much more. There were formations all over the place and the snowy background added to it. I fell in love with Moab. It surprised me.
Dave – This was my third time going to Arches. I have always been impressed with the arches and the sky behind the arches. The highlight of this trip was the recent snow on the LaSals.. They looked so crisp and clean. They looked like they were on a Coors Lite commercial.
Saralynn – We have plans to go back in late February or early March. You could spend so much time in the park and it is only 8 hours from our house. You can shoot the formations from so many different angles. We want to spend some time at Delicate Arch and Double Arch.
Dave – Mesa Arch was on my wishlist and we nailed it. I loved our angle on the right side of the arch.
Mesa Arch at Sunrise by Saralynn Lehner
Lehner Tips for Photographing in the Utah Desert
Tip 1 Saralynn
Include the iconic features. It donned on me that I was taking so many photos and yet, I did not have any of the arches in them. The snow on the LaSals and the sun distracted me. I took two steps to the left and was able to include the Turret Arch in the image.
Tip 2 Dave
Walking down the road just a bit will really change the perspective on the scene. Walk up the road and then walk in the opposite direction. Going the other direction will bring other opportunities. Keep looking for images as you walk.
Tip 3 Dave
Every day is different with the weather in November. It was a blessing for us. It gave us new opportunities every day. ND filters can add a moody element to changing weather.
Tip 4 Saralynn
When other people are photographing from a different spot, walk over and see if there is something there. Maybe they are seeing something different. Keep an open mind to others’ point of view.
On Team Lehner’s Horizon:
Bosque & White Sands National Park
Tucson & Saguaro National Park
Iceland
Redwoods National Park
Ouray, Colorado
Acadia National Park
Vietnam
Team Lehner in action
What’s coming up?
Bol Holiday Gift Guide – Everyone welcome! Join Tom and Cree online for our free annual gift recommendations for photographers. December 1, 2024 at 4 pm MDT Denver. Click here to get the free link.
Tom and Cree are headed to Bosque del Apache and White Sands National Park next. A last minute space opened up on the Dec 8-12 workshop if you would like to join them Click here for details.
Tom and Cree just returned from the Utah Desert for their Arches and Canyonlands Photo Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They joined a group of 10 photographers to photograph landscapes with stunning red rock formations. The variable weather, night sky shoot and morning light at Mesa Arch were all favorites of the tour.
To see photos from our Arches and Canyonlands Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s Next:
Cree and Tom are taking a few weeks off to photograph eagles in Haines, Alaska. They will be driving over and looking for moose and northern lights along the way. Keep an eye on Facebook and Instagram for updates. We will do our best to answer your emails as soon as possible.
Any upcoming openings?
Two spaces just became available for our popular Costa Rica Rainforest Workshop – March 22-29, 2025. Photograph sloths, Scarlet Macaws and four types of monkeys. Read More
Tom and Cree had a terrific time on their Kenya Photo Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They joined 10 photographers on a 8 day exploration of the Masai Mara in Kenya. The variety of big cats in action was a highlight for everyone.
To see photos from our Kenya Photo Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s new:
We had a spectacular night of aurora in Alaska on October 10, as did many of you in the Lower 48! Tom just finished a blog post with tips for capturing the aurora: Click here to learn more. If you want to join us on an Aurora Workshop, we have space on our Northern Lights and Iditarod Workshop in 2026
We will be traveling to New Mexico for our next two workshops on Route 66. We will be based in Oklahoma and Texas for the first workshop and in New Mexico and Arizona for the second one. After that we are headed to Arches and Canyonlands to capture beautiful red rock formations and look for the Milky Way at night.
Any upcoming openings?
Our 2025 schedule is close to full. You can always join a waiting list for a trip that is full by sending us a note from our Contact Page
Tom and Cree just finished their Monument Valley Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They joined 10 photographers on a 4 day exploration of Monument Valley on the Navajo Nation. The variety of photography and inspiring vistas were highlights for everyone.
To see photos from our Monument Valley Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s new:
We will be heading to Africa for the great migration next. Our tent camp is located right on the Mara River where all of the action is. After leaving Kenya, Cree is headed to Scotland to hike the highlands with family. Tom is headed back to Alaska to capture fall aurora in his favorite places.
We will be in remote places for the next few weeks and it may be a bit harder to contact us. We will do our best to respond as soon as we can. Thanks for your patience!
Any upcoming openings?
Route 66 Albuquerque to Winslow: Oct 23-27, 2024 Read more Photograph iconic locations like the WigWam Motel, Route 66 Diner, and Petrified Forest National Park. Learn more about using a speed light to add color and creativity to your images.
We are starting to fill our 2026 Workshops. If something is full and you want to join the waitlist, just send us a message from our Contact Page
Tom and Cree just finished their Katmai Bears Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They joined 9 photographers on daily flights in small planes to locations all over Katmai National Park in Alaska. Photographing multiple sets of triplet cubs was a highlight for everyone.
To see photos from our Katmai Bears Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s new:
Interested in seeing images from our workshops this Summer? Join us for a free online Summer Image Celebration on Sunday, August 25 at 6 pm MDT Denver time. We will be showing images from photographers on our workshops to Lake Clark NP, Badlands NP, Katmai NP, Nome and the Pantanal. Click here and request a link if interested in viewing or participating.
Any upcoming openings?
Route 66 Albuquerque to Winslow: Oct 23-27, 2024 Read more Photograph iconic locations like the WigWam Motel, Route 66 Diner, and Petrified Forest National Park. Learn more about using a speed light to add color and creativity to your images.
Arches and Canyonlands: Nov 3-7, 2024 Read more An all time classic. Photograph brilliant red rock arches on crystalline blue skies.
Bosque and White Sands National Park: Dec 8-12, 2024 Read more Perfect workshop for photographers who want to improve their birds in flight photography. Photograph the dazzling white gypsum dunes at White Sands National Park.
Tom and Cree just finished their Brown Bears of Lake Clark Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Their group of 10 photographers flew down the remote Alaskan coastline to Lake Clark National Park. Numerous opportunities to photograph bears on the beach digging for clams were a highlight for everyone.
To see photos from our Brown Bears of Lake Clark, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s new:
Our address is new! Please add our new address to your contact list for future mail:
Tom and Cree just finished their Nome Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They traveled with a small group of 5 to remote Nome, Alaska to photograph arctic birds and primitive muskox. Several of the photographers in the group commented on how special it was to photograph animals in the wild that they had never seen before.
To see photos from our Nome Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s new:
Tom and Cree have settled into their new home in Palmer, Alaska and have their offices up and running. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about workshops.
Tom and Cree just finished their Badlands Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They traveled with their group to the prairies of South Dakota to photograph stunning rock formations and wildlife. The highlight of the workshop was photographing in a variety of weather and seeing so many bison, prairie dogs and burrowing owls.
To see photos from our Badlands Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s new:
Tom and Cree are making the final drive to Palmer, Alaska this week. Keep an eye on social media to see what we find along the way. We will be checking email once a day, so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about workshops.
Tom and Cree just finished their Texas Birds in Spring Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They traveled with their group to the South Texas Plains of the Rio Grand Valley. They spent 4 days photographing songbirds and raptors from bird blinds. The group was delighted to photograph abundant Painted Buntings, several types or warblers and several types of orioles.
To see photos from our Texas Birds in Spring Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s new:
Tom and Cree sold their house in Colorado and will be moving back to Palmer, Alaska during the first week of June. They are driving all the way up the Alcan over a period of 6 days. Expect us to have more limited communication during that time. Our new address will be:
Tom Bol Photo Workshops
6342 N Mountain Meadow Trail
Palmer, Alaska. 99645
Any upcoming openings?
Yes! Our schedule was full before but due to a few cancellations, we have 4 workshops with space available this year. Check out our Upcoming Openings Page
We also added some new workshops for 2026 including:
Tom and Cree are headed to Badlands National Park in South Dakota for landscape and wildlife photography. They are hoping for stormy skies in order to photograph lightning using the new Pre-Release technology.
