We will be returning to Alaska next week for an assignment with the Mat-Su Visitor’s Bureau (Palmer, Wasilla and Talkeetna). One of our shoots will be photographing stand up paddle boarding on a glacier pool. It sounds exciting. We are also looking forward to the annual Alaskan brewery photo shoot!
Arches and Canyonlands
New Workshops for 2024
Over the last few weeks we have been rounding out our 2024 Schedule with a few new workshop destinations. We keep adding new destinations in order to give you plenty of options, both international and domestic. We have space available on both of these:
Arches and Canyonlands Nov 3-7, 2024
Details: This is one of our favorite national parks. Tom has been leading photo workshops and doing assignments in Moab for the last 20 years. Photograph striking red rock formations on blue skies. Explore myriad arches against an iconic western landscape. Learn More
Orangutans and Volcanos in Indonesia February 13-23, 2024
Details: Join Tom, Cree and Phillip Bartlett on a 10 day adventure to the exotic islands of Java and Borneo. These islands are part of the country of Indonesia – we will be photographing wildlife from a riverboat, landscapes and taking travel portraits. Learn More
Orangutans in Indonesia Photo by Phillip Bartlett
Openings for 2022
Our domestic trips are all full for 2022. We have a few new openings for international trips. We have been traveling abroad since last November and are finding it easier to travel now that the testing requirement for covid has been lifted for re-entry into the US. We are happy to talk more about international travel with you if you have questions. Click on the underlined links to learn more.
We are moving into Spring here in Colorado with a few days of light snow to keep things interesting. Here is what is happening at Tom Bol Photo Workshops in April and May….
Glory of the Snow in Fort Collins
Upcoming Online Events
Free Zoom Session with Tom and Cree
Interested in knowing more about Mirrorless Cameras? We have a free Zoom meeting coming up on Thursday, April 15 at 5 pm MDT called “Let’s Talk About Mirrorless” If you are wondering whether you should go mirrorless, this is the perfect talk for you. If you would like to receive an invite for this session, just click on the link and leave us a message here.
Online Outdoor Photography Conference
Tom will be one of 18 featured speakers at the Kelby One Outdoor Conference May 18-19, 2021 Early Bird Cost is only $149. The variety of topics is impressive: Night Star Photography, Macro Photography, Adventure Lifestyle, National Park Landscapes, Tack Sharp Editing . Click on the following link to sign up: Click Here
Update on Field Workshops
Utah Landscape Workshops
Our April Utah Landscapes Workshop is coming up next week and we are excited to be headed to Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon National Parks. We will be photographing starry landscapes at Capitol Reef. It is an International Dark Skies Area and one of the best places we know to photography the galactic core. The 2021 workshop is full but we have added another Utah Landscapes Workshop in 2023. Space is available. Learn more
Yellowstone in Spring Workshops
We have two Yellowstone Workshops coming up in May and look forward to photographing spring bears and baby bison. Both workshops are full and we have been hearing from participants on social media:
“I am counting down the weeks/days now….Yellowstone 2021.” Kim Turner
Botswana and Zimbawe Workshop in 2022
There are three spaces available for this high end photography safari that we are offering though the Wild Source from Nov 11-22, 2022. Bill Given, the owner of the Wild Source is a big cat biologist and lives in Golden, Colorado. We have worked closely with him to put together the best possible photography experience in the Chobe – Okavango Delta and the Hwange National Park. We round the trip out with a visit to Victoria Falls. Learn more
Easter Island Workshop
We are all looking forward to international travel opening up soon. Chile is one of the best countries in the world right now for its rate of vaccination. It has a higher percentage of its population vaccinated than we do in the United States. We have 2 spaces available on our Chile and Easter Island Workshop on January 14-22, 2022. Head down south with us to experience the tropical paradise of Easter Island and the colorful culture and landscapes of Chile. Learn more
Presentations for Camera Clubs….
Tom will be presenting on 15 Tips for Better Photography for the St. Louis Camera Club in Missouri on May 9. Thanks to Bonnie Freeland for coordinating this!
We always love hearing from you! creetbp@gmail.com or (970) 631-9383
We hope you are enjoying the cooler temperatures like we are in Fort Collins, Colorado! Tom and I have been busy teaching online workshops these last few weeks. As we move towards the holidays we wanted to let you know what is happening at Tom Bol Photo Workshops
Holiday Gift Guide
We always get questions about what to buy for photographers this time of year. To make it easy to answer all of your questions, we are offering a free online Holiday Gift Guide on Tuesday, November 24 at 5 pm SMT. Join us for a list of cool items to buy for photographers and we will save plenty of time for your questions as well. Tom just bought the newest Nikon Z6 II camera. I am sure he will have plenty to say about it online. To receive a Zoom invitation to the session, just leave a note in the comment section below.
New and Upcoming Online Classes
New Class: Power Workflow: Overwhelmed with your photography workflow? Want to learn how to get your images from the field to ready to use” as efficiently as possible? Join Tom and Cree for three ninety minute sessions of tips and techniques for maximizing your workflow efficiency. We will cover 1) Workflow Overview and Shooting Habits 2) Reviewing and Choosing Images and 3) Editing and Backup Strategies Nov 30, Dec 2, Dec 4 MWF from 5-6:30 pm Cost $249
New Class: Bird Photography: If you have traveled with us in the field before, you know that Tom and Cree have a life long fascination with birds. We have been photographing birds ever since we first picked up a camera. We want to share with you what we have learned through the years about photographing birds from the Arctic to the Antarctic and all points in between. Nov 30-Dec 4 from 10-11:30 am Cost $349
Cardinal in the Texas bird blinds at Laguna Seca
Advanced Landscapes: Ready to take your landscapes to the next level. This class targets advanced concepts that are not normally covered during our workshops. Learn to create emotion, meaning and purpose in your landscapes while also learning new technical skills like focus stacking and maximizing acuity in your images. January 11, 13 and 15, 2021 from 2-3:30 pm SMT Cost $249
PhotoShop 1: From Lightroom to PhotoShop: Learn the basics of PhotoShop for photographers in just 5 days. We will spend 1.5 days reviewing tools to remove objects. We also cover working with layers, layer masks and changing backgrounds. January 11-15 5-6:30 pm SMT Cost $329
PhotoShop 2: Applied Layers: Interested in moving beyond using simple tools in PhotoShop for your landscape and travel images? This class is the perfect progression from our ” PhotoShop for Landscape and Travel Part 1″ class. We will take your understanding of tools, layers and masking in PhotoShop and apply it to new ways to take on landscape and travel images. Think of this as an applied PhotoShop class. November 16-20 from 10-11:30 am SMT Cost $329
We were very pleased to be able to run three field based workshops in September and October. Unfortunately we had to cancel our November and December Workshops due to rising covid numbers. We are optimistic about our workshops in the begining of the next year. We will continue to monitor the news and make decisions on a trip by trip basis. We will continue to hold meetings on Zoom before trips to discuss our safety guidelines and recommendations before trips depart.
Click here to see our trip report for The RMNP Elk Rut Workshops
2023 Workshops
We have started getting inquiries about our 2023 schedule. It is wonderful to hear that people are eager to sign up so far in advance. We have already begun working on the schedule and hope to have it posted before the end of the year. Continue to check these newsletters for more information. If you are receiving this newsletter, then you are already on our most current mailing list. This means you will receive updates before anyone else. We appreciate you following us!
Camera Club Presentations
Camera Clubs across the country are busy looking for online content for their members. Tom recently spoke with Carl Volpe’s Camera Club in Southern California and will be speaking to Roberta Kanye’s club in Ohio in January. Send us an email if you are interested in having Tom present to your club. We can also set up an online class exclusively for your club.
We always love hearing from you! creetbp@gmail.com or (970) 631-9383
Tom and I have been busy taking photographs here in Colorado. It is the height of wildflower season and we have been getting up at 3:30 in the morning to drive to the high country for sunrise shooting. This morning we took the cover photo in Rocky Mountain National Park at Bear Lake – only 90 minutes from where we live.
Colorado Getaways
International travel is at a stand still right now and we have postponed many of this year’s foreign trips until 2021 and 2022. This has created a few opportunities for us to add new trips to our workshop schedule.
Since we live in such a stunning place, we thought we would offer workshops close to our home and call these “Colorado Getaways”. We want to provide a few, new short trips with less people so that it is easier to keep our distance while in the field. Our first is scheduled for September 20-23 in Rocky Mountain National Park and will only have 6 participants. We will be there in time for the peak of the elk rut and fall landscapes. Our first session filled in a day, so we added a second with space still available. Here is a link to the web page – Click here
We will offer other Colorado Getaways in the fall where the focus will be landscape and night skies – capturing the Milky Way in beautiful places. We also plan to add a wildflower workshop in Colorado’s high country. After teaching 5 sessions of macro photography online, we think this will be a popular workshop!
Alpine sunflowers in Rocky Mountain National Park
Online Classes
These have been a real success for us in the last 3 months. Our class participants say they are happy to be learning new editing techniques and trying new things with their cameras. It is not too late to get involved. We have six different online classes that we teach via Zoom now. The next set of classes starts on Monday, July 20. Our goal is to teach topics that we usually don’t have the time for on our workshops. Click on the title of the class to learn more:
All About Lightroom Classic: Most of our workshop participants use Lightroom for editing. Now is the perfect time to learn about new features like range masks, work on your file organization and even jump in as a beginner. July 20-24 M-F Cost $329
Creative Camera Craft: Feeling like your creativity is in a rut? Each day in this class we offer different topics to get you trying new things with your photography. Have you ever composed an image using the Fibonacci spiral? Can you use multiple exposure to tell a story? Learn 10 different ways to add dimension to your photos and how to create powerful black and white images. July 20-31 MWF Cost $329
From Lightroom to PhotoShop: Learn the basics of PhotoShop for photographers in just 5 days. We will spend 1.5 days reviewing tools to remove objects. We also cover working with layers, layer masks and changing backgrounds. July 20-24 M-F Cost $329
Our first field-based workshop since February is just around the corner. At the end of August, Tom will lead our popular Brown Bear Safari (if all goes as planned)! This workshop is designed for 4 participants so it is an ideal choice for safe distancing. We are both looking forward to teaching in person again. This workshop is SOLD OUT.
Our Badlands Workshop was postponed until September 9-13, 2020 and is scheduled to go as planned. There is only one space available – Read more
Other trips this fall include Old Car City (one space left – Read more), Route 66 West (SOLD OUT) and Bosque del Apache (SOLD OUT)
Finally we want you all to know how much we appreciate you. Your patience with workshop postponements and your willingness to try our online classes has been tremendous. We feel very lucky to have your support!
If you are signed up for a workshop and have any questions about it’s status, please get in touch…..we always enjoy hearing from you: creetbp@gmail.com or (907) 631-9383
We are looking forward to getting back into the field this summer with workshops coming soon. In the meantime, we hope you will consider joining us for our upcoming online classes (links below). This is the perfect time to learn new editing skills in Lightroom or PhotoShop, improve your camera craft or learn how to take captivating macro photos.
Here is what people are saying about their experience in our classes:
I just wanted to drop you a note to say how much I enjoyed your macro workshop. I learned a lot from a technical point of view — from camera settings to how to set up a shot (even the dreaded focus stacking!). But principally, I really enjoyed your personalities: you have a winning team between the two of you that is very engaging to your audiences (even remotely): I felt like I was working and playing with friends, rather than with some daunted instructors.
Michele Egan
“Time and money incredibly well spent. Your insights into technique, composition, processing, details, and even marketing choices are incredibly helpful and apply to all aspects of the photographic process. All the while, you’re also planting ideas about exciting new ways to apply these techniques and knowledge as starting points for raising the level and quality of my future photography shoots.
Stuart Litoff
Upcoming Classes – New Shooting Techniques
Creative Camera Craft – June 22-July 3
Are you in a creative rut? Learn new, creative ideas about how to take photos and use the modern features in your camera. Click here to read more
Macro Photography – June 22-July 3
Do you have a macro lens and barely use it? Learn to take compelling photos of water droplets, flowers, bubbles and more. Click here
Coming in August – Speed Light Crash Course
Upcoming Classes – New Editing Techniques
Lightroom Basics – July 20-24
Is your photo collection in disarray? Learn how to organize and edit your photos in this ground up introduction to Lightroom Classic. Click here to read more
From Lightroom to PhotoShop – July 20-24
Are you a Lightroom user but want to learn some key features in PhotoShop? Learn how to remove objects, edit in layers and create masks. Click here to read more
PhotoShop for Landscapes and Travel – July 27-31
Ready to use your knowledge of PhotoShop layers, masks and tools to take your landscape and travel images to the next level. We recommend this as a follow up to our Lightroom to PhotoShop class. Click here to read more
Like many of you, Tom and I are spending plenty of time at home right now. We are focused on learning new shooting and editing techniques and have heard that many of you are as well. We want to encourage you all to share your results, so we can stay in touch with you. Read on…..
I just purchased a Fotodiox Studio in a box and have been using it inside to photograph macros as Colorado decides whether it is Winter or Spring! I took the photograph of the tulip above on my second day of practicing with the box. Lani Dillon just told me she ordered one too. I cannot wait to see what she creates when it arrives. Here is what the studio looks like in action:
I have also been seeing some great focus stacked florals from Lee Brissy and Dennis Garrood!
Have you tried something new in the last few months?
We encourage everyone of you to take out your cameras and stay creative! We also want to see your results. We have received very positive feedback on our monthly Photo of the Month post. We want to continue this feature even without workshops in the field. That is where you come in! For the April Photo of the Month, we would like to choose an image created by one of our workshop clients who is trying something new.
How do I show my results?
I have created a Facebook Group for those who use Facebook and would like to share/submit their images. Click on the red link here to join the Facebook group. Even if you do not have a photo to share, we encourage you to join and post positive comments on others’ photos. Community support goes a long way with so many of us working in near isolation!
If you are not a Facebook member, please send your photos directly to me at creetbp@gmail.com
Anything else?
Post anything that you created that is new to you: new editing, new technique, new concept. Add a few words about what you tried. We will choose one of these to be featured as the April Photo of the Month for Tom Bol Photo Workshops.
Please post images that are 72 dpi.
We will select our Photo of the Month on April 30.
Anyone who has been on one of our workshops or is signed up to attend one can submit
Add as many photos as you would like!
If you have behind the scenes photos, please add those too (see sample)
Thanks for participating!
Here are some previous Photo of the Month posts if you missed them:
Like many of you, Tom and I are spending plenty of time at home right now. We wanted to share some great photography resources with you. We also wanted to update you about how the coronavirus restrictions have been effecting our workshops. Thanks for clicking on our link and following us.
Resources
Tom’s Blog – Tom is blogging daily now on photography topics like: Workflow, Focus Stacking for Landscapes, Sharing Photos Online with Lightroom. Tom’s mailing list for his blog is separate from our workshop news blog.
Both Scott Kelby and Matt Koslowski are offering free webinars on photography topics. Tom and I have recommended their courses on Lightroom and PhotoShop editing for years. Kelby One is offering free access to some of their most watched classes at this time. I have been watching Matt’s Photo Makeover videos in his series called Stuck Inside and am amazed at his before and after images. He also has a blog on how to use Adobe Spark for photo bags – this is what we use for our TBPW Trip Reports
One of Tom’s favorite Adobe instructors is Julieanne Kost. She calls herself a Digital Evangelist for Adobe. She is offering a free course on workflow in Lightroom and PhotoShop for the next 24 hours on her blog.
Both Tom and I have been using all the spring flowers in our yard to work on macro photography and focus stacking. The day lily image above was made in our backyard with 30 layers. I just bought a new “Macro studio in a box” from B&H and am looking forward to it arriving. I will be posting inside macro images soon on social media.
Tom has set us a backyard bird studio. After returning from our Texas Birds Workshops, we wanted to try our hand at perches in our own backyard. He is working on an article for Lightroom Magazine on that right now.
Adobe Creative Live has made all of their articles and videos free to the public. I have been watching videos on Lightroom techniques and learning how to use programs like Adobe Portfolio. Perfect time to set up your own website with images from your trips!
Death Valley NP, California
Nome, Alaska.
Workshop Updates
We have postponed our March and April Workshops to dates in late 2020 thru 2022. We are very thankful that participants have been willing to postpone their plans for a later date.
May Workshops: Both our Yellowstone and Badlands Workshops are scheduled for this coming May. The National Park Service has decided to consider closures for their parks on a case by case basis. Yellowstone is currently closed and Badlands is currently open. We are watching the news carefully and plan to make decisions about whether to offer each workshop or to postpone within a month of the start date of each trip. We will let all of our participants on these trips know as soon as a decision is made.
Future Workshops: We are carefully following the news and will continue to do so as travel restrictions, and new developments occur. We are eager to begin offering workshops again when restrictions are lifted and it is safe to travel. In the meantime we have been working on our 2021 and 2022 schedules. We have added several new workshops to national parks including Acadia, Death Valley and Utah Landscapes.
We know many of you are at home, watchings the news and waiting to hear when the world will get back to normal. We are staying active here at Tom Bol Photo Workshops. We have postponed a few workshops and are busy posting new workshops for 2022. Here are a few things we thought you would want to know about:
2022 Workshops
Death Valley National Park: We just added this landscape workshop in the “Land of Extremes”. February is the perfect time to photograph at night, sunset is early and there is almost no light in such a remote area. Daily high temperatures are in the mid 70s.
Nome: Arctic Birds and Musk Ox: This small group workshop is designed for the adventurous photographer that loves remote Alaska. Join us for the height of spring bird season on the Bering Strait. Have you ever seen a wild musk ox?
Norway – Lofoten Islands: This workshop is perfect for landscape photography. We have timed the trip in September for fall color and the possibility of seeing northern lights if the skies are clear. Just 3 spaces are left.
Texas Birds in Spring: Our February trips were so successful that we have added a new season for 2022. We time this trip for late April and early May to have a chance to photograph Painting Buntings – one of the most colorful birds in North America. There are 4 types of orioles near the blinds this time of year. There are 4 spaces left.
Death Valley NP, California
Nome, Alaska.
Postponed Workshops
So far we have not had to completely cancel any of our workshops, instead we are postponing them for future dates. Thanks to all of you who have stuck with us! We have had a few spaces open up on these new dates and would love to have you join us if interested.
Costa Rica December 2020: Join us for this tropical get away to de-stress before the holidays, December 8-15, 2020. The Costa Rican rainforest is drier and has plenty of sunshine in December. We will be at the Crocodile Bay Resort – the perfect place to bring your non-photograph spouse, friend or family member,
Spain 2022: We will be heading to the Andalusia region of Southern Spain to visit the birthplace of flamenco. This workshop is hosted by Strabo Tours and has a few openings available for these new dates: May 12-26, 2022
If you would like more information we are happy to chat at creetbp@gmail.com or (907) 631-9383 Stay well!
Anakena Beach the most famous beach at Easter Island and maybe the best one in Chile. With it palm trees coming from Polynesia islands and the Ahu Nau Nau Moais is an impressive be
We appreciate you signing up for our mailing list. Our goal is to let our mailing list know first about our new trips. We have just started adding workshops for 2022 and also have a new one for 2021. Here is more information:
2022 Workshops
Norway – Lofoten Islands: this workshop is perfect for landscape photography. We have timed the trip in September for fall color and the possibility of seeing northern lights if the skies are clear.
Texas Birds in Spring: we are just getting back from our February trip to Texas and had a great trip – the trip report will be out soon. In 2022 we will time our trip for late April and early May to have a chance to photograph Painting Buntings – one of the most colorful birds in North America. The first session is already full and the second session is filling fast
Costa Rica in 2022: we are now taking sign ups for our 2022 Costa Rica Workshop…..scarlet macaws, monkeys and macro sessions with dart frogs. This is the perfect follow up trip for participants who just finished the Texas Birds Workshop.
2021 Workshops
Utah Landscapes: Looking for a workshop a little closer to home? Head to Utah with us to photograph the beautiful red rock spires at Bryce National Park. We will also take advantage of the clear dark night skies at Capitol Reef National Park for night photography.
