Tom and Cree just returned from their Tetons Photo Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Nine photographers joined us in Grand Teton National Park to photograph rugged, snow capped peaks and surrounding fields of flowers. Highlights of the workshop were photographing a mother moose and her calf and going to the Jackson Rodeo.
To see photos from our Tetons PhotoWorkshop, check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are traveling to Lake Clark National Park to photograph lBrown Bears in Alaska. This continues to be one of our most popular workshops. We hope to find spring cubs this year and watch a rematch of ping pong between Tom and David the lodge owner!
Our new workshop Alaska Kenai Explorer has space available! July 7-12, 2026 Calving glaciers, whales, snow capped mountains, eagles and more. Read details
Our Iditarod Workshop for 2026 is starting to fill up. Photograph Northern Lights and the Last Great Race during the best month for winter photography in Alaska. Read more
Tom and I celebrate great photos from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For May we chose an image from our Monument Valley Workshop. The image was taken by Joan Carroll in Mystery Valley. Joan is a wildlife and landscape photographer from Fort Worth. You can see her work featured on Fine Art America.
Congratulations to May 2025 ‘s featured photographer – Joan Carroll
Joan photographing texture in the sand dunes at the Totem
The Story…
That was one place where everyone was all gathered. You pointed it out to us and said it was perfect for forced perspective.
A forced perspective landscape was something I had not done before or even knew about doing. I moved around to get what I thought was the best composition. When I started to develop it, I cropped off part of the bottom. In the Image Review someone else showed a similar photo with the bottom included. I was glad I had cropped mine.
True confessions: I eliminated a tree up on the right side to the right of the green tree. It was a dead tree. It was nice to have the green tree in the composition, but I did not want to have a dead tree in the scene. I used generative fill to remove it.
During the editing process, I had been working on some other photos and I was becoming overwhelmed with the color of the rocks. I decided to try black and white for this photo. I liked the effect right away. I used the Adobe Camera Raw profiles and chose the one with the most contrast. I wanted the edges of the ripples to stand out.
May 2025 Photo of the Month by Joan Carroll
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon Z9
Lens: 14-24 mm Nikkor at 15mm
Aperture: f6.3
Shutter: 1/800
ISO: 400
Aperture Priority
About Photographing in Monument Valley
We can’t talk about Monument Valley without talking about the ride up to Hunt’s Mesa. Despite my back issues and the cushion I brought along….I just love that kind of ride up a very rough road. I thought it was great.
I wouldn’t love it so much if I didn’t trust the driver so much. They have driven the road so many times. I assume they know what they are doing. They know how to get up the rocks, when to speed up, when to slow down. It was fun. I liked it.
I enjoyed Carl Phillips. I enjoyed his willingness to share his culture with us without having to be probed. He had great stories to share with us and added a lot of detail. I found the people that we dealt with in the hotel, in the stores, in the restaurant to be very friendly and hospitable. Much more so then what we see in other places in the United States. I found the hospitality to be quite nice.
The land is just spectacular. You cannot really say too much about how beautiful it is. The sunrise shots, the star shots, they were just spectacular.
It was great to get into Honeymoon Cave and see the ruin. It was cooler there and breezy. It was a very peaceful place. When we went up into the cave I had to carry my entire backpack with me. The (Moki) steps going up into the cave where spaced perfectly. After the first 4 steps it was easy.
We did so much on this workshop that I keep forgetting everything that we did.
Anasazi Ruin in Honeymoon Cave
Joan’ s Tips for Landscape Photographyin Monument Valley
Tip 1
Stand next to Tom or Cree and see what they are photographing. Sometimes we need a little guidance.
Tip 2
Sometimes when I go places I don’t spend enough time looking for alternatives. I take a photograph and just stay there and photograph it over and over. This time I wanted to walk around and look for nearby places. At one point I found a curving pattern of white on a wall in in Mystery Valley. I was glad I had walked around to find it.
The Totem at sunrise
Tip 3
I hear people talking about not starting to photograph right away but to look at the scene and get a feel for what it is all about and how to approach it. Sometimes we get anxious and just run out and start shooting. I wanted to try this in Monument Valley.
Tip 4
Get the postcard shot but then look for other ways to photograph the landscape. Different angles, shoot with a filter. You can always do better. I need to consciously remind myself to do that.
On Joan’s Horizon:
Grand Teton National Park
Iceland in the summer
Greenland
Greece
Antarctica and South Georgia
Workshop Openings:
Join us in Monument Valley in 2027 Aug 30-Sept 3: Space Available More details
We have two last minute openings for our popular Ouray Fall Color Workshop Sept 28-Oct 2, 2025. Photograph dazzling yellow aspen leaves in the Colorado High Country. Read more
Tom and Cree just returned from their Monument Valley Photo Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Ten photographers joined us in heart of the Navajo Nation to photograph sweeping desert vistas with colorful buttes and spires. Highlights of the workshop were photographing from Hunt’s Mesa and exploring Mystery Valley.
To see photos from our Monument Valley PhotoWorkshop, check out the trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are traveling to Grand Teton National Park to photograph landscapes, wildlife and the Jackson Rodeo. They will finish the month of June with their very popular Lake Clark Bears Workshop.
Tom and Cree just returned from their Louisiana Bayous Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Eight photographers joined us in heart of Cajun Country to photograph moody Bald Cypress, alligators and a variety of wading birds. Highlights of the workshop were photographing in fog and seeing so much wildlife.
To see photos from our Louisiana BayousWorkshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are Ohio with a small group of photographers photographing the spring Warbler Migration. They will finish the month with a landscape workshop in Monument Valley.
Any upcoming openings?
Just Added: Alaska Kenai Explorer July7-12, 2026 Calving glaciers, whales, snow capped mountains, eagles and more. Read details
Also in Alaska: Travel to Alaska next March and photograph the Last Great Race – the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Photographers will learn to mush a sled, photograph dogs in action and wait for aurora to light up the sky at night. A true Alaska Adventure. Read More
Tom and Cree just returned from their Texas Birds in Spring Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Two sessions of photographers joined us in the tip of Texas to photograph vibrant songbirds from photo blinds. Highlights of the workshop were photographing the Painted Bunting and Greater Roadrunner.
To see photos from our Texas Birds in Spring Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are in Lafayette, Louisiana this week with a group of photographers. They will finish their streak of bird photography workshops with a stop in Ohio for Spring Warblers.
Any upcoming openings?
We have 2 spaces available on our Texas Birds in Spring Workshop next year May 11-16, 2026. This workshop requires minimal walking and is the perfect way to become a better bird photographer.
Ouray Fall Colors : September 28-August 2, 2025 2 Spaces Available. The best of Colorado’s aspen forests just in time for brilliant yellow foliage.
Tom and I celebrate great photos from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For April we chose an image taken on our Texas Birds Workshop. The image was taken by Ed Miron at the Laguna Seca Ranch in Texas. Ed is a wildlife and landscape photographer from Fort Collins, Colorado.
Congratulations to April 2025 ‘s featured photographer – Ed Miron
Ed in the bird blinds at Laguna Seca Ranch
The Story…
Well, the story was you told us we might see a Scissor tailed Flycatcher. I looked on the map and saw the very limited range where you could see these things. So I knew it was pretty special.
I was concentrating on photographing a cardinal that was out to the left. Cree pointed out a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on the right. It was just on a branch as I recall. I just wasn’t quick enough and then it flew away. But then it, it did a loop and came back and I had a second chance. And this time I was more prepared and I got the shot.
Prepared for me was changing the camera to pro capture mode. I also had to switch on the tele-converter. I increased the shutter speed to 1/4000th of a second. Someone who’s very skilled could do it very quickly but it probably took me a little longer.
The flycatcher looped around and came back a third time and that’s when I really nailed the shot. So I had a wonderful lens and I had a very cooperative flycatcher.
When I got the camera, I saw a YouTube video on the Pro-capture feature and it was interesting. I played with it just a little with our bird feeder like a year ago in our yard at home. After that, I never had a reason to use it. I knew before this trip I would use it. And I revisited and I saw that the Olympus has three different Pro captures, a dizzying array of settings. And then at the Texas Birds Workshop it was pro capture Boot Camp.
We spent half a day devoted to capturing birds in flight. I was so fortunate that the flycatcher came in the day after we had so much practice with Pro-capture. I felt like I was up to speed.
Pro-capture is a game changer for birds in flight.
April 2025 Photo of the Month by Ed Miron
EXIF Data:
Camera: OM System 1 Mark ii
Lens: 180-300mm with 1.2 built in teleconverter
Aperture: f5.6
Shutter: 1/4000
ISO: 4000
Manual Priority with Auto ISO
About Photographing from the Bird Blinds in Texas
The bird blinds were just unbelievable. I mean, the birds come to you and they come in a flurry. And it’s so well thought out. The placement of the bird blinds. The fact that you have some blinds just for morning use because the sun’s behind you. Then other bird blinds you just go to in the afternoon. The blinds are really thought out with photographers in mind.
I loved the fact that they have this wide area of a hundred yards of a cleared field behind the perches. You could get great bokeh. I think it took more skill designing the bird blinds and setting them up then to take good photos in them . I mean in a way, it’s a little bit like cheating because it just seems too easy.
Before the workshop I spent a morning photographing a Marsh Wren in Fort Collins. They’re hard to photograph. They like to stay hidden in bushes . They’re very skittish when they come out. It took a lot of time and I got one great photo. In the bird blinds you really get a lot of good photos quickly.
So I think a birder would be in heaven there. Somebody who’s not a birder would also really like the trip because they would get a lot of fantastic photos of birds that would emotionally resonate with anybody, even if you know nothing about birds.
I walked away knowing a lot more about birds.
Green Jay on a perch with Blue Plumbago
Ed’ s Tips for Photographing Birds
Tip 1
You really want to have the best longest lens you can get, even if you have to rent a lens. It was much more important to have a longer lens for birds then it was for bears.
Tip 2
Patience. Sometimes the blinds were insanely busy and some times they were slower. You don’t control the birds so flexibility and patience is important.
Northern Cardinal courtship behavior
Tip 3
Having a knowledgeable birder with you will help you get better photographs. Having you and Tom call out the names of birds when they entered the area kept us alert. We learned what behavior to look for like the mockingbirds attacking the raptors. And then, the cardinal behavior between the male and female giving it food. Also the puffing up of the Bronzed Cowbird.
Tip 4
When you are in a bird bling you are alert, you’re in the moment. You have to pay attention. It is exciting. You may just have seconds. Your adrenaline is really up. It is incredibly fun!
On Ed’s Horizon:
Ohio Warblers
Greenland
Nome, Alaska
Lofoten Islands in Norway
Where are Tom and Cree? We will be traveling to several locations for workshops in May: Louisiana, Ohio and Monument Valley. We will do our best to return your messages as soon as possible!
Workshop Openings?
Join us for the 2026 Iditarod! We have space available. Photograph the Last Great Race and fly into the remote Iditarod Checkpoint of Rainy Pass. We’ll photograph aurora at night if it is out! Read more
We have two last minute openings for our popular Ouray Fall Color Workshop Sept 28-Oct 2, 2025. Photograph dazzling yellow aspen leaves in the Colorado High Country. Read more
Tom and Cree just returned from their Tucson & Saguaro National Park Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Ten photographers joined them in the Sonoran Desert to photograph landscapes, cactus, birds and blossoms. Highlights of the workshop were photographing backlit cactus at dawn and seeing so many desert birds at our blind.
To see photos from our Tucson & Saguaro National Park Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are off to Texas next week for their Texas Birds in Spring Workshop. They will be joining 8 photographers to photograph rare south Texas birds like Green Jays, Pyrhuloxia and Bobwhite Quail.
Any upcoming openings?
Just one space left on our Louisiana Bayous Workshop May 7-11, 2025. Explore the cypress swamps by boat looking for herons, egrets, spoonbills and alligators. Photograph nesting Great Egrets chicks at a private rookery. This trip is already full in 2026.
Ouray Fall Colors : September 28-August 2, 2025 1 Space Available. The best of Colorado’s aspen forests just in time for brilliant yellow foliage.
Tom and Cree just returned from their Costa Rica Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Ten photographers joined them in the rainforest of Southern Costa Rica to photograph spectacular mammals, birds and reptiles. Highlights of the workshop were photographing the Fiery-billed Aracari and seeing a Northern Tamadua Anteater.
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are off to Tucson next week for their Tucson and Saguaro National Park Workshop. They will be joining 10 photographers to photograph the Sonoran Desert and it’s magnificent backlit cacti at sunset.
Any upcoming openings?
Just one space left on our Louisiana Bayous Workshop May 7-11, 2025. Explore the cypress swamps by boat looking for herons, egrets, spoonbills and alligators. Photograph nesting Great Egrets chicks at a private rookery. This trip is already full in 2026.
Ouray Fall Colors : September 28-August 2, 2025 1 Space Available. The best of Colorado’s aspen forests just in time for brilliant yellow foliage.
Tom and I celebrate great images from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For March we chose an image taken on our Iditarod and Northern Lights Workshop. The image was taken by Nancy Lehrer on the frozen Chena River at the Fairbanks start to the Iditarod. Nancy is a California street photographer who uses creative inspiration when she tries new genres.
Congratulations to March 2025 ‘s featured photographer – Nancy Lehrer
Nancy on the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska
The Story…
I looked at my pictures from the ceremonial start two days before and they were lousy. I said, “I have some practicing to do.” In many of the photos the whole bottom part was just snow. The focal patterns weren’t working. It was good practice for the next session.
The first few mushers that came through hadn’t decided where to pass us on the river. We kept running back and forth, from one side of the river to the other. It was just like the 50 yard dash. This was good for me. I had to think about where I wanted to be every time I changed positions.
With each musher going through I got more dialed into figuring it all out. I set up a button for “start tracking” on my Sony and it was finally working for me. By the time Dane Baker came through I was getting more comfortable with the settings. I knew it was Dane Baker because of his big red beard. Cree had told me on the first day to study the line up and learn who was who.
Dane had a great big dog in the front. Most of the dogs came through with their ears back and this dog had it’s ears straight up. That’s the way photography is. If you are working at something, all of the sudden just the right sequence will happen. The dog had the right coloring, his ears were up and he was out in front.
It was the perfect day for this kind of photography. There was never too much direct sun like in Southern California. The sun came out and then clouds would move through and cover everything up. We did not have to deal with high contrast.
We were belly down in the snow. This made it easy to hold a 100-400mm lens. I don’t often shoot with big lenses. We were right next to the tracks from the dog sleds. It wasn’t an outrageously cold day. You could not have asked for a better set -up for first time Iditarod shooter. It felt like we had the place all to ourselves.
March 2025 Photo of the Month by Nancy Lehrer
EXIF Data:
Camera: Sony A7R5
Lens: 100-400 mm
Aperture: f5.6
Shutter: 1/4000
ISO: 1600
Aperture Priority
About Photographing in Alaska in Winter
First of all, it could have been a whole lot colder. If you aren’t from a cold climate, you have to guess what kind of clothing, gloves and shoes will work. The cameras seemed to be just fine in the cold. There used to be a day when cold was an issue for cameras but it is not anymore.
I had been to Northern Japan in the winter the year before. I knew that most of my gear would keep me warm. That was comforting. We were fine. The biggest challenge is trying to move with all the clothing on. You feel less agile.
You have to compensate for the fact that everything is white around you. I ended up using positive exposure compensation on overcast days.
You can’t step off the trail two steps to your right or you will go from hard packed snow to waist deep in the snow. The zoom lens got a little more use for me because of this.
Ice Checkers at the Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks
Nancy s Tips for Photographing the iditarod
Tip 1
I asked myself, “How do I document this activity, that is so unusual”. Most people never see a dog sled race. That was one of the things that was so unique about going to Ruby. We were the only people there who were not locals or involved in setting up the race.
I was surprised about how open the mushers were to us being around them and the dogs even during the race. At first I was afraid to get close and used my zoom lens. I started getting closer and nobody told me to get back. That was surprising to me. They were in the thick of the race but chill about it.
It is a lot like street photography. Be where you want to position yourself. If they are accepting of it, keep doing what you are doing and assume it is going to be okay.
Tip 2
The Mushers’ Gala was the funnest thing I did on the whole trip. I heard from Cree that there would be a Meet & Greet. I thought that it sounded boring so wanted to make it more fun. I wanted them to sign something more personal than an autographed poster. I decided to buy an Instax Camera and have them sign their portraits. It was fun for me. I got a lot of great feedback from the musher when they saw their pictures. They all got a kick out of it.
I am going to make a book out of my photos. The Instax photos will be a big part of it. It is hard to recognize the mushers on the sled aside from things like brainds for Anna Berrington or Dane’s red beard. The Instax photos show them having fun and has details of their faces. They all have big smiles in their portraits.
Nancy’s Photos of Rookie of the Year contenders
Tip 3
Don’t be afraid if you don’t know anything about dogs. I think it helped me experience what was going on around me. I didn’t have pre-conceived notions of how dogs behaved. I didn’t try to pet them. I just noticed what they were doing.
On Nancy’s Horizon:
Japan – Cherry Blossoms
Eastern Europe: Ukraine, Latvia, Poland
China & Russia
What’s coming up?
Where are Tom and Cree? We are at home in Palmer, Alaska after a week full of colorful birds and wildlife in Costa Rica. Next they will be heading to the cactus forests of Tucson, Arizona and then on to South Texas for bird photography.
Workshop Openings?
Join us for the 2026 Iditarod! We have space available. Photograph the Last Great Race and fly into the remote Iditarod Checkpoint of Rainy Pass. Read more
We have one last minute opening for our popular Louisiana Bayous Workshop May 7-11, 2025. Cruise through the cypress swamp on a flat bottom boat photographing beautiful swamp scenes. Photograph Great Egret chicks at a private photo session at a remote rookery. Read more
Tom and Cree just returned from their Iditarod and Northern Lights Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Twelve photographers joined them in Alaska to photograph spectacular aurora and the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Highlights of the workshop were photographing a solar substorm aurora display and getting so much access to the iditarod mushers.
To see photos from our Iditarod and Northern Lights Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are off to Costa Rica next week for their Costa Rica Rainforest Workshop. They will be joining 12 photographers to look for sloths, monkeys, macaws, anteaters and lush tropical foliage at Crocodile Bay on the Osa Penninsula.
Image Celebration: Winter Images – Please join us for our next Happy Hour Image Celebration. This is your chance to show 3 of your recent images from this winter. March 19 at 6 pm MDT Denver. Click here to request the Zoom link. Feel free to invite all your friends and fellow photographers as well!
Any upcoming openings?
Two spaces opened on our: Louisiana Bayous Workshop May 7-11, 2025. Explore the cypress swamps by boat looking for herons, egrets and spoonbills. Visit a rookery and photograph nesting Great Egrets chicks
Ouray Fall Colors : September 28-August 2, 2025 4 Spaces Available. the best of Colorado’s aspen forests just in time for brilliant yellow foliage.
