Tom and Cree just returned from their Baja Whale Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. Nine photographers joined them on the Sea of Cortez and San Ignacio Lagoon to photograph Blue Whales, Gray Whales, Humpback Whales, dolphin and plenty of seabirds. The experience of touching a wild whale and being so close to them was a highlight of the workshop.
To see photos from our Baja Whale Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s Next: Cree and Tom are headed off to photograph the Iditarod Sled Dog Race and to look for Northern Lights in Fairbanks, Alaska. Our group will be flying into Ruby, Alaska this year to see the race in progress.
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!
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 January we chose an image taken on our Bosque and White Sands Workshop. The image was taken by Ellie Burns-Brookens while photographing the “Blast Off” at Bosque Del Apache NWR. Ellie is a landscape photographer from Oregon who is quickly becoming a wildlife photographer as well.
Congratulations to January 2025 ‘s featured photographer – Ellie Burns-Brookens
Ellie in White Sands National Park
The Story…
I don’t shoot birds very well. We had a practice session where we were just learning about our equipment. I knew I needed help getting the right settings. Steve Glass helped me get the right Canon settings. Tom did a presentation that showed us what we were looking for with birds in flight. Tom’s hints included light coming through feathers, groups of birds and specific behavious. That helped me understand the goals.
I knew that I needed to just see those situations and shoot. With landscape photography I take my time and try different compositions. The pace is much faster with wildlife photography.
We shot for quite a while that morning. I started by taking close up photos of Snow Geese. I tried to capture bird behaviour and then started working on birds that were taking off and landing.
Tom often starts yelling random things. He said “Try to get them flying through the sun”. This made no sense to me in the beginning. I was wondering “What exposure should I use?” “How do i do this?” Then I just started looking for groups of geese flying through the sun. I kept tracking them and pushing the shutter.
January 2025 Photo of the Month by Ellie Burns-Brookens
In this photo, I loved the silhouettes, especially the one with the tattered wing. In order for me to be successful with this king of shooting, I needed a combination of knowing when to start shooting and knowing what to looking for. Normally, I would never have shot into the sun without Tom’s hint. A tiny bit of skill, Some luck. And the right suggestion at the right time.
Now I am in Hawaii shooting albatross in flight….very hard! I feel like I know what I am looking for. The camera is behaving. I feel like I have learned a lot. It will be a long time before I feel like I am really good at it.
I am using Photo Mechanic now to go through all my new bird images. This is the least edited photo I have ever done. It was all in the camera. I added a slight vignette and brought down the highlights.
Okay…..I guess you can shoot into the sun.
EXIF Data:
Camera: Canon R6
Lens: Canon RF 100-500 at 500mm
Aperture: f7.1
Shutter: 1/1250
ISO: 100
Mode: Manual, Auto ISO
Sunset with Sandhill Cranes at Bernardo Refuge
About Photographing in Bosque
I learned a lot more about wildlife photography. The last time I shot birds was in Patagonia and they were condors with 9 ft wing spans.
The colors in Bosque are stunning in the sky. You have beautiful light for the background to the wildlife.
We knew the geese and cranes would be coming to certain areas for roosting at night and take off in the morning. The ponds are managed for that. The wildlife is so abundant that you get a chance to practice a lot. There are so many behaviors to see. Combine that with incredible skies and it is just magical.
I didn’t realize the Sandhill Cranes were so colorful. They are quirky birds that make weird gestures. They move their necks in funny ways. They are very different from other birds that I have photographed.
I love the feeling and the noise when all the cranes come in at once. You can hear them coming from a long way off. It is very exciting. I didn’t think bird photography would be so exciting.
About Photographing in New Mexico
I loved photographing in White Sands. It felt a lot like photographing in the Palouse. I practiced looking for shape and light. This was different for me as a landscape photographer. I was looking forward to that.
I did a workshop in the Palouse and for the first few days I could not see it. I could not see the shapes and lines. This came back to me when we were in White Sands. I was always looking for beautiful opportunities with layers and V shapes. Intersecting lines and curves. The intersecting layers reached all the way to the mountains and it was so pretty.
The other thing that was available was finding a single standout subject, like the yucca, to contrast to the sea of shapes and color. I tried to keep it very simplistic. I used my telephoto and made sure I had just a few layers in the foreground. I put the yucca on the right on purpose to balance out the hills on the left.
Landscape in White Sands National Park
Ellie’s Tips for Photographing in New Mexico
Tip 1
Go with Tom and Cree. They know the locations and the bird behavior. It is the perfect workshop to learn to shoot birds in flight. I could never have done it on my own. I knew what to look for and had plenty of time to practice in the field.
Tip 2
I was amazed at the colors. I love lenticular clouds. I have never seen a bright orange lenticular cloud like that before. In White Sands, the sand reflects the beautiful color of the clouds. I don’t know of any other place where the light is like the light in New Mexico.
Tip 3
These are great locations for trying new creative techniques. Sometimes you get stuck in a photography rut and want to be more creative. These are great places to try thinking differently. Shoot flying things flying through the sun. Shooting shapes and simplicity in the dunes. This workshop got me jazzed up again. I am inspired to try more new things.
Sandhill Crane Behaviour in Bosque NWR
On Ellie’s Horizon:
Iceland
Botswana – first time to Africa
Ireland and Scotland
Orkney and Shetland Islands
Ellie photographing the Blast Off in Bosque NWR
What’s coming up?
Happy Hour: All About Aurora – Join Tom and Cree for a free online presentation on photographing the Aurora. February 11 at 6 pm MST Denver time. Click here to ask for the link
Where are Tom and Cree? We are headed to Finland for a Northern Lights Workshop and then on to Baja to photograph whales with a group. Both temperature extremes on these two workshops
Workshop Openings? Interested in photographing whales and iceburgs in Greenland? One space just opened in August. We also have openings for Costa Rica and Spring Warblers in 2025.
Tom and Cree just returned from New Mexico from their Bosque and White Sands Photo Workshop and are sharing the highlights with you. They joined two groups of 10 photographers to photograph otherworldly landscapes flocks of waterfowl in flight. The stunning sunsets and ample opportunities to perfect “birds in flight” techniques were both favorites of the tour.
To see photos from our Bosque and White Sands Photo Workshop, check out our trip report by clicking here
What’s Next:
Cree and Tom will be celebrating the Holidays in Palmer, Alaska with their son Skyler. There will likely be some birding outings and hopefully some opportunities to photograph Northern Lights.
Image Celebration: Best of 2024 – You are all invited to this annual event! Join Tom and Cree online for a free celebration of everyone’s top 1 or 2 images from 2024. January 10 at 6 pm MST Denver. Send in your best one or two images for 2024 and be ready to share details. Contact us for the link. This will be recorded and available afterwards.
Any upcoming openings?
By popular demand we are offering two online PhotoShop classes from January 6-10. A few spaces open on each. Here are all the details
Two of our 2025 Workshops have openings.
Two spaces just became available for our popular Costa Rica Rainforest Workshop – March 22-29, 2025. This is also a wonderful option for non-photographer spouses or friends. Read More
Three spaces are available for our Spring Warblers Workshop May 13-20. This once only workshop is perfect for bird photographers in one of the best places for spring warblers in the US.
Warmest wishes for a wonderful holiday season with friends, family and loved ones!
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 I celebrate great images from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For October we chose an image taken on our Route 66 West Workshop. The image was taken by Scott Harrison while photographing at the Enchanted Trails RV Park outside of Albuquerque. Scott is an editorial photographer who enjoys photographing in color, Infrared and Black and White. He can be found on both Facebook and Instagram as harrysonpics.
Congratulations to October 2024 ‘s featured photographer – Scott Harrison
Scott in the Seaba Motorcycle Museum in Warwick, Oklahoma
The Story…
I just started photographing several scenes of vintage trailers. To make it look more like an Infrared image I decided to include trees. Trees turn white in Infrared photography. I even forget what color the car was in the original. Processing in infrared turned it to orange.
Processing is what really creates the color for infrared. I purchased a few profiles that I use in Lightroom for my infrared images. This allows me to select whichever channel color swap I want when processing. I created a YouTube video on Infrared Basics for the Thousand Oaks Camera Group and you can access it here
I started working with Infrared 3 years ago. Now I am on my second converted Infrared camera. I got started by using an Infrared filter on my iphone. I used it to photograph missions in California. I used an iphone tripod because the exposures are 30-60 seconds long.
October 2024 Photo of the Month by Scott Harrison
With the image of the trailer, I wanted to emphasize the color in the trees. I often shoot superwide with Infrared to include vegetation. To make infrared photos pop, I photograph the subject with trees surrounding it.
EXIF Data:
Camera: Canon EOS RP
Lens: Canon 16mm 2.8
Aperture: f6.3
Shutter: 1/400th
ISO: 160
Scott’s Tips for Photographing on Route 66
Tip 1
Quite often when you meet someone you only have time to take a few pictures. I followed Barb into the Meat Market in Erick, OK and I asked the owner if I could take a photo. I took two frames and he asked us to leave. I often use shutter priority when I shoot indoors
Route 66 portrait from Erick, Oklahoma
Tip 2
I want to tell a story with my images. My idea in the long run is to create a book. I mix in people, objects, close ups, mid-range, long-range, a bit of everything.
Tip 3
Use a variety of lenses. I carry two cameras to have more lenses available.
Tip 4
I hate using tripods. It seems too restricting.
Tip 5
Pick up a camera every day. Join your local camera club to learn. Join the competitions. It will improve your photography. Photography is a great hobby for retirees.
Painted Desert Inn in Petrified Forest National Park
About Photographing on Route 66
I love history and Americana. On Route 66 you are going to see all sorts of signs, vehicles, museums, interesting people. It gives you an understanding of how America developed.
My favorite parts are Arizona and New Mexico. Every town you go to has tourist attractions that are fun to photograph. You also see small towns that are suffering economically. Seligman in Arizona brings tourists in by the busload. But one block away there are houses that are 50 years old and abandoned areas. You see that all along Route 66.
My dad’s family lived in western Nebraska. Twice in the 1930’s they went to Los Angeles to look for work. I think they must have gone down through Denver to Albuquerque and then along Route 66 to LA. This was the dust bowl era. I have a personal family connection to Route 66.
Lily at the Route 66 Diner in Albuquerque
On Scott’s Horizon:
Tucson, Arizona
New England, especially Boston
Pinnacles National Park
Alaska Eagles or Bears
Scott in Winslow, Arizona
What’s up with Tom and Cree?
Tom and Cree will be traveling in Moab, Utah with a workshop group and then heading to Haines, Alaska to photograph eagles as a personal project. Leave us an email if you need anything and we will do our best to respond as soon as we can.
Interested in an upcoming workshop? Check out of Upcoming Openings page
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 I celebrate great images from workshop participants by selecting a Photo of the Month. For August we chose an image taken on our Katmai Bears Workshop. The image was taken by William Janssen while photographing brown bears in a remote part of Katmai National Park in Alaska. William is a wildlife photographer from Canada and has a strong fondness for bears.
Congratulations to July 2024 ‘s featured photographer – William Janssen
Photographer William Janssen
The Story…
We were all watching the mother with her cubs fishing. She lifted up her head and noticed something in the water. I knew she saw something. I anticipated that she was going to go after a fish. I was on Nikon 3D auto focus mode and decided to stay with that.
Photo of the Month – August 2024
As she brought up her left paw I made the decision to follow her with animal detect mode turned on. She went into a full trot right towards us in the stream. I took 30 images of her going after the salmon. She ended up catching it and I also got a few frames with the sockeye in her mouth ( image below).
Brown Bear with Sockeye Salmon
We all had slightly different angles. Annette caught the bear in full pounce. We were all shooting at 20 frames a second but have different final results.
I chose this image from the series because the tail fin of the sockeye really shows up. I also liked the splashing in the water and the catch light in her eye. I found that in the images where she is diving into the water the amount of splash dominated the scene. In this image there was just enough splash and the fish stands out.
EXIF Data:
Camera: Nikon Z9
Lens: Nikon Z series 100-400 mm with 1.4 teleconverter
Aperture: f8
Shutter: 1/4000 second
ISO: 1250
Mode: Manual with Auto ISO
In the image below I really wanted to capture a bear from a lower angle. I had the camera’s collar turned around and the live view screen puled out and turned on. I could look down at the screen and hold the lens about six inches from water level. I was sitting in the water right next to the dead salmon. I was shooting with the auto focus mode in animal detection mode. Fortunately the image was really level. You can see the blood on its mouth, where it had just finished eating a fish.
About Photographing in Katmai National Park
This was exhilarating to be so close to the bears. We were very deliberate about our approach. We observed them and saw which way they were traveling and then the guide decided where we would position and sit down. This method helped us be around the bears without impacting their behaviour.
Brooks Camp felt awfully commercial with boardwalks and viewing platforms. It seemed more like a tourist attraction. When we were in remote Katmai National Park all of that was gone. You land on a lake and walk a few kilometers to a bluff.
On the way we saw ptarmigan and bears lying on the tundra. As Tom says, “Katmai is the land of the happy bears”. They do not see the people as a threat because of the way that the groups approach them. I would not be on the trip if I didn’t feel it was safe.
This was a very bear oriented trip. Some of my other bear photography trips involved many other species like marine mammals, Bald Eagles, sealions, harbor seals. We focused just on brown bears.
It far exceeded any expectations I had.
William’s Tips for Bear Photography
Tip 1
I am used to being in close proximity to animals. Trust your workshop leaders. Try to pick up as many tips as possible and try new techniques. On this workshop, I switched to manual mode from always shooting in aperture priorty. I practiced at home with red fox kits. Using manual mode gave me better control of the ISO
Tip 2
Use your exposure compensation button even when shooting in manual with auto ISO. I started using it more on the second day of the workshop and it helps with correct water exposure and backlighting.
Tip 3
Try to stay calm. I get excited every time. Maintain focus. Check your settings and review images even if you are excited.
Tip 4
I ended up with over 15 thousand images because I shot at a frame rate of 20 frames per second for the whole trip. Don’t be afraid to fill your cards.
On William’s Horizon:
Khutzeymateen Grizzly Bear Sanctuary in Canada
Gray Wolves on Vancouver Island
Alaska Black Bears
Great Bear Rainforest Komode Bear
Katmai Brown Bears – Rafting
William at Lake Iliamna, Alaska
Want to join us in Katmai National Park for Bear Photography in 2026? We will be rafting to where the bears are. August 28-Sept 2, 2026 Read more
Ready to join us before then? We have space on one of our most popular stretches of Route 66. Use speed lights to illuminate classic cars, sleep in a WigWam and join us “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.”
Route 66: Albuquerque to Winslow, Arizona from Oct 23-27, 2024 Learn more
