Colorado Fall Colors Photography Workshop 2024
San Juan Mountains
with Bryan Maltais
Oct 3-6, 2024 Thurs to Sun Sign-upSign-up
What you need to know about this Fall Colors Photo Workshop…
This is a true photography workshop, not just a photo tour. I help each attendee understand camera settings and the art of composition. For experienced shooters, I aim to share advanced techniques. The productive itinerary is designed to capture the maximum number of jaw-dropping compositions in the San Juan Mountains during fall colors. While we’ll have rest and time to enjoy eclectic mountain eateries, this workshop emphasizes spending time in the field in lieu of long, mid-day breaks. Above all, I endeavor to cultivate fun, camaraderie and adventure. I’ve shot fall colors in the San Juan Mountains consistently for 20 years, and will get you to the right spots during the right light.
“This workshop was by far the best one I’ve attended. Bryan took us to amazing places! Even though I’m a pretty experienced photographer, he still was constantly checking in with me (and everyone) to make suggestions or check on my progress. He was flexible in changing plans to try and catch the best light. Definitely a five star experience.” -Ed. Fallston, MD”
What’s shooting Fall Colors in the Colorado San Juan Mountains like?
The Colorado San Juan Mountains harbor the greatest density of huge, gorgeous peaks in the lower 48. In fall, they’re painted with golden Aspen stands, punctuated with red patches of Gambel Oak. We’ll be near the rustic mountain towns of Telluride, Ridgway, Ouray and Silverton. Many ranges of the San Juans stretch from east to west, making them fun to photograph at both sunrise and sunset, and excellent material for wide panoramic images. Countless back roads lead to easily accessible, world-class scenes for the chance to leave this workshop with a boat load of portfolio shots. You’ll also be treated to western ranches with wooden fences framed by jagged peaks.
Techniques we may cover in this Fall Colors Photo Workshop:
I’m passionate about teaching as many techniques as possible depending on weather and opportunity.
Creating Motion Blur in Clouds and Water
Shooting Panoramic Composite Images
Composition: Leading Lines, Rule of Thirds etc…
Making Starbursts through Aspen Leaves
How to expose for Sunrise/Sunset
Milky Way Astrophotography
Exposure and Focus Bracketing
Settings to achieve tac sharp images whether hand-help or tripod-mounted
How to shoot Candid vs Grand Landscape Photos
When to use a Polarizer
Fall Colors Photo Workshop Information
This workshop typically includes these San Juan Mountain photo locations:
- Last Dollar Road
- Telluride
- The Grenadier Mountains
- The Silverton/Durango Railroad
- Owl Creek Pass
- Wilson Peak
- The Ridgway County Roads
- Mt. Sneffels
- The Dallas Divide
- Crystal Lake
- The Crooked Aspens
- More as time/weather permits…
Our days will generally follow the pattern below, but there’s no set itinerary as I’ll be continually adapting our schedule to incoming clouds and light. I’ll teach Lightroom/Photoshop techniques in the event of stifling weather.
Day 1 Meet at 3:30 pm, receive briefing, introductions, daily itinerary, then head out to shoot late afternoon and sunset.
Days 2-3 Leave as early as 5:30 am to shoot pre-dawn and then sunrise. Continue to shoot into mid-morning and then return for breakfast and a break. Head back out at noon until sunset and the Milky Way, weather permitting. We’ll be touring through areas around Ridgway, Ouray, Silverton and Telluride. Return by 8:30pm.
Day 4 Leave by 5:30 am to shoot sunrise and through mid-morning, then conclude the workshop.
Lightroom/Photoshop Session A free, 1-hour editing session is included post-workshop where each student can select a handful of images to edit with me on a Zoom call.
Workshop Cost:
- $2100 with lodging, including $100 discount if paid in full at registration
- $1600 no lodging, including $100 discount if paid in full at registration. There are 2 slots available for no lodging in this workshop.
- or pay $450 deposit, with remainder due at least 60 days prior to workshop
For Terms & Conditions and registration please click below:
We’ll be staying in a charming vacation home in Ouray, CO with 4 separate bedrooms and 3 full baths. This provides a substantial cost saving over local hotels, which are sold-out during fall colors with over-burdened customer service. There will be up to 6 attendees staying at the workshop house, with 2 additional attendees staying at a location of their choice.
6 to 8
This workshop is physically easy. It will be roadside photography with short walks from our vehicles. The main challenges to consider are waking early, being in the cold and being at high altitude (7,000-10,500 ft).
Workshop participants drive their own vehicles. Please be willing to carpool. A basic SUV/Pickup is required for rutted dirt roads and to traverse Last Dollar Road. You don’t need an extreme 4×4, but a sedan will not suffice. If you don’t have access to such a vehicle, I can assist in coordinating carpooling with those that do before the workshop.
Included
- Lodging
- Field and classroom instruction
- Guiding to best spots
- Post-workshop personal Lightroom/Photoshop session
Not Included
- Transportation/fuel
- Meals
Each airport varies by price, and rental vehicle availability.
- Montrose Regional Airport-40 to Ouray
- Grand Junction Regional Airport-1:40 with little to shoot along the way.
- Durango-La Plata County Airport-2:10 with much to shoot along the way.
- Denver International Airport-6 hours
Recommended Gear
There are no equipment requirements to attend this workshop. You can use a cell phone or point & shoot if you desire. The following gear will let you practice all the techniques offered in this workshop:
Interchangeable Lens Camera
Wide Angle Zoom Lens (e.g. 16-35mm or cropped sensor equivalent)
Medium Zoom Lens (e.g. 24-105mm or cropped sensor equivalent )
Sturdy Tripod and Ball Head
Polarizer Filter (example)
Neutral Density Filter Set-I recommend an 82mm set like this with step-up rings to adapt each of your lenses
Panoramic Leveling Head (example)
L-Bracket-Specific to your camera model (example), needed for vertical shots and panoramic composites
*You can rent any gear that you don’t have. It’s conveniently shipped to you, then you ship it back in supplied packaging. I recommend Borrow Lenses.
Macro Lens
Telephoto Zoom Lens (e.g. 100-400mm) for candid landscapes
Prime lenses from 16mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm and 70mm etc… can substitute for zoom lenses
Remote Shutter Release (example)
Laptop with Adobe Creative Cloud
In addition to what you would normally pack for a trip, these are special considerations for this workshop:
Food/Water: Though we’ll return to our base midday, or stop for lunch near our shooting location, you should bring enough food/water/snacks to last you the day. I’ll have precautionary water and snacks. Though we’ll be shooting in secluded locations, we’ll pass by service stations and be in proximity to towns.
Clothing: The San Juan Mountains in fall can either be mild or wintry so it’s best to pack for both. After all, we’re hoping for the first snow to paint the peaks white by workshop time. Plan for standing still before sunrise in below freezing temperatures. I recommend NO LESS THAN a puffy jacket, outer shell, insulated boots, thermal underwear, wool hat, gloves, and face gator/balaclava. While it may not be cold elsewhere in October, PLEASE DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE how cold it can get in the Mountains. Also prepare for large temperature swings up to the 70’s by afternoon!
Ready to sign up?
Questions? Contact Me
Workshop Testimonials
- Ed-Falston, MD
- Jason-Houston, TX
- Stacey-Fort Collins, CO
- David-Ashburton, NZ
- Michael-Morgan Hill, CA
- Shanna-Loveland, CO
“This workshop was by far the best one I’ve attended. Bryan took us to amazing places! Even though I’m a pretty experienced photographer, he still was constantly checking in with me (and everyone) to make suggestions or check on my progress. He was flexible in changing plans to try and catch the best light. Definitely a five star experience.”
-Ed. Fallston, MD
“I took an absolutely amazing private workshop with Bryan in Telluride, CO. His photography expertise is only surpassed by his knowledge of the Colorado countryside. We shot a large variety of shots including astrophotography, sunset, sunrise, pano, long exposure, starburst, eclipse, and even a little wildlife. I would recommend using Bryan anytime you want to improve your photography game and see some back country hidden gems.”
-Jason, Houston, TX
My husband and I have taken 3 private workshops with Bryan so far. I took the beginner’s camera course and 2 Milky Way workshops in RMNP. I started with the beginner’s course because we bought nice cameras, knowing we wanted to get into serious photography, but let them sit there because they seemed too complicated. In only two hours Bryan showed us how changing one setting affects the others, and how each setting makes the picture look different. I was blown away by how much I learned in just a lesson. I then booked him to take us up to a stunningly beautiful lake in Rocky Mountain National Park at night to learn how to shoot the Milky Way. What an adventure! It was a beautiful hike where we learned how to shoot blue hour along with the milky way. Bryan gave us step by step instructions of which settings to dial in and why. He let me figure them out on my own and stepped in when I couldn’t. And then, voila, I had this amazing, bright picture of the Milky Way on my viewfinder! We even witnessed SpaceX launching a bunch of satellites into orbit! It was so much fun we did it again! I felt safe and listened to the whole time and now feel like since I can take night photos I can do anything with my camera!
-Stacey, Fort Collins, CO
“My wife and I met Bryan while he was photographing the Routeburn track in New Zealand. I had just become interested in photography and he shared some impactful tips for making better landscape photos. We travelled to America a few years later for a photography trip through the western states. For our Colorado leg, we enlisted Bryan for a photography tour of Crested Butte and the Telluride area. As a fledgling photographer, it was highly educational watching and learning from a master at work. Bryan’s knowledge, hospitality and professionalism to his craft is amazing. We are looking forward to getting to the States again soon for more of the same.”
-David, Ashburton, New Zealand
“I’ve been a professional nature photographer and cinematographer for 20 years, and needed video and stills of Colorado’s best spots for a large project. Being from CA, I didn’t have time to figure this out alone. After reviewing Bryan’s website and speaking with him, I spent three highly productive days with him in the San Juan Mountains during fall colors. I captured more material than I could have hoped for. Bryan had an excellent attitude during our 18-hour days. Whenever the light or clouds changed for the worse, he knew right where to go next to suit conditions. He was even able to teach this “old dog” some new techniques.”
Michael Routh, Dreamchase on Demand
“I took a wildflower workshop with Bryan in Crested Butte and was most interested in learning how to shoot flowers in the foreground with mountains in the background. I also wanted to practice macro photography. Bryan took me to spots I would have never found, at the perfect dates for peak bloom. I needed some help with my complicated Olympus, which is a one of the systems Bryan also shoots with. I was amazed what I learned; focus stacking, super magnification, and beautiful ways to take landscape compositions. Bryan was super patient and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!”
Shanna, Loveland, CO
About Bryan Maltais- Fort Collins, CO
Bryan Maltais is an award-winning professional photographer, film-maker and founder of Wilderness Shots Photography Workshops. His images are displayed in spaces around the world and have been published in well known photography magazines and media channels.
“I was addicted to exploring nature and observing animals very young, keeping terrariums full of insects and amphibians. Craving a camera to capture the beauty that I witnessed in nature, my dad gave me a manual Canon that he had lying around from 1970. A military brat, I grew up in Germany, New Jersey and Missouri. I received my BS in Wildlife Biology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. This gave me a good foundation for understanding the natural world. I also did a stint in the Army, which gave me a good foundation for tolerating insects and lack of sleep. My dream was to live in the Rocky Mountains, so after college I moved to Ft. Collins, Colorado where I still live today. Since then I’ve been shooting and documenting the American West and producing wildlife nature documentaries. My latest film is on Amazon Prime. My goal with nature photography workshops is to share knowledge, fun and adventure with others while enjoying nature. I currently shoot Sony and Olympus gear. When not photographing, I garden in my raised beds and teach 3-4 year olds in Sunday School.”
