Yosemite high country & eastern sierra photo Experience Overview

~ Are you ready to elevate your photography to the next level while being guided to amazing locations in beautiful light?

~ Are you wanting an experience where you can not only learn more about the art of photography but also make meaningful relationships in a small group setting that is supportive and comfortable?

~ Are you wanting to learn the art of photography in one of the most beautiful locations on earth? And be guided and taught by two Yosemite photographers who have spent years getting to know the park intimately.

~ Do you follow us on social media and appreciate our art and want to have an incredible experience together exploring nature and photography?

This Outdoor Photo Experience will help you grow and learn in a supportive environment while being in great locations for landscape, abstract, and intimate photography. With Shawn and Brittany’s expertise in and love for Yosemite and the Eastern Sierra, they will guide you to locations that will give you stunning opportunities to create beautiful photographs & push your photography skills to the next level.

Not only will you have opportunities to photograph and learn, but we like to have fun and help foster a deeper connection to nature. Often connecting on a deeper level to the nature we photograph allows us to capture more meaningful and personal photographs. Photographs that we'll treasure for years to come regardless of how well they may or may not do on social media.

We're so happy you're here. We have decades of experience between us as artists, photographers, and guides in the majestic Yosemite and beyond. We are excited to share our love of nature & community, our passion for Yosemite & the Sierra, and our drive & desire to create art in nature with you

Young woman photographer photographing stormy sunset in Yosemite's backcountry.

This workshop will help you grow and learn in a supportive environment. We work with all skill levels and are welcoming people from all around the world. With Shawn and Brittany’s expertise in Yosemite, they will guide you to locations that will give you stunning opportunities to create beautiful photographs & push your photography skills to the next level.

The Yosemite Waterfalls Photo Experience is one of the best times to photograph Yosemite Valley. The ephemeral waterfalls will be in their full glory, giving us the opportunity to capture the booming energy of the water creating intimate and grand landscape photographs as well as capturing Moonbows. Moonbows are a natural phenomenon that occurs only in a few places in the world. With clear skies, a full moon, and big water; a Moonbow occurs giving photographers an opportunity to photograph this rare occurrence.

Not only will this workshop have in-the-field teaching, but will also have digital darkroom editing techniques. A photograph is never finished until it is edited and printed. As Ansel Adams said, “The negative is the score, the print is the final performance.”

The indoor workshop session will include presentations from both instructors on using the software of Lightroom and Photoshop, personalized assistance in the editing process, and helpful critiques. It is our goal to have you walk away with not only a fun-filled experience but also a better understanding of this art form. We are dedicated to making this workshop a comfortable place for all ages and ethnicities to come together in a supportive environment to learn, create art, and build community.

Check out the video below where we go into more detail about this Yosemite Waterfalls Photo Experience and what Outdoor Photo Experience means to us.

What you will learn

Technical aspects of exposure in all times of day and light for digital
Creative composition
Workflow in organizing your files
How to edit in Lightroom and Photoshop
How to use different tools and modules
How to focus high-quality panoramas and focus stacking
File formats
How to prepare images for import and export

Highlights

Prime time for ephemeral waterfalls, dogwood blossoms, lush green meadows, and moonbows.
Exposure
Composition and working the scene
Learning to “see” the light
The digital workflow
Editing with Lightroom and Photoshop
Group size 8-10

Itinerary

Monday, May 1st through Friday the 5th, 2023...

Monday: May, 1

10:30 - 12:00: Initial meet and greet in classroom and introduction of instructors and presentation of their work. Overview of the week.

12:00 - 2:00: Lunch break

2:00 - 4:00: First classroom education presentation. Arrange carpools.

4:00 - 6:00: Dinner break

6:00 - 11:00: Evening photographing session

Tuesday: May, 2

Optional Sunrise Session if clouds look promising: 5:30 - 7:30

10:30 - 12:00: Second classroom education presentation

12:00 - 2:00: Lunch break

2:00 - 4:00: Intro to printing, classroom time, editing & printing

4:00 - 6:00: Dinner break

6:00 - 11:00: Evening photographing session

Wednesday: May, 3

Optional Sunrise Session if clouds look promising: 5:30 - 7:30

10:30 - 12:00: Third classroom education presentation

12:00 - 2:00: Lunch break

2:00 - 4:00: Intro to Moonbows, classroom time, editing & printing

4:00 - 6:00: Dinner break

6:00 - 11:00: Evening Moonbows photographing session

Thursday: May, 4

Optional Sunrise Session if clouds look promising: 5:30 - 7:30

10:30 - 12:00: Final classroom education presentation

12:00 - 2:00: Lunch break

2:00 - 4:00: Image critiquing, classroom time, editing & printing

4:00 - 6:00: Dinner break

6:00 - 11:30: Evening Moonbows photographing session.

Friday: May, 5

10:30 - 1:00: Final classroom session including sharing work from the week, image critiques and closing ceremonies.

lodging

The price of the workshop does not include lodging.

The Valley View Lodge in El Portal is where our indoor workshop session will be held. We suggest booking at this lodge for the convenience of attending the indoor editing session.

There are several lodging options in Yosemite such as the Awahanee, the Valley Lodge, or rental houses in Yosemite West and Foresta.

Pricing & Payment Schedule - $3300

50% deposit on the day of booking
Final payment is due 60 days prior to the workshop

What's included & not included

Your Workshop Fee includes all in-the-field instruction, classroom sessions, special presentations, and an amazing experience.

Your Workshop Fee does NOT include:

- Ground Transportation or Airfare from your home to Yosemite

- Ground Transportation to all shooting locations.

- Travel Insurance (highly recommended)

- Lodging (we highly recommend booking at Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal, CA)

- Meals and snacks

transportation

Fresno airport is the nearest airport to Yosemite Valley, but San Fransisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Sacramento are also viable options. Car rentals are available in all locations.

You will need to provide your own transportation to and from the workshop. You will also need your own transportation during the workshop, although we will be carpooling as much as possible for those who feel comfortable doing so.

Hiking Requirements

All experience levels are welcome but please be aware that we will be hiking over uneven terrain to get to the best locations. You can expect anywhere from 1-4 miles of hiking per day depending on where we are.

Necessary Gear

gear list..

Black & white photograph of a cliff coming out of fog and clearing storm in Yosemite.

Weather

While the weather can often be a gift with landscape photography, if inclement weather prohibits us from photographing we will move to the classroom to continue learning rain or shine. The great thing about photography is that there are so many opportunities to continue our education both in the field and at the computer.

Illness Policy

Here's how things work if you get sick.

Cancellation & Refund policy

We know you’ll enjoy this workshop and learn a great deal, but should you need to cancel for any reason we will refund your tuition (or deposit) in full up to 60 days prior to the start of the workshop. Should you need to cancel within 45 to 59 days we will refund your tuition less a $150.00 cancellation fee. Refunds are not available less than 45 days prior to the workshop unless we can fill the vacancy, in which case you’ll be charged a $150 cancellation fee. If you do need to cancel we ask that you let us know as soon as possible so we can alert people on the waiting list.

In the rare event that we need to cancel this workshop because of lack of enrollment or an unforeseen event you will receive a complete refund or credit toward a future workshop. We recommend that you avoid purchasing non-refundable airline tickets, and consider getting trip cancellation insurance.

Once a deposit is paid it is not refundable, it may however be transferred to a future workshop when a spot is available, if cancelled 60 days or more prior to workshop start date.

If cancelled less than 60 days before workshop start date the deposit is not refundable and cannot be transferred.

Yosemite High Country & Eastern Sierra Photo Experience

Frequently Asked Questions:

How much photographic experience do I need?

Our Outdoor Photo Experiences are designed for all levels of photographers. Participants should be familiar with their cameras and be able to change their aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. We highly encourage participants to bring their camera manuals especially since we will be in areas with hardly any cellphone reception so Google will not be an option to problem solve. We are very familiar with many types of camera brands, but every camera model is different and it is crucial to bring the camera manual.

What kind of Camera should I bring?

All of our workshops are catered to digital cameras. With that being said though if you have a film camera to bring along as an additional camera, please do so. For our night sky workshops full censored DSLR are preferred as well as mirrorless cameras. If you are not sure your camera is capable with the Photo Experience you want to sign up for, please drop us an email. We will be happy to help with any questions that you might have.

Should I bring a computer? What Software Programs do I need?

A few hours out of the day, we will be in our designated workshop room where we will be focused heavily on post-processing. A computer is needed for this part of the Photo Experience. Before the workshop, make sure your computer is updated with the latest updates from adobe. We are requiring Lightroom Classic and Photoshop. Due to the lack of internet in the location where we will be, we will only be working off of Lightroom Classic. The Lightroom Mobile app requires internet and works off of the Cloud. Please make sure you download Lightroom Classic so you can work effectively without relying on the finicky internet. Using Lightroom Classic is also important in following along during the presentations.

Do I need to bring a tripod?

Tripods are a necessity in landscape photography. Since our workshops involve using longer exposures due to photographing in lower light, tripods are crucial to capturing these photographs. Please consider a tripod that will stabilize your longest lens and camera, but does not weigh so much that it inhibits your desire to bring it out on location. If you have any questions about what tripods to obtain, please send us an email. We will be happy to help.

What kind of filters should I bring?

Filters can bring a great tool in promoting creative photographs. A lot of professional photographers prefer the filters that slide in and out of the filter holder, while others prefer the filters that screw directly onto your lens. No matter what type of filter you decide on, we highly suggest bringing a polarizer and multiple stops worth of neutral density filters. If you want to go light we suggest getting a variable 10-stop neutral filter.

What kind of clothes should I bring?

We all know that as photographers we are constantly being put in uncomfortable circumstances due to the weather. But that is how we get our great shots right?! We love weather! But with weather comes, cold conditions that could make the experience miserable if we aren’t equipped with the right gear. But never fear, we made a list that will help in choosing the right clothes so that you can be comfortable and therefore, be able to learn and enjoy your time outside.

-Comfortable hiking shoes for clear weather conditions. Waterproof shoes would be helpful in rainy conditions. Snow boots is a must in snowy conditions.
Base layer pants and top
Warm hat/headband
Gloves
Rain jacket and pants for wet seasons
Warm jacket such as a heavy or down jacket
Sun hat
Sunglasses
Extra socks. We recommend wool socks for the colder months
Hiking pants
Moisture wicking shirts

If you need recommendations for a certain brand of shoe or jacket; please send us an email. We definitely have our favorite outdoor gear and would love to help you choose the best gear for the Outdoor Photo Experience.

What other items should I bring?

Chapstick
Ibuprofen/Aspirin
moleskin for blisters or sores
Energy bars
Waterproof camera bags for rainy conditions
Water bottle
Headlamp
Sunscreen
Bug spray

What is the best route to get into the park?

There are three year-round routes to get into Yosemite Valley:

– Highway 41 from Fresno and Oakhurst. It is a very curvy road with hairpin turns so if you prefer to avoid that highway, we suggest choosing an alternative route.
Highway 120 from San Francisco and Groveland
Highway 140 from Merced and Mariposa

All three routes are open all year with the exception of road closures due to rock slides or icy conditions. Highway 140 is the safest route during the winter as it does not experience such severe weather. We suggest to keep a watch on road conditions so that you can choose the route safest for you. For an update on road conditions, please call the National Park service at 209-372-0200. During the winter months, snow chains are required by law to have in your car at all times. If your renting a vehicle and need to buy chains, go to the closest auto part store and plan on returning the chains as soon as the workshop is over.

I am flying, where is the nearest airport to Yosemite National Park?

The direct access to the nearest airport to Yosemite is Fresno airport. With that being said, some participants might want to fly into San Francisco to enjoy the city and photograph. Car rentals are the easiest way to get into the park and we highly suggest securing one as soon as you book a flight. Oakland and Sacramento airports are other airports to consider.

How do we get to locations during the workshop?

Parking is limited in Yosemite so we carpool as much as possible. But if you do not want other people in your car for various reseasons, please let us know. It is our priority to make sure everyone feels safe and comfortable.

What sort of cell service is there in the park?

Cell service is very limited in the park. Yosemite Village, Tuolumne Meadows, and Turtleback Dome have the strongest cell phone reception in the park. Also during the peak times in the park such as weekends, cell phone coverage is more difficult. Free wifi is provided at most hotels so that you can still be in communication with your family and friends. Text messages are the most reliable in the park.

When does the workshop start each day and when does it end?

Before every workshop, we will send an email with the itinerary for the week so that you know what to expect. We will try to keep to the itinerary as much as possible, but if there is an amazing photo opportunity because of weather conditions; we will change the schedule to take advantage of these open windows to be creative. After all, following the light and weather is how we photographers create stunning photographs.

How do I handle meals in Yosemite?

Yosemite Valley has a few food options with restaurants that will help accommodate you for the Photo Experience. Here is the list of restaurants that are available to you:

Degnan’s Deli serves breakfast pastries, coffee, sandwiches, and pizza. $$
Base Camp serves breakfast food (bacon, potatoes, and eggs) as well as poke bowls, burgers, and pizza.$$
The Mountain Room Restaurant has meals for dinner such as steak and fish. $$$
The Mountain Room Bar has drinks and bar food available. $$
The Ahwahnee Restaurant has a breakfast buffet as well as dinner options. $$$

If you have special eating habits or food allergies, we suggest bringing your own food since the restaurants in Yosemite do not really cater to the limited diets. There is a grocery store in the Village, but the selection is very limited. Bringing your favorite snacks and breakfast food should help make your time in Yosemite more enjoyable.

Can I bring my spouse or friend?

We know that some people would like to bring a friend to share the room cost or their spouse. You are welcome to bring an extra person along, but not to the Photo Experiences field sessions. Our park permit only allows us to have a limited amount of people for the field sessions. Your spouse/friend is always welcome to join us if we decide to eat meals as a group. If you are disabled and need your spouse or friend to help you during the field sessions, please send us an email. We will accommodate you the best we can.

Can you tell me more about your referral program?

I think making a referral program happen is a great way to get people to sign up for our workshops. What do you think?