One of my all time favorite parks to visit, let alone to photograph, is Zion National Park. And my favorite time to be there is in the autumn. In late October and early November you'll find the park at its most colorful and most comfortable (temperature-wise). And it's not overly crowded either.
And, as it happens, I've got a workshop planned for Zion this coming November. Here are a few of the many reasons you should come along.

• See and experience the incredible landscape
• Learn and practice new landscape photography skills
• Photograph fall color and red rock, a great combination!
• Experience and photograph some amazing sunrises
• Take advantage of those late sunrises and early sunsets of autumn (extra sleep!)
• Pick up some new Lightroom/Photoshop skills
• Enjoy the town of Springdale, UT with its great food and atmosphere

So how about trying something new for fall color this year? This workshop is limited to only eight participants and there are still a few spaces remaining.

My first workshop of the year went quite well. The waterfalls of the Columbia River Gorge were in prime condition and the weather was mostly cooperative. There was more sun than I would have liked, but the falls are positioned such that they're in shade for the first three or four hours and the last three or four hours of the day. So we just planned around that and had perfectly good conditions.
One little set back was the hole in the historic Benson Bridge that spans Multnomah Falls. Last January a boulder fell from above and struck the bridge, putting a two or three foot hole on one edge. So for the first few days of the workshop there was scaffolding and workers on the bridge. But workers finished repairs and cleared things up in time so that we were able to photograph Multnomah on our last morning before the rain really hit. You can read more about the workshop on my blog.
And if you're interested in a trip year, send me an email. I'll probably run it around the same time as this year's trip, maybe even a week or two earlier.

In the past my friend Dick Badger and I have run photo tours to Oregon's Willamette Valley wineries. It's always a fun trip with good subjects, good conditions, good food, good people, and great wine.
But I've always wanted to visit Silver Falls State Park at around the same time to photograph the waterfalls and fall color. I've just never gotten around to it.
So I was thinking of a Wineries and Waterfalls tour for this year for around the third week in October. We'd spend two or three nights in wine country and then one or two nights closer to Silver Falls State Park. Silver Falls State Park is small enough and the waterfalls accessible enough that one could photograph it in an afternoon and a morning.
There would be a little bit of hiking involved for the waterfalls. The park has a nice trail system and there are several parking locations at trailheads making the access to the falls super easy. The hikes aren't strenuous for anyone in average condition. The trails themselves are well maintained and I can't really think of too many places where the footing isn't good unless you make your way closer to the streams. All in all, it's an ideal place to photograph waterfalls. And I've seen some wonderful pictures of the park in the autumn. In fact, just search on "silver falls state park autumn" and you'll see what I mean.
So if this intrigues you or you have any questions, let me know. If I get enough people interested I'll set it up. (Imagine this picture of South Falls with yellow leaves on the tree)

In the past couple of weeks there has been a flurry of signups for my Northwest Territories workshop with Kevin Pepper (photo tour leader and real live Canadian). So much so that there are only three spaces remaining.
In case you've not heard of this trip, let me give you a quick rundown of the highlights:
Aurora borealis.
Now that's a literal highlight.
We'll also be photographing fall color landscapes as well as wildlife. And since this is a workshop, we'll be taking time in our meeting room for critiques as well as talking about techniques for night and aurora photography, close ups, wildlife photography, landscape photography, Lightroom, and more.
And as you may remember from my last little note a couple of weeks ago, the price for this trip has been reduced to $3500 through the end of this month (June). For more details and information about signing up, go visit my web page for this workshop. Now. Go see it now!

And if you're interested in signing up, drop me an email to confirm space. Let me know if you want to use PayPal and I'll direct you to the page I've set up with the special pricing.

Do you ever find yourself needing to explain your pictures to friends or family? That's just one sign that you really need to simplify your compositions. There are more. And they are here. On my blog.

And while you're over there on my blog, feel free to subscribe to it. I often add things to the blog that don't make it into the newsletter. And who knows, there may even be prizes.*




*this may be a lie

I've needed to restructure the Palouse trip for this year. We didn't get enough people signed up in time so that my buddy Victoria could come out and be my co-leader. So that means I've reduced the maximum number of participants for this workshop to eight. And there are still two spaces available. But since hotel rooms are at a premium at this time of the year, if you want to sign up you'll need to do it soon. The hotel we use has extended my block of rooms until the 13th of June. After that, no more rooms at the Inn and you'd likely need to look in Pullman for a room (about a 25 minutes from our hotel in Colfax). So act fast if you want to join us.

Victoria Bampton (AKA The Lightroom Queen) wrote what many consider the only must-have Lightroom book: Lightroom 5: The Missing FAQ. It's my go-to book for when I have Lightroom questions and I've found it well worth the price paid. Victoria also has a free Lightroom 5 Quick Start Guide that is very good at what it's intended to do: to get you started using Lightroom quickly. And for a "quick start" guide, it's remarkably thorough. If you're just starting in Lightroom, or you need a quick refresher, get this free download. Hey, it's free, what are you waiting for?

All right. Time for me to get back to prepping for workshops, demolishing our bathroom, and repairing the washer. Chances are that next month's newsletter might be a little late and a little light since I'll be on the road for much of this month. But maybe Bailey the Labradoodle will post something to her blog in my absence.