Oregon Coast Seascape and Night Photography
May 26-31, 2026
Oregon is a special place filled with towering forests, waterfalls, snow- capped volcanic peaks, and a stunning rocky coastline interspersed with intimate beaches. The weather can change rapidly, providing a variety of photographic opportunities in a long spring, summer, or fall day.
If you’ve joined us in Bodie or know about our night photography sessions there, you know that we love to create special access opportunities for our photographers. On this trip, we’d like to take over a lighthouse and its “keepers quarters” and gain access at sunset, night, sunrise. To do that we have to fill the B&B lodging for the night. It’s a few thousand dollars, a little more than a Bodie session, but in addition to the rare photography opportunities it gains us luxury accommodations and a 7-course breakfast, so it’s an attractive upgrade!
For several years Jeff called Oregon home, working as a technical specialist in digital imaging in the Graphic Printing and Imaging Division of Tektronix. He enjoyed the coast for fishing, and even surfed there during a storm and lived to tell the tale (it turns out that 6-foot waves probably aren’t the best to learn on). While his kids were in school he’d take them on summer trips and show them his former home state.
Lori and I have also enjoyed the Oregon Coast many times, often on our way to and from visiting Lori’s relatives in Washington. Jeff explored the Oregon Coast several times for his own photography, so as we looked to expand our workshops we took road trips in 2015, 2018 and in 2019 to revisit some favorite locations and work on itineraries. We’ve caught some amazing sunrises and sunsets, Thor’s Well at sunset at the perfect tide level, a variety of birds (a great blue heron fishing at twilight was a highlight), elk grazing, and much more. A spring trip will add wildflowers in some of our foregrounds.
In 2026 the timing of an Oregon Coast workshop works out perfectly to smoothly transition directly into an adjacent workshop on the Redwood Coast in Northern California. So we’ll offer an adjacent Redwoods and Rhododendrons workshop May 31 – June 5. It’s available separately for $995. Use the 50% deposit option to secure your spot, and the remainder payment will be due 6 months before the workshop(s).
Sample Itinerary
Our favorite part of the Oregon Coast with the greatest density of opportunities covers an area of coast that takes two hours to drive, so it makes sense to have two base camps: one for 3 nights, another for 2. This will make it easier to be out for sunrise, sunset, interesting weather, and possibly some night shots. We’ll try to have lodging within easy walking distance to shorelines, so those who want to do more night photography can easily go without a drive required.
Eugene, Oregon offers the most convenient airport, although Portland could work if you want to extend your trip before or after to cover more ground (the Northern Oregon Coast, the Columbia Gorge, the Painted Hills, Crater Lake National Park, etc.).
To ensure you get the best pictures and to accommodate for any adverse weather, we keep the daily itinerary flexible. The following is an example of what to expect, though it may change whenever appropriate during the workshop.
- Day 1 – We’ll meet at a lighthouse; the keepers’ quarters will be our lodging for the night! We’ll head to an amazing sunset shot with the perfect tide level. We’ll have exclusive access to the lighthouse grounds for sunset, night and sunrise photography! If the sky is clear, moonlight long exposure photography can be nice, and there may be a brief window tonight to catch the Milky Way down the coast before morning twilight.
- Day 2 — We’ll head to another amazing shoreline for sunrise. The lighthouse keepers’ quarters is a B&B, so they’ll treat us to a 7-course breakfast before we get on our way! We may hit an elk viewing area and a few of our upcoming sunrise and sunset spots on our way down to our next base of operations. We’ll check in to seaside lodging for a couple of nights to make our local sunrise and sunset shoots super convenient.
- Day 3 – Sunrise, golden hour, Breakfast. In the morning there is often fog burning off. Mid day there are birds to shoot. There is an exotic wildlife park (lions, tigers and bears, oh my), often with babies. Afternoons can offer winds and waves, long exposures. After dinner there’s golden hour, sunset and night. As we travel, the Oregon coast also offers blueberry farms (jams and pies), craft cheesemakers, creameries (ice cream), and a wide variety of fresh seafood.
- Day 4 – Sunrise, breakfast, check out, preview some of our upcoming shooting spots as we move to our third base for a couple of nights. Explore new shorelines, new compositions, and we’ll enjoy more chances at stunning conditions.
- Day 5 – New shorelines, new compositions, more chances at stunning conditions!
- Day 6 – Sunrise, breakfast, check out, adjourn. Continue on to your next lodging or your airport. Leave time to stop at an Oregon winery if you like.
Lori and I will be heading 90 minutes south to shoot redwoods, rhododendrons, elk, and the California North Coast for 5 nights, 6 days. The timing is perfect for a sunrise moon set over a lighthouse! Use the 50% deposit option and enroll in both now, and we’ll apply a 25% discount to both sessions (net price $3292 for both, 10 nights, 11 days) when we calculate the remainder payment due 6 months before the workshop. Here’s the Redwoods & Rhododendrons workshop
What’s included:
- Guiding to compositions at optimal times
- Constant fine tuning of itinerary based on forecasts & conditions based on our local knowledge
- Photography & composition advice as desired
- First night luxury lodging with opulent breakfast
What’s not included:
- Lodging for the other four nights. Recommendations will be provided upon registration.
- Transportation – carpooling optional
- Meals/snacks/beverages
- Onerous group lodging terms (high price, poor cancellation terms, etc.)
2026 Workshop Schedule, Great Basin School of Photography
We limit group size to 8 photographers, with both owners Jeff and Lori, for a 4:1 guide to client ratio. (Click on the blue text to navigate to each workshop.)
March 2-6, 2026 Death Valley Spring Wildflower Landscape Photography with Total Lunar Eclipse $1595 4 nights Enroll now!
Landscape, full moon rise and set, total lunar eclipse. *BEST ODDS OF A SUPER BLOOM IN 10 YEARS!*
April 18-23, 2026 Nevada Backcountry Adventure Photography $1995 5 nights New!
Some of our favorite remote locations, comfortable spring weather with dark Milky Way nights. High clearance with sturdy tires advised.
May 26-31, 2026 Oregon Coast Photography $2495 5 nights Full!
We start by staying in a lighthouse keeper’s quarters, and it just gets better from there.
May 31 – June 3, 2026 Redwoods & Rhododendrons Photography $995 3 nights Enroll now!
Light rays shining through redwood trees, with the rhododendrons in bloom.
June 10-14, 2026 Bodie, Mono Lake and High Sierra Photography $2195 4 nights, 2 in Bodie New!
Our only workshop with two nights in Bodie in 2026.
July 7-11, 2026 Bodie Night, Building Interiors plus Mono Lake & High Sierra Photography $2145 4 nights, 1 in Bodie, 1 morning in Bodie New!
Our only 2026 workshop with one night in Bodie plus one morning building interior access session.
August 9-17, 2026 High Sierra Photography Week via Horsepacker $4595 About a week in the High Sierra, multiple locations, layover days
Catered with horses and mules. We hope to include dark skies for Milky Way, during the Perseid meteor shower. Limit 6. NEW!
October 24-29, 2026 Yosemite Fall Colors & Moon Photography $1995 5 nights New!
Possibly the best full moon rise on 14 years, fall colors on the elm, dogwoods and bigleaf maples too.
Jeff has identified a special opportunity that he’s been wanting to capture for over a decade (shh). This is that trip.
December 9-14, 2026 Death Valley Winter Light Photography $1995 5 nights New!
Color, black and white, night, plus dark skies all night after 8pm for the Geminid meteor shower.
March 7-12, 2027 Death Valley Backcountry Adventure Photography $TBD (Fall 2026 release)
The Racetrack, Eureka Dunes, and more with dark Milky Way nights.
Use our contact form to get on our interest/new release list, to hear if/when we release new itineraries/destinations: Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Oregon Coast, Washington Coast, California Redwoods & Coast, and so on. We’ve scouted most of these areas for years for our own photography, so we can plan custom itineraries for small groups.