Yellowstone Wildlife and Landscape Photography Workshop
September TBD, 2027
Yellowstone National Park is known for its wildlife, it’s geyser basisn and thermal features and for its landscapes. The Park is particularly pleasant to visit in the fall, after the summer crowds dissipate and full darkness is reached early enough to make night photography convenient. In September, cool morning air enhances the steam from the geyser basins. In 2027 the new moon timing is just right; that won’t be the case every year, so we will focus on fall colors in Grand Teton National Park instead in some years.
We’ll mo0nitor solar activity, and if we’re really lucky, we may catch aurora borealis over the geyser basins! This time of year we have 8.5 hours of darkness, 9pm to 5:30am, vs. 3.5 hours close to the June solstice (11:41pm to 3:09am).
Another bonus of the off season is lower lodging rates. We can stay closer to our landscape and night photography for less than others are paying way out in West Yellowstone. With abundant large wildlife, Yellowstone is not a great place to be going on long drives at night. Twice I’ve been in a vehicle that nearly hit a moose, and and once an elk. Believe me, it’s far better to walk out your door to shoot on some nights, and to minimize the driving to other nearby locations!
Sample Itinerary
We’re pretty flexilbe at the moment, and with a small gtoup thius year we can adjust the itinerary to meet your objectives. To do the parks in this area justice it might be advantageous to spend a little more time than usual, like 6-7 days. Perhaps we could spend a couple of nights in Grand Teton, a couple near Yellowstone’s geyser basins, and a couple up by Gardiner, Montana in pursuit of wildlife in Lamar Valley.
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 slightly as necessary during the workshop.
- Day 1 – We’ll meet shortly after everyone has checked into their lodging, go have dinner, and discuss the trip. From there we’ll head to a great spot for golden hour and sunset. If the sky is clear, the Milky Way is available for night photography after it’s fully dark.
- Day 2 – Landscapes, wildlife, sunrise, sunset, night.
- Day 3 – Landscapes, wildlife, sunrise, sunset, night.
- Day 4 – Landscapes, wildlife, sunrise, sunset, night.
- Day 5 – Landscapes, wildlife, sunrise, sunset, night.
- Day 6 – Sunrise, breakfast, check out, adjourn. Continue on to your next lodging or your airport.
What’s included:
- Guiding to compositions at optimal times
- Constant fine tuning of itinerary based on forecasts & conditions based on our local knowledge
- Photography advice as desired
- Post-processing demonstrations
What’s not included:
- Lodging. Recommendations will be provided upon registration.
- Transportation – carpooling optional
- Meals/snacks/beverages
- Onerous group lodging terms (high price, poor cancellation, etc.)
2025-2026 Workshop Calendar, 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.
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.