Total fee: $3,895, which includes four (4) days of field and classroom instruction and five (5) nights lodging. A $1,500 deposit secures your place. The balance will be due 90 days before the start of workshop; see the Fees and Payment Terms section below for complete information.
Download the workshop PDF for a complete description of the workshop, including full itinerary, specific gear recommendations, lodging and travel information and more.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Mount Rainier has always loomed large in my imagination — it truly is one of my absolute favorite places. I’ve hiked, camped, explored, and photographed here for many years and have even climbed to its summit twice. I can’t think of a place that I’d rather share with a passionate group of photographers in a workshop setting.
The park offers wildflower-adorned ridges, glaciers, streams, waterfalls, old growth forest, marmots, mountain goats and a plethora of exciting photographic subjects, all found around a 14,411-foot Cascade volcano. In this small 10-person workshop, we will explore and photograph one of our oldest and most beautiful national parks while helping you to expand your creative vision and better use your camera equipment.
We’ll be joined on this adventure by my good friend Rick LePage. Rick is my workshop coordinator, and a great teacher and photographer in his own right. His presence will give us a 5:1 student-teacher ratio, ensuring that you’ll have plenty of opportunity to get the help and direction that you need throughout the workshop.
Mt. Rainier Locations
We’ll be based out of Packwood, Washington for the workshop. Our classroom will be at a short-term rental in town, and participants will stay nearby at the Hotel Packwood. During the workshop, we’ll hone our photography knowledge and review, discuss and critique images.
Outside of class time, we’ll take a 12-passenger Sprinter van to dawn, sunset and night shoots at locations including Paradise Park, Sunrise Lodge, the Grove of the Patriarchs, the White River, Reflection Lakes, and Silver Falls among others. I’ll demonstrate basic photography principles alongside advanced techniques like panoramic mergers, focus-blending, star-photography, and time-lapse photography. We’ll also make time for some hiking and exploration. You are always free to follow your own creative vision if you find yourself drawn in a different direction from the rest of the group.
Workshop schedule
During the workshop, we will alternate between time in the field and in the classroom, where we will have regular image reviews and post-processing discussions. Our focus in the field will be on helping everyone capture beautiful and interesting photos in the field.
The schedule below is tentative, but it will give you a good idea of the scope of the workshop, and when we’ll be where; as always, we’ll go where the light and the land take us.
Day 1: Monday, July 21 (9 am start)
- Meet and greet
- Discussion of the park/weather forecast
- Short hike to Silver Falls
- Scouting and sunset drive in the park
Day 2: Tuesday, July 22
- Sunrise at Reflection Lakes
- Class time
- Scouting for dawn shoot near Sunrise Lodge
Day 3: Wednesday, July 23
- Drive to Narada and Christine Falls
- Scout Paradise Loop
- Image review and post-processing Q&A
- Shoot old-growth forest near Grove of the Patriarchs
Day 4: Thursday, July 24
- Sunrise at Sunrise Lodge
- Image review and post-processing Q&A
- Drive Paradise Loop, photographing wildlife and streams
- Sunset shoot at Paradise
Logistics
Packwood is approximately 2-1/2 hours by car from the Seattle or Portland airports. Participants are responsible for getting themselves to the workshop, although we will be happy to try and coordinate ride-sharing among attendees. Once in Packwood, we’ll use my 12-passenger Sprinter Van, El Jefe, to go back and forth through the park.
Food
Where possible, we’ll try to have breaks in the middle of the day, and dine in town for lunches and early dinners. For days when we know we’ll be out, we’ll try to stop on the road, or look for to-go lunches where possible.
Feel free to bring snacks or protein bars with you to help you get through the days. You should also bring a refillable water bottle; we will have a large water jug in the van for us to share.
Payment Terms
The Mt. Rainier workshop is priced at $3,895, which includes four (4) full days of photo instruction and five (5) nights of single-occupancy hotel accommodation. You can secure your place with a $1,500 deposit. An invoice for the remaining balance will be sent approximately 90 days prior to the workshop. The balance must be paid in full 60 days before the first day of the workshop.
Workshop payments are fully refundable less a 10% fee up to 60 days prior to the first day of the workshop. If you cancel anywhere from 59 to 30 days prior to the workshop, we will make every effort to find a replacement. If we can fill your spot, 90% of the workshop fee will be refunded; if we cannot find a replacement, we will refund 50% of the fee. Any cancellation within 30 days is non-refundable.
Download the workshop PDF for a complete description of the workshop, including full itinerary, specific gear recommendations, lodging and travel information and more.
