Glacier National Park Photography Workshop

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Glacier National Park Photography Workshop
June 25th - July 1st, 2023 Workshop Full - Waitlist Available!
Biennial Workshop - Our next Glacier NP workshop will be held in the summer of 2025.
Instructor: Andy Cook

Join us as we photograph magnificent Glacier National Park. Our focus will be to shoot early summer scenes against a back drop of dramatic mountains. We will concentrate on the lakes and streams of the park and shoot wildflowers when they are present. While our primary purpose is to photograph the landscape of the park, we also intend to take advantage of wildlife opportunities if they happen.

This workshop is geared for the intermediate to advanced photographer. However, beginners with a working knowledge of their camera can gain a lot of experience and instruction. Each participant is assisted at their level. We focus on helping participants create the most appealing compositions of each location we visit. We will also delve into discussions on equipment, exposure, metering, filters, processing and personal tips. This is a workshop environment, the instructor is present to aid in the field and teach his techniques for landscape photography. If you're an advanced photographer he will be happy to help or stay out of the way. Additionally, Because we stay at four different hotels during this workshop and relocate during the midday, this workshop has limited time available for processing assistance.

Itinerary Outline

Participants should check in with Andy on Sunday, (June 25th, 2023) outside, in front of the hotel office (Apgar Village Lodge and Cabins), at 6:15 P.M. We will have an introduction and discussion then go to our first shooting location.

First Lodging Location: Apgar Village Lodge and Cabins, Glacier Nat'l Park (west side) Check-in - Sunday, June 25, 2023; Check-out - Monday, June 26, 2023. 1-844-868-7474. Nearby alternate lodging: West Glacier Motel, 1-844-868-7474.

Relocate to
Many Glacier Hotel (instructor's hotel, in park lodging) or the nearby Swiftcurrent Motor Inn (in park lodging) (east side): Check-in - Monday, June 26, 2023; Check-out - Wednesday, June 28, 2023. 855-733-4522 or 303-265-7010, glaciernationalparklodges.com.

Relocate to
Town of East Glacier (east side): Check-in - Wednesday, June 28, 2023; Check-out - Thursday, June 29, 2023. Andy will stay at the East Glacier Lodge, 499 MT-49, East Glacier; 844-868-7474. Note: 3 floors, no elevator.

Relocate to
Rising Sun Motor Inn (east side, in park lodging): Check-in - Thursday, June 29, 2023; Check-out - Saturday, July 1, 2023. 855-733-4522 or 303-265-7010, glaciernationalparklodges.com.

Workshop ends after shooting sunset on Friday evening, June 30, 2023.

Except for the evening of June 28th, 2023 (in East Glacier), all of the lodging mentioned above is located inside the park boundaries surrounded by spectacular scenery. The rustic rooms are clean and tidy, but do not have telephones, TVs or internet access.

Lodging in the park is very popular and starts to fill one year in advance. Please arrange your lodging using the information above as soon as possible. Participants need to contact hotels and reserve their rooms upon registering for the workshop, if not earlier. Even if one has not registered for this workshop, but is strongly considering it, we recommend making hotel reservations as soon as possible (be mindful of the cancellation policy).

We have several rooms reserved in most locations. If you're having difficulty securing reservations, please call us to see if we have a set of rooms (additional fee). For details, please call.

Generally, participants can expect to be at a shooting location for the start of civil twilight and we'll stay at that location through sunrise. We will provide breakfast bars, and snacks for enjoyment in the field. We are not providing water bottles during this workshop; reducing 1 use plastic bottle waste. Please bring a reusable water bottle from home. We will go to a late breakfast after the morning shoot. Typically, when not relocating, we will schedule a hike or midday break allowing time to download, eat lunch, nap, provide Photoshop assistance... We have dinner in a restaurant scheduled for each day and an evening activity such as a morning preview, sunset shoot or pre sunset shoot scheduled for most evenings.

Note: For most of the workshop we are on the east side of the park. When on the east side we believe photographing the actual sunset (approximately 9:42 P.M.) should be viewed as optional. Why? We are very close to the mountains, the sun will disappear behind the mountains well in advance of sunset. Dramatic sunsets from the east side are unpredictable and infrequent as they require clouds to liven the back lit mountains. Due to the length of this workshop and the very short nights we recommend some participants, those who are tired or require more sleep, consider skipping sunset unless there are clouds with good potential.

Glacier National Park Photography Wokshop

COST: $1,690.00 per participant. Target number of participants is 8.

Deposit Amount: $300.00 due at time of registration. This deposit becomes non refundable 90 days in advance of the workshop.

Full payment of the workshop is due 60 days prior to the start of the workshop. If final payment is not received when due, we reserve the right to treat the reservation as canceled, please review the cancellation policy on the registration page.

VIEW THE REGISTRATION PAGE MasterCard and Visa

This workshop does involve some trail hiking and elevation gain to arrive at certain shooting locations, while other shooting locations will be just beyond the parking lot. The trail hiking may deemed vigorous activity or light activity based upon your condition. Trail hiking surfaces and those beyond the parking lot are generally uneven, hiking boots are recommended. Our longer trails range between 2 and 3 miles each way. One doesn't have to be in tip-top shape, but a participant's enjoyment will be enhanced by good health and preparation. The elevation range of our shooting locations is 3,250 ft to 7,500 ft. Please consult with your doctor before attending our workshop or venturing to higher elevations.

Proper hydration is a must at higher elevations. Without it one will lose strength, energy and may develop a severe headache. To avoid dehydration one MUST drink beyond their thirst; drink even though not thirsty.

Be prepared for possible temperature extremes and sudden changes in weather. Be aware that mornings can be very chilly. Often we will be out in darkness before sunrise and after sunset, please bring a flashlight. We plan to arrive at our morning location each day no later than 5:00 A.M. Sunset is approximately 9:45 P.M.

More Information

TRANSPORTATION: Most people flying to Montana for this workshop will find flying into Kalispell to be the best choice, others will find Spokane, WA (about 4.75 hours to West Glacier), Great Falls, Helena, Butte or Billings to be adequate. Please investigate the various options to arrive at one that best suits your needs. Do consider that the road through Glacier National Park (Going-To-The-Sun Road) is slow driving and may suffer closures due to snow and other natural events. The southern route around the park usually remains open.

Driving Conditions: Driving conditions will consist of mainly paved roads. When possible, during the workshop, we prefer that participants car pool with each other to help limit our impact and get to know each other. A standard rental car will be sufficient.

Equipment Recommendations: Bring all camera equipment including the camera's manual. We recommend participants have a polarizing filter to use with many of the photographs on this workshop. Andy combines images of various exposures in post processing. Andy will be happy to teach participants his field and post processing techniques for doing so (requires a cable release with some cameras). A lens range from 18mm to 200mm after the lens multiplication factor "LMF" (call if uncertain about LMF) is recommended for the landscape portion and a long lens 300mm or longer for shooting wildlife. However, we think that participants should bring their entire range of lenses. We recommend shooting with a sturdy outdoor tripod that can adjust from standing height (without cranking up a center post) to very close to the ground. This type of tripod does not have attachments from the legs to the center post; i.e. the legs can move independently. Please use a cable release or know how to work the camera's timer delay to avoid camera shake. Also bring hiking boots and a flashlight to the field portions of the workshop. We will be walking in pre dawn and post sunset darkness. Consider bringing a laptop with a recent version of Photoshop and calibrate the monitor.

The Fine Print

We do not guarantee the weather. Workshop fee does not include transportation, lodging or meals. Locations visited may vary year to year. In order to keep our workshop fee as low as possible we may overbook any given workshop by 1 space. Usually this will result in 8 participants, but from time to time we may have 9 participants attending. We require an acknowledgment of risks be signed before going into the field. We will send the acknowledgment of risks upon registration, please return it at the start of the workshop. Glacier National Park is Grizzly country. In the event Rocky Mountain Reflections Photography, Inc. (RMRPI) cancels a workshop due to unforeseen circumstances such as inability to obtain permits, instructor injury, death... Then, RMRPI will refund fees collected by RMRPI for the affected workshop. In the event of a natural disaster, government closure or other happening of this nature that causes a workshop to be canceled, RMRPI may be unable to refund workshop fees. If this happens then funds collected by RMRPI will be applied as credit toward a future workshop of the participant's choosing. RMRPI will not be held responsible for other expenses (airline tickets, hotel deposits, rental car...) that may be associated with any canceled workshop.

Glacier National Park Photography Workshop

BRING

Flashlight
Tripod
Spare Camera Batteries
Camera Manual
Lots of Memory
Filters
Extra Shoes and Socks
Camera
Rain Gear
Hiking Boots
Sandals or Teva style shoes (for wading in water at one location)
Warm Clothes
Umbrella (just in case)

Pepper Spray - This is grizzly country participants may carry spray if it makes them feel comfortable (one may not be able to fly with this).

2021 Glacier NP Workshop Group Photo

Questions?

Please call
or
send e-mail.

Our itinerary does fluctuate year to year, not every location visited in the past may be visited during this workshop.

View images in the
Glacier NP Participant Gallery

Click Here for Complete Workshop Schedule

Rocky Mountain Reflections Photography, Inc. is authorized by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, to conduct services in Glacier National Park.

Images on this website are property.
Please do not use them without the photographer's Permission.