Grand landscapes
Directional light, atmosphere, clearing weather and the possibility of first snow.
Colorado Fall · October 1–5, 2027
Colorado Fall Color
Photography Workshop.
Follow the Color. Not the Itinerary.
Five photography-focused days in Colorado's San Juan Mountains built around brilliant fall color, mountain light, intimate aspen scenes, reflections, waterfalls and the possibility of early snow.
The locations are carefully scouted.The timing stays flexible.Because photographing an incredible place is only half of it. Being there when it looks its best is what matters.
$2,999 per person6 photographers maximumFour nights of single-occupancy lodging included
DatesOctober 1–5, 2027Five days · four nights
Small groupSix photographersPersonalized field guidance
Workshop$2,999 per personSingle-occupancy lodging included
BaseRidgway / Telluride areaOne central lodging base
Included before + afterRecorded pre-workshop ZoomRecorded post-workshop editing Zoom
A conditions-first workshop
Five days built around a season that refuses to stand still.
Colorado fall color does not peak everywhere at once.
One mountainside can be glowing while another still has time to go. Higher elevations can change earlier. Wind, temperature, cloud cover and exposure can completely alter which scene is strongest on a particular morning or evening.
That does not mean we arrive without a plan.
Quite the opposite.
Ryan has a carefully scouted collection of locations and compositions we intend to photograph throughout the workshop.
What changes is when we photograph them.
The locations are part of the plan.The order is what adapts to the conditions.
The photographs
Five days. Many sides of Colorado.
The San Juan Mountains give us far more than one type of fall photograph. Throughout the workshop we will work toward a broad portfolio rather than repeating the same grand mountain scene for five days.
Conditions strategy
The plan is real. The timing is flexible.
Forest interiors
Soft cloud, reflected light, backlight and controlled contrast.
Reflections
Still air, clean light and the right angle.
Cabins + water
Low-angle light, changing color, sunset and blue hour.
The locations remain part of the plan. The timing is what stays flexible.
This is not five days of wandering around Colorado hoping to find something.
Ryan knows the places we want to photograph. The flexibility is in putting you there when the light and conditions give those scenes their strongest opportunity.
Local knowledge
You cannot time the landscape if you do not know it.
Ryan has photographed the San Juan Mountains for years.
In 2026, he spent the entire season based in Silverton and the San Juan Mountains.
That meant months of driving the roads, revisiting groves, finding new compositions, studying changing light and watching the landscape evolve long before autumn arrived.
The advantage is not simply knowing where the photographs are.
It is knowing which scenes need morning light, which become stronger under cloud, which depend on still air and which are worth staying with through sunset and blue hour.
That accumulated field time is what makes a conditions-driven workshop possible.
Follow the Color. Not the Itinerary.Five days in Colorado
A planned photographic experience that moves with the conditions.
The workshop is built around a carefully selected group of locations and photographic opportunities. The order will be determined by current color, light, weather and wind.
01
Day 1 · October 1
Arrive · Read the conditions · First evening in the field
Meet at the workshop base in the Ridgway / Telluride area.
Get settled, check gear and review the most current fall-color conditions before heading into the field.
Our first evening begins the process we will use throughout the workshop: understand what the landscape is doing, choose the location that matches those conditions and stay through the changing light into blue hour when it adds to the photograph.
02
Day 2 · October 2
Aspen forests · Water · Evening light
Our first full day begins before sunrise.
Morning may favor intimate forest scenes, mountain layers, reflections or one of the larger landscapes on our shooting list.
During the middle of the day, rest, review images or work through editing and composition questions. Later we return to the field for another planned location under the light that suits it best.
03
Day 3 · October 3
Reflections · Mountain layers · Changing color
By the middle of the workshop, we know much more about the current season.
We know which elevations are strongest. We know where color is holding. We know how the weather is developing.
That information helps us sequence the remaining locations more intelligently while continuing to build variety into the photographs you bring home.
04
Day 4 · October 4
Forests · Cabins · Water · Weather
Another full sunrise-to-blue-hour day gives us the flexibility to work locations that need very different conditions.
Some photographs need directional light. Some need soft light. Some need still air. Some become stronger as weather moves through the mountains.
The goal is to keep matching the scene to the conditions that make it work.
05
Day 5 · October 5
Final sunrise · Review · Departure
One final sunrise gives us another opportunity to complete the photographic arc of the workshop.
Afterward, return to the workshop base for questions, image review and a slower finish before departure.
Five days gives us something a one-day fall-color trip cannot: the ability to photograph a collection of exceptional locations across changing conditions instead of betting everything on one morning.
Only six photographers
Six photographers maximum.
Small enough for Ryan to look at your photographs in the field.
Small enough for specific feedback.
Small enough to move efficiently when the light changes.
Large enough to share the experience with other serious photographers.
Reserve your Colorado workshopOptional two-day Silverton extension · September 29–30, 2027
Start two days earlier in Silverton.
Add two additional photography days before the main workshop for $899.
The Silverton extension is available exclusively to photographers attending the October 1–5 workshop.
It adds more time in the high San Juans with fall color, mountain landscapes, historic subjects and a planned Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad photography session.
Add-on lodging is not included.Meet in Silverton · Sunset through blue hour
Meet during the afternoon and begin with one of Ryan's favorite high-country subjects.
This location changes dramatically as the light moves across the landscape. We will work multiple compositions and angles through late afternoon, sunset and blue hour rather than treating it as a single tripod position.
The goal is to understand how one subject can become a completely different photograph as the light changes.
Sunrise · Historic train · Final mountain evening
Return to the high country for sunrise and work the landscape under a different direction and quality of light.
During the day, the plan includes photographing the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad moving through the mountains.
The exact train timing and shooting position will be finalized after the railroad publishes its 2027 operating schedule.
Finish with another high-country landscape and historic Colorado subject through sunset and blue hour. Then transition to the main workshop base for October 1.
September 29–30, 2027$899 add-on$3,898 workshop + add-on total
Choose the Silverton packageWhat you will learn
See it. Make it. Finish it.
The workshop is not designed around standing everyone on the same tripod marks. Ryan teaches the decisions that lead to the photograph: why a composition works, why moving ten feet changes the relationship between trees, why one focal length strengthens a scene and how field decisions affect what is possible later in Lightroom and Photoshop.
See it
Learn to recognize the photograph.
- Read color, elevation, light and weather
- Find compositions inside dense aspen forests
- Separate overlapping trees and mountain layers
- Recognize foreground, subject and background relationships
- Use visual pathways to control where the eye travels
- Know when the intimate landscape is stronger than the grand view
Make it
Build the file with intention.
- Choose focal length intentionally
- Use polarizers and neutral-density filters when appropriate
- Control exposure in changing mountain light
- Focus stack when depth requires it
- Bracket dynamic scenes when useful
- Use long exposures to shape moving water
- Work quickly when conditions peak
- Review photographs while the scene is still available
FieldFileFinish
Finish it
Carry the field decision into the edit.
- Lightroom and Photoshop
- Color control
- Depth and separation
- Local contrast and luminosity
- Dodge and burn
- Masks
- Focus and exposure blending
- Cleanup
- Sharpening
Prepare on Zoom.
Meet the group, check equipment and arrive with a clear plan.
Recorded pre-workshop Zoom included.Finish on Zoom.
Work through workshop photographs with Ryan in a recorded editing session participants can revisit later.
Recorded post-workshop editing Zoom included.Workshop proof
Skills that stay with you after the field.
These comments come from Ryan's broader landscape and Oregon workshops. Colorado-specific student work will be added after the first group workshop.
“Since the workshop my photography has been taken to a whole new level. Ryan is down to earth, genuinely in love with the art and that love really shows in his teaching.”Jason Browning · Oregon Coast workshop alumnus
“I learned how to scout locations, identify compositions and professionally edit. I left with concrete skills that I am still applying today.”Leslie Mackeen · Landscape workshop alumna
Led by Ryan Oswald
Personal guidance from field decision to final image.
Ryan's workshops are built around teaching photographers how to make better decisions independently rather than simply bringing them to a location and telling them where to place a tripod.
You will talk through what the landscape is doing, what your camera is recording and what you want the photograph to communicate.
Then make the correction while the composition and light are still in front of you.
- 6
- photographers maximum
- 1:1
- guidance inside the group
- Field → finish
- capture and post-processing
Trip details
Know what is covered before you commit.
Four nights of single-occupancy lodging included.
The October 1–5 workshop includes four nights of private lodging at one central workshop base in the Ridgway / Telluride area. The group stays in one place rather than repeatedly packing and changing hotels. The exact property and meeting information will be provided to registered participants. Silverton add-on lodging is not included.
Bring or rent a vehicle.
Participants are responsible for transportation to Colorado and between shooting locations. You may bring your own vehicle or rent one. More detailed vehicle and route guidance will be provided before the workshop.
Mostly easy access with one steeper exception.
Most photography locations involve short walks and are relatively close to the vehicles. One location requires approximately half a mile of hiking each way with a steep section. Ryan uses an upper access point that shortens the commonly used approach. Contact Ryan before booking if you have mobility, balance or hiking concerns.
All experience levels welcome.
Beginners through advanced photographers can participate. You should understand the basic operation of your camera but do not need previous workshop experience or advanced editing skills. Instruction is adjusted to the individual photographer.
Field, lodging and follow-through
- Five days of photography instruction
- Four nights of reserved single-occupancy lodging
- Six photographers maximum
- Extensive pre-workshop scouting and conditions planning
- Field photography and post-processing instruction
- Image critiques and personalized feedback
- Relevant permits, park fees and location-entry fees where applicable
- Recorded pre-workshop Zoom session
- Recorded post-workshop editing Zoom session
Travel and personal costs
- Airfare and ground transportation
- Transportation between shooting locations
- Vehicle rental if needed
- Fuel
- Meals, drinks and snacks
- Travel insurance
- Lodging during the September 29–30 Silverton extension
Recommended camera and personal gearView checklist +
DSLR or mirrorless cameraWide-angle lensMid-range lensTelephoto lensTripodCircular polarizerND filters if usedExtra batteriesMemory cardsChargersRain protectionLaptopExternal driveHiking shoes or bootsWarm layersWaterproof shellHat and glovesHeadlampSunglassesSunscreenWater bottleOptional hiking poles
A complete packing guide will be provided before the workshop.
Checkout
Choose the five-day workshop or start two days earlier.
Select your package here, then complete the secure Colorado booking process. Enrollment closes when the six-person group is full.
Cancellation policy
Deposits are nonrefundable. If you cancel at least 60 days before the workshop, the deposit may be transferred to an available future workshop secured within one year. Cancellations within 60 days are nonrefundable and nontransferable. Review the complete terms during checkout before paying.
Questions answered
Read this before you book.
Clear expectations protect the experience: the locations stay planned, the timing stays responsive and the inclusions stay specific.
01Is peak fall color guaranteed?+
No. Fall color changes with elevation, temperature, wind and weather. The dates are chosen for a strong seasonal window, but peak color cannot be guaranteed.
02Does flexibility mean there is no itinerary?+
No. The locations and compositions are carefully scouted. The locations are part of the plan. Their order adapts to color, light, wind and weather.
03Is lodging included?+
Yes. The $2,999 main workshop includes four nights of reserved single-occupancy lodging. Lodging for the September 29–30 Silverton extension is not included.
04How large is the group?+
Enrollment is limited to six photographers so Ryan can provide meaningful individual guidance in the field.
05What experience level is appropriate?+
All experience levels are welcome. You should know the basic operation of your camera but do not need previous workshop experience or advanced editing skills.
06How difficult is the hiking?+
Most locations involve short walks near the vehicles. One location requires about half a mile each way with a steep section. Contact Ryan before booking if you have mobility, balance or hiking concerns.
07Do I need my own vehicle?+
Yes. Participants are responsible for transportation between locations. Bring your own vehicle or rent one. Detailed guidance will be provided before the workshop.
08Where should I fly?+
Montrose Regional Airport is the primary airport for the central Ridgway / Telluride workshop base. Confirm your travel plan with Ryan before booking nonrefundable transportation.
09What happens if weather changes?+
The group uses the conditions to sequence planned locations more intelligently. Cloud may favor forest interiors, still air may favor reflections and clearing weather may favor larger landscapes.
10Can I book the Silverton extension by itself?+
No. The two-day, $899 Silverton extension is available only to photographers attending the October 1–5 main workshop.
11Is the train guaranteed during the add-on?+
The train session is planned but not guaranteed. Exact timing and the shooting position will be finalized after the railroad publishes its 2027 operating schedule.
12What is the cancellation policy?+
Deposits are nonrefundable. If you cancel at least 60 days before the workshop, the deposit may be transferred to an available future workshop secured within one year. Cancellations within 60 days are nonrefundable and nontransferable. Review the complete terms during checkout before paying.
Colorado Fall · October 1–5, 2027
Six photographers. Five days. Be there when the landscape comes together.
$2,999 per person with four nights of single-occupancy lodging plus recorded pre- and post-workshop Zoom sessions included.
Come for the photographs you already know you want to make. Learn to recognize the ones you did not know were there.
Reserve your placeWorkshop enrollment closes when all six places are filled.Follow the Color. Not the Itinerary.