The Palouse is a photographer’s dream. Graphic landscapes, character-filled barns, rolling hills, a fence made of metal wheels, old cemeteries (well, old for the west coast). And of course, the unequaled view from Steptoe Butte*. The possibilities are endless. You can literally spend the day driving the back roads and not run out of things to photograph. These and more make the rolling hills of the Palouse a bucket-list destination for many photographers. I've been visiting the Palouse for over twenty five years and leading Palouse photo workshops here for nearly 20 years, and the Palouse is still one of my favorite places to photograph.

The Palouse can be different every year. Crops rotate, barns collapse, you'll hear about a place you've never been. Each year you can come back with images of things you've never seen before.

This is a workshop, meaning that we'll be spending some time in a classroom setting for critiques and discussions on composition, tips on processing and more. I may be shooting alongside you in the field but will always be available to answer questions, help with technique or composition, or even lend you a filter!

In the field I'll help you with the finer points of landscape photography like hyperfocal focusing, using graduated filters, setting up for panoramas, seeing in graphics and helping you to fine tune your compositions. I'll also guide you in using digital techniques like blending for exposure and focus and planning shots with the digital darkroom in mind.

What a typical day might look like:
Mornings come early this time of year, so on some days we'll be leaving before dawn to catch the first light on rolling hills. After our morning shoot we'll return to our hotel for a break where you'll be given time to get breakfast (or second breakfast) and download your images. On some days we'll gather in the classroom for critiques and demonstrations. On other days, we'll venture out again at midday, perhaps exploring infrared and/or black & white possibilities!On some days we’ll also gather during the day for critiques and lessons on photo technique and digital processing. Late afternoon we'll head out again for our sunset shoot.

Hiking and exertion:
There will be virtually no exertion involved other than getting up at an unholy hour of the morning for sunrise shoots. Most of the time we'll be within spittin' distance of the cars (this is farm country; they say "spittin' distance" here).

Additional information

Lodging:

We'll be based out of the Best Western Wheatland Inn in Colfax, WA, the epicenter for Palouse photography. After April 30, rooms may not be available. There are other options in nearby Pullman (about 30 minutes from Colfax).More information will be sent on making your reservations upon signing up.

The group room rate is $175/night +tax.
Upon signing up you'll be sent information on making your hotel reservations in our group block.
If you plan on arriving before the workshop or staying on afterwards for continued exploring, we highly recommend that you make your reservations early as this hotel usually fills quickly for this time of year.
Cutoff date for reservations is 60-days before the workshop. After that date there is no guarantee that rooms will be available.

The workshop begins on the evening of the first day with a meet and greet session and ends after the morning shoot on the last day.

Getting there

Click here for a map to our hotel.

If you wish to share a room or a ride, I'll be happy to facilitate communications between participants.

Trip Insurance

We understand that sometimes folks need to make last minute cancellations due to illness, family, or business matters. Unfortunately, we are unable to make last minute refunds or provide credit to future workshops due to these last minute cancellations. We therefore highly recommend travel insurance that features a "Cancel For Any Reason" provision. See this page for some resources.