Ouray Panorama Intensive
Join us for a masterclass in panorama photography in Ouray, Colorado, where skies seem clearer at higher elevations. We’ll be exploring the state’s San Juan Mountain range, which is the largest within the Centennial State and contains some of the highest and most jagged peaks in the lower 48. It also has a ton of jeep roads which allow fun access into these alpine landscapes. This is a small class size with big results for those who aspire to master this craft inside and out.
Workshop Details
July 7-12, 2026
This is a 5-night, 6-day workshop. Your adventure begins on the morning of July 7, and ends after a final slideshow on the afternoon of July 12.
$4,095 + applicable taxes.
Skill level
Intermediate and above. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals.
Group size
8, with 2 instructors — 4:1 ratio
Workshop Leaders
Registration
| • Deposit of $800 is required to reserve your spot. |
| • Balance of $3,295 is due on April 8, 2026. → Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is April 7, 2026. (see cancellation and refund policy) |
| • The workshop fee does not include lodging, food, airfare, entrance fees, or transportation to or during the workshop. |
The Ouray Experience
Ever wondered what it would be like if you lived in the Victorian age? You’ll find out. Our home base of Ouray, Colorado, is a charming town affectionately known as “the Switzerland of America.” This delightful locale looks as if it never grew out of the 1880s. Nestled in a tight valley that sits at an elevation of nearly 7,800 feet, Ouray is the perfect base for learning to shoot night panorams in the beautiful San Juans.
The mining history in and outside of town is rich and tangible. The beautiful wooden mills, ghost towns and old equipment left behind by the 19th century gold rush will provide us with ample light painting opportunities, and the surrounding mountains will challenge and inspire our sense of night sky photography.
On a couple of days we’ll ditch our cars and hop into open-air four-wheel-drive vehicles, letting the professional drivers chauffeur us up the narrow mountain roads. Through dense groves of aspen to the dizzying heights of mountain passes, we’ll be treated to some of the most awesome mountain scenery in the states. Don’t worry, if you’re afraid of heights, we’ll put you in the inside seat.
What You Should Know
This workshop caters to knowledgeable photographers with an intermediate or higher skill set. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals. We will be happy to offer advice and answer questions about both day and night photography, but the focus of the formal education will be panorama photography.
If you would like to join us on this trip but are unsure whether you have adequate night photography skills, we can offer pre-event tutoring to get you ready for your adventure with us. Additionally, a few of us have written books that may be productive pre-trip reads.
What You Will Learn
The Northern Hemisphere Milky Way is a wondrous spectacle. Perhaps you’ve tried night sky panoramas and run into troubles, or you simply want to get better or even more consistent. If you say to yourself, “I’d really like to master that …” then this is the right workshop for you.
You’ll be taught by deeply passionate and experienced night photographers dedicated to carefully crafting and processing night sky panoramas. They will cover everything from the basics to complex multirow panoramas.
The vast landscapes of the Ouray area are ideal for this workshop, with ample room to spread out and still be able keep your pano sweep clear of other attendees.
This will be a complete curriculum focused on teaching you everything about panorama photography: planning, gear, capture and processing/compositing.
Also note that attendance is limited to eight people by design, so you all have more room to spread out and compose successful panos, and receive extra attention in the field for learning this specialized technique.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
planning a panorama remotely and in the field
choosing and using the right gear
understanding and finding your nodal point/eliminating parallax to avoid stitching errors
setup and capture of single-row panoramas
setup and capture of multirow panoramas
setup and capture of vertoramas
setup and capture of tiny planets
post-processing your panoramas in Lightroom Classic, Photoshop and PTGui Pro
understanding pano projections and distortion
blending twilight and starlight foregrounds with starry skies
and more …
PANOPHERNALIA
To get the most out of the workshop, you will need some specific gear and software.
You do not need a panorama rig/kit with a rotator, but having one will enable you to make more accurate, repeatable panoramas, and is strongly recommended. Also, you might consider a rotator with clicks. Not having to repeatedly turn on your flashlight to see how many degrees you rotated will significantly improve your night panos. Having a reliable rotation solution is also crucial for multirow captures without parallax stitching errors.
We will have some informational emails and a Zoom call or two leading up to the workshop to help you prepare, and part of that will be discussing gear. If you want to talk about your gear before committing, please contact us to discuss.
Below is what we require and what we recommend. If you want to invest in gear beforehand, attendees will receive access to special discounts after registration.
Required:
a solid, dependable tripod
a balancing head (e.g., the Novoflex MBAL20, Fanotech EZ-Leveler II or Benro LBA2)
a RAW-capable mirrorless or DSLR camera
a reliable way to trigger your camera without vibration or flashing lights (intervalometer, wireless trigger, etc.)
minimum: an invertible ball head (e.g., the Acratech GXP-SS or Novoflex ClassicBall)*
* you will not be using this if you have a pano rig (unless this is your leveling head)
Strongly Recommended:
a dedicated panorama rig with rotator (e.g., the Novoflex VR-Pro II HD, VR-System Slim, or Fanotech M2 w/RD16-II or M1-L w/RD16-II)
if not a rig, then a rotator with detents (e.g., the Novoflex Panorama-QC, Fanotech Advanced Rotator RD8-II or Benro DP70) and a nodal rail (e.g., the Acratech Nodal Slide or Novoflex QPL-Panorama)
Again, don’t fret about what you have/need while considering this workshop. We can (and will!) talk about your kit. But we feel it’s important to know beforehand that some key pieces of gear will make a big difference to get the most out of the trip.
Software:
Our post-processing work will be in Adobe Lightroom Classic, Photoshop and PTGui. Prior knowledge of Photoshop and PTGui Pro are not required, but knowing how to work with layers and masks in Photoshop will help you greatly. Feel free to reach out beforehand for assistance or suggestions on how to best improve your knowledge of these topics.
* All three of the software applications above are required.
Night Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Travel
While direct flights to this area are few, Ouray is serviced by several small area airports.
Nearby Airports:
Montrose Telluride (MTJ) — 45 minutes from Ouray
Grand Junction (GJT) — 2 hours
Durango (DRO) — 2.5 hours
Rental Car
During our adventure we’ll take a couple of open-air four-wheel-drive trips up to the higher elevations. These excursions are included in the price of the workshop.
You will, however, need a rental car to travel to other locations. There is no need for it to be four-wheel-drive, though we will drive on some dirt roads.
If you are interested in carpooling or sharing a rental car, let us know and we will try to connect you with another attendee looking for the same.
Aside from the jeep tours, you are responsible for arranging and paying for your own transportation.
Lodging & Food
Ouray is a classic example of a western mountain mining town. Think meat and potatoes rather than protein and starch. Motel instead of hotel. That being said, the town is quite charming and does house a brewery, distillery, coffee houses, and one or two places where you might find arugula.
Lodging
Unlike most of our other workshops, there will be no group lodging on this trip. Ouray has many hotel choices at different price points from which to choose. We will provide a list of options after registration.
If you are interested in sharing a room, let us know and we will try to connect you with someone like-minded in the group.
Food
Ouray has good nearby food options.
We encourage eating two meals per day—a good breakfast and a great late lunch.
When on the night shoots, you may wish to bring snack food or a sandwich and plenty of water.
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own meals and accommodations.
Weather
Expect daytime highs of about 80 F, and nighttime lows in the 50s.
Recommended Attire
Shorts or pants and short-sleeve shirts for daytime, pants and long-sleeve shirts for night.
A sweatshirt, windbreaker and/or medium-weight jacket will likely be useful at night.
Comfortable and protective shoes are recommended for getting around. There won’t be long hikes, but we will be on trails, so quality trail shoes or hiking boots would be optimal.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this workshop is Easy-Moderate. (See more about our classifications.)
No vigorous activity will be required during the workshop, but please consider your physical abilities prior to registering. There won’t be any long hikes, but we will be doing short hikes on unmaintained trails, and you should be comfortable carrying your own equipment over uneven ground in the dark.
The Ouray area ranges between about 8,000 and 14,000 feet in elevation, and it is possible we will go as high as 13,000. Altitude sickness can become a concern at over 8,000 feet, and some people can experience it at elevations as low as 6,000. If you are generally sensitive to high elevations, or if you are coming from a sea-level region, we highly advise arriving in the area two or three days early to acclimate by going on some short hikes at altitude. We also advise staying well hydrated.
Note: To ensure the safety of individuals and the group, the workshop leaders may use their discretion to limit an attendee from engaging in a vigorous activity on-site should that person's physical health or ability be in question. If you are unsure about your ability to meet the physical demands of this workshop, we will be happy to discuss your concerns one-on-one before you register. You are also, of course, welcome to attend a workshop and sit out any physical activity that makes you uncomfortable. In such cases, we can provide you with ideas for alternative shoot locations for that time.
Considerations
IMPORTANT: We encourage reading our FAQs page for more information about skill and gear requirements, and other information that pertains to all our workshops.
If you have questions, please contact us—we're happy to talk it over with you.
A perfect place to just ‘be’ …
“The relaxed atmosphere, awesome peaks and verdant valleys, the wildness and the unpredictability of mountain weather. The sense of being at home.”
I love Colorado. In fact, it was my first introduction to the American West. I recall going there on a ski trip in the late 1980s and promising myself that I would live there within a couple of years. As it turned out, I made my home in Montana instead. A fortuitous change in plans as I discovered my love of photography in Missoula.
The chain of events that led me from ski bum/bartender/part-time electrician to commercial photographer can be directly traced back to a small restaurant in that medium-size town in rural Montana. I’m glad things worked out as they did.
When returning to Colorado a few years later, though, I remembered why I’d felt such a powerful attraction. The relaxed atmosphere, awesome peaks and verdant valleys, the wildness and the unpredictability of mountain weather. The sense of being at home.
“Coming home to a place he’d never been before … Rocky Mountain High.”
The mountains of Colorado call to me. When I am there, the world is right. The crisp, cool mountain air, hot sun and friendly smiles warm my heart. The rivers, valleys and peaks inspire my creativity. Colorado, a perfect place to just … be.
