Colorado Fall Colors Discovery
October 1-6, 2025
Instructors: Mike Mezeul II
Class size: 5- 1 Spot Open!
Tuition: $4499
Join photography instructor Mike Mezeul II this autumn for a truly one of a kind fall colors workshop! For seven photo-filled days, you’ll be chasing the vibrant fall colors throughout various mountain ranges of Colorado! But hold on, this is no ordinary fall colors workshop as you won’t be just visiting one location in Colorado and hoping you’ll have great colors, but instead, you’ll be chasing the colors as they peak throughout the state! Where will you be shooting? Well, that all depends on where the coveted Aspens are peaking!
There are so many jaw-dropping, photogenic areas in the Colorado to capture the beautiful autumn season, that no matter where you end up, you will have beautiful scenes to shoot. Real-time forecasting will be utilized to give participants the best opportunities to capture the most dramatic conditions.
That being said, given this time of year, we have a general idea of where the colors **should** be peaking, and have built a loose itinerary around that, giving you the best chance to hit some of the most iconic locations in their peak form. Please remember though that as much as we plan for a great experience shooting the fall colors, nature is the one in control.
What You Will Learn:
How to create compelling landscape compositions.
How to create abstract compositions within Aspen groves.
How to use your camera to its fullest capabilities.
How to pick locations based on the weather forecast.
How to utilize a variety of lenses to think “outside the box.”
An understanding for light and how to take advantage of it in all conditions.
How to photograph the night sky and shoot the milky way (weather dependent).
The basics of Lightroom and Photoshop.
An introduction to black and white photography.
What You Will Need:
A DSLR camera body and an assortment of lenses. A wide angle is highly recommended as well as a zoom lens.
A sturdy tripod.
An intervalometer (a cheap one off of Amazon will work just fine).
A headlamp or flashlight.
At least the trial version of Lightroom or Photoshop on your laptop.
Multiple batteries.
A desire to learn, have fun, be flexible, and explore nature!
Note: a 10 or 6 stop neutral density filter for your wide angle is recommended, but not required. Also, a soft grad filter (either .6 or .9) is highly recommended.
What's Not Included:
Airfare to / from Colorado.
Transportation to the meeting location in Ridgway (meeting location will be announced in the welcome email).
Meals & beverages.
What's Included:
Accommodations based upon double occupancy (single occupancy is not available).
Transportation within the workshop.
Post-processing video set (sent out after the workshop).
Access to our brains 24/7.
Any entrance fees.
Physical Requirements:
Difficulty rating: EASY
There will be some light hiking required in this workshop. Nothing more than one mile round trip on relatively flat ground. Most locations can be photographed within a few hundred feet of where we park.
Our Accommodations:
We will be staying at AirBNB homes. The location will be dependent on the best conditions for shooting fall colors. Rooms will be based on double occupancy. Staying in a home together allows us the freedom to leave together, edit together, and just nerd out together at anytime.
Weather:
Weather during this time of year can be quite different each day. Most likely, temperatures will be in the 50’s during the day, and drop down into the 20’s at night. During cold snaps, we can possibly see some snow.
When Does The Workshop Start & Wrap?
The workshop will begin at 1PM with our meet & greet at our host location. The workshop will wrap after sunrise on the last day.
About Your Instructors:
Mike Mezeul II is an extreme nature and landscape photographer and Nikon Ambassador based out of Colorado. His work focuses on documenting the power and beauty within the worlds most powerful natural events, focusing primarily on severe weather and volcanoes. When he is not on a project, he spends his time leading workshops around the world in which he shares his passion for photography through inspiring and educating individuals of all ages and skill levels.
