Greetings from frosty Colorado! It's the peak of winter in the Rockies, and a perfect time for my second career photography workshop. This one took place just a hop, skip, and a jump from my home -- about 50 miles away in the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park from January 23-26, 2025.
Rocky Mountain National Park is the crown jewel of Colorado, known for its towering peaks, endless trails, and wildlife that seem to double as the park’s welcome committee. It’s the kind of place where you can marvel at alpine lakes so clear they make bottled water jealous (unless they are frozen solid, as was the case this time), and where elk unapologetically block traffic like they own the road (spoiler: they kind of do). Whether you're chasing sunrise at Bear Lake or trying to catch your breath on a hike at 12,000 feet, this park offers beauty, adventure, and a reminder that nature is both stunning and (sometimes tragically) unpredictable. More on that later...
This workshop was hosted by the extremely talented photographers (and overall great people) Mandy Lea and Kendrick Callaway from Mandy Lea Photo. Mandy and Kendrick lead a nomadic life, touring the country in their teardrop camper, hosting rallies for likeminded adventurers, and leading affordable photography tours in some of the most stunning locations in the US. You can tell they love what they do, and after considering a couple of workshop options for winter photography in Colorado, I very fortunately landed on this one.
This was the first of several workshops I have planned for 2025. Next on the docket is Kauai, Hawaii in March, the Grand Canyon in May, and a fall colors tour in the San Juan mountains of Colorado at the end of September. Plans may change of course, but I'm excited for a jam-packed year of adventure, natural beauty, and hopefully a few shots worthy of the portfolio. I aim to post a similar update after each workshop, and I hope you'll find them enjoyable and informative. If nothing else, I'll have some record of my past explorations for my own enjoyment. :)
Without further adieu, let's begin...
Day 1: Hospitality in Estes Park and a Sunset to Remember
The workshop began on a frigid Thursday afternoon in Estes Park, a charming town just a few miles from the park entrance. It's known for cozy cabins, abundant wildlife, and the famously eerie Stanley Hotel. After cramming to finish work for the day, I departed for the 90ish minute drive to begin the workshop around lunchtime. After checking into my hotel room at the Castle Mountain Lodge, I headed over to Mandy and Kendrick's lovely home a few miles away. There, my three fellow participants and I enjoyed some homemade chili, chicken noodle soup, cornbread, and garlic bread while we got acquainted and discussed plans for the workshop. One of the many perks of booking a workshop with Mandy and Kendrick is that they'll cook for you, and the warm meal on a cold day did not disappoint.
With our bellies full, we bundled up for the subzero temperatures, piled in the Jeep, and headed to our sunset shooting location - Sprague Lake. The scene was surreal to me -- a massive frozen lake and dramatic clouds all around. All there was to do was to wait for the sun to to dip down behind the towering peaks around us. When it did and we all observed the sky, our group agreed that braving the cold was well worth it. Hallet Peak was especially striking, standing barely visible among the moody gray clouds. The result was my favorite shot from the whole trip.
"Moody Peak" Limited Edition Fine Art Print
Armed with some beautiful shots, we called it a night soon after and I headed back to the hotel to prepare for an early morning sunrise shoot.
Day 2: Glorious Sunrises and Unlucky Deer
After a restless night at the hotel, I dragged myself out of bed at around 5:00am, put on my 25 layers of clothing, and drove back to meet the group for our sunrise shoot. Mandy and Kendrick seemed to know just where to go, and we arrived at a breathtaking mountain overlook with sweeping views that included Longs Peak shrouded by clouds in the distance. With fingers numb from cold, we all setup our tripods in anticipation as the color began revealing itself all around us. Once again, Mother Nature did not disappoint. The blazing sky allowed for some stunning shots, including the shot below.
"Pastel Peaks" Fine Art Print
With our memory cards full of memorable shots, we drove back into Estes Park for a tasty breakfast before heading back to do some more shooting. Daytime photography is never quite as a dramatic, but we still managed to find some compelling locations to shoot before the weather took a turn. A couple of my more interesting shots from the day are below.
In the afternoon, the snow really picked up, but we decided to press on with our plans to hike up to Dream Lake to see what we could see. I admit that I was a little apprehensive because I've never done a hike in this type of weather before, but it was one I'll truly never forget. The precipitation was heavy and the temperature was around 0 degrees F, but we were blessed with a reprieve from the howling winds. The snow fell gently and beautifully as we walked, and I was bathed in a quiet peace that I can't recall experiencing before.
When we arrived at the lake, we were greeted by a vast, wide-open stretch of snow-covered nothingness. The frozen lake lay buried under about 6-8 inches of fresh snow. We weren't the only ones enjoying the serenity, as a few other groups milled around nearby, including a man who got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend. Judging by the whoops and cheers in the distance, I guess she said yes.
After spending 30 minutes or so shooting the trees, interesting rocks, and eye-catching ice formations nearby, we began our descent back down to the trailhead entrance. While I didn't get a lot of great photos from this adventure, it was one I won't soon forget!
With aching legs and snow crystals hanging from our eyelashes and beards, we finally made it back to the cars just before sunset and headed back to Mandy and Kendrick's home before dinner. I wanted a shower and to change clothes, so I headed back to the hotel. I freshened up and jumped back in the car to head back for dinner, but fate had other ideas for me. While I was cruising along the almost empty streets, a large doe decided to try her luck at a little jaywalking (or running, as it were). She did so right in front of me with no warning, and I struck her going about 30-35 MPH. She wasn't moving much and I felt awful, but when I drove past again a couple of hours later, she was gone. I'm not sure if she managed to survive, or if the forest rangers or state patrol moved her already, but I'm hoping for the former. Nonetheless, this put a bit of a damper on the evening. Luckily my car was still drivable, but if estimates are correct, we're looking at around $8k+ in damage. Thank goodness for insurance.
Day 3: Making Lemonade Out of Lemons
The forecast called for moderate to heavy snow all day, so we knew we weren't going to be shooting during the golden hours. While that's always a bit of a disappointment, I was happy for being able to sleep in. Luckily, Mandy and Kendrick had some ideas on some things we could shoot despite the less than ideal conditions.
We first headed over to Camp Saint Malo to photograph the historic St. Catherine of Siena "Chapel on the Rock" in Estes Park. Erected in 1935, this historic chapel was built on the base of a meteorite that hit the earth here. It sits framed against the majestic Mt. Meeker, which stands at around 13,911 feet tall and has survived fires and floods over the years. It is now considered an Historic Site.
Unfortunately, there was no view of Mt. Meeker for our group on this day, but the chapel and grounds around it were still beautiful. I so appreciated the opportunity to visit this historic chapel. It was closed to visitors so we couldn't go in, but we had fun shooting all around it.
On our way back out of the park, an eagle-eyed member of our group caught the glimpse of a towering pine tree standing nearly alone among the other trees. We all agreed it was worth stopping to shoot, and it has quickly become one of my favorite photos from this workshop:
"Frozen Sentinel" Limited Edition Fine Art Print
As we caravanned out the exit of the park, Kendrick suddenly made a U-Turn and drove right back in. Perplexed, our group followed, and after asking the rangers if we could park for a few minutes in a restricted area, we found out why. Kendrick and Mandy had spotted an elk lying peacefully in a grove of trees, blissfully chomping on some grass. Once again I wished for a longer zoom lens, but we were able to take some shots as he lazily stared straight back at us.
All in all, it was a great day of shooting despite the less-than-ideal conditions. We called it an evening early and returned to Mandy and Kendrick's home for an extended editing session. I really appreciated all the time Mandy spent with me working on a few of my photos. I learned a great deal about Lightroom and Photoshop that I didn't know previously, and gained a lot of confidence in my editing abilities.
Day 4: One Last Sunrise Before Our Farewells
The final day of the workshop had arrived and we weren't sure what to expect for sunrise this morning. The forecast called for mostly cloudy skies, but we agreed it was worth heading out to see what the morning had in store for us. We pulled up to another beautiful overlook when I realized I had made the biggest rookie mistake a photographer can make -- arriving at a sunrise shoot with a dead camera battery, and my spares sitting useless in my hotel room 15 miles away. Luckily, my friends on the shoot had a spare charging cable, and I made the best of it by sitting in the car and shooting through the window.
The sunrise was low on color and high on clouds this morning, so it wasn't anything too memorable at first. I didn't find myself missing my camera too much until about 45 minutes later. One of our group members had ventured out and found a small tree sitting alone nestled within a series of large rocks. The sun had made its appearance over the mountains by this point, and they got some wonderful shots of it poking through the tree. I really wished I would've had my camera available at that point, but I settled for this photo taken with my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Certainly not bad, but could've been stunning like Mandy's photo from the same location. Oh well, you win some, you lose some...
This wrapped up our shooting for the workshop, so after I headed back to the hotel to checkout, I drove up to Mandy and Kendrick's for one final editing session and a photo review. While enjoying a delicious homemade quiche that Mandy prepared for us, we sat on cushy couches and easy chairs by the fire as we reviewed the group's best photos from the workshop. This was another highlight of the trip for me -- being able to see the compositions and visions of all the other photographers in the group really opened my eyes. Mastering the camera settings is one thing, but composition, framing, lighting, and creativity is what really makes the photographer, and I have a lot of to learn in that regard.
Wrapping Up...
Another photography workshop is in the books. I've now done two in the past 5-6 months, and they've both been great in their own right. I have to give a serious shout out to Mandy and Kendrick for putting on a truly memorable, enjoyable, well-planned workshop. When Mother Nature didn't cooperate, they had excellent backup plans that yielded some truly unforgettable experiences for me. They are also frankly, just humble, kind, caring people who clearly love what they do. Where else would you find another workshop where the instructors will cook meals for you and spend hours helping you compose and edit your photos? The answer is simple: you won't. There is no doubt in my mind that I will join another of their workshops in the future, and if you have interest in landscape/nature photography, I suggest you do the same. They are also very affordable compared to other workshops I've shopped. You won't find a better deal around.
What's Next?
The next workshop I have planned is in Kauai, Hawaii in March, 2025. I'm quite looking forward to this one, as I believe Kauai is one of the most beautiful places that I've been to on this Earth. Stay tuned for that!
If you've made it through this rambling post this long, I thank you. I hope you found it an enjoyable read. Until next time...
