Join Leica Store Miami for a special Fall Foliage photography tour of Southwest Colorado, as we capture the fleeting beauty of Autumn in the Rocky Mountains.
We will visit quaint and beautiful mountain towns like Ouray, Ridgway, and Telluride, exploring their winding backroads and high mountain passes in search of breathtaking vistas that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Leica Expert Colin McKinley from Leica Store Miami will be on hand to offer guidance and assistance as you capture the spectacular mountain scenery.
While other cameras are certainly allowed on this trip, the focus is on Leica camera systems and learning how to use them to their full potential. Current owners as well as those wanting to try Leica gear out for a week of real shooting are encouraged to attend. We’ll share our favorite tips and tricks so you can get the most out of this exceptional gear.
Because of the altitude involved in this trip, it is essential that you are actively fit and healthy. Whilst there are no long hikes or big mileage, the elevation makes everything difficult. All walking/hiking will be done at a relaxed pace, as we will have plenty of time to get to our locations.
Most locations we visit involve few difficulties to those with even low levels of fitness. Where walking over uneven terrain, slippery rocks or when standing near cliff edges is required, you will be properly briefed on the potential hazards.
The weather and climate in Colorado’s high country is renowned for being extremely unpredictable, due to its extreme elevation and rugged terrain. This means conditions can change within minutes and miles, resulting in very dramatic light and photographic opportunities. Weather during the daytime can range from the high 70’s to low 30’s, with nightly lows sometimes dropping into single digits. Snow is not uncommon this time of year, and can create excellent conditions for capturing unique and striking fall color photographs.
We recommend flying in and out of Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ), which is about a 40 minute drive from our hotel in Ridgway. We’ll meet at 6pm on Sunday, September 28 for drinks and introductions before our Welcome Dinner. The workshop will end on October 4th, and flights can be booked any time that day. Of course, you’re welcome to extend your stay to explore the area or perhaps travel elsewhere in Colorado.
The adventure begins at our beautiful and unique hotel for the week, Chipeta Lodge in Ridgway, Colorado. We will meet for drinks and introductions before heading over to our welcome dinner. Enjoy a chance to meet and chat with your fellow Leica enthusiasts before the photography begins.
The San Juan mountains are a sub-range of the Rocky Mountains in Southwestern Colorado, known for being particularly rugged, jagged, and photogenic. On a typical day, we may be out taking photos in the mountains from before sunrise to after sunset.
Depending on the weather, we have a variety of spectacular photo locations to choose from within an hour’s drive of our centrally-located hotel.
A few of the locations we may visit during the trip include:
Today, we’ll rise early for a sunrise shoot, before returning to the hotel for breakfast. Then, we’ll catch a ferry to Mykines Island, the jewel of the Faroes. This remote island is home to only 14 people throughout the year, though it plays host to thousands of seabirds nesting along its spectacular coastlines during summer! You’ll have ample opportunities to photograph puffins, gannets, fulmars and kittiwakes as they dive from the black basalt cliff faces into the water on the hunt for fish. The highlight of Mykines is the lighthouse at the end of a steep islet Mykineshólmur, which will take us about two hours. We’ll be rewarded by an incredible view of the ocean waves crashing into the islet from all around.