Overview
Join a professional photographer and experienced safari guide on our small group, immersive, 3-day photography workshop into Grand Teton National Park. This intensive field based photography workshop will focus on finding and safely photographing the abundant wildlife in Grand Teton National Park, part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, as well as capturing both classic and lesser known landscapes throughout our days in the field.
Highlights
- 5:1 Guide/Participant Ratio
- Wildlife & Landscape Photography Opportunities
- Personalized Photography Instruction
We will spend our time in prime wildlife habitat within Grand Teton National Park, including places like Willow Flats, Moulton Barns, Mormon Row, Snake River Overlook, and Elk Ranch Flats – to name a few. This will allow ample time and opportunity to safely photograph the area’s big game and predators in addition to learning wildlife photography techniques throughout the workshop.
This workshop has a 2-person minimum requirement to run.
Fall is a great time to explore the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Wildlife will be on the move, elk rut will be audible and the fall colors will brighten the landscape before the winter snow settles in.
During the workshop you will also have the opportunity to photograph landmarks in Grand Teton National Park, such as, Oxbow Bend, Jenny Lake, Mormon Row or Moulton Barns and Schwabacher Landing. Our small group size combined with an experienced photography guide will ensure personalized attention, great wildlife photography and great landscape opportunities.
Group size is limited to 5 participants per workshop to ensure plenty of time for everyone to benefit from one on one conversation with the instructor throughout the tour. There will also be photo processing instruction and photo critiques available during mid-day breaks.
The exact routes and itineraries will depend on a number of factors – the most important being your areas of interest, current wildlife sightings and road conditions. One of the great things about our safaris and photography workshops is our ability to customize each safari for you. Our guides are all highly experienced with thousands of hours in Grand Teton National Park allowing them to make suggestions and calibrate the adventure to your experience level and desires. Every day is different for us which makes our safaris more fun for both you and your guides.
What's Included
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Hotel pickup
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Professional photography guide
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Small group safari : 5 guests max
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Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
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Assorted snack basket
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Hot and cold beverages
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Use of UHD binoculars and spotting scopes
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National Park entrance fees
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Lodging
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Guide gratuity
Public Tour
Minimum age is 12 years old. Maximum per vehicle, 5 guests. This is a mixed group safari.
Available Dates
September 22-24, 2025
Pick-up Times
All guests are picked up and returned to their place of lodging. We pick up at hotels and condos in the town of Jackson. Your exact pick up time will be determined by your hotel location and the season. Please make note of your pickup time, and save it for your reference.
Please give your guide an additional 5-10 minutes before and after the scheduled time to allow for other pickups or traffic conditions.
Changes to trip timing may be made to accommodate daylight and/or optimum wildlife viewing.
Approximate pickup times for Jackson Hole include:
September
- 6:30 AM – Town of Jackson locations
**You must secure your own lodging in the town of Jackson for this workshop.
We went on the Fall Photography Workshop. Our guide was great, he showed us a lot of wildlife, majestic scenery and historical sights. He offered valued photography suggestions and was knowledgable of the area. It was a wonderful trip and we were very pleased.
Itinerary
Grand Teton National Park
Your professional photography guide will meet you at your Jackson Hole area hotel and start by traveling north to photograph a couple of the classic landscapes of the area as we begin to explore Grand Teton National Park. This first morning will include a field orientation to the best camera settings, framing, and tricks to creating great landscape images. Once the sun gets too high in the sky for landscapes we will switch gears and prepare for photographing wildlife by discussing settings, strategies and techniques for maximizing the wildlife photography opportunities to be had throughout the workshop.
Over the last several years Grand Teton National Park has become one of the best wildlife viewing parks in the world with all of the region’s wildlife represented. Moose, elk, deer, bison, pronghorn, fox, coyote, bald and golden eagles, black bears, grizzly bears are commonly spotted, and the lucky few may even glimpse a pack of wolves. Golden aspens highlight the fall foliage that will also add color to the dramatic landscapes you will encounter at every turn. Your professional photography guide will cover the best camera settings to increase your chances of making great images of animals in different light and backgrounds.
After a break for lunch we will find out a little bit about each other, sharing photography stories, asking photography questions and discovering photography goals during the workshop. We will again head back out, continuing our search for wildlife opportunities.
We will check into our lodging and take a short break in the afternoon to rest, process images and have an early dinner in preparation for photographing a Teton sunset.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Grand Teton National Park
We will wake early to photograph sunrise on the Tetons and early morning wildlife. As the sun rises will explore lesser traveled roads in Northern Jackson Hole in search of wildlife before returning to the lodge for an early lunch with time for a mid-day break and a photo-processing class for anyone interested in learning about image management, editing, post processing and outputting images for different uses.
We will then return to the field for more great photography opportunities in the softer light of late afternoon and evening. The exact locations and topics will depend on current conditions, group interest and the successes of our previous field time. Flexibility in our schedule will allow us to take advantage of any wildlife sightings in addition to other photographic opportunities. After sunset, we will again return to town for a late dinner.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Grand Teton National Park
On this last day together, we will continue to explore within Grand Teton National Park. We can take the opportunity to revisit some favorite locations, or seek out new spots to work with our craft. We will break for lunch and have time for further discussion and education before heading back into the field for the afternoon.
Following our afternoon field session, we will return to the town of Jackson, and settle in for a farewell dinner one last time before we say goodbye. You’ll be returned to your lodging in the town of Jackson at the end of the evening meal.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Safari Tour Gallery
All photography has been shot by our talented tour guides.
FAQs
What is your cancellation policy?
For groups of 14 guests or less:
We have a 48-hour cancellation policy for all single day safaris and a 14-day cancellation policy for all 2-3 day safaris. For multi-day safaris of 4 days or more, we have a 30-day cancellation policy. Cancellations made before the policy goes into effect will receive a full refund with no penalty. Cancellations made within the cancellation policy period will not be refunded.
For groups of 15 or more guests:
We have a 30-day cancellation policy. Cancellations made before the policy goes into effect will receive a refund minus a 10% fee. Cancellations made within the cancellation policy period will not be refunded.
We highly recommend obtaining travel insurance before your departure to protect you from incurring any costs associated with unforeseen circumstances that prevent you from joining us.
What is the weather like in the fall in Grand Teton National Park?
Summer in Jackson Hole runs from early May to late October, with fall conditions setting in around the end of August. Average high temperatures in the valley during the summer season range from 61F to 81F (16C to 27C), and daily temperatures can fluctuate quite a lot. The high elevation often creates cool mornings and evenings but hot afternoons. It is important to come prepared for a variety of conditions throughout the day as they can change quickly in the summertime.
Average highs and lows by summer months, into the fall season:
May: Average High 64F/17C, Average Low 30F/-1C
June: Average High 76F/24C, Average Low 37F/2C
July: Average High 81F/27C, Average Low 40F/5C
August: Average High 80F/26C, Average Low 39F/3C
September: Average High 73F/22C, Average Low 31F/-1C
October: Average High 61F/16C, Average Low 23F/-5C
What should I bring?
This is always a tough question for this kind of tour as it is pretty personal and there are a lot of right ways to do things. The list below may differ from the other guides, photographers and your own preferences. All items on this list are simply a suggestion and may or may not work best for you based on your personal preferences and style of travel. The two main areas to focus on are clothing and camera gear. September in Grand Teton National Park can vary from lingering summer temperatures, to crisp fall days, to early winter setting in. Plan on temperatures that are below freezing in the morning and evenings and temperature fluctuations throughout the day.
With that said there are two strategies to stay warm while outside in these conditions. One is to bring along heavy outer layers (think thick, heavy winter coats) or to dress in layers with a windproof outer layer. Most folks tend to fall into the “dress in layers” camp so this packing list will tend to reflect that. If you have a hard time staying warm, adjust your clothing list accordingly. The key to being comfortable is to versatile with your layers.
Clothing
- Base Layers – light to mid-weight long underwear
- Middle Layers (upper) – mid weight fleece and/or softshell jacket
- Middle Layers (lower) – down/wool pants
- Outer Layers (upper) – down parka/sweater, waterproof shell
- Outer Layers (lower) – weatherproof pants (ski pants or equivalent)
- Footwear – winter boots and/or waterproof hiking boots with gators in case of snow is probably adequate; bring comfortable shoes or slippers for the evenings in your hotel room
- Mid-weight wool socks – bring extra pairs to swap out during the day if needed
- Hat – wool/fleece beanie to keep warm; baseball cap for warmer days
- Sunglasses
- Gloves and/or mittens
Personal Gear
- Headlamp
- Earplugs
- Phone
- Computer/Tablet
- Toiletries
- Medications
What photography gear do I need to bring?
Camera Bodies
Full frame or crop sensor – either will be fantastic.
Tripods
Tripods or monopods really help when using long focal length lenses.
3 top reasons for using a tripod or monopod:
1.)they help to steady your camera to capture more “keepers” to take home with you.
2.) they help with fatigue. A lot of times photographers have to handhold their long lenses for a very long time while
photographing wildlife. Arm fatigue can set in after a while.
3.) they (tripods) help with critical composition with landscape photography. Once you find the composition you like,
you can lock it into place and give all your concentration on photographing the scene.
Landscape Photography
Wide angle lenses are generally used in landscape photography.
Landscape photography lenses start at 14mm go up to 70mm. This range comes in a variety of lenses.
Wide angle or focal lengths that we recommend are:
14mm-24mm zoom
18mm-35mm zoom
24mm-70mm zoom
24mm fixed focal length
28mm fixed focal length
35mm fixed focal length
50mm fixed focal length
There are other lenses that also fall into the 14mm-70mm range.
Wildlife Photography
Wildlife tends to be further away and requires long focal length lenses.
Wildlife photography lenses start at 300mm and go up to 600mm. This range comes in a variety of lenses.
Long focal length lens range that we recommend are:
150mm-600mm zoom (These are currently very popular and can be affordable).
100mm-400mm zoom
200mm-500mm zoom
300mm fixed focal length
400mm fixed focal length
500mm fixed focal length
600mm fixed focal length
There are other lenses that also fall into the 300mm-600mm range.
This is an example of what Dwight typically has on hand for this course:
- Nikon D850 full frame camera body
- Nikon D500 crop sensor camera body
- 14mm-24mm
- 24mm-70mm
- 70mm-200mm
- 600mm
- 1.4 teleconverter
- Gitzo tripod w/gimbal head for wildlife photography and ball head for landscape photography.
Sometimes, flying with your photography gear can be a headache. If you want to leave your personal items at home, and rent gear for the workshop, Wyoming Camera Outfitters has a line of rental items available. Please contact them for details.
What are the packing guidelines?
We are a small group traveling in a large passenger van, so we are somewhat limited on space. Please try to limit your baggage to include no more than 1 camera bag, 1 tripod, and one carry-on size bag for clothing, personal items and computer.
What photography credentials will our professional photography guide have?
Photography Credentials for Dwight Vasel
- Bachelor of Science: Radio and Television, Southern Illinois University
- 30+ year career in broadcast television for PBS, ABC and NBC
- Nominated for 28 Emmy Awards
- Recipient of 14 Emmy Awards
- 30+ years experience specializing in portrait and wedding photography, corporate photography and landscape, wildlife and fine art photography
- 10+ years instructing digital photography for Big 12 University TCU, extended education department and private digital photography classes for individuals
- 10+ years spent photographing, living and guiding in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
- Has led numerous Photography Workshops throughout Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park
- Has led countless photography day tours while working for Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris
- Has led polar bear photography expeditions in Churchill, Manitoba (Canada)
- His fine art photography can be found on his website, at fine art galleries in Jackson Hole, Santa Fe, and Texas
Professional Photography Guides
Our Team
Local, experienced, and passionate guides and photographers.
