Join Rock Light Photo to spend a fantastic week exploring Arches, canyons, ancient rock art, the Colorado River, iconic movie and TV locations, and some of the best light for landscape photography in the world.  

We will visit a wide variety of great locations in Arches & Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse Point State Park.  We will also explore other great Moab locations like Castle Valley & Bears Ears National Monument* (2-day add-on).  The workshop will include classroom work to better your photographic craft, including time to process and critique your images.  We will shoot sunrises and sunsets each day as weather allows, with a few hours each day dedicated to classroom instruction and image processing. 

Subjects will include, but not be limited to: Natural arches, canyons, ancient ruins and rock art, the Colorado River, iconic movie and TV locations, and optional night photography in internationally recognized dark skies parks.  We will end the workshop with a group slide show and critique.

Note: This workshop will be in two locations: the main Moab workshop is Nov 5-9, with an optional add-on to the workshop in Bears Ears National Monument in Bluff, Utah.

For the Bears Ears extension, we will visit a number of photogenic cliff dwellings, rock art panels, and other historic Native American sites, including 'House on Fire' in Mule Canyon, Monarch Cave & the Procession Panel along Butler Wash, 'Fallen Roof Ruin' in Road Canyon, and the inimitable Valley of the Gods. Bears Ears National Monument is unique among U.S. national monuments, in that it is co-managed by the Bureau of Land Management with the Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, Ute & Uta Mountain Ute tribes, which all have ancestry and deep roots in the area.

Registration fee add-on - just choose 'add-on' during checkout to add the Bears Ears portion of the trip.
Bears Ears Extension: Nov 9-11: $600 pp + tax

(lodging options available from $200/night)

Colin D. Young is an award-winning photographer who has spent the past decade exploring the red rock Canyonlands of Southern Utah and the mountains of Colorado, after spending 25 year capturing the landscapes of upstate New York.  He has led dozens of workshops in Colorado, Utah and national parks across the U.S. as the founder of Rock Light Photo Tours.   As a lifelong lighting designer for theatre, television and other live events, he has a keen sense and deep knowledge about natural light.   He is a certified and insured photography tour guide in Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands & Rocky Mountain national Parks. He has led more than a dozen workshops in the Moab area. Online gallery:  www.RockLightPhoto.com 

- Making your red rock images pop

- Determining proper exposure
- Capturing great images in challenging lighting conditions

- Analyzing a scene for compositional options

- Using filters to improve artistic results

- Shooting and Stitching panoramic images

- Colin's Adobe Lightroom workflow for getting the most from your images

- Creating dynamic black and white images from digital color captures

- Photographic techniques for shooting the red rock sandstone of the Colorado Plateau 

- High Dynamic Range photography techniques, including multiple exposures and use of grad ND filters

 - A positive group critique of images to end the workshop - this is a  wonderful lesson in composition and seeing the world through other  peoples' eyes. 

Skill Levels

All skill levels are welcome.  Participants who have a good working  knowledge of their cameras, a basic understanding of digital workflow,  and knowledge or exposure to Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop will get  the most from this workshop.   

Physical Demands

Though locations visited during this workshop are readily accessible, the hilly terrain requires some moderate hiking (typically less than 3 miles round trip). Participants MUST BE IN GOOD PHYSICAL SHAPE  and able to climb and descend moderate to steep inclines. They should wear sturdy boots and use caution on slippery and rocky slopes.  Keep in mind that the elevation in Moab is 4000', and Arches and Canyonlands are at 5000-6000'  above sea level. 

Group Size

Maximum 8 photographers. (+ 2 instructor/guides)

Accommodations are available in one of our two luxury vacation rental properties just 10 min. south of Moab, Utah, each with a private hot tub and a fully equipped kitchen, which are a great base of operations for visiting Arches National Park other locations in and around Moab and Castle Valley.   One of the two properties will be the home base for the workshop, giving us a place to  gather for classroom sessions, a kitchen to use for meals, and a chance to mingle with and learn from your fellow photographers.  Prices shown do not include local taxes. Details on the rentals can be found here: https://nikinaeve.com/rental-properties/

• Private bedroom (King bed, pvt bath (3 avail): $175/night single occ, $200/night dbl occ.

• Private bedroom (Queen bed, pvt bath (1 avail): $150/night - $175/nt dbl Occ (1 Queen, 1 full)

• Private Bedroom (King bed, shared bath (1 avail): $150/night - $175/nt dbl occ. (1 King bed)

• Private bedroom (full bed, shared bath(1 avail): $125/night - $150/night dbl occ (2 full beds)

Generally the rooms are available at least one night before and after the workshop (Aug 10-16) if you wish to explore the area.  

Please be sure to request one of the lodging options above when booking if desired.  

Contact moabrentalhouses@gmail.com with questions about accommodations.

Lodging options in Bluff, Utah for Nov 9-11 for the Bear Ears add-on will be announced soon.

Registration fee:

Moab, Arches & Canyonlands Nov 5-9: $1350 +tax per person ($1445 incl. Utah sales tax)

Deposit to reserve a date: $500+housing deposit

Bears Ears Extension: $600+tax per person ($640 incl. Utah sales tax)

(you will be given an option for an 'add-on' during check-out.

Dates and Times

Main workshop begins Thu, Nov 5, 2026 at 2pm, and ends Mon, Nov 9 at Noon.

Bears Ears extension begins 1pm on Mon, Nov 9, and ends 11am Wed, Nov 11.

Non-photographer/tag-along rate: $400/600 - for a  spouse/partner/friend who wants to come along, eat meals with the group,  and travel to some of our shooting locations.  Note there is a double occupancy rate for the lodging options at the vacation rental properties.

Where to Meet

Participants will gather and be based at the Red Rock Garden vacation rental property in Moab, Utah.   Directions and details will be sent well in advance of the workshop.

What to bring: 

• A digital or film  camera capable of manual exposure settings.  Due to the short time frame  of the workshop, people with digital cameras, especially digital SLR or mirrorless cameras, will get the most from the workshop.  

• Plan to bring all of your lenses, from wide angle to telephoto (14-200), as the variety of locations will put all your gear to work! (if you have a wide angle prime for night photography, bring that as well)

• A  sturdy tripod is essential for capturing the long exposures necessary to capture  sunrise/set, as well as the Milky Way (and perhaps a comet!).

• All your filters. A circular polarizer filter, while not required, can be a useful tool for controlling glare and haze to make your red rock mages pop.   A graduated neutral density filter can be useful in some canyon rim locations at sunrise or sunset.

• Hiking boots or other sturdy shoes

• a good camera bag for hiking with your camera, batteries, a couple of lenses, batteries, snacks, etc.

• Refillable water bottles or a camelback for hiking

• Warm weather layers and cold weather layers – Utah desert weather can include big swings in temperature, and temps can be chilly at sunrise or sunset, especially at higher altitudes.  Plan to bring a warm hat, gloves, and a warm jacket for the night shoot.

• A headlamp or flashlight, in case we need to hike back after sunset, and for the night shoot.

• Your own method of transportation to get around town.  We will carpool to locations as possible. 

• A laptop computer loaded with Adobe Lightroom Classic(LRC) and/or Photoshop,  to best take advantage of the Lightroom workflow sessions, or whatever software you use to process images. (a tablet with Lightroom (LR) can work as well)