Rocky Mountain National Park Photo Tours
On Rocky Mountain National Park Photography Tours you can learn the skills of landscape, nature, macro, and wildlife photography on your own private Photo Safari. My job during your Estes Park Photo Tour is to get you to the right place at the right time, read the weather and the light, and make sure you learn how to set the best settings to get great shots, here in Rocky today and around the world in the future. Yellow Wood Guiding tours are focused on giving our clients amazing experiences. Unlike most other Photo Tour services, I will only grab my camera if it is absolutely amazing and I know you will get your shot first. While on tour you have access to our professional photo equipment, long lenses, filters, and tripods if needed.
Improve your photography in Rocky Mountain National Park with a professional photographer and guide by your side.
Beginners, you get a private photography lesson in the beautiful Rocky Mountains from a professional photographer who has focused on teaching for 20 years.
Pros and Experienced Shooters, we can tailor a trip to help get thee shots you want and you will likely learn advanced technique and skills along the way.
Photo Safari Seasonal Highlight Options
Click the button of the season you are planning your photo safari for options of what we can shoot during that time of year.
Beginners, learn how to use your camera to its fullest potential and I'll help get you off of automatic mode. Having taught 3,000+ beginners I'm very experienced in teaching you the basics in a simple understandable manner so you start seeing huge improvements within the first hour of the tour. Generally a 4 or 6 hour tour is best for beginners. Most folks burn out at 4 hours, while others can keep going well past 6. The best length for you depends on which one of of those descriptions is most like you.
I'm experienced teaching folks with all makes and models of DSLR and Mirrorless cameras including: Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus, and a variety of point and shoot cameras and even phones. I've had clients tell me they learned more on a single tour than on week long photo workshops.
First we will start by making sure your camera is set up to capture the best pictures possible. Then learn aspects of photography such as composition, light metering, reading a histogram, and some secrets that will improve every shot you take. If you want to make the jump from "point and shoot" to the world of "f stops" and "shutter speed," this is the perfect opportunity for you. Generally Aperture Priority Mode with selectable auto-focus is the recommended method that 98% of professionals use and we will teach you how to use those exact settings.
Experienced photographers, we can plan a special trip to try to catch amazing shots, refine and advance your technique, customize your camera settings, and talk about ways to improve your shots. You may want to consider an 8 hour Split day spending 4 hours in the morning and evening to focus on the best light of the day. We can discuss advanced skills like hyper-focal distance, prime apertures for sharpness, live view focusing, focus stacking set up, long lens techniques and more. We can also make a custom trip to hit some really amazing locations that can take years to find.
You don't have a camera or a long lens, don't worry, you can use ours! By using our professional digital cameras with a selection of lenses from 14mm to 840mm you can get shots of the majestic mountain vistas or zoom in on a Bull Elk's eye lashes. Keep in mind gear of this level requires a desire to learn how to use it, they have no automatic settings. I also have 4 tripods in the vehicle at all times incase you need to borrow one during the tour. Click below to see the gear available to use included with the price of tour.
Before your Photo Safari be sure to visit Yellow Wood Guding's Photo Training Videos so you are prepared for a great day of photography in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Even though this is a photographic tour you will still learn tons of interesting facts and gain a new respect for this amazing environment.
Tour Details: All tours are private, only the people you invite will come along. Limited to four people, 3 or less recommended, we offer use of a Nikon z9 Mirrorless DSLR, Gitzo tripods, and lens selection from 14mm - 840mm (up to 17x magnification).
Due to the level of instruction and cost of gear we limit our Photo Tours to children 12 and up. I recommend 14 and up. If your kids are under 16 please read the Safari FAQ to make sure this tour is for your family. There are a number of stops where we can use the park restrooms. Sunscreen, eco-friendly and optics friendly bug spray, water and healthy snacks are provided for all guests.
*Not included: Park entrance fees are $30 Day pass per car, $35 Week Pass per car or $80 for an annual pass. If you have a Senior, NPS Annual, or US Veterans and Active Duty Pass it is free as long as you have your pass and ID. I do not charge for a pass, as many folks already have one.
Yellow Wood Guiding is Authorized by the National Park Service, Department of Interior to conduct services in Rocky Mountain National Park. Fees for service are strictly for educational nature experiences and photography instruction, not transportation.
Check AvailabilitySummer Tour Fees (May - Early October)
(Total Is Shown NOT Per Person, Rate Is The Same For 1 Or 2 Guests)
| Guests | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 Hour Tour (Most Recommend) | $310 | $310 | $355 | $400 |
| 6 Hour Tour | $465 | $465 | $530 | $595 |
| 8 Hour Tour (Split 4 hrs AM & PM) | $655 | $655 | $725 | $800 |
Winter Tour Fees (Mid October - April)
(Total Is Shown NOT Per Person, Rate Is The Same For 1 Or 2 Guests)
| Guests | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 3.5 Hour Tour (Most Recommend) | $225 | $225 | $260 | $295 |
| 6 Hour Tour | $400 | $400 | $445 | $490 |
| 8 Hour Tour | $525 | $525 | $585 | $645 |
Summer Tours
May - Early Oct
Special Safari
Sept 8th - Early Oct
