Photography Workshops and Photo Tours

Alaskan Grizzly Bear Photography Tour

Join award-winning wildlife photographer Matt Shetzer for a trip of a lifetime on our grizzly bear photo tour in the pristine environment of Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

During the grizzly bear photo tour, you will capture stunning images of grizzly bears in their natural habitat and perfect your wildlife photography skills while enjoying the picturesque setting of the Alaskan wilderness. Guests on the grizzly bear photo tour will be immersed in the region’s spectacular scenic beauty, photographing coastal brown bears while enjoying home-cooked meals and staying in an exclusive and strategically located lodge, where bears can often be seen just outside the deck.

Shetzer’s grizzly bear photo tour specializes in one-on-one instruction for photographers of all levels in a small group setting, to ensure maximum field time while catering to each person’s skills and interests. Grizzly bear photo tour leaders are assisted by a Lake Clark bear guide who knows the animal’s behavior and habitat and will take you to the prime destinations to capture magnificent images of grizzly bears.

Lake Clark National Park is a photographer’s paradise. The wildlife preserve is the best destination to capture photos of grizzly bears because these bears have never been hunted. They aren’t threatened by human presence and are not aggressive. This gives photographers on the grizzly bear photo tour the rare opportunity to closely observe bears in their natural habitat.

2027 Egypt Total Solar Eclipse Photo Workshop

Join the adventure of a lifetime as we travel to Egypt to witness and photograph one of the greatest spectacles on earth, a total solar eclipse. The 2027 Egypt eclipse is being called the “Eclipse of the Century” due to its impressive length, and Egypt’s renown clear skies.

The 2027 Egyptian solar eclipse will be the longest total solar eclipse in over 100 years, with a maximum totality duration exceeding 6 minutes. The next total solar eclipse this long and accessible on land will not occur until the year 2114. (I am not waiting that long; I’m going to Egypt in 2027!)

We are pleased to offer two different types of trips so whether you want photography guidance or merely observe this beautiful spectacle, you can join us.

We have found the perfect location on the Red Sea, in a National Park, far from the pollution, high rise hotels and thousands of people in Luxor. The Red Sea in Hamata offers many activities, beautiful private beaches with turquoise water, and cooler temperatures.

We are so excited to offer this unique workshop as we have had so many requests for a Solar Eclipse Photography Workshop over the years. As many of you know, Matt’s hobby is eclipse photography and deep sky astro photography, therefore Egypt is the perfect setting to experience this wonder of nature!

Ecuador’s Finest Bird Photography Tour

Ecuador, one of the best locations in the world for bird photography! This is Ecuador’s Finest!

In pursuit of rare, colorful species, we will journey over mountain passes and across the equator to reach Ecuador’s famous cloud forests.

Ecuador boasts 44 endemic bird species. These birds are found nowhere else in the world, highlighting the country’s unique biodiversity. Ecuador is recognized for its exceptional bird diversity, ranking in the top globally in avian richness.

In addition to the endemic species, there are 62 species of Chocó endemics found in the Chocó ecoregion of Ecuador. The Chocó is considered one of the most important areas for endemic birds in the Americas.

In our bird photography workshop, you will learn specialized techniques for capturing stunning images of our aviary subjects.

We will visit many different Ecuadorian regions to photograph the diverse species found in different altitudes and areas during the 11-day photographic adventure.

Over the course of the trip, we will visit 16 of Ecuador’s finest bird habitats. (We are going to be busy)

Amazon Region of Ecuador Photography Tour

The Ecuadorian Amazon region is one of the most species-rich area per square mile on the planet.
 
It is a photographer’s paradise, and a great location for our Ecuadorian Amazon Photography Workshop.
The Amazon region of Ecuador—known as “El Oriente”—is one of the most biodiverse areas on Earth. Despite being smaller than the Brazilian or Peruvian Amazon, Ecuador’s share of the rainforest is extraordinarily rich in wildlife, indigenous culture, and ecological variety. It covers 40% of Ecuador’s territory located east of the Andes.
 
The altitude ranges from 1,500m to 200m (5,000ft to 600ft) above sea level, creating diverse ecosystems from montane cloud forest to lowland rainforest. As we start the trip in Quito, we will work our way down in elevation, experiencing these ecosystems and the variety of wildlife they offer with over 600 species of birds.
 
As we get to our lowest point on the workshop, the town of Coca, the regions runoff enters major rivers like the Napo, Coca, Pastaza, and Curaray. All of which will eventually flow into the Amazon River in Peru and Brazil.
 
In addition to our aviary friends, we hope to spot tapirs, capybaras, ocelots, and as many as ten monkey species such as howler, tamarin, woolly, squirrel, and more.

Costa Rica Photo Tour: Lowlands

Join us on our 7-day photographic adventure through Costa Rica’s beautiful tropical lowlands. Capture beautiful images of birds, monkeys, frogs, bats, sloths, snakes, and the vibrant green landscape.

During the photo workshop, we will visit Tortuguero National Park and have custom photography boat trips to explore the fresh water canals that are full of diverse wildlife, and explore Northern Costa Rica’s rainforest as we focus on the wildlife that calls this area home.

We will also visit family farms and reserves that specialize in frogs, monkeys, colorful macaws, and the other birds that live in the forest of these properties.

During the Costa Rica Tropical Lowlands photography workshop, we will share our photographic techniques for creating images of nectar-feeding bats at night with flash photography setups. Learn how to freeze the bats’ wings and capture tack-sharp detail as they visit our flowers during their late-night feedings.

We will show you how to use flashes controlled by radio triggers to produce an effective shutter speed of 1/5,000 of a second producing amazing detail.

Costa Rica Photography Workshop: Highlands

Join us on our 12-day photographic adventure through stunning Costa Rica as we capture beautiful images of hummingbirds, resplendent quetzals, toucans, other colorful birds, sloths, frogs, flowers, and much more.

During the Costa Rica photography workshop, we will share our techniques for creating hummingbird images with flash photography setups and natural lighting to ensure you go home with your perfect image.

Learn how to freeze the hummingbirds’ wings and display all their feather detail. We will show you how to use 6-8 flashes per multi-flash setup controlled by radio triggers to produce an effective shutter speed of 1/10,000 of a second.

During the photo workshop, we will travel to 4 of the best hummingbird and bird lodges in Costa Rica to see a variety of species, and a local family who has turned their farm acreage into breeding grounds for the colorful Costa Rican frogs and an area that offers opportunities to photograph the amazing Resplendent Quetzal.

Bald Eagle Photography Workshop: Immersive Alaskan Wildlife Photography Tours

Join us in capturing the majesty of America’s national bird up close in Homer, Alaska.

Our small-group workshop offers a front-row seat to awe-inspiring encounters with these iconic birds of prey in their natural habitat. It’s an exceptional experience every wildlife photographer dreams of.

Seize this rare chance to observe and photograph more bald eagles than most people will ever see in a lifetime!

Bald Eagle Tour Highlights

Imagine standing in the pristine wilderness of Alaska, witnessing the majestic American Bald Eagle soaring freely above.

South of Homer, where these iconic birds gather in great numbers, we have a rare chance to revel in nature’s grandeur against the breathtaking backdrop of Kachemak Bay and the iconic Homer Spit—a long, narrow strip of land extending into the bay.

Our tours take us to scenic areas like China Poot Bay, Sadie Cove, Tutka Bay, and numerous small islands, accessible only by our state-of-the-art 33′ Coast Guard-certified landing craft.

Each day brings new encounters with eagles congregating along the sandbars, perching majestically against the sky or roosting in dense branches, offering the thrill of capturing these moments against the serene beauty of snow-capped mountains and jagged cliffs.

We’ll guide you to the perfect spots for photographing these iconic birds in their natural habitat. Expect a blend of adventure, learning, and unforgettable moments as you immerse yourself in the beauty of Alaska’s wilderness, capturing the spirit of the American Bald Eagle through your lens.

Post Processing Workshop: One-On-One Training

Have you ever wanted to Master Photoshop and Lightroom and bring your images up to the next level?

Do you want to make the most of your favorite images?

Join Matt Shetzer remotely via Zoom from your home as he conducts private, one-on-one, post processing tutoring geared for photographers, taught by a photographer.

Learn on your computer at your pace, getting comfortable with the tools and techniques that enhance images and bring out their full potential.

Learn a workflow that uses both Photoshop and Lightroom in tandem to get the most out of your images as you develop a custom process that works for you and achieves the style of images you wish to create.

Each private session is geared towards you!

Whether you want some help working up some of your favorite images from a recent workshop, creating that big print to hang in your home, or learn new techniques like HDR, luminosity masks, managing your photographic library, or just needing some help getting your brain around what a Photoshop Layer is.

We customize each session to meet your needs at your pace, and record the tutoring session to your computer so you can watch it again and reference it in the future.

We have an enormous amount of material to make you a post-processing master.

BEFORE AND AFTER
By understanding the capabilities of post processing you will capture better images in the field as you are confident of what you can produce. Here the Northern Lights over Iceland produce a very high dynamic range photo that all the details can be brought out if captured correctly.

We cover many software products and plug-ins and break apart the complexities of post processing into manageable topics and ensure a non-destructive process.