THE ULTIMATE YELLOWSTONE EXPERIENCE
YELLOWSTONE NAONAL PARK| WYOMING
JULY, 13th - 19th, 2026
CLASS LIMIT : 8
INVESTMENT: $3,499.99 / $2,780.00 (ALUMNI)
ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP
Enjoy 7 days and 6 nights with me in my favorite National Park, Yellowstone! My first of many publications for National Geographic came from this park 17 years ago, and that keeps me coming back for more, and more, year after year. Each year these workshops has the same components; this year we will have 2 nights in each area of the park opposed based out of 1 place in the park. This will allow us to spend more time in the best places without long drives to get there for early and late shoots.
Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is home to the largest collections of geysers in the world. This park is a wild one! We will have the opportunity to capture many of the iconic features in the park including Old Faithful, Yellowstone Falls, Mammoth Hot springs, tons of wildlife, and also numerous thermal features.
YELLOWSTONE
In the field, we will have in depth discussions on how to create compelling compositions during the day, under the milky way. Don't worry, we will have plenty of daytime shooting in this workshop as well. This workshop will have both morning, evening, and night sky shoots spread out, so we do not burn ourselves out. There will be time to relax, unwind and enjoy the beautiful scenery on your own during some days as well.
For this adventure, we will stay, and explore all corners of the park during the day, and at night! Plan on spending 2 nights around Old Faithful, 2 nights in Mammoth Hot Springs, and 2 nights in Canyon Village. We will have several opportunities to hit all locations in this enormous park at the right times. In the past we would be based out of 1 location the entire time. Having shorter drive times to all locations in the park will give save us time, while giving us more time to hunt for wildlife and dramatic landscapes. We will also have milky way shoots by Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs and at the Yellowstone Grand Canyon near Canyon Village.
GEYSER AND THERMAL REGIONS
We will begin our adventure in a place that needs no introduction, Old Faithful! We will meet up and go over some safety information and current conditions in the park before we head out for sunset shots of Old Faithful. Immediately after sunset will continue with a night sky orientation, followed by our first milky way shoot of the trip while Old Faithful Erupts! We will spend the following day exploring other thermal areas to the north, and south of Old Faithful and end the day with a night shoot at famous and nearby Grand Prismatic!
Please stay on all trails, never wander off trails as it is no permitted. These are sensitive areas and it for your safety. Dangers of going off trail include, but at not limited to, negative wildlife encounters, damage to park resources, and the risk of falling though weak ground near, and close to these thermal areas. While large animals may seem to be the more obvious hazard, hot springs are a far more frequent cause of death and injury in the park.
Grand Prismatic Hot Spring (Above)
YELLOWSTONE
We will spend our first 3 days & 2 nights around the Geyser Basins capturing sunrise, sunset and milky way nightscapes. We will visit locations like Grand Prismatic, Old Faithful, and the West Thumb Geyser Basin before moving north towards our next destination, Mammoth Hot Springs, for the next two nights.
YELLOWSTONE AT NIGHT
GEYSER UNDER STARLIGHT
Some of the most unworldly landscapes can be found here, it is almost like you are shooting on another planet at times which will enhance your creative, and photographic potential. This is one workshop that you simply do not want to miss out on. On Day 3, we will head north to Mammoth Hot Springs for two nights in search of Wildlife in Lamar Valley, and other, Milky Way shots. The last two nights will be in Canyon Village Exploring Hayden Valley, Mountain Wildflowers, Waterfalls, and abundant wildlife with more starry skies!
CASTLE GEYSER AT SUNRISE
RAINBOW OVER THE YELLOWSTONE GRAND CANYON | AUGUST 2023
YELLOWSTONE FALLS SUNSET | AUGUST 2023
YELLOWSTONE FALLS | AUGUST 2023
TRAVEL
Travel to, from, and during the workshop is not included. The easiest airport to fly into is Jackson, Wyoming. From here it is a short, but beautiful drive north into the park. From there, you must drive through Grand Teton National Park, so buckle up! Lots of amazing scenery all around you to take in and capture. We will end our workshop in Grand Tetons / Jackson Hole. You can even fly in early or stay after the workshop and explore the Tetons on your own!
The set up VS. The shot!
WORKSHOP INCLUDES
- Commercial Permits & Special Use Permit Fees
- Sunrise, Sunset and Night Sky photo shoots
- How to create compelling composition during the day and at night
- Milky Way photography of erupting geysers and thermal pools at night.
- Timelapse photography at Night with Thermal Features
- Post Processing Tutorials in Adobe CC/CS, Adobe Lightroom
- How to promote your work and get published
- Maps of the areas we will be visiting
- How to locate the Milky Way all year long
- How and when to use filters to enhance your images
- Access to my brain 24/7!
- Wildlife, Milky Way and landscape photo ops.
- Your own can of bear spray (for your safety) - you will be repaid cash during the workshop. You must pick it up in the Jackson Hole Airport and return it there as well. Make sure you bring me your receipt! Cost is $29.00 for the week (As of 2023).
- 1 Dinner in Yellowstone and 1 Dinner in Jackson Hole
- Snacks and Water during the entire Workshop
- Why did the Bison cross the road?
WILDLIFE
Lamar Valley is often referred to as "America's Serengeti" because of its diverse wildlife and large herds of animals. A few animals that we could see here are black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, bald eagles, bison, moose, coyotes and foxes just to name a few. This is where your long lens can come in handy! Wildlife can often be right off the road, or in the middle of the road, so always have a mid-range lens ready to go for those super close encounters! Patience, planning, and some luck can greatly increase our chances of viewing some of Yellowstone's best wildlife.
BLACK WOLF | YELLOWSTONE
Black Wolf in Lamar Valley. August 2008
BISON | YELLOWSTONE JULY 2024
Bison. Lamar Valley. July 2024
BALD EAGLE
Pronghorn. Yellowstone. 2008
BISON | YELLOWSTONE
Moose at first light | Lamar Valley. July 2024
A wolf carrying prey in Yellowstone National Park. July 2024.
ELK | YELLOWSTONE
BISON AT SUNSET | YELLOWSTONE - AS SEEN IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
LODGING
We will cover the bottom half of the park the first 2 nights around Old Faithfull, and then the next 2 nights in Mammoth Hot Springs. Our Final 2 nights will be on the east side of the park near Hayden Valley, Canyon Village. We will let you know where, and when to book your rooms to help make this an easy process.
Long lenses will come in very handy for wildlife photographs. I recommended anything between 200mm and 800mm. Sometimes we never know when opportunities will pop up, so we will spend some time going over autofocus and focus tracking, so you are dialed in when these opportunities are presented to you.
BISON FIGHTING | YELLOWSTONE, WYOMING
CAMERA GEAR
A full list of camera gear will be supplied to upon registering, the basics are a DSLR or Mirrorless camera, wide angle lens, telephoto lens, and a tripod with a cable release. You can also see the recommended equipment of most workshop on the Workshop Overview Page.
DEPOSIT
A non-refundable deposit of ($1,350.00) is due to secure your spot on the tour. If for some reason you need to cancel, you will be credited that amount towards a future workshop with us. Due to the nature of this workshop, once a payment has been made, we cannot offer you a cash refund. The remaining balance must be paid no later than March 10th, 2026. This workshop is expected to fill up quickly. The first 8 photographers who sign up will take the spots, if eight photographers sign up before you do, you will be refunded your full payment and placed on the wait list. Thanks for your understanding!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Jeff Berkes Photography reserves the right to make changes to the schedule, dates if need be. We are not responsible for bad weather, delays or cancellations. We are also not responsible for unplanned events, lost or stolen items, injuries, sickness, death or damages to personal equipment and loss of personal travel expense, consider travel insurance as well. You understand that outdoor activities may include some level of risk on any workshop. Failure to comply to park rules and regulations could result in you being ejected from the workshop. Some nights we will be up to midnight or later photographing the milky way and up early for sunrise. While in some of these locations we may be able to carpool and have less impacts at the locations that we visit,
SIGN UP AND RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY!
| The Ultimate Yellowstone Photo Experience 2026 |
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