In the Moment:
Michael Frye's Landscape Photography Blog

Workshops

by | Apr 2, 2016

Workshops
Our Workshop Program

I am very fortunate to have a loyal and enthusiastic group of people who follow my blog and want to take my workshops. This means the workshops fill quickly, and I know it can sometimes be frustrating to see that all the workshops are full. Here are some tips for getting into one of my workshops for the first time:

• Get on my mailing list. Because the workshops are so popular, we usually give our workshop alumni advance notice when a new workshop becomes available. The more popular workshops often fill just with our alumni, but if a workshop doesn’t fill then I’ll send an email to my general list. There is no separate workshop mailing list. There is only one list, which includes a subscription to my blog. You can sign up for the list on any page of my blog.

• Don’t hesitate! When I do send an email about a new workshop to my general list, the available spots usually fill very quickly.

• Get on the waiting list. If you’re interested in a workshop, but it’s full, first read the workshop description and FAQ page carefully to make sure you have the experience and hiking ability required. Then email Claudia to sign up for the waiting list. Cancellations are common, and even if there are people ahead of you on the waiting list there’s always a chance you might get in – especially if it’s a last-minute cancellation, and people ahead of you on the list have made other plans.

• Persistance pays, so keep trying. We hope to see you in a workshop sometime!

My Philosophy
I love teaching, sharing my knowledge of photography, and helping others express their photographic vision. I’m dedicated to making sure that every student who takes one of my workshops comes away with new skills, new inspiration, and new ideas about how they can express themselves through their photography.
Cutting Through the Clutter
The world of digital photography can be complicated and confusing. There’s lots of conflicting information out there. I work hard to cut through the clutter and give students clear, simple advice that will help them improve their photography and better express their own unique view of the world through their photographs.
Hands-On Learning
It’s one thing to watch an instructor talk about finding the right exposure, or demonstrating a Photoshop or Lightroom technique. You may think you understand it—until you try it yourself.

I think the best way to learn is by doing. In my workshops I make sure that every student has the opportunity to practice the techniques that I teach, with one-on-one help from me and my assistants.

Personal Attention
Many workshops talk about small class sizes, and then say they limit the number of students to 15, or even 20. I don’t consider 15 to the be a small class. It’s impossible for an instructor to give fifteen people the personal attention and hands-on experience necessary to improve their technique and learn to make more creative photographs.

I believe in truly small classes, and personal attention. The maximum number of students in my field workshops is twelve, and most have less. And classes with more than six students include a knowledgeable assistant to make sure that there is always someone available to answer questions and help with compositions in the field.

2026 Workshops and Events

Antarctica (through Visionary Wild, with co-leader Justin Black)
January 1-17, 2026
(Completed)

Out of Merritt Island Photo Conference
March 8-12, 2026
(Completed)

Grand Canyon by Raft (through Visionary Wild, with co-leader Jerry Dodrill)
April 26 - May 9, 2026
(Waiting List)

The Mystic Forest: Redwoods Along the Northern California Coast
June 1-5, 2026
(Waiting List)

Starry Skies Adventure: Yosemite and the Eastern Sierra
June 15-18, 2026
(Waiting List)

The Range of Light: Yosemite and the High Sierra
July 13-17, 2026
(Waiting List)

Out of Grand Teton Photo Conference
September 27 - October 1, 2026

Exploring the Oregon Coast
November 5-9, 2026
(Waiting List)

Yosemite: Winter Light
December 7-11, 2026
(Waiting List)

Wildflower Hunting

by | Mar 27, 2016 | Travels and Stories

Poppies, lupines, and oak, Figueroa Mountain, Los Padres NF, CA, USA

Poppies, lupines, and oak, Figueroa Mountain

Claudia and I took a few days this past week to look for wildflowers. It doesn’t seem like a great year for flowers, at least compared to some past years, but we did find some nice patches.

Our first stop was Carrizo Plain National Monument. We had heard some promising reports from this area, and we found extensive patches of yellow hillside daisies along the south and east sides of Soda Lake. We also heard that there are large swaths of purple phacelia in the southern part of the monument, but we didn’t make it down that far. However the Temblor Range, on the eastern edge of the Monument, seemed very dry. There were patches of daisies in the Temblors, but none of the multi-colored hillsides you’ll see in the best years. If you’ve never been to the Carrizo Plain in the spring it’s definitely worth going, as you’ll find some large swaths of beautiful flowers on the valley floor, and a bit of searching will reveal mixes of different species that work well for more intimate scenes. But if you’ve been to the Carrizo in a great year you’ll probably be a little disappointed with the display this spring.

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A Different Point of View

by | Mar 24, 2016 | Light and Weather, Travels and Stories

Half Dome and North Dome at sunrise from the Four-Mile Trail, Yosemite NP, CA, USA

Half Dome and North Dome at sunrise from the Four-Mile Trail, 8:07 a.m. Tuesday morning

A small storm rolled through Monday night. The showers tapered off during the wee hours Tuesday morning, and I rose early, hoping to once again photograph a clearing storm in Yosemite Valley.

The moon was nearly full, and I actually got to the valley early enough to capture some images of the clearing storm by the light of the setting moon. Then some clouds moved in. I looked at the radar images on my phone, and saw a band of showers approaching. It looked like the showers would reach me around sunrise, and pass through pretty quickly. Hmm. I might have just enough time to hike up the Four-Mile Trail to a spot with a view of Half Dome that I’d been wanting to try.

It would be a gamble. Staying near the roads on the valley floor would give me more flexibility; I could wait to see what happened with the weather, and within five or ten minutes be at one of my favorite, familiar locations. But on this morning I wanted to try something different, so I decided to take a chance and go for it.

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San Joaquin Valley Sunset

by | Mar 20, 2016 | Advanced Techniques

White-faced ibises, goldfields, and a vernal pool at sunset, San Joaquin Valley, CA, USA

White-faced ibises, goldfields, and a vernal pool at sunset, San Joaquin Valley, Calfornia

There’s often an element of luck in landscape photography. Of course, as Ansel Adams said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” You have to try to put yourself in the right place at the right time, and then make the most of the opportunities you get. But sometimes luck goes above and beyond.

Yesterday Claudia and I made a day trip to the Bay Area on business, and on our way home we decided to check out some vernal pools in the San Joaquin Valley. Vernal pools fill with water during the winter rainy season, and then slowly evaporate during the spring. As they evaporate, flowers grow along their shores, sometimes forming concentric rings of color. As California’s Central Valley got plowed and paved over, vernal pools became increasingly scarce, so they’re home to several rare species of plants and animals. Most of the remaining vernal pools can be found along the edges of the valley, where the land rises slightly, but the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge complex and Great Valley Grasslands State Park have preserved some vernal pools in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, and that’s where we headed.

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Redbuds and Poppies

by | Mar 17, 2016 | Yosemite Photo Conditions

Redbuds in the Sierra Nevada foothills, Mariposa Country, CA, USA

Redbuds in the Merced River Canyon, Monday afternoon

The redbuds have been coming along nicely in the Merced River Canyon, along Highway 140 west of Yosemite. I drove through the canyon on Monday, and most of the redbuds were blooming. Not all of those that were blooming were fully open yet, and some redbuds were still just budding. On the other hand, I saw a few that were starting to leaf out. Overall I’d say they were not quite at peak, but there were plenty of beautiful redbuds to photograph. They’ll probably peak around this weekend, or next week.

It was harder to tell what was going on with the poppies in the canyon. In late February it was starting to look like we would have a great year for poppies. There were a couple of very colorful hillsides in the western part of the canyon, and the bloom was spreading further east. But since then we’ve had a lot of rain. While rain is usually good for wildflowers, poppies like warm sunshine — at least once they begin blooming. A stretch of cold, rainy weather will cause already-blooming poppies to pack it in for the year and go to seed.

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