Tours and Workshops
Have you wondered about storm chasing? Wanted to go but haven't had anyone to go with? Wanted photographs of the truly awesome thunderstorms that grace the High Plains each Spring and Summer?
Now is your chance! From June 5th through June 9th, 2025, professional photographers and guides Kent Winchester and Jake Werth are leading their annual storm chasing tour. We'll take you to the high plains at times most likely to produce the towering cumulonimbus clouds that produce rain, lightning, and the occasional tornado. You will have the opportunity to photograph several with as much or as little guidance as you prefer.
We've planned this trip to maximize chances of fantastic thunderstorms. We'll go in search of the supercells that grace our country each spring when moist air from the Gulf of Mexico collides with air spilling down from the northern plains.
Obviously we can't control the weather so our itinerary must be flexible. And, if the night skies are clear, we'll go out to dark locations for astrophotography.
We'll also keep the itinerary flexible so we maximize the photographic opportunities, while keeping everyone safe. (Unlike most storm chasing tours, this one is about good photographs, not adrenaline rushes. Being inside a tornado is not photogenic!)
Photographers of all skill levels are welcome, including those who utilize smartphone cameras. The tour is limited to six participants and will have two professional guides, Jake Werth and Kent Winchester from the Albuquerque Photographers' Gallery. Included in the costs are the guides, teaching, photo reviews, workshop transportation, and lodging.
Learn & Photograph with Passion
>Work in different lighting conditions with short/long exposure and aperture.
>Learn about night photography techniques on the dark and beautiful high plains,
>Handling equipment with care on location, especially tripods.
>Assistance with camera settings, the basics of composition, guide and help in general.
>Hands-on lessons that can take your photography skills to the next level.
>Review and constructive criticism/feedback of the images taken during the day.
>Workflow in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
>Discussions on various topics while we travel(qualities of light and how to manage it, when and how to use various kinds of filters, crafting panoramic photographs, and why we photograph magnificent, even awesome storms.
Itinerary
The exact itinerary will be kept flexible to account for the weather and current conditions. We'll use weather forecasts, radars, and the latest NOAA weather sites and our guides' extensive weather expertise and experience to pick the best spots. The itinerary below is an example of what you can expect.
1st Day - We will meet in Albuquerque, load our gear in the van, and head east to the high plains and storms. We'll follow the storms, which means we'll spend the nights in motels/hotels (included in the price) in the community closest to where we end the photographic day. (After sunset.)
2nd - 3rd Day - Depending on how late we've been up the night before and how far we need to drive to the next day's storms we'll have a leisurely breakfast before departing. We plan this adventure to arrive at the best spots at the best times of the day.
4th Day - We head back for Albuquerque, arriving in time for evening flights.
Facts -Storm Chasing Workshop 2024
June 5-9 2025
4 Days
Number of guests: 6
Number of instructors: 2
Included
Van transportation each day
Lodging
Teaching
Not included
Travel to and from the workshop destination (Albuquerque, NM)
Meals
Beverages
Travel insurance
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STORM CHASING
MONSOON CHASING
The Southwest Monsoon: The perfect time to be on the Colorado Plateau. Most mornings cumulus clouds appear as if by magic, soon exploding into towering thunderstorms that bring rain, lightning, thunder, and “petrichor”, that indescribable smell of desert rain.
We'll headquarter at a house in Flagstaff, Arizona, at the foot of the San Francisco Peaks also known as Doko’oosliid, the mountain that makes the rain. The prevailing westerly winds climb up the Colorado Plateau and, by the time they reach the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, thunderstorms begin almost every day.
We've planned this trip to take advantage of this annual weather phenomenon and no where is it more spectacular than at the Grand Canyon. We'll take you to the best places to photograph on both the South Rim and the less crowded, higher North Rim.
Because we can't control the weather, our itinerary will be flexible. Because of our central location in Flagstaff we'll be able to chase the storms over a wide range of the Colorado Plateau from the Grand Canyon to Monument Valley or south to Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona and many remote places along the way. And, if the night skies are clear, we'll go out to dark locations for astrophotography. We've planned this trip to take advantage of moonlight as well as monsoon season. The Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau are magical under the moon. The moon will be a week away from full which is perfect. We'll have both completely dark skies and moonlit vistas each night.
Itinerary
We'll keep the itinerary flexible so we can adjust to the weather. Your two professional photographer guides are also expert storm chasers and have the latest weather technology available. We'll talk it over each morning and then head out. However, here are likely possible days and nights.
Day One - We'll meet at our headquarter house at 9:00AM, spend a little time getting acquainted and loading our gear and head for the Grand Canyon's South Rim. Because it is summer, we'll go to the least visited overlooks at the far east end of the Canyon. If the weather co-operates we'll spend the day at the South Rim, photographing the afternoon storms, sunset, and evening twilight before returning to Flagstaff. This will be the first night opportunity to photograph so we may stay late at the Canyon, dining at one of the South Rim restaurants.
Day Two - We'll leave early for the drive to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. (As the crow flies, it's only a few miles from the South Rim to the North Rim, but it is a three hour drive. We'll do a short day hike — on level ground at the Rim — and drive to the spectacular overlooks for storm photography and sunset. We'll have dinner at the Cameron Trading Post on the way back to Flagstaff.
Day Three - Today we may go further afield and head to other places on the Colorado Plateau and the Navajo Nation where photographers hardly ever go for unique shots of storms.
Day Four - We'll be up early, in time to finish our trip with sunrise photos, probably east of Flagstaff but to be determined based on the sky conditions that morning. We'll be back in Flagstaff by noon to end our trip.
SIGN UP HERE
Facts -Monsoon Chasing Workshop 2024
July 31- August 4, 2025
4 Days
Number of guests: 6
Number of instructors: 2
Included
Van transportation each day
Lodging
Teaching and guiding
Not included
Travel to and from the workshop destination (Flagstaff, AZ)
Meals
Beverages
Travel insurance