Ouray Fall Color Photography Workshop 2027: San Juan Gold with Matt Suess and Jim Nix

I'm excited to announce a second fall workshop for 2027: San Juan Gold in Ouray, Colorado, a small-group fall color photography workshop in the San Juan Mountains, which I'll be co-leading with my good friend and fellow pro photographer Jim Nix. We'll spend five days, September 30–October 4, 2027, photographing golden aspens, rugged snow-dusted peaks and the old mining history of one of the most dramatic corners of the Rockies.

This one is limited to just 9 photographers, and registration is open now. You can see all the details and reserve your spot on the San Juan Gold workshop page.

View the Workshop & Reserve Your Spot →

Why Ouray and the San Juans in the fall?

Ouray sits in a narrow box canyon at the heart of the San Juan Mountains, a historic mining town ringed by some of the most dramatic scenery in Colorado. When fall sweeps through the high country, entire hillsides of aspens turn gold and orange beneath rugged, often snow-dusted peaks.

Mornings are crisp, often with mist settling into the valleys, and as the sun climbs it backlights the aspens until whole hillsides seem to glow. Weathered mining ruins along the Million Dollar Highway, ranch land beneath Mount Sneffels, the high country around Telluride and Silverton's classic Western main street: every turn in the road is another composition.

Built around fall color

Fall color moves fast and changes with elevation, so we'll go wherever it's best: up the mountain passes and backroads, or closer to Ouray, depending on the weather and how far the color has turned. We track where it's turning each day and which spots work best in morning versus evening light.

This is primarily a landscape workshop. You'll practice finding order in a forest of aspens, simplifying busy autumn scenes for impact and reading the light so you can make the right call on exposure, composition and timing on your own, long after the workshop ends.

Two instructors, only 9 photographers

This isn't a bus tour with 30 people jockeying for position. With just 9 participants and two professional photographers in the field, Jim and I can work with you one-on-one every day. And in the field, your photos come before ours. We don't drop you at a viewpoint and wander off to build our own portfolios; we're right beside you checking settings, refining compositions and helping you make the most of the light.

Jim Nix is a travel and landscape photographer based in Austin, Texas, a Skylum Ambassador, and the creator of a YouTube channel with over 50,000 subscribers and hundreds of editing tutorials. His work has been published in Popular Photography. Having two of us means you get two different eyes in the field and two editing perspectives.

Sunrise to sunset in the field

Over five days we'll photograph every sunrise and sunset, with midday breaks to rest and download, and we'll stay flexible to follow the weather, the light and the color. Optional editing sessions will be scheduled in as well, where I'll walk through my workflow in Lightroom and the Nik Collection and Jim will show his in Luminar, with some DxO in the mix too, so you can see both and choose what fits your style.

Jim Nix Photo

Who this workshop is for

San Juan Gold is open to every skill level, from beginners to pros, and to photographers using any camera brand. Physical difficulty is easy to moderate: most locations are a few steps from where we park, with walks of up to about a mile. Keep in mind we'll be at altitude: Ouray sits at about 7,800 feet and some locations are above 10,000 feet, so we'll keep a comfortable pace.

About 60% of my workshop clients come back for another one, which tells you a lot about the experience.

Workshop details at a glance

• Dates: September 30–October 4, 2027
• Location: Ouray, Colorado (San Juan Mountains)
• Instructors: Matt Suess and Jim Nix
• Group size: Limited to 9 photographers
• Skill level: All levels, all camera brands
• Nearest airport: Montrose (MTJ), about 45 minutes from Ouray
• Vehicle: Regular cars are fine, but 4WD or AWD is highly recommended since snow is possible in the mountains in fall
• Not included: Lodging, travel, and meals outside of any hotel breakfast

Spots are first-come, first-served.

See the Full Itinerary & Reserve Your Spot →

Make it a fall color double

The week before, Jim and I will be in Wyoming for Teton Gold & Wildlife (September 23–27, 2027), photographing fall color and wildlife in Grand Teton National Park. Join us for both and spend two weeks photographing fall in two of the West's most spectacular mountain ranges. You can see all of my upcoming trips on my photography workshops and tours page.

I hope you can join us in the San Juans next fall!

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