Pixtus - Photography Forum, Photographers, Photo Tips

jeffclow

I'm hosting another "Dirt Cheap Photo Tour" to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to shoot landscapes and wildife during the wildflower season in the Tetons in July of this year.

From Thursday night, July 7th to Sunday night, July 10th, I'll lead a dozen other photographers to all of my favorite spots in Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park. The tour cost is $498 per person and that includes transportation to/from the park every day (I'm renting two full size luxury SUVs) and the park entrance fees.

Each tour participant would be responsible for their travel to/from Jackson Hole, Wyoming (airport code: JAC), their hotel charges (I have a hotel - The Anvil Inn - that is giving us a group discount off their normal room rates) and their meals.

You may be aware that the early July time period is normally the peak wildflower color season in Jackson Hole. Over the last three years, wildflowers have been most prevalent in the valley during the period from June 30th to July 15th - so we'll be able to shoot the Tetons in all their glory with the added benefit of wildflowers as foreground interest in some great spots.

On our last tour we ended up visiting 21 different locations - some well known and some completely unknown to the vast majority of visitors. Last year we also encountered - and photographed - elk, bison, brown bears, moose, deer, owls, antelope, eagles and osprey.

You may not be aware of how fun a photo tour is and can be with the right people.....I didn't expect the friendship and fellowship to be the highlight of the tour, but it was for the myself and the shooters who accompanied me on two tours last year. I've been shooting for a long time - and going to the Tetons with a bunch of fellow shooters who love landscape and wildlife shooting was a real highlight for me personally.

I've only got five spots left and would be happy to fill you in on more details if you'd like them. The concept of the tour is to keep the tour cost way below what other comparable tours cost, and I believe this is the most inexpensive Teton tour in Jackson Hole that month by at least several hundred dollars.

Abel Longoria and Wil Bloodworth (from TPF) both joined me for the first Teton tour and Wil has already signed up for this one. It would be great to have you join us.

There is a bit more information here:

Home Page

Please feel free to contact me directly on my cell (940-231-7223) and I can answer any questions you might have.

Thanks.

jeffclow · 01-17-2011, 11:28 AM

Here's a shot of our last tour with several TPF members in attendance....

jeffclow · 01-18-2011, 09:25 AM

I had an inquiry about costs - and I thought I might share some comparisons with going to the Tetons on your own versus on a Dirt Cheap Photo Tour.

Rental car rates in Jackson Hole tend to be very high in the short summer season - they average anywhere from $89 plus tax and up per day. So going on your own is going to cost you nearly $400 in car rental rates to begin with, plus park entrance fees.

And hotels are equally expensive in Jackson, Wyoming - heck even the Motel 6 gets $189 a night during the summer. I was able to guarantee a hotel a block of rooms way in advance and thus got the rates down to $104 to $130 per night depending on room size.

I've tried to keep the costs in the ballpark of what you'd pay on your own.

However, on the tour you get the added benefit of having a guide who knows where to go and when the various locations are best photographed in terms of light - as well as having the chance to shoot with a dozen people who share your affinity for landscape and wildlife photography.

Wil_Bloodworth · 01-18-2011, 11:22 AM

Cool! I'm in that shot! I love it when that happens ;)

All levity aside, Jeff's GTNP tours are nothing short of life-changing. But beware, once you go, you'll be addicted and will want to go again and again and again. In 2010, I went with Jeff twice and had an amazing time both times. I'm going again 2011 with Jeff and on his Banff (Canda) trip in the fall as well. Jeff knows all the best spots so you don't waste any time trying to find out where to go and how to get there.

Here's a thread with photos from my first GTNP tour with Jeff in June of 2010:
http://www.texasphotoforum.com/forum...ne-2010-a.html

And here's a couple of images from the September 2010 trip:

You won't regret it!

- Wil

dmarty78 · 01-18-2011, 11:49 AM

I'd like to attend. When does the $498.00 need to paid?

Thanks!

jeffclow · 01-18-2011, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmarty78

I'd like to attend. When does the $498.00 need to paid?

Thanks!

Dale - and others -

To lock in a space, I require a $249 deposit via PayPal and the remainder of the fee is due on April 1st.

My cancellation policy is simple. If you cancel 91 days or more out from the tour, you get all your deposit refunded. If you cancel closer to the actual tour, you get a sliding scale of a refund since it is harder to replace someone at the last minute.

Glad to have you join us....

Fireball · 01-18-2011, 03:35 PM

I'm dying to go on something like this so I'm trying to break down the costs.

I would be flying either from OKC or DFW to JAC. Would I then need to get a rental car to the hotel or would someone pick me up? If so, what time would I need to be there and when would I need to fly back home? What's the schedule?

Do I need to call the hotel directly and book a room or go through you? Are there any other women going that I could share a room with?

Is there a restaurant in the hotel or nearby restaurants for meals? Price range?

lyncca · 01-18-2011, 03:48 PM

I'm very interested in this. Carrie, I would love to share a room if I can work out the rest of the timing and expenses. I will need to check my schedule when I get home and make sure I don't have any weddings during this time and see the flight cost.

I would also like to hear the answers about your other questions too.

BenE · 01-18-2011, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wil_Bloodworth

Cool! I'm in that shot! I love it when that happens ;)

All levity aside, Jeff's GTNP tours are nothing short of life-changing. But beware, once you go, you'll be addicted and will want to go again and again and again. In 2010, I went with Jeff twice and had an amazing time both times. I'm going again 2011 with Jeff and on his Banff (Canda) trip in the fall as well. Jeff knows all the best spots so you don't waste any time trying to find out where to go and how to get there.

Here's a thread with photos from my first GTNP tour with Jeff in June of 2010:

- Wil

Some of the most fantastic landscape photography I have seen in a long time.

jeffclow · 01-18-2011, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fireball

I'm dying to go on something like this so I'm trying to break down the costs.

I would be flying either from OKC or DFW to JAC. Would I then need to get a rental car to the hotel or would someone pick me up? If so, what time would I need to be there and when would I need to fly back home? What's the schedule?

Do I need to call the hotel directly and book a room or go through you? Are there any other women going that I could share a room with?

Is there a restaurant in the hotel or nearby restaurants for meals? Price range?

Glad to answer your questions:

No rental car needed - just a taxi drive from the airport to the hotel which is downtown and within walking distance of several restaurants. We would leave the host hotel every morning in the SUVs that I'm renting.

Our tour starts Thursday night at approximately 7:00 p.m., July 7th. We'll meet and head out for some twilight shooting. We then shoot all day on the 8th, 9th and until about 3:00 p.m. on Sunday the 10th. Most people fly in on Thursday and fly out on Monday. During Friday, Saturday and Sunday we head out before first light - usually around 5:30 a.m. - and then shoot together all morning and have a group lunch at one of the restuarants in the park. We then headed back to town in mid-afternoon for a couple of hours of down time and then back out in the early evening for wildlife spotting and twilight photo work. In the past we've shot as a group a minimum of 11 hours per day.

The hotel is holding a block of rooms - once you put a deposit down on the tour, I'll give you all the info about who to contact at the hotel and the group rate structure. I'm sure you can share a room if you want to with another female member of the tour.

On our last two tours we have had four or five women on each tour and the current tour already has two ladies signed up.

Hope it works out that you can join us.

jeffclow · 01-19-2011, 09:13 AM

Thanks for posting those great images, Wil - for those of you who have not been to Grand Teton National Park, here's where Wil's shots were taken:

1) Oxbow Bend
2) Near Kelly, Wyoming
3) Mormon Row
4) Near Moose-Wilson Road
5) String Lake
6) Ridge overlooking Hedrick Pond

All of these - and many more - are photo locations that we'll be visiting this summer.