Learn through experience
Field Time, Your Way
Whether you have a single day or several, Wild Focus Photography Workshops offer an opportunity to explore, photograph, and learn alongside a professional photographer and experienced guide. Workshops combine wildlife and landscape knowledge, photography instruction, and the adaptability required when working in natural environments, with the flexibility of booking individual days and multi-day experiences offered around seasonal wildlife, migrations, changing landscapes, and seasonal photographic opportunities each location has to offer.
Seasonal workshops will be offered in select locations, beginning with a limited fall workshop this season and expanding into additional opportunities throughout 2027.
spring
AWAKENING / UNTAMED / ALIVE
SPRING 2027
The wild begins to stir as longer days bring movement, new life, and rapidly changing landscapes. Spring is a season of emergence and unpredictability, offering photographers opportunities to capture young wildlife behavior, fresh growth, and the return of life to the landscape.
New Opportunities Coming Soon
2027 SPRING PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS
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Spring Photography Workshops are currently in development. Additional dates and experiences will be announced as they become available.
summer
VIBRANT / ABUNDANT / EXPANSIVE
SUMMER 2027
Long days and flourishing landscapes rich with life, color, and possibility. Summer workshops embrace the fullness of the natural worlds, with extended light and diverse environments creating opportunities to explore wildlife, landscapes, and the relationship between them.
Summer Photography Workshops are currently in development. Additional dates and experiences will be announced as they become available.
New Opportunities Coming Soon
2027 SUMMER PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS
fall
DRAMATIC / RESTLESS / TRANSFORMATIVE
FALL 2026
Fall is a season in motion, when shifting light, changing landscapes, and wildlife preparing for the months ahead create an unmistakable sense of transition. It is a brief and dynamic photographic window where color, behavior, atmosphere, and fleeting conditions can transform the familiar into something entirely different.
Fall in Yellowstone is a season of urgency and transformation.
The elk bugling echoes across the landscape as the bull elk gather and defend their harems, while bears grow increasingly restless and wildlife throughout the ecosystem responds to the impending feeling of winter coming. Everything is preparing for the harsh, elemental months ahead–and that seasonal shift creates an extraordinary time to experience and photograph the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Bright golden grass stands against deep green evergreens. Frost settles across the landscapes as the mornings become colder, fog and steam drift from geothermal features, and conditions can transform within hours–or minutes. Cold rain can give way to brilliant light, and an early snowfall may cover autumn leaves before they've even fallen from the trees. These changing chilly conditions aren't something we wait out; they are part of photographing Yellowstone in the fall, and often some of the most interesting wildlife activity and atmospheric photographs happen when the weather turns.
The diversity of wildlife adds another dimension to the season. Depending on conditions and wildlife activity, photographic opportunities may include elk still in their rut, moose, bison, grizzlies, black bears, bighorn sheep, coyotes, foxes, wolves, and other species moving through the landscape. Rather than following a predetermined checklist, each day is shaped by wildlife behavior, weather, light, and what Yellowstone reveals–using Cody's decades of field experience in Yellowstone helps him to recognize opportunities as they develop.
Throughout the workshop, instruction may include:
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Wildlife Photography in real-world field conditions
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Camera settings and exposure decisions as conditions and natural lighting changes
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Shutter speed, aperture, and other techniques for photographing wildlife behavior and movement
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Composition and visual storytelling
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Using landscape and environmental elements to create stronger wildlife images
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Lens selection and effective use of available equipment
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Anticipating behavior and preparing for photographic opportunities
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Field technique and positioning while maintaining appropriate wildlife viewing distances
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Individual feedback and instruction based on each photographer's experience, equipment, and goals
No two days in Yellowstone unfold the same way.
Workshop days will begin early before the sun's first rays touch the landscape and end after its last light has disappeared. It will involve extended periods in the field as we search for wildlife, evaluate changing conditions, and respond to photographic opportunities as they develop.
Participants should expect a combination of driving, wildlife observation, photography from or near the vehicle, and time outside in variable fall conditions. Routes and daily plans remain flexible so Cody can respond to wildlife activity, weather, road conditions, light, and other factors that may influence the day's best opportunities.
This workshop is designed for photographers who want to spend meaningful time photographing wildlife while learning in the field–whether you're still building confidence with your camera or have years of photgraphy experience.
Instruction is adapted to individual experience and goals, making the workshop appropriate for photographers at a range of skill levels. Participants should have a basic familiarity with their own camera equipment, but advanced technical knowledge is not required.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Your workshop includes:
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Professional wildlife photography guidance and field instruction with Cody
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Full day(s) of guided photography
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Small-group experience of 4 guests
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Transportation throughout the workshop day from your designated pickup in West Yellowstone pickup and drop off location
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Light breakfast of a pastry or muffin
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Shared cooler space will be available for participants bringing their own lunch
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
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Lodging
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Lunch and other meals not specifically listed as included
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Personal photography equipment
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Guide gratuity*
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Travel Insurance
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Personal expenses
*Gratuity: Guide gratuity is not included in the workshop price. A gratuity of approximately 20% of the retail workshop price is customary for exceptional service and is always appreciated.
This isn't a workshop built around predetermined photographs. Wildlife is free-ranging, conditions change quickly, and opportunities unfortunately can not be scheduled. Cody uses his experience, knowledge of wildlife behavior specific to Yellowstone, and the familiarity with the different landscape locations to make informed decisions throughout the day–putting you in the best position possible to recognize and photograph the opportunities this amazing place can provide.
Experience doesn't replace chance–it prepares you for it.
Participants should bring a camera they are comfortable operating, appropriate lenses for wildlife photography, memory cards, batteries, and weather-appropriate clothing and footwear. A detailed recommended equipment and packing list will be provided to participants after registering. Have questions or need recommendations about equipment? Cody's experience working in a camera store gave him hands-on familiarity with a wide range of camera brands, systems, lenses, and equipment. Whether helping you get more from the gear you already own or considering something new, he can provide personalized recommendations based on you photography goals, how you intend to use your equipment, and your budget.
Workshop days may include extended periods in a vehicle, frequent entry and exit from vehicles, standing or walking on uneven natural terrain, carrying personal photography equipment,early mornings, and exposure to changing weather and temperatures. Participants should be comfortable spending extended periods in outdoor field conditions.
Wildlife is wild, and that is part of the experience.
Specific species, behaviors, weather conditions, photographic opportunities, and sightings cannot be guaranteed. Workshop routes and activities may change based on wildlife activity, weather road conditions, safety considerations, park regulations, and Cody's professional judgement.
This workshop is offered across four consecutive photography days, with the flexibility to participate for one, two, three, or all four days. Each day is individually bookable, allowing you to build the experience around your own Yellowstone travel plans. Multi-day participants receive a reduced rate when booking two or more workshop days.
DATES: October 14-17, 2026 / 4 Day Workshops Series / Book 1-4 Days
GROUP SIZE: Limited to 4 participants/day
PRICE: $550 per person, per day
MULTI-DAY SAVINGS: Join us for more than one day and save 10% when two or more workshop days are booked together at the same time.
Planning to book multiple days?
Add each workshop date you'd like to attend to your cart, then complete checkout once you've selected all of your dates to get your milt-day savings.
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem / October 14-17, 2026 / 1-4 Day Workshop Series / Small Group
FALL YELLOWSTONE WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
Experience Yellowstone during one of its most dynamic seasons, when autumn transforms the landscape and wildlife prepares for the changing months ahead. Spend dedicated time in the field with professional wildlife photographer and experienced guide Cody Hoagland, combing wildlife exploration, field knowledge, and personalized photography instruction as each day unfolds.
winter
RAW / ELEMENTAL / INTIMATE
WINTER 2027
Winter strips the landscape to its essentials, revealing wildlife and wild places in their most elemental form. Snow cold, silence, and dramatic conditions create a quieter, more intimate experience in the field–one where patience and observation can reveal moments easily overlooked in busier seasons.
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Winter Photography Workshops are currently in development. Additional dates and experiences will be announced as they become available.
New Opportunities Taking Shape
Winter 2026-2027 Wildlife Photography Workshops
Every Wild Focus Experience Includes:
Small-Group Guiding
(4-5 Guests)
Ethical Wildlife Viewing and Photography Practices
Personalized Photography Instruction
Light breakfast of a pastry or muffin
Flexible Daily Itineraries Guided by Current Animal Movement and Conditions
More than 30 years of Yellowstone Experience and Local Knowledge
Opportunities to Experience Yellowstone Beyond the Photograph
Wildlife Behavior Interpretation and Natural History Knowledge
Looking for something more personal?
Tailor Your Experience
Wild Focus workshops are intentionally small, allowing each experience to remain flexible and responsive to the photographers in the field. For those seeking an experience entirely their own, select workshops may also be reserved as a private photography experience, giving you–or your private group–exclusive time in the field with Cody.
A private workshop allows the day to be shaped more closely around your photography goals, experience level, equipment, interests, and pace while retaining the same adaptability to wildlife activity, weather, light, and changing field conditions that defines every Wild Focus experience.
Private workshop pricing reflects the exclusive reservation of the workshop day and varies by experience and group size. Contact us to discuss availability and tailor the right experience for you.