Join Jess Santos & Ryan Oswald on June 10th to 14th, 2026 along the majestic Oregon Coast to capture the magic of PNW landscapes and the enchanting Redwood Forests on our Oregon Coast Photography Workshop. We’ve listened to the feedback from you all and decided to extend our workshop, allowing us to visit more places and go more in depth in our classroom sessions.
This breathtaking coastline is untouched and unlocks some of the most magical landscapes the Pacific Northwest possesses under the Milky Way. These mystical scenes provide ever-changing conditions that can be moody with the fog rolling in to fiery coastal sunsets to brilliant night skies. With limited group sizes, you'll receive personalized attention and learn how to take advantage of any condition to produce stunning and unique images. Join us for this unforgettable adventure!
*** Add-on Opportunity: Lighthouses & Wells // June 13th to 15th // $900 ***
Trace the Oregon coastline to a sea stack littered beach full of reflections, tides and imaginative shapes, a plethora of interesting foreground for a sunset and Milky Way shoot. Continue up the coast to a naturally occuring ocean well, as the tide comes in and the sun starts to set this location is transformed into a mesmerizing scene worthy of capture. Finally ending our trip by photographing a historic lighthouse from two angles giving you two completely images.
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We will be including a Post Workshop Group Zoom Editing Session to cover putting it all together in the digital darkroom, this will be screen recorded for you to be able to finish your images at your leisure.
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⛰ All experience levels are welcome.
We are limiting each group to 8 students with 2 instructors, to ensure that everyone receives our attention and to keep compositional possibilities uncluttered.
This workshop is very much based on weather so we have kept the itinerary flexible to be able to pursue the best available light for the scene. If it rains or conditions prove unsafe to venture out we will work on post processing, image critiques and in classroom sessions, there's always so much to learn both in field and in the classroom!
This workshop will require moderate hiking (no more than 2 miles) through rocky terrain.
*** There are double occupancy and single occupancy rooms (additional fee) available, please be sure to lock in your selection at check out. ***
VALUABLE SKILLS YOU WILL LEARN
Planning your shoots
- Scouting and evaluating conditions
- Composing an image to grab the viewer’s attention
- Composing an image with a person in frame to show scale and tell a story
- How to work with light and how to find the best light for the scene
- Utilizing apps, such as PhotoPills, for more efficient planning
- Choosing the right lens, find your focal length
- How and when to use filters
- How to shoot with a plan or vision for editing
Capturing your image
- Histogram: How to read for perfectly exposed images
- Exposure control: How to use ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed in different scenarios
- Creative ways to use lens distortion
- Focus stacking & Focal Length Blends
- Bracketing and exposure blending
- Focusing at night to capture pin sharp stars and foreground
- Blue Hour Blending: How to capture blue hour & Milky Way
- Stacking for Noise Reduction: how to shoot the proper frames to stack
Bringing the image to life
- Lightroom and Photoshop: Learn our post-processing workflow
- How to blend mutliple images together in Photoshop (Blue Hour Blends, Focal Length Blends, Exposure Blends, Composites)
- Luminosity Masks
- Dodging and Burning
- Blue-hour Blends
- Star-stacking: how to edit starry night skies with Starry Landscape Stacker (or Sequator)
- Understanding layers and masks
- Finishing touches using clone stamp and removing distractions
- Creating Orton glows and painting with light
- Sharpening: Creating sharpness in your final image
Oregon Coast Photography Workshop 2026
This workshop includes:
- AirBnb or Hotel Lodging on all nights based on single occupancy
- Photography Instruction, Post-Processing Instruction, Image Critiques
- NEW! Post Workshop Zoom Editing Session
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This workshop does NOT include:
- Ground Transportation or Airfare from your home to Brookings, Oregon
- Ground Transportation to all shooting locations.
- Travel Insurance (highly recommended)