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March 13 – 18, 2026
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Adirondack Fall Foliage
At a Glance
Location
New York, USA
Tuition
$6,495
Dates
September 28 – October 4, 2027
Fitness Level
Availability
Limited to 8 Guests
Collections
- Signature Collection
Adirondack Fall Foliage Photography Workshop
The Adirondacks at the Peak of Fall Color
September 28 – October 4, 2027
- Dense forests of maple, birch, and beech in the vibrant fall colors
- Morning mist hovers over mirrored lakes, reflecting fiery foliage
- Improve your use of filters and learn to shoot panoramas
The Adirondack Park is the largest publicly protected area in the continental United States—greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Parks combined. There are over 3,000 lakes, 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, globally unique wetland types, old and new growth forests, and mountains—truly a photographer’s paradise.
Our workshop is timed to coincide with the historical peak of fall color. The areas we will visit are rich in a variety of classic Adirondack landscapes bursting with fiery red sugar maples and yellow birches. As weather permits, we’ll shoot along the rivers, waterfalls, and lakes every sunrise and sunset. We will also get in some night shooting as our schedule and conditions allow.
We will be instructing you on the use of filters, shooting panoramas, and pre-visualizing your composition. In our image critiques, we’ll discuss image composition, technical choices, and post-processing in Lightroom.
Our group is small, everything is all-inclusive, and we have one of the best local photography guides in the Adirondacks. Expect to be up early, and out late, and be immersed in stunning landscapes all the time.
Muench Workshops donates a portion of its proceeds from this workshop to the Adirondack Mountain Club in support of its efforts in conservancy and stewardship of the park.
Your Pros
Johnathan Esper
Itinerary
This itinerary is subject to change due to weather, local conditions, and other factors.
September 28, 2027: Airport Pick Up
We will pick up anyone flying into Albany Airport – please arrive by 11:00 AM. If you are driving your own car, you can go directly to meet at the hotel in Long Lake at 3:00 PM.
We will then head out to photograph late afternoon light and sunset around Bog River Falls as it flows into Tupper Lake. Nearby Lake Eaton provides excellent night-time dark-sky photography after dinner if there are clear skies.
September 29, 2027: Foggy Sunrise at Lake Durant, Death Brook Falls Walk, Sunset at Forked Lake
Sunrise at foggy Lake Durant, followed by breakfast at a local diner, and then straight onto a mid-morning woods walk to photograph the pleasant and not-ominous Death Brook Falls with hopefully dappled light hitting the yellow birches in front of cool water tones. After a midday rest, we’ll head out to photograph the peaceful woods, streams, trees, and details of the autumnal forest around Long Lake. Nearby, we find Buttermilk Falls, a popular local attraction for photographers, and Forked Lake for a westerly view for sunset. Another chance for night-time photography at dark-sky locations.
September 30, 2027: Morning Bogs at Tupper Lake, Image Review, Blackwell Stillwater Scenery
Sunrise at the bogs around Tupper Lake and Simon Pond. After breakfast and a bit of downtime, we’ll have our first image review session now that we’ve photographed a good collection of images so far. Mid-afternoon finds us in the Newcomb area with it’s many possibilities of Rich Lake, the VIC’s nature trails, and Hudson River scenes around the remote Blackwell Stillwater. After dinner in Newcomb, we’ll return to our hotel and either take the night off to rest up for another filled day tomorrow or possibly shoot night skies if we haven’t had the cooperating weather so far.
October 1, 2027: Hudson River Sunrise, Adirondack-Themed Lunch, Whiteface Mountain Sunset
Sunrise around the Hudson River and breakfast in Newcomb. In the late morning, we’ll check out and begin our 1-hour drive from Long Lake to Lake Placid, stopping a couple of hours at various locations around the Tupper area roadside bogs and/or Lower and Middle Saranac Lakes. Lunch stop will feature your choice of 46 sandwiches named after the 46 tallest peaks in the Adirondacks! After lunch, we arrive at the Hotel in Lake Placid, and after check-in and a bit of a rest, we’ll head out for afternoon photography of the iconic profiles of Whiteface Mt that Lake Placid is known for, along the shores of Lake Placid. Dinner by Lake Placid will wrap up this busy day.
October 2, 2027: Early Morning at Connery Pond, Cascade Lakes Afternoon, Star Photography at Heart Lake
Sunrise at the photographer’s classic locale of Connery Pond, with Whiteface Mt rising above the far shore – bring your muck boots for this one! Just after this, we might get lucky and catch an early morning backlit scene of a fly fisherman on the AuSable River. After a productive morning, we’ll return to town for breakfast, some downtime, an indoor image critique session, and lunch. The later afternoon sees us at the Cascade Lakes set in a deep V-notch between the cliff-sided Cascade and Pitchoff Mts, sunset at a secret overlook over the Keene Valley area with views of the Great Range. After dinner, a chance to photograph stars over nearby Heart Lake, depending on conditions.
October 3, 2027: Dawn at Heart Lake, Fall Reflections at Dix Wilderness, Sunset at Panther Mountain Bog
We’ll be up early for sunrise at Heart Lake and morning light over the Adirondack Loj Road fields with classic views of the Adirondack High Peaks. After breakfast, we will hike to a peaceful pond in the Dix Wilderness with spectacular foliage reflecting in the water. Chapel Pond and the Boquet River gorges offer different but excellent fall foliage possibilities. After lunch, we’ll do another critique session to review our images and continue our conversation about composition, technique, and post-processing. Then in the later afternoon, we head out for sunset at Panther Mountain bog, an underrated Adirondack wetland with dead standing trees, lily pads, telephoto compositions, and more.
October 4, 2027: Final Sunrise at Owl’s Head, Last Image Critique, Farewell Breakfast
Our last sunrise together will be a memorable one—a short, steep, but rewarding predawn hike up Owl’s Head Mt for a sunrise all to ourselves overlooking the Keene Valley and many mountain peaks. We’ll conclude our morning with breakfast and one final image critique, wrapping up by noon.
Fitness
Moderate: You must be able to do hikes up to two miles on uneven, sometimes steep ground.
Flights
Arrive at Albany International Airport (ALB), Albany, New York before 11:00 AM on September 28, 2027. Flights out can be made after 5:00 PM on October 4, 2027. Air travel delays are common. Please arrive early, possibly even the day prior, so you don’t miss any of the workshop.
What to Bring
Please see our page How To Prepare For Your Workshop. We will send you a detailed information document 90 days before your workshop. This document will include specifics of where and when to meet, gear and clothing recommendations, and more.
What’s Included
- Double occupancy lodging. Single available for $1,000 supplement.
- All meals, soft drinks, and snacks during the workshop.
- All permits and park fees.
- All transportation during the workshop.
- Tips for crew, drivers, and local guides.
- Photographic guiding and instruction from 2 pros.
- Image reviews and post-processing instruction.
- Adventure, fun, inspiration, and a great time!.
Not Included
- Travel to and from Albany, New York.
- Unscheduled airport transfers.
- Passport and visa fees (if applicable).
- Any meals or accommodations before or after the workshop dates.
- Items of a personal nature.
- Alcoholic Beverages.
- Travel Medical and Trip Cancellation Insurance (optional, but recommended).
- Anything else specifically not listed as included.
- Single rooming available for $1,000 supplement.
Payment Terms
- Your deposit of $3,495 will hold your space in this workshop.
- The balance is due not later than May 1, 2027.
- All of our standard Terms and Conditions apply.
- Need special payment arrangements? No problem, just ask us.
Frequently Asked Questions
The workshop requires a moderate fitness level. Participants should be able to handle hikes up to two miles on uneven and sometimes steep ground.
You'll learn to use filters effectively, shoot panoramas, and pre-visualize your compositions. The workshop also includes image reviews focusing on composition, technical choices, and post-processing in Lightroom.
Yes, this workshop is refundable. Cancellations made more than 150 days before the start date receive a full refund. Between 150 and 91 days, you get a refund of payments exceeding 50% of tuition. Between 90 and 61 days, the refund is for payments exceeding 75% of tuition. No refunds are given within 60 days unless we can fill your space, in which case you receive a 100% refund of payments made. All refunds are issued by the same payment method and are subject to a 5% administrative processing fee.
The fee includes double occupancy lodging, all meals, soft drinks, snacks, permits, park fees, and transportation during the workshop. It also covers tips for crew, drivers, and local guides, as well as photographic guiding and instruction from two professional photographers.
The workshop has a maximum capacity of 8 participants, ensuring a small group experience with personalized attention from the instructors.
The workshop includes transportation from Albany International Airport if you arrive before 11:00 AM on the first day. If you're driving, you can meet the group at the hotel in Long Lake at 3:00 PM.
You'll have the chance to photograph classic Adirondack landscapes, including fiery fall foliage, rivers, waterfalls, and lakes at sunrise and sunset. Night photography is also planned, weather permitting, at dark-sky locations.
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