Las Cruces, New Mexico
$4,495
August 10 – 13, 2026
Limited to 6 Guests
Chase the glittering speedsters of the Chihuahuan Desert on this hummingbird photogrpahy workshop around Las Cruces, New Mexico. This workshop focuses on freezing motion and revealing iridescent colour using natural light. With the Organ Mountains as a dramatic backdrop, we’ll work with native blooms and thoughtfully placed feeders to create clean, natural backgrounds. Expect practical lessons on autofocus, shutter speeds, lighting, and composition (plus our signature image reviews during the midday heat). You’ll leave with a portfolio of crisp hummingbird portraits and dynamic flight shots.
Why Las Cruces? Hummingbirds use the spring-fed oasis at the bottom of the Organ Mountains as a dependable desert pit-stop on their north–south journeys. The shaded canyons and reliable water create a rare microhabitat where the Chihuahuan Desert meets cooler foothills — offering shelter from wind, abundant nectar, and easy access to water in one compact area.
Over 260 plant species are recorded along the Dripping Springs trails, which is precisely why the hummingbirds concentrate here. Our timing is spot-on, too: in southern New Mexico, numbers swell from late July into early autumn as migrants like Rufous—alongside local Black-chinned and passing Broad-tailed and Calliope—follow bloom cycles after the monsoon rains. Nearby gardens burst with desert willow, penstemons, and sages, whose tubular flowers align perfectly with peak migration.
About the wildlife: This workshop offers significant opportunities for photographing wildlife, and while we do our best to maximize our wildlife encounters—based on past experiences, local knowledge, and the current conditions—we need to impress upon you that the wildlife really is wild and that we don’t control it.
This itinerary is subject to change due to weather, local conditions, and other factors.
Arrive at El Paso International Airport (ELP), El Paso, Texas before 10:00 AM today. Air travel delays are common. Please arrive early, possibly even the day prior, so you don’t miss any of the workshop.
We’ll collect you from the airport or your airport hotel for the one-hour drive north to Las Cruces. After checking into our hotel and having lunch, we’ll head into the Organ Mountains for our first evening hummingbird session.
We’ll depart pre-dawn to be in position as first light hits the Organ Mountains. Expect peak hummingbird activity at native wildflowers; we’ll refine tracking autofocus, work with both fast and slow shutter speeds, and use diffusers to tame glare on shimmering, iridescent colour. After a late-morning break, we’ll hold a midday image review. Around 3:30 pm, we’ll head back out as temperatures ease and winds drop, targeting side-lit and backlit opportunities through golden hour.
Today, choose between an optional high-speed flash session — using a controlled, low-power, multi-speedlight set-up to create clean black backdrops and razor-sharp wing detail — or continue in natural light. The rhythm mirrors day two: on location at first light, a midday image review, then back out around 3:30 pm for golden hour through sunset.
After breakfast and before departure, we’ll run an extended, hands-on image review until midday, covering curating a final set, fine-tuning color and specular highlights for iridescence, comparing natural-light and flash edits, sharpening delicate plumage, and cleaning backgrounds.
Flights out can be made after 2:00 PM on July 15, 2027.
Easy: Must be able to enter/exit a full-size SUV and walk up to 300 feet (90 metres) on level but uneven gravel paths. Expect extended periods seated on camp-style chairs.
Arrive at El Paso International Airport (ELP), El Paso, Texas before 10:00 AM on August 10, 2026. Flights out can be made after 2:00 PM on August 13, 2026. Air travel delays are common. Please arrive early, possibly even the day prior, so you don’t miss any of the workshop.
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.
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Register for any workshop before midnight, December 3, 2024, and we’ll apply the $750 discount to your final balance payment.
Offer valid on new registrations only.
This opportunity to showcase your work is only open to folks who have been on a workshop with us.
Register for any workshop before midnight, July 7, 2025 and we’ll apply the $500 discount to your final balance payment.
Offer valid on new registrations only.
Save $750 off workshop. New registrations only.
Discount is applied to your final balance payment.
This offer expires at midnight on December 1, 2025, Eastern Daylight Time.
