Waterfalls and Wildflowers

At a Glance

Location

North Carolina, USA

Tuition

$5,995

Dates

June 20 – 24, 2028

Fitness Level

Challenging

Availability

Limited to 5 Guests

Collections

Learning Lab
Short Escape
Signature Collection
US National Parks and Wilderness

Waterfalls and Wildflowers Photography Workshop

Name: Waterfalls and Wildflowers
Start: 2028-06-20
End: 2028-06-24
Location: Waterfalls and Wildflowers

Waterfall Photography in North Carolina's Majestic Blue Ridge Mountains

June 20 – 24, 2028

Photograph grand cascades, quiet pools, and forest streams
Learn shutter speeds, polarizers, and composition for moving water
Photograph rhododendron, wildflowers, and mossy Blue Ridge forests

In the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, water seems to be everywhere. Streams tumble through dense forests of rhododendron and mountain laurel, spilling across dark rock ledges and forming everything from delicate cascades to powerful falls. Based in Highlands, North Carolina, we’ll spend four days exploring this remarkably photogenic landscape and learning how to make stronger photographs of moving water.

Photographing waterfalls is a rewarding blend of observation and experimentation. The same cascade can feel quiet and graceful or full of energy, depending on how you compose the scene and capture the water’s movement. There’s real satisfaction in slowing down, noticing how water and light interact, and finding a photograph that expresses what drew you to the place.

This workshop is about much more than simply slowing your shutter speed. We’ll work on finding order within complex forest scenes, using foregrounds and natural frames, controlling reflections and glare with a polarizer, and choosing shutter speeds that retain texture and movement in the water. You’ll learn how small changes in position, lens choice, and exposure can completely change the way a waterfall feels.

Our schedule will remain flexible so we can respond to weather, water levels, and light. Bright conditions can lead us toward smaller forest scenes and backlit water, while softer light allows us to work with the larger cascades. Along the way, we’ll also photograph ferns, moss-covered rocks, wildflowers, and, when seasonal conditions cooperate, flowering rhododendron and mountain laurel.

With your Pro working alongside you in the field and during image reviews, our goal is to give you a repeatable approach to waterfall photography that you can take anywhere: from recognizing a composition to choosing the right shutter speed, controlling highlights, working safely around moving water, and finishing the image in post-processing.

Your Pro

David Thompson

Itinerary

This itinerary is subject to change due to weather, local conditions, and other factors.

June 20, 2028: Arrival at Asheville, Transfer to Highlands, First Waterfall Visit

Arrive at Asheville Regional Airport (AVL), Asheville, North Carolina before 2:00 PM today. Air travel delays are common. Please arrive early, possibly even the day prior, so you don’t miss any of the workshop.

Arrive at Asheville Regional Airport, where we’ll meet and transfer together to Highlands. After checking into our hotel and a short welcome orientation, we’ll head into the field for our first waterfall shoot before returning to town for dinner.

June 21–23, 2028: Exploring Highlands’ Forests, Rivers, and Waterfalls

Over the next three full days, we’ll explore the forests, rivers, and waterfalls surrounding Highlands, choosing our locations based on local conditions.

Our subjects will range from broad, multi-tiered waterfalls to smaller cascades tucked among rhododendron, moss-covered rock, and dense forest. We’ll work with both grand landscapes and more intimate compositions, looking beyond the obvious viewpoint to find foregrounds, natural frames, reflections, patterns, and details within the moving water.

Throughout the workshop, your pro will help you refine the techniques that make waterfall photography successful: choosing shutter speeds that retain texture and movement, using polarizers and ND filters effectively, controlling highlights, simplifying busy woodland scenes, and building stronger compositions around flowing water.

We’ll visit locations including Yellow Branch Falls, Whitewater Falls, Dry Falls, and a number of lesser-known cascades around Highlands, but our exact schedule will remain flexible so we can make the most of the conditions. We’ll also set aside time for image review and post-processing, discussing photographs from previous shoots to improve our approach before heading back into the field.

June 24, 2028: Final Waterfall Visit, Farewells, Departure from Asheville

We’ll head out early for one final waterfall shoot, putting everything we’ve worked on during the workshop into practice. Afterward, we’ll return to the hotel for breakfast, pack, and say our farewells.

Flights out can be made after 2:00 PM on June 24, 2028.

Testimonials

Polly S.

Oregon Coast and Redwoods '26

DT is maybe my favorite instructor. He is very good at teaching composition, explains why you would want to do one thing over another, and expects you to show him compositions before he gives any instruction. His approach makes sure I'll learn at a fast pace on each workshop.

Reece P.

Oregon Coast and Redwoods '26

Honestly, I didn't come to this workshop thinking there was a lot that I would learn. Happily, there were things I did learn, seeing things differently, trying things even if I didn't think it would work. It was fascinating the things that others saw in my images that I hadn't really seen. DT was great for this, finding the small details that add to an image.

Joann K.

Oregon Coast and Redwoods '26

David is clearly the best at teaching a process, creating discussion around concepts and techniques. In image review, his first questions were always 'what were you seeing' and 'what were you thinking,' then he'd draw the lines or patterns that made the image work. Plus, he's just nice - he helped me carry my bag up flights of stairs!

Jeff S.

Namibia: Landscapes of Light and Shadow '26

David is a real pro. He meets people where they are on their photography journey, offering composition suggestions in the field while also letting me run with my own ideas. His post-processing feedback exposed me to new techniques I'll apply long after Namibia.

Gallery

muench workshops photo, united states, blue ridge mtns, landscape, summer, waterfall, river, flowing water, moss covered rocks, green foliage, trees, branch in water, sunlit leaves, forest environment

muench workshops photo, united states, blue ridge mtns, landscape, summer, river, waterfall, spring, small waterfall, flowing water, moss covered logs, green leafy plants, dense shrubbery, shallow brown water, tree trunks, wet environment

muench workshops photo, united states, blue ridge mtns, spring, landscape, waterfall, river, white flowers, green leaves, rocks, forest, flowing water, stream, lush vegetation

muench workshops photo, united states, blue ridge mtns, waterfall, landscape, river, forest, flowing water, rock, green foliage, moss, trees, overhanging cliff

muench workshops photo, united states, blue ridge mtns, waterfall, landscape, summer, river, flowing water, rocks, green foliage, moss

muench workshops photo, united states, blue ridge mtns, landscape, waterfall, river, large mossy boulders, sunlight rays, flowing water, dense forest trees, green and yellow foliage, rock wall

muench workshops photo, united states, blue ridge mtns, waterfall, forest, landscape, summer, mountains, river, waterfall with smooth flowing water, green leafy plants, rocky cliff, rust colored metal railing, dense green trees, misty water spray, overcast sky

muench workshops photo, united states, blue ridge mtns, landscape, waterfall, forest, multi tiered waterfall, flowing water, dark rocks, moss, green foliage, forest environment

muench workshops photo, united states, blue ridge mtns, waterfall, landscape, summer, forest, small waterfall, flowing water, moss covered log, green foliage, wet rocks, lush vegetation

muench workshops photo, united states, blue ridge mtns, summer, landscape, river, waterfall, spring, multi tiered waterfall, flowing water, large rocks, moss on rocks, dense green vegetation

muench workshops photo, united states, blue ridge mtns, landscape, river, waterfall, spring, summer, flowing water, rock formations, moss, sunlight filtering, wet surface, lush vegetation

Behind the Scenes

muench workshops photo, people, waterfalls and wildflowers 2021, person hiking, backpack, walking stick, rocks in river, shallow river water, green trees, dense foliage, outdoor setting

muench workshops photo, people, waterfall, waterfalls and wildflowers 2021, person photographing, camera on tripod, waterfall with thin streams, rocky terrain, moss on rocks, flowing water, outdoor scene, leaves on rock

muench workshops photo, usa, north carolina, people, waterfalls and wildflowers 2021, two women smiling, light blue shirts, glass of water, wooden table, inside restaurant, cakes on plates, decorative vases with flowers, red walls, black booth seating

muench workshops photo, usa, north carolina, people, waterfalls and wildflowers 2021, man with camera on tripod, large rock platform, flowing stream, dense green trees, sunlight filtering through leaves, forest environment

muench workshops photo, usa, north carolina, people, waterfall, waterfalls and wildflowers 2021, woman with camera, tripod, rock formations, green foliage, forest environment, flowing water

muench workshops photo, usa, north carolina, people, waterfalls and wildflowers 2021, three older adults, sitting on rock, forest environment, green foliage, fallen tree branches, outdoor clothing, hiking shoes, camera with tripod, backpacks

muench workshops photo, people, waterfalls and wildflowers 2021, two people with tripods, man wearing cap and blue shirt, woman with blonde hair in ponytail, rocky waterfall, cascading water streams, green leafy vegetation, forest environment, rocky terrain, daylight

muench workshops photo, usa, north carolina, people, waterfalls and wildflowers 2021, person with short hair in ponytail, person wearing purple shirt, camera on tripod, wooden structure with slatted walls, forest vegetation outside wooden structure, daylight with shadows, dirt ground

Fitness

Challenging: A good level of fitness and balance are required. Hikes are relatively short, but terrain can be steep, rocky, slippery, and uneven, with some scrambling required for the best photographic positions. The longest hike is approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) round trip with 600 ft (183 m) of elevation gain. You should be active, sure-footed, and comfortable carrying camera gear over rough terrain. Walking poles are recommended.

Flights

Arrive at Asheville Regional Airport (AVL), Asheville before 2:00 PM on June 20, 2028. Flights out can be made after 2:00 PM on June 24, 2028. 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 a $900 supplement.
All meals, soft drinks, and snacks during the workshop.
All permits and park fees.
All transportation during the workshop.
Photographic guiding and instruction from David Thompson.
Image reviews and post-processing instruction.
Adventure, fun, inspiration, and a great time!

Not Included

Travel to and from Asheville, North Carolina.
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 is available for a $900 supplement.

Payment Terms

Your deposit of $2,995 will hold your space in this workshop.
The balance is due not later than February 1, 2028.
All of our standard Terms and Conditions apply, including our cancellation and refund policy.
Need special payment arrangements? No problem, just ask us.