Where the Land Moves Like Water

There’s a reason photographers travel from every corner of the world to stand on a gravel road outside Colfax, Washington, and stare at dirt. The Palouse isn’t dramatic in the way mountains or coastlines are dramatic — it’s dramatic the way a held breath is dramatic. Mile after mile of wheat and lentil and canola fields roll across the hills in soft, curving lines, planted along the contours of the land itself. From the ground, it’s beautiful. From 200 feet up, it’s something else entirely: a living topographic map, painted in a dozen shades of green and gold, shifting with every hour of light.

This is a landscape built for drones. Come learn how to shoot it properly.

Instructors

Join John Pedersen and Marshall Alsup for an unforgettable adventure above and through the Palouse, often called “America’s Tuscany.” John has led more than 30 workshops in the region and knows the hidden locations most visitors miss. Marshall is an accomplished drone and landscape photographer who brings deep expertise in both flying and aerial image-making.

What You’ll Learn

This isn’t a “point your drone at a field and hope” kind of workshop. Over three days, you’ll work through:

• Reading the land — how to scout compositions using topography, crop rotation patterns, and the region’s famous curved field lines
• Chasing light — golden hour and blue hour timing specific to the Palouse’s rolling terrain, where a ridge can put you in shadow or spotlight depending on where you stand
• Technical flight craft — camera settings, ND filters, exposure bracketing, and flight paths for capturing clean panoramas and orbit shots
• Post-processing — stitching panoramas, blending exposures, and editing for the tonal range this landscape demands without pushing it into looking artificial

Small group size means real one-on-one time — this isn’t a workshop where you watch someone else fly.

Where We’ll Shoot

Having over 15 years experience leading photo workshops in this area, we know the best spots to be at the right times to capture the magical light and stories of the Palouse. We’ll focus on wheat fields where rolling hills, harvest color, and working farm equipment create strong aerial compositions. In early August, the Palouse becomes a patchwork of gold, yellow, and brown—ideal for capturing the region at peak harvest. Old barns, grain elevators and silos dot the landscape and we will fly them, capturing stunning aerial images of these structures.

We will conduct 3 flight sessions per day. In between flying times, we will have classroom learning sessions or time for land based photography.

Who This Is For

Whether you’re an experienced pilot looking to sharpen your composition and post-processing, or newer to drone work and want structured guidance instead of trial and error, this workshop is built to meet you where you are. A basic understanding of your drone’s manual controls is helpful, but the instruction scales to your level.

What To Bring

• Drone
• Spare batteries (recommend 3, depending on battery capacity)
• Drone accessories
• Still camera
• Tripod
• Laptop for editing sessions

More detailed information will be sent out prior to the workshop.

The Palouse doesn’t wait for you to be ready. Come learn how to be in the right place, at the right altitude, when it happens.

Spots are limited — reserve your seat today.

Fitness Level: Easy/Moderate

We will be walking on slightly uneven forest paths with some elevation gain/loss.  The workshop is structured to allow for all fitness levels, you can go as far or as short as you want with plenty to photograph either way.

Logistics

You can fly in directly to Spokane WA and drive the remaining distance to the workshop. We will be based in Colfax Washington, which puts us in a prime location for many of the locations we will visit.   We will travel each day from the hotel to our locations and return at various times for rest and/or image reviews.  More information will be sent to you after registration.