Discover the art of digital photography in an unparalleled natural setting, surrounded by the stunning beauty of the Cocora Valley. This intensive workshop will help you refine your photo editing skills in Lightroom and Photoshop, inspired by breathtaking landscapes and the unique atmosphere of this privileged region.
Over two days, you’ll learn everything from the basics of photo editing to advanced retouching and professional export techniques. Explore tools to organize, edit, and transform your images into true works of art, with a focus on enhancing the details and colors that make nature photography so captivating. Hands-on practice sessions are designed to bring your learning to life.
With expert instructors and an environment that fuels creativity, this workshop offers an immersive experience for photographers seeking to expand their artistic vision. The location provides a perfect opportunity to connect with like-minded enthusiasts and learn in a setting that inspires capturing the essence of nature at its finest.
LIGHTROOM EXERCISES
Exercise: Import and organize a catalog with category tags. Use flags and star ratings to classify the best images based on their potential.
Exercise: Adjust a photograph by correcting exposure, contrast, and colors, focusing on enhancing details and the blurred background.
Exercise: Use filters to highlight or illuminate specific parts of the image you want to emphasize.
Exercise: Prepare an edited image in Lightroom and export it optimized for advanced retouching in Photoshop.
PHOTOSHOP EXERCISES
Exercise: Use layers to make separate adjustments to a photo, highlighting patterns and colors without affecting the background.
Exercise: Clean up the scene in a photograph by removing unwanted elements like crossing branches or shadows that distract from the main subject.
Exercise: Apply advanced sharpening techniques to enhance details or textures.
Exercise: Use Dodge & Burn to emphasize details in an animal’s fur or add depth to the petals of a flower in close-up shots.
Laptop with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop installed. A reliable laptop is essential for the editing sessions. Make sure you have the latest version of Lightroom Classicand Photoshop installed and ready to use. These tools will be the backbone of our workflow, from raw development to advanced image retouching.
External hard drive or SSD (optional but recommended). For backing up your files and working with a fast and efficient storage system during the workshop.
Power adapter and power strip. To ensure constant access to power during editing sessions—especially useful if outlets are limited.
DSLR or mirrorless camera. Bring your main camera for capturing birds during the day and amphibians or nocturnal scenes during night walks.
Telephoto lens (e.g., 300 mm or more). Ideal for bird photography during the daytime field trip.
Wide-angle or standard zoom lens. Useful for capturing landscapes or environmental shots in the Cocora Valley.
Headlamp or flashlight with diffused light. Essential for night tours and low-light photography, especially when shooting frogs or insects.
Tripod. Helpful for low-light conditions, long exposures, or when using heavy lenses.
In the heart of Colombia’s cloud forest, the Cocora Valley offers more than just stunning views, it invites you into a creative rhythm shaped by misty mountains, ancient wax palms, and the quiet presence of nature. Here, editing becomes more than post-processing; it becomes a dialogue between your images and the environment that inspired them.
Throughout the workshop, you’ll be surrounded by a small community of like-minded photographers, where sharing knowledge, inspiration, and laughter happens naturally. Meals become moments of exchange, and editing sessions turn into spaces of reflection and refinement.
Between lessons, you’ll step outside to capture the living subjects of your work, birds gliding between palms, textures of moss and bark, the glow of nocturnal life. These moments ground the creative process, reconnecting your craft with the fieldwork that started it.
This isn’t just a photography workshop, it’s a space to slow down, to observe, and to rediscover your creative flow in one of Colombia’s most iconic natural landscapes.
One of the best amphibian, reptile and wildlife photographers in Colombia. He leads workshops and photographic tours. He is a biologist and expert in macro-photography, full-time nature photographer and leading tour guide in Colombia.
He has published 14 scientific articles contributing to the knowledge and conservation of various species in Colombia. His photographic work has taken him to explore every corner of the country. His photos have been featured in magazines such as Enfoque Visual, RowZine, and the Catalog of Amphibians and Reptiles of Colombia, among others. He won the environmental advocacy category in the Agenda del Mar photography competition (2022). He uses photography and biology as tools to promote conservation through various initiatives, contributing to a deeper understanding of species’ behaviors and their interactions with ecosystems. These two passions have allowed him to offer a unique perspective on the hidden and unknown world beneath the mysterious landscapes of Colombia’s mountains and plains, aiming to create a bridge between memory and nature.
Day 1: Lightroom Workflow
Morning (9:00 AM – 12:30 PM)
Lunch Break (12:30 PM – 1:30 PM)
Afternoon (1:30 PM – 5:00 PM)
Day 2: Advanced Retouching in Photoshop
Morning (9:00 AM – 12:30 PM)
Lunch Break (12:30 PM – 1:30 PM)
Afternoon (1:30 PM – 5:00 PM)
Closing and Evaluation (5:00 – 5:30 PM)
OUR WORKSHOP INCLUDES:
OUR WORKSHOP DOES NOT INCLUDE:
We will begin an immersive photographic adventure in nature where you will discover and tell your version of your story through your photographs. We have some recommendations that will be very useful when choosing your equipment depending on the approach you want to explore. We want to travel comfortably and protect our equipment. We’ll give you some tips on what to keep in mind.
keeeping is passion for nature, love for photography.
The Hotel Sazagua, located in the heart of Colombia’s Coffee Cultural Landscape, is the perfect setting for our Digital Development Workshop – Living Photography. This haven blends luxury and nature, offering an exclusive environment that inspires creativity and a deep connection to the surrounding beauty. Nestled near the majestic Cocora Valley, with its towering wax palms and mist-covered landscapes, the hotel becomes a place where photography and nature come together seamlessly. Its lush gardens, architectural design combining rustic charm and modern elegance, and comfortable interiors provide the ideal atmosphere to refine your digital development skills while drawing inspiration from the breathtaking scenery.
Moreover, the hotel delivers a comprehensive experience that enhances every aspect of your stay. From its proximity to unique biodiversity—boasting over 450 bird species to explore—to its exquisite culinary offerings that blend the best of Coffee Region traditions with a contemporary touch, every detail is designed for a transformative adventure. Here, the tranquility of its spaces, the connection to the surrounding landscape, and immersive experiences make mastering the art of digital development a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rediscover your creativity and deeply connect with the essentials. Hotel Sazagua is not just a place; it’s the perfect backdrop to create images that inspire, tell stories, and capture the essence of nature.
Accommodation
Complete Feeding
Local Guides
Hydration
Photography Lessons
Snacks
Souvenir
Health Insurance
Ground Transport
We will be happy to talk to you and clarify all your doubts about your next photographic experience, select one of our customer service lines, we will answer you as soon as possible.
Each adventure is unique and so is its level of difficulty. Visit our blog to learn how we classify the physical intensity of our tours and find the one that’s right for you.
$ 550
Keeping Nature Tours is a tour operator that promotes photography, nature tourism, and wildlife observation with the goal of helping to conserve the most threatened ecosystems, which are affected by deforestation, lack of awareness about species, or cultural beliefs.
Through photography and nature tourism, we can showcase the most beautiful side of Colombia, creating new opportunities for the remote communities in our country.
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