Sometimes noted as the “Father of the National Parks,” naturalist John Muir is often quoted as saying “The mountains are calling and I must go.”
That is truly the way I feel about the mountains. The fresh air, the spectacular mountain vistas, the pristine waterfalls, wildlife encounters, all keep me coming back again and again.
I invite you to join me in one of the nation’s most magnificent national parks, Rocky Mountain National Park, this Summer or Fall for a true photographic adventure.
I’ll lead you on some memorable adventures to numerous locations in the park at the best times of day for optimal photographs of landscapes, waterfalls, cascades, wildlife, sunrises, and so much more.
This is the ultimate destination photography workshop!
In our Featured Photographer series, we highlight the work of our former and current students!
Your Name: Lynn Wood
Type of Camera: Nikon D7100 and have recently switched to Nikon D850
What do you love to photograph the most? I love to take landscape, night, and horse photographs. I just love this world God created. If I am able to capture just a little bit of that beauty in my pictures, I feel I have been successful. I also like to document moments I have with my family and the places we have visited together.
What is one thing you have learned that has improved your photography? I have learned so much through Kevin’s classes. Some of my favorite classes were the Finding Your Way and Lightroom. But, I think learning more about light is the thing that will help improve my photography the most. Understanding light and how to harness it will take your pictures from good to great.
Advice you’d give to others wanting to grow in their photography skills: Practice, practice, practice! Search out good places to learn, whether through books, online, or classes like Kevin’s. Then, practice what you’ve learned! Above all else–HAVE FUN!
In our Featured Photographer series, we highlight the work of our former and current students!
Your Name: Monita G. Harrison
Type of Camera: Canon EOS 80D
What do you love to photograph the most? Well as a child I always took pictures of objects or animals with my first camera which was a hand me down from my father in 1992 with a flash cube. The noise and the end result was different. It appealed to me. But honestly when I was lucky enough to catch a person smiling was the beginning of my love for catching human interaction photos. I definitely love scenery and people. Yes given the opportunity to show someone what they can look like in a photo and putting that smile on their face is priceless for me. So it’s my favorite thing to capture those moments for others.
What is one thing you have learned that has improved your photography? Lighting. Yes I am self taught. Never had the chance to find a classes near my town to learn and grow has hindered my growth in photography. Until one day I stepped outside my box and took a course with Kevin’s workshop on lighting which has literally changed my life in such a positive way. I’m way more confident now behind the camera. To really understand how light works inside camera to outside in what you see. To see your work come alive from through the lenses to on the computer to the actual photo. It’s pure magic to see. Lighting is key. Everyone has a preference in what they like but if you know the basics of lighting, you can be confident in what end product you come up with. Its art. Lighting can turn into art. It’s beautiful to choose your own unique look. All by the lighting you choose.
Advice you’d give to others wanting to grow in their photography skills: Try not to be so hard on yourself. Leave the pride at the door and be willing to learn something new or different ways, to make mistakes. I am glad I took bad photos at first so I could be challenged to do better and find out what I was doing wrong. In any competitive career like photographers, you either always learn or stay stuck in one way of photography. Some are ok with staying one style. That’s ok. But those who want to grow or stay in it long run, growth in our education in photography is key. Never stop learning. Oh and also be kind hearted toward other photographers. We all are learning and have unique ways we do our photos which are art to us. Leaving good seeds of kindness will go along way.
Monita G Harrison
Model: Ella Rose HallModel: Ella Rose HallModel: Dillian Lalor
To all my photographer friends, students and former students, clients, all of you, I hope you find 2020 to be your best year.
For each of you:
I hope you discover inspiration and confidence to be uniquely you, in your artistic expression. You don’t have to copy others to be good. Be you. Seek inspiration, rather than just imitation. What you have to offer the world is distinctly YOU, shaped by your life experience, passions, and gifts.
I hope you make choices that lead you to a better life. A life that is truly lived. Not just “existing.” I have discovered that sometimes we get caught up in just making choices that just keep us in the same routine of existing. Life is more than just existing. With each day, choose wisely.
I hope you live a life of gratitude because I believe that is the key to a fulfilling life. If we always focus on what we want, we will always be disappointed in what we don’t have. If we focus on what we DO have, we begin to realize we actually have an abundance already. Never take life for granted. Even the small stuff, may turn out to be the most meaningful, if we just see it.
If you feel that parts of your life are “broken” and that healing from that brokenness is unattainable (hey I’ve been there too), I want you to never give up. Not ever. Faith, even the smallest amount of faith, can move mountains.
I want you all to know how much you have meant to me. I have been doing “photography” for a lot of years (about 45 years) and made the switch over to pro photography over a decade ago. What I have discovered over this past decade is that what I have loved the most about this experience isn’t really the photography. What I have loved the most is all of the truly wonderful people I would have never known, had I not made this dramatic career change. My life has been made better because I know you. I most sincerely mean that.
Bless you all in this new year,
Kevin Gourley
p.s. the photo I attached to this post is pretty old. I created it about 44 years ago back when I first fell in love with photography.
I especially want to highlight this class that is relevant to every photographer regardless to the type of camera you use, smartphone to DSLR’s. You will SAVE $50 if you register by January 1st!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you! Whatever this day means to you, I hope you have a wonderful day.
I am grateful to all of you who have participated in my various photography classes and workshops and destination trips over the many years. I am blessed to know you all.
Note I have several great classes coming up with Early Registration Discounts that End Today (12/25)!
Check out my upcoming class lineup here: CLICK HERE
The Best Photographic Gift You Could Give Yourself
Workshop options and lodging options are filling up for our 2020 Rocky Mountain Photography Workshop. Some options are already sold out.
Participant Comment: “The Rocky Mountain Summer Photography Workshop was an amazing experience! The success of the workshop begins with the organization and preparation of the instructor. Kevin and Gail were superbly organized and prepared! It was a treat to be lead to the best spots at the optimum time of the day to photograph the spectacular beauty and wildlife in the park. They demonstrated great flexibility and adaptability in meeting the needs of the group with the ever changing clouds, weather, and wildlife. It was also an incredible learning experience having a photography professional available to coach and instruct on the best methods for creatively composing a scene, capturing stunning images, and the correct use of a wide range of photographic equipment. Not only can I wholeheartedly recommend this workshop, but I’m already scheduled for a Rocky Mountain Fall Photography Workshop with Kevin!”
We have so many great photography learning opportunities for you in 2020! Make sure you tell Santa (and that he signs you up by December 25th) to get great discounts!
YES any of these class options can be given as a gift to someone else (or YOU)!
Finding Your Way – Photography Workshop Saturday Feb 1st, 2020 9am – 6pm
Whether you are just starting out in photography or you have years of experience, this class will meet you where you are and help you find new directions to head to discover your unique artistic expression in photography!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS CLASS FOR ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS! Register by December 25th and SAVE $50!
Photography 101 – Fundamentals of Great Photography Tuesday Daytime Classes Begin January 21, 2020 10am-Noon(ish) Tuesday Evening Classes Begin January 21, 2020 7pm-9:10pm
Start your photography learning with this class! Register by December 25th and SAVE $50!
Photographers Weekend Boot Camp
Learn the important fundamentals of photography in one weekend!
All day Saturday + Sunday afternoon
Register by December 25th and SAVE $40!
Light & Photography Workshop Weekday Daytime Class Wed/Thurs January 29+30, 2020 9am-5pm Highly recommended for anyone serious about wanting to improve their photography!
This course is a comprehensive look at light in its various forms, both natural and artificial and we look at the many ways we photographers can control and manipulate light to create great photographs! If you have taken Photography 101 or our Photographers Weekend Boot Camp, this is great next step! Register by December 25th and SAVE $70!
Adobe Lightroom Classic CC Weekend Workshop
Weekend Workshop Feb 8-9, 2020
Learn Adobe Lightroom Classic! This is an excellent program for helping photographers organize and create outstanding photographs! Register by January 1st and SAVE $$!
Adobe Photoshop CC for Photographers Weekend Workshop
Saturday/Sunday February 22-23, 2020
Learn this essential powerful tool for editing photographs.
Very hands-on learning in a small class environment. Register by January 1st and SAVE $50!
Texas Bird Photography Ranch Workshop Weekend Class Friday-Sunday March 13-15, 2020
ONLY ONE SPACE LEFT!
Sharpen your photography skills in bird photography at a fantastic wildlife ranch.
An Update on This Article: Almost two months after Apple released Catalina 10.15.2 (12/10/19) that caused the breakages, they released Catalina 10.15.3 (1/28/2020) which fixed the tethered capture bugs. The other problem I reported regarding that “Disk Error” message persisted even after updating to 10.15.3. I never found anyone with an answer to what was causing that, but I discovered on my own that it was a file permissions issue that was somehow introduced with the 10.15.2 upgrade. I had to modify folder permissions to allow Lightroom and Photoshop to have read and write access to the folder containing the files, even though in earlier versions there was no problems with this. I am still experiencing intermittent problems with my Mail app since upgrading. Not sure what the cause is. Very frustrating.
I have a MacBook Pro and recently upgraded to the latest Mac OS Catalina 10.15.2 and have been TOTALLY regretting having done so. I am hearing from several of my former students that they are also running into problems since upgrading to Catalina 10.15.2.
I have personally encountered several problems that I would categorize as SERIOUS and I hope will be addressed ASAP.
Here’s what a rep at Adobe says about Catalina upgrades on Mac: “You may want to remain on your current version of macOS until these issues have been resolved.”
For me, it was specifically the upgrade from 10.15.1 to 10.15.2 that started causing the most grief.
Strange behavior in my Mac Mail app, intermittently not being able to connect to my mail servers, but then the problem goes away, and then comes back again. Seem awfully coincidental with having just upgraded the OS.
The latest version of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC Version 9.1:
Tethered capture connecting via USB to any Canon DSLR (I have 3) simply does not work at ALL any more. Tethered capture is totally broken.
The Edit In Photoshop command when using the “Edit a Copy with Lightroom Adjustments” is totally broken. Now I just get an error claiming there is a “Disk Error” but there is no problem with my hard drive (after scanning with Disk Utility for problems). The only time I get this error is when doing this one command from Lightroom. It simply does not work any more, at all.
I have heard from a couple of other people who were having problems opening their catalogs, although I haven’t encountered this problem (yet, at least).
Canon EOS Utility (3.11.1 latest version)
Tethered capture connecting via USB to any Canon DSLR (I have 3) simply does not work at ALL any more. Tethered capture is totally broken by any means, whether using Canon’s utility or Adobe’s.
Canon tech support says 3.11.1 is compatible with the latest Catalina, but I am experiencing results that are contrary to that.
My battery on my MacBook Pro is virtually brand new. I just replaced it a couple of months ago. I am noticing the power is draining at a much faster rate than it ever did before. At the moment, my battery is at 50%, but one hour ago it was at 100%. Checking to see what app has been the biggest power consumer, it reports Photoshop is the culprit. BUT I didn’t have this problem until I “upgraded” to Catalina 10.15.2.
p.s. 5 minutes have passed since I type this and I am already down to 40%
SO the bottom line is unless you have a very compelling reason you just need to upgrade to Catalina 10.15.2, I’d say DON’T DO IT.
Some people respond saying they haven’t experienced a problem with Catalina, but I am not sure that is relevant because lots of people ARE experiencing problems like this and if you search, you will find a lot of discussion and frustration over the problems. So if you upgrade, maybe you’ll be fine, or maybe you will totally regret it. I am in the latter category. :-/
I guess I’ll have to look into rolling back my MacOS to a previous version. That’s a pain also though. I am hoping Apple will make some fixes to resolve these problems OR I am hoping that Adobe and Canon can put out releases that work around these problems caused by the most recent Catalina release.
p.s. If anyone is curious about my particular model of MacBook Pro, here are the specs: Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013 model,2.6 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2 GB w/Intel Iris Pro 1536 MB; Hard drive: Apple SSD SM1024F
This is part of our series on people making a positive difference in our community! We open up our studio on Monday nights for all kinds of fascinating programs. This isn’t about photography. It’s about LIFE!
Who: Guest Speaker David Dauber When: Monday December 16th 7pm
Where: Kevin Gourley Photography Studio,
11740 Jollyville Rd. Suite 400, Austin, TX map
Price: Always free, all are invited!
David Dauber is passionate about making a difference. He recently took on the role of Accessibility Specialist in the Civil Rights Department of the State of Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) in Austin, Texas. Since 2007, David has been a co-producer, performer, writer and promoter of The Gene and Dave Show, an often-comical glimpse into the lives and lifestyles of people with disabilities which airs on Austin’s local public access television station and worldwide via an internet site with the same name. The Gene and Dave Show has been awarded two Media awards from the City of Austin Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities and a Telly award. Their website also received a first-place award during one of Knowbility’s internet accessibility competition.
[This bio is from https://knowbility.org/instructor/david-dauber/ ] RSVP by sending an email to
If you’d like to bring a party finger-food / snack , you are welcome to, but not required.
On Monday nights, we host various guest speakers, and book/video discussions, dinner outings, etc. throughout the year! Anyone’s invited. We’d love to have you join us. We call the group LifeInsights.
Some of our recent speakers include:
Kaylee Lartigue: Kaylee progressively lost her hearing as a young child but never let that hold her back. She’s an activist advocating for the Deaf community. More info: Deaf Girl Evolution. In May of 2019 Kaylee started her own nonprofit called Deaf Dreams to help people who are Deaf and hard of hearing follow their dreams and to give people access to technology that they may not have due to lack of health insurance and/or finances.
Fiona McInally: The Missing Connections in the Fight Against Poverty
Darius Pettway: Darius is working to restore opportunity to young adults by providing them with tools of leadership, self-empowerment and conflict resolution. He is a published author and founder of Walls of Life.
Anyone is invited to attend! RSVP by sending an email to
Some options are already sold out. Don’t wait any longer to register! It is better to register early to reserve your spot in the workshop since space is limited, AND you have more choices for room selection (lodging fills up early)!
We have had participants come back to repeat the workshop 2, 3, even 4 times, it is so much fun!
“This is a workshop you can’t afford to miss! I came to the workshop with a goal of never using Auto settings again… I achieved that and more. Kevin is such a great teacher and is able to work with photographers of all levels. He made everyone comfortable, I am from Virginia and did not know anyone in the group (as were several others) by the end of the work shop I had made a group of new friends! We were able to get so many landscape and wildlife pictures. The whole experience was amazing. I’m ready to sign up for the next workshop! Thank you Kevin”
If you have any questions, just contact Kevin () . If there are any reasons you are hesitating to sign up, just talk to Kevin. We really want this to be an outstanding experience for you and we want you to be with us to join in the fun.
Don’t just trust our word on how great this experience is!
Scroll past the photos below, and read what previous participants have said about the workshop.
“The Rocky Mountain Photography Workshop turned out to be the perfect opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the Rockies while learning with a small group of incredible photographers. I learned every day both from Kevin and other photographers in the small group. I cannot imagine a better opportunity than this workshop for photographers who love nature and want to hone their skills.”
“Kevin guided us to a variety of great photographic places when the lighting was ideal. We were able to photograph beautiful lake and mountain sunrises, a lot of wildlife including moose and many herds of elk. Kevin knew when to be at different areas when there were the best chances to see wildlife. Thanks Kevin for a great trip.”
“Kevin is an excellent workshop leader. He takes you to the best spots at the right time and gets you set up to get your best photos. Highly recommend.”
“The workshop was outstanding because we had total access to Kevin and Gail’s knowledge and experience in photography. We were presented with multiple shooting locations and lighting situations from which to learn. Kevin was always available to provide advice and help resolve any problems with camera settings or answer questions. The availability of daily photo reviews permitted one to make any adjustments to shooting techniques before the next day. This was the most hands-on learning experience I have had and I look forward to more with Kevin.”
“This workshop provided a broad depth of experiences in the RMNP because Kevin is so knowledgeable about the area and about the best way to photograph it. I really appreciated the care given to maximize each student’s experience, no matter their skill level. I will definitely consider taking other trips with Kevin and Gail.”
“Could not be happier with how the workshop turned out. Everyone involved was so nice and easy to get along with. Kevin was an excellent teacher – patient, explained well, relaxed and never felt rushed or that I may be holding others back. It was very rewarding and would highly recommend Kevin’s workshops!!”
“Kevin is a natural-born teacher and superbly facilitated the group while providing one-on-one attention. I learned a lot without feeling overwhelmed with technical details and had fun in the process. I highly recommend this workshop!”
“This exceeded all my expectations!”
“The natural beauty of RMNP was enhanced by Kevin’s knowledge of the park and locations that were custom picked for great photographic shots. Kevin’s calm, patient and knowledgeable teaching style meant that everyone, at whatever level they were at, felt comfortable asking questions, making mistakes, learning from them and then getting immeasurably better pictures as a result. The improvement in my photography from Day 1 to Day 4 was unbelievable. I came thinking the auto settings on my camera really took better pictures than I did, and I left seeing and believing that the pictures I now understood how to take were vastly superior to anything the camera could capture in auto mode. It was a 5 star experience from beginning to end.“
“This is a workshop you can’t afford to miss! I came to the workshop with a goal of never using Auto settings again… I achieved that and more. Kevin is such a great teacher and is able to work with photographers of all levels. He made everyone comfortable, I am from Virginia and did not know anyone in the group (as were several others) by the end of the work shop I had made a group of new friends! We were able to get so many landscape and wildlife pictures. The whole experience was amazing. I’m ready to sign up for the next workshop! Thank you Kevin” – Barb
“The Rocky Mountain Summer Photography Workshop was an amazing experience! The success of the workshop begins with the organization and preparation of the instructor. Kevin and Gail were superbly organized and prepared! It was a treat to be lead to the best spots at the optimum time of the day to photograph the spectacular beauty and wildlife in the park. They demonstrated great flexibility and adaptability in meeting the needs of the group with the ever changing clouds, weather, and wildlife. It was also an incredible learning experience having a photography professional available to coach and instruct on the best methods for creatively composing a scene, capturing stunning images, and the correct use of a wide range of photographic equipment. Not only can I wholeheartedly recommend this workshop, but I’m already scheduled for a Rocky Mountain Fall Photography Workshop with Kevin!”
“Thanks for another spectacularly successful workshop in Rocky Mountain National Park! The conditions were even more challenging than last Summer, yet everything progressed flawlessly. We were at the right place at the right time to capture some incredible images. Thanks for everything!”
If you have any questions, just contact Kevin () . If there are any reasons you are hesitating to sign up, just talk to Kevin. We really want this to be an outstanding experience for you and we want you to be with us to join in the fun.
Kevin Gourley Photography Workshops, Austin, TX – Austin Photography Classes
We have so many great photography learning opportunities for you in 2020! Make sure you tell Santa (and that he signs you up by December 25th) to get great discounts!
David Dauber is passionate about making a difference. He recently took on the role of Accessibility Specialist in the Civil Rights Department of the State of Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) in Austin, Texas. Since 2007, David has been a co-
