Elevation

The Experience

Flagstaff is not a gateway. It is a destination — one that most Arizona visitors pass through on their way to somewhere else, and thereby miss. At 7,000 feet the light is different. The ponderosa forest holds the golden hour long after the valley floor has gone flat. The volcanic geology produces a palette — black basalt, rust cinder, pale limestone — that has no equivalent in the red rock country to the south.

We work the full Flagstaff palette across a day: the San Francisco Peaks in morning light, the ponderosa forest in golden hour, the downtown Route 66 corridor at dusk when the historic neon and the freight traffic on the BNSF Transcon coexist in the same frame. The Winslow extension adds La Posada — one of the great Harvey Houses, fully restored, sitting beside active main line trackage — and a corridor that still moves iron and history simultaneously. The Standin' on the Corner intersection. The high desert light east of the Peaks.

Session Formats

Choose your depth of field.

Every GTTS workshop runs in small groups — eight participants maximum, most sessions capped at six. The guide is always the photographer. The format is always the field.

What's Included

Everything except the excuse not to come.

• Personal instruction from Frédérick M. St. Simon throughout
• All ground transportation during the session
• Grand Canyon or National Park entry fees where applicable
• Field editing review (Full Day and Extended sessions)
• Portfolio critique (Extended Expedition only)
• Accommodation (Extended Expedition only)

Who This Is For

Serious photographers. Serious beginners. Serious travelers.

This session suits photographers who are drawn to the relationship between human infrastructure and landscape — the railroad, the highway, the working town at altitude — as much as to pure wilderness. It is also the right session for photographers who want to understand how light behaves at elevation. The Flagstaff palette rewards careful study and repays return visits in every season.

All sessions are camera-agnostic. Full-frame mirrorless, crop sensor DSLR, or a smartphone with intention — the equipment matters less than the eye behind it. What GTTS teaches is not how to operate a camera. It is how to see a landscape.

Pricing

Per person. No hidden fees. No agency markup.

The Dawn Patrol at $285 focuses on the Peaks and the volcanic terrain in the specific light that only exists in the first hour after civil twilight at altitude. The Full Day at $595 covers the complete Flagstaff palette from pre-dawn through Route 66 at dusk. The Flagstaff plus Winslow extension at $695 adds La Posada and the high desert corridor — a longer day but a fundamentally different set of images.

A 50% deposit confirms your reservation. Balance due 14 days prior to session. A signed participant agreement and release is required before the session date. Travel agencies and trade partners: 15% commission available — contact for trade registration.