Sandhill Cranes

The Sandhill Crane migration that travels through Nebraska every late March create an absolutely stunning sight for photographers and nature-lovers alike.

Witness the world's most beautiful migration

Dates: March 19-22 & March 24-27, 2025 | Location: Kearney, NE

Tuition: $2,795 | Deposit: $675

Deposit due upon registration, full tuition due 120 days before the workshop. Workshops limited to 10 participants. 

We are thrilled to offer two back-to-back Sandhill Cranes workshops to photograph and witness the beauty of the Sandhill Crane migration up close! In the first workshop join elite nature and wildlife photographers Dave Showalter, Michael Forsberg, and Jim Richardson. In the second workshop you will be learning from Michael Forsberg, Melissa Groo, and Dave Showalter. Both workshops will be along the Platte River in Nebraska to photograph one of nature’s oldest and largest migrations. In both workshops you will have private blind access with only our group and learn from the best!

Register now!

March 19-22

March 19-22

$2,795
March 24-27

March 24-27

$2,795

Come Fly Away with summit

In this workshop, you’ll be immersed in blinds along the Platte River to get an up-close look as the cranes dance, sing their famous “Crane Song”, and do other fun things that make for extraordinary pictures!

At Summit Sandhill Cranes You Will

Photograph North America's Iconic Bird Migration

Photograph North America's Iconic Bird Migration

Experience the awe-inspiring Sandhill Crane migration, one of the most iconic wildlife spectacles in North America, and capture breathtaking images alongside expert instructors.

 

Learn from Leading Conservation Photographers

Learn from Leading Conservation Photographers

Gain hands-on guidance from world-renowned nature photographers, all members of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), and sharpen your skills in wildlife storytelling and conservation photography.

Connect with a community of Like-Minded Photographers

Connect with a community of Like-Minded Photographers

Network with industry professionals and fellow photographers who share your passion for nature and wildlife. This workshop fosters a supportive community focused on growing as photographers and using imagery to inspire action.

Workshop Itinerary

  • 2:00pm – Welcome and Overview
  • Tips for Photographing Birds in Flight
  • 5:00pm – Depart Fairfield Inn
  • 6:00pm – Position in blinds
  • 9:30pm – Return to Fairfield Inn
  • 5:20am – Depart Fairfield Inn
  • 6:30am – Positioned in Blinds
  • 7:31 am – Sunrise
  • 10:00am – Depart for Fairfield Inn
  • 11:00am-3:00pm – Lunch/Download/Downtime
  • 5:00pm – Depart Fairfield Inn
  • 6:00pm – Positioned in Blinds
  • 7:54pm – Sunset

This is your day to sleep in, it is needed. You are free to shoot on your own in the morning if you would like to! 

  • 7:29am – Sunrise
  • 10:00am – Image Critique
  • 12:00pm – Lunch
  • 1:000pm-3:30pm – Field Work
  • 4:00pm – Return to Fairfield Inn
  • 5:30pm – Depart Fairfield Inn
  • 6:20pm – Positioned in Blinds
  • 7:55pm – Sunset
  • 5:20am – Depart Fairfield Inn
  • 6:30am – Positioned in Blinds
  • 7:30 - Sunrise
  • 10:00am – Fairfield Inn Outdoor Coffee Q&A
  • 11:00am-3:00pm – Lunch/Download/Downtime
  • 6:30pm – Depart Fairfield Inn
  • 7:55pm – Sunset

The final workshop schedule will be provided one month prior to the event. Please keep in mind that the schedule is tentative and may be adjusted as needed during the workshop.

Meet Your Instructors

Workshop Faculty

Michael Forsberg

Workshop Faculty

Melissa Groo

Workshop Faculty

Dave Showalter

Jim Richardson - Summit Photography Workshops
Workshop Faculty

Jim Richardson

Owner / Director

Chris Steppig

Workshop Faculty

Michael Forsberg

Mike is a senior fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers who has focused his career on North America’s Great Plains, its prairie wildlife, and watersheds. His work has appeared in National Geographic and Outdoor Photographer, and his books on On Ancient Wings and Great Plains – America’s Lingering Wild have been turned into documentary films for PBS. Mike is co-founder of the Platte Basin Timelapse Project, and currently serves as faculty with the University of Nebraska.

Workshop Faculty

Melissa Groo

Melissa is a wildlife photographer, writer, speaker, and educator. She’s a contributing editor to Audubon magazine, writes a column on wildlife photography for Outdoor Photographer magazine, and is an Associate Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers. She speaks and writes extensively on issues of ethics and conservation in wildlife photography, and leads workshops in the U.S. and abroad. Melissa was Chair of the Ethics Committee for the North American Nature Photography Association from 2014-2018. Her work has been published in numerous books and magazines, such as Smithsonian, Audubon, National Wildlife, and Natural History. Melissa is represented by National Geographic Image Collection and has a long-term gallery at Audubon Greenwich in Connecticut.

Workshop Faculty

Dave Showalter

Dave Showalter is based in Colorado and focused on the American West. Dave has published two books – Sage Spirit, The American West at A Crossroads by Braided River (2015); and the award-winning Prairie Thunder by Skyline Press (2007). Dave’s photographs and articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Audubon, Conservation Biology, Outside, Outdoor Photographer, National Parks Magazine, High Country News, Wilderness, Colorado Life and elsewhere.

Workshop Faculty

Jim Richardson

Jim has work appearing regularly in National Geographic magazine and National Geographic Traveler in addition to Geographic books. Jim is on assignment for Nat Geo projects almost full time and for good reason. Richardson, a onetime newspaper photographer in Kansas and Colorado, brings amazing story-telling techniques along with detailed research to his pictures. Thirty years ago, he began photographing the area around his hometown in north central Kansas.

Owner / Director

Chris Steppig

Chris is the owner and director of Summit Workshops. Summit was his first job out of college and nearly 20 years later, this is home.  He is in charge of all workshop operations, scheduling, logistics, faculty, social media, marketing and sponsorship. Chris has a passion for conservation, travel, and education and the workshops are a dream platform to help others reach new heights as not only photographers but as people.

Chris is an affiliate of the International League of Conservation Photographers. The iLCP is a U.S. based non-profit whose mission is to further environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography. This affiliation provides a tremendous opportunity to help deliver great content and also be an advisor on matters large and small.  He is also a professional advisor for Outdoor Photographer magazine.  Through collaboration and great communications with the editor of the magazine, there have been countless articles written by Summit Alumni in the magazine over the years.

Workshop Information

Photographing here is a practice in patience, persistence, and acceptance of what it gives you, but it can also be very rewarding and the experience itself and its sight and sound is unforgettable.

This workshop will provide opportunities to photograph sandhill cranes from group blinds on the Platte River as the cranes come back to the river roost for the evenings, and when they leave the river at first light in the mornings. In the mornings we will be up early and get to the blind and be settled in an hour before sunrise and will not leave until the birds have left the river. In the evenings, we will arrive to the blind about two hours before sunset and will not leave until dark. Between blind trips, we will download and edit images, have a group critique session of selected images, and provide opportunity to learn more about the Platte River Valley, its conservation and the wildlife it supports. There may also be opportunities to photograph these birds and other migrating waterfowl midday from county roads while they are feeding on waste grain leftover from in farmers fields from the previous fall harvest. Waste grain provides and nutrients from prairie grasslands and wet meadows provides fat reserves they need for migration and their early stages at the nest.

Photographing cranes in Nebraska’s Platte Valley is a very different experience than photographing cranes on wintering grounds or other migratory staging areas in the continent like Bosque Del Apache NWR in New Mexico or the San Luis Valley of Colorado where they are acclimated to human presence. This crane population in the Central Flyway is hunted in every state and province along their migratory pathway, except in Nebraska. Therefore the cranes are very skittish when they arrive here and usually do not tolerate human presence at less than several hundred yards unless you are in a blind or a vehicle. And while there are many protected areas for cranes and other wildlife along the river, central Nebraska is not wilderness. It is countryside, mostly in private ownership, and ranks as some of the most productive farmland in the world. Finally, the cranes and their daily rhythms and patterns change constantly, dictated by weather, water levels and disturbance, which are ever changing along the Platte. In late March, it can be 80 degrees and shirt sleeves one day, and 15 degrees and a blizzard the next. Together, this makes photographing these birds very challenging

Student Testimonials

The workshop was a great experience. Chris did a good job of looking out for us and navigating the weather. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn from leading professional photographers such as Jim, Michael and Dave. The image critiques were informative and surprising that 10 people in the same blind could shoot a range of different and interesting photos. It will be an adventure long remembered.

Jay Merrill
Excellent conservation photography instruction and guidance along with outstanding discussion about Sandhill Cranes and the Platte River Basin.

Diane Crookham-Johnson
I really feel that the welcoming environment of all levels is beneficial. The people (staff/faculty/alumni) are kind, thoughtful, and accessible. They share not only knowledge but a clear joy of being in the moment, which really impacts a first-timer's experience.

Shawna Bethell
The staff were informative, encouraging, and approachable. The photographic opportunities were superlative.

George Jerkovich

Frequently asked questions

No! Summit Workshops is available to any photographer, regardless of what brand of camera you use. We often have camera gear available to borrow, free of charge, but you are not required to use that gear or any specific brand. 

Tuition includes activity fees, location fees, all instruction, planning and logistics. It does not cover hotels, travel, and most meals. 

Our workshop is for shooters of all ages and skill levels, from beginners to seasoned veterans. We all learn from and help one another, that is what makes the Summit Community so special. 

Lodging & Classroom

Discounted rates have been secured for students at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Kearney. This is where the workshop will be held and where the faculty and staff will be staying! We hope you’ll take advantage of this discount at the workshop hub! 

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