For most of us, capturing great pictures during our national park visits is difficult at best. To help you get that perfect shot at Mesa Verde National Park, a special three-day photography workshop has been scheduled for this fall.

To help you capture the best light and perspective of the park's Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, with either digital or film cameras, the nonprofit Mesa Verde Museum Association is offering a special fall three-day photography workshop led by well-known photographer Professor Emeritus Dr. Gene Balzer.

The workshop is scheduled for October 12-14 and is limited to 13 participants to ensure plenty of personalized coaching. It begins at noon on Friday and ends on Sunday afternoon. Tuition -- $840 for an individual with lodging, then $650 for a second individual staying in the same room -- includes three days of instruction, two nights in-park motel lodging at the Far View Lodge, and all meals including two dinners at the famed Metate Room Restaurant.

For further information and registration, visit the Mesa Verde Museum Association website and click on “Institute,” or call 800-305-6053.

Workshop participants will come away with once-in-a-lifetime images of several of Mesa Verde’s stunning cliff dwellings. Participants will visit sites around the park at times designed to capture ideal lighting conditions, and will work on compositional skills for compelling images.

The group will visit some archeological sites at hours when they’re closed to the general public, and will also visit Mug House, a beautiful cliff dwelling that is not normally open for visitors. Pacing will be leisurely so everyone gains as much as possible from their experience.

Since 2006, the non-profit Mesa Verde Museum Association has offered visitors a variety of in-depth learning experiences in Mesa Verde National Park. Through free or low-cost seminars, workshops, lectures, and special programs, visitors of all ages gain a new, behind-the-scenes understanding of Mesa Verde and the Four Corners. Proceeds from all association programs support Mesa Verde National Park.

For further information including photographic equipment needs and rates, or to register, visit the Mesa Verde Museum Association website and click on “Institute,” e-mail the association, or call 800-305-6053.