big bend
astro + photography adventure workshop
big bend, texas
based out of the town of Terlingua
February 17 - 23, 2026
From relaxed astrophotography sessions right from our luxury glamping accommodations, to night hikes to shoot the Milky Way Galaxy over historic homestead sites and stunning Texas wilderness geologic formations, this astrophotography workshop has the perfect balance of immersive adventure and relaxed vacation while learning the art of night photography in a small group of nature, star, and photography lovers that will spark your creativity and inspire the artist inside of you!
The size of this workshop will be kept small to 8 participants with 3 teachers, to ensure everyone gets plenty of one-on-one instruction with Derek Culver and renown Texas photographer Tony Maples. As always, our goal is to help you realize your creative potential, provide lessons to equip you with new creative techniques, guide you safely to amazing places, and send you home with amazing photos and unforgettable memories!
February is one of the best months of the year, especially with Texas’ dry desert climate and long nights. We’ll get to shoot the Winter Milky Way (Orion) early in the night and the Milky Way Galaxy rising early in the morning. This workshop we’re going to have ample opportunities for landscape astrophotography while also focusing on teaching you advanced timelapse procedures as well as a venture into “deep space” astrophotography using trackers and longer focal length lenses.
Imagine walking out of your luxury glamping dome at the Summit at Big Bend to stunning views of the Milky Way! Big Bend boasts some of the darkest skies in North America, and our accommodations are nestled perfectly in the center of Big Bend desert wilderness beauty.
The Milky Way Galactic core rising over Balanced Rock, Big Bend.
logistics and lodging
We start at 5pm in Terlingua, Big Bend on February 17th and finish at 9am in Terlingua on February 23rd.
Every one is responsible for their transportation to and from the workshop, and during most of the workshop! However carpooling can typically be arranged out of El Paso, and then easily arranged during the workshop between guests and instructors to all our shooting locations. We can provide transportation for you out of El Paso for a fee, please inquire.
We will be staying in single occupancy luxury glamping accommodations at The Summit Big Bend the whole time.
difficulty and group size
This astrophotography workshop is great for all levels of adventurers and photographers, and requires some modest hiking (all under a mile) with camera gear on uneven surfaces at night. We will cover astrophotography basics like single exposures, and build upon shooting and editing fundamentals as we get into tracking, stacking, deep space, and combining exposures. Our small group size, 6 students to 2 teachers (some workshops have 12 students and only 2 teachers and call that small… insane!) allows us to tailor lessons individually and give lots of 1on1 hands on instruction under the stars. We do quite a bit of editing on the trip and also provide custom editing videos.
location highlights
Chisos Mountains
Balanced Rock
Historic Terlingua
Santa Elena Canyon
Historic Homesteads
Various Canyon Views
Deep Space/Tracking right at our Summit Big Bend Acommodations
workshop cost & payment terms
The tuition for this workshop is $4,500 total. A non-refundable deposit of $1,000 is required to reserve your spot with the remaining balance due 60 days before the workshop starts. Alumni cost is $3,750 total. Payment plan options are also available at check out.
Join us!
This workshop is limited to 8 participants! You are welcome to bring a friend or family member along on the workshop as a guest. Your guest is allowed to use the room and lodging, can come on all 4x4 and camping excursions ($750 transportation fee), model as a silhouette in our night photos, but cannot operate a camera unless they purchase another workshop spot.
itinerary
february 17th
Meet in Terlingua around 4pm - We will get you checked into our luxury stargazing accommodations and do a group dinner and introduction in Terlingua! The food in Terlingua is phenomenal, especially for a small remote town! We’ll shoot sunset and astro right in the town at some scenic spots steps from the restaurant.
We’ll go to sleep and wake back up around midnight to capture the Milky Way and moonrise right on the property of The Summit
February 18th
Sunrise is typically optional depending on energy! We’ll sleep in, grab a group breakfast in Terlingua, and head out to Santa Elena canyon with an optional kayak trip down it.
We’ll be shooting Santa Elena Canyon for sunset and early astro- we’ll retire early to get some sleep, then wake back up to shoot at the historic Big Bend homesteads as the Milky Way is rising over them!
To see the full itinerary or get in touch with any questions you may have about our trips, please contact us using the contact form above or email adventures@blazingheavens.com
big bend gallery
