navajo nights
astro + photography adventure workshop
navajo nation, arizona
(Page, Tuba City, and Monument Valley)
May 10 - 15, 2026
From off roading up to Hunt’s Mesa to catch sunset and twilight, to relaxed astro imaging sessions of the Milky Way galaxy steps from your tent on the rim of Coal Mine Canyon… This astrophotography workshop will encompass epic adventures to exclusive geological wonders as well as relaxing imaging sessions under the cosmos with a group of like minded photographers. The Navajo Nation is an epicenter of geologic wonders and dark skies that will spark your creativity and inspire the artist inside of you!
The size of this workshop will be kept small to 6 participants, to ensure everyone gets plenty of one-on-one instruction with Derek Culver and Andrew Imhoff. 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!
We have several backcountry tours in Monument Valley as well as exclusive access to several of the most vibrant canyons in the world that we will have all to ourselves to image! We will be camping the first night, in hotels for 3 nights, then camping the final night for a mix of immersion and comfort. We are so excited to work with our Navajo and Hopi friends to guide you to wonders of the Navajo Nation and teach you how to capture stunning nightscapes- This is a true immersive astrophotography adventure experience into the backcountry beauty and darkest skies in the country!
Imagine rolling out of your tent to this view! This is Coal Mine Canyon, we are the only night photography workshop with permission from local families to operate here! It’s possibly the most vibrantly colored canyon in the Southwest
Do you ever imagine what it’s like to camp out under the starriest skies in the United States like a cowboy, surrounded by world class geological wonders with group of like-minded photographers?
logistics and lodging
We start at 5pm in Tuba City on May 10th and finish at 9am in Tuba City on May 15th.
Every one is responsible for their transportation to and from the workshop, and during most of the workshop! However we provide all the 4x4 transportation necessary to our backcountry spots and tours. Carpooling can typically be arranged during the workshop between guests and instructors as well. We offer all transportation with airport drop off for a fee if you fly in and out of Page, Arizona, please inquire.
For this workshop we have provide camping gear for 2 nights and single occupancy hotel rooms for the other 3 nights. There are hotel alternatives for those who prefer not to camp on our camping nights, but you may have to have your own 4x4 vehicle and will have to commute to our shooting locations that we will be camping right next to.
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
Coal Mine Canyon - exclusive night access and rim camping! We have the whole canyon to oureslf for sunset, twilight, night photography, drone shots, and sunrise.
Monument Valley - Hotel accommodations in Monument Valley with a Hunt’s Mesa sunset and night time mega arch tour! We do a tour to the Totems, Big Hogan, and other features as well
Antelope Canyon day time photography tour
Valley of the gods
Blue Canyon with a Hopi guide
workshop cost & payment terms
The tuition for this workshop is $5,200 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, please reach out for a discount as it depends on a few factors! Payment plan options are also available at check out.
Join us!
This workshop is limited to 6 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
may 10th
Meet in Tuba City at 5pm - We will do an introduction and workshop overview, get to know one another, and will be cooking you dinner as you enjoy sunset at Coal Mine Canyon. We will have camp set up but you can pick another spot on the rim for your tent if you’d like!
We’ll go to sleep and wake back up around midnight to capture the Milky Way and moonrise!
may 11th:
We’ll enjoy sunrise, coffee, and a light breakfast at Coal Mine Canyon then pack up, and head out towards Monument Valley, a 1.5 hour beautiful drive!
We’ll be staying a hotel with amazing views of the iconic Monument Valley views for the next two nights! We’ll enjoy several private tours, where we are 4x4’d out to Hunt’s Mesa for sunset, Spiderweb Arch for astro, and…
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
Navajo Nights Gallery
