When and where?

September 18 - 21 Private Navajo and Hopi land, Arizona.

overview

Spend 3 nights with Derek Culver and Andrew Imhoff exploring and capturing the vibrant canyons and incredibly dark skies of Navajo Nation! Working with Navajo and Hopi private guides and land owners, we will have front row access to these incredible canyons the at the best times, teaching you the photography techniques and philosophies we use to capture its beauty, and creating amazing memories with a group of like-minded photographers! We’ll be both in hotels and camping out under the stars in and right on the rims of these vibrant canyons (everything provided for you) for a comfortable but immersive photography experience.

Shooting Locations:

Coal Mine Canyon and Blue Canyon, Antelopw Canyon, and several other private locations on the Navajo Reservation. Because we are the only workshop authorized to actually camp and operate night photography workshops immersed at these canyons, we will have the ability to enjoy sunsets, twilight, stars, morning twilight, and sunrise all from the rims and inside of the canyons in a relaxed and fun learning environment together.

Itinerary overview

The Workshop officially starts in Tuba city between at 6 pm on Thursday September 18th and ends at 9:00am on Sunday September 21st!

We are camping for 2 nights (all gear provided) and staying at a hotel for 1 night (double occupancy rooms). You can request single occupancy which adds $200 to the total, but depends on availability.

what will you learn & difficulty

This workshop is great for beginner and experienced night photographers and adventurers. Our small group sizes of 8 with 3 teachers allows us to create a comfortable learning environment with lots of 1on1 instruction in the field and post processing. You must be able to hike on uneven surfaces at night for about .5 miles with some of your camera gear.

We will be teaching fundamentals to night photography from planning your shot, focusing, and proper settings all the way to blending images, using star trackers, and stacking images! We believe the best way to learn anything is to immerse yourself in it, and we’d like you to come join our world of astrophotography for a week of adventure, learning, and memories! We teach Astronomy basics, how the moon cycles work, how to plan your shots using apps & astronomy fundamentals, how to find compelling compositions, optimal camera settings, focusing your camera at night, light painting, star trackers, editing your night photos, Lightroom & Photoshop, how to capture timelapses (videos of the night sky!) and edit them together, and much more! We also teach advanced techniques like tracking, blending, stacking, and more. This workshop is fantastic for all levels of astrophotographers and adventurers as we keep our group sizes much smaller than other tours allowing for lots of hands-on attention helping you reach your artistic goals.

Lodging

We will be camping for 2 nights on the rim of Coal Mine Canyon then in a hotel when we explore Blue Canyon. We provide all the camping amenities you will need for the trip including all sleeping gear, starlink, charging, water, and meals while out in remote areas. There are hotel alternatives for those who prefer a bit more comfort during the camping nights, however you will have to commute 30-40 minutes to our shoots.

Logistics

Once at Coal Mine Canyon, near Tuba City, we provide all 4x4 transportation to and from our shooting locations. We can offer airport pick up and drop off for a transportation fee or help arrange carpools between guests in order to help save on rental costs and add to the social environment of the trip! The best airports are Flagstaff or Page, preferably Page, Phoenix being the third best option but a longer (very scenic) drive! Please reach out for logistical support!

workshop cost & payment terms

The tuition for this workshop is $3,250 total, with a non-refundable deposit of $750 to reserve a spot. The remaining total balance of the workshop is due 2 months before the workshop starts (July 18th). All payments are final and non-refundable to reserve your spot. Alumni please reach out about discounts!

ITINERARY

Please email us with any questions regarding logistics, lodging, etc- derek@blazingheavens.com

The Workshop officially starts in Tuba city between at 6 pm on Thursday September 18th and ends at 9:00am on Sunday September 21st!

Thursday september 18th

Meet us in my Navajo friend’s backyard, Coal Mine Canyon! We will be camping (gear and dinner provided for you) right on the rim of the this absolutely wonderful and vibrant canyon with incredibly dark skies. The rest of the itinerary is private but will be provided to serious inquiries upon request.

Sunday september 21

The trip officially ends at 6am after our Milky Way shooting session and sunrise- we’ll be able to sleep in a bit but we’ll make sure every one gets back to the airports on time and grab breakfast on our way out! We follow up the workshop with custom editing videos using the images we captured together.

Keep an eye out for alumni discounts at future workshops as well as our annual alumni star party!