Death Valley astro + Photography workshop

5 nights in Death Valley

March 3rd to 8th, 2024

From back country excursions out to stunning geological formations, to imaging explosive meteors overhead while eating a burger at our campground under Bortle 1 dark skies… this astrophotography workshop will encompass epic photography adventures to image remarkable desert landscapes as well as relaxing space imaging sessions under the cosmos from out backcountry camping spots! Death Valley is an epicenter of geologic curiosity and beauty that will catalyze creativity, inspire the artist inside of you, and leave a deeper impression on your soul.

Co-hosted with Andrew Imhoff, the size of this workshop will be kept small, to ensure everyone gets plenty of hands on one-on-one instruction with your camera set up, ample amounts of space to capture unique compositions that catch your eye, and individual editing instructions. Our goal is to help you realize your creative potential, provide digestible photography lessons to equip you with effective creative techniques, teach and guide you safely to the amazing wonders in the park, and send you home with amazing photos and unforgettable memories of our adventures in Death Valley!

overview

5 nights of hands on photography and astrophotography lessons with 3 astrophotography experts, guided hiking and astrophotography adventures to the best places in Death Valley, multiple group and one-on-one shooting and post processing lessons, and recorded editing tutorials to take home with you. Shooting locations include (subject to some change) Badwater Basin, Zabrinske Point, Mesquite Sand Dunes, Mosaic Canyon, Racetrack Playa, and several secret spots!

Difficulty level & what you learn

This astrophotography workshop is tailored to beginner, intermediate, advanced levels. Having three instructors and a small group allows us to tailor our lessons to each individual, no matter what level you come at! This workshop does not require strenuous or long hikes, but we will do some shorter hikes (all under a mile) with our camera gear at night on uneven terrain.

We will focus on mastering landscape astrophotography with an introduction to deep space photography concepts that overlap. We will cover both photography and astrophotography basics like planning, moon cycles, light pollution, choosing compositions, how cameras work, single night exposures, time lapses, and build upon shooting and editing fundamentals as we get into tracking, stacking, and combining multiple exposures for enhanced detail, color, and quality in your images. In the field lessons will be balanced with several group and 1on1 editing lessons using Lightroom, Photoshop, and Pixinsight with tutorial videos to take home with you.

Lodging

Accommodations include reserved group campgrounds and group back country campsites near our shooting locations, with access to bathrooms and showers. Some folks like a 5 billion star hotel camping, others prefer 5 star hotel comfort- we include information in the itinerary below with adjacent hotels that are convenient and correspond well with each night of shooting. We ideally want to maximize our time and experience out under the stars without minimal commuting from hotels, however the itinerary lays out easy hotel accommodations for those who prefer a bit more comfort during the workshop. We provide breakfast and dinners while in the backcountry for our group, and will help you set up camp. Extra camping gear can be provided for you upon request.

logistics

Transportation is not provided to Death Valley but we will caravan and arrange carpooling to and from our shooting locations when the workshop starts. Most workshops we can help arrange carpools between attendees to save rental car & gas costs. Driving or renting an SUV, midsized SUV, or an overlanding rig to lug your gear around and car camp is recommended for comfort but not required. We caravan to our locations together and are mostly on paved roads.

workshop cost

The tuition for this workshop is $3,800.00. A non-refundable deposit of $1,000 is required to reserve your spot with the remaining balance due a month before the workshop begins on February 4th.

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 lodging and join on hiking and night photography excursions, but may only participate in the shooting lessons with a camera if they purchase a participant spot- If so, contact us your guest is eligible for a discount! Repeat clients and veterans are eligible for a discount as well.

Itinerary and shooting locations!

Sunday March 3rd - Badwater basin

Meet: 2:00pm at Furnace Creek
Stay: Furnace Creek Campgrounds (Hotel Alternative: The Ranch at DV)

Shoot: Badwater Basin and Zabrinske Point - We’ll shoot sunset and astro here!

Monday March 4th - Natural bridge

Stay: Furnace Creek Campgrounds (Hotel Alternative: The Ranch at DV)

Shoot: Artist Palette and Natural Bridge

Tuesday March 5th - mesquite sand dunes

Stay: Furnace Creek Campgrounds (Hotel Alternative: The Ranch at DV or Stovepipe Wells)

Shoot: Mesquite Sand Dunes and Mosaic Canyon

Wednesday march 6th - Crater

Stay: Backcountry Camping

Shoot: Crater

Thursday march 7th

Stay: Backcountry Camping

Shoot: Sailing Stones

friday march 8th

Finish! We will say our goodbyes and follow up the workshop with an editing session via zoom (recorded) to go through more of the amazing images we collected at Death Valley.