great galactic plains
astro + photography adventure workshop
The epic spires of the Black Hills National Forest make for compelling foregrounds, there are lots of possibilities! We’ll spend a night capturing this amazing basin and dark skies, just minutes from our lodge nestled in the heart of Custer State Park.
a south dakota saga
June 13 - 18, 2026
At Badlands National Park, the Black Hills, and Devil’s Tower, Wyoming!
Join us this June as we explore, enjoy, and teach you the art of night photography in the heart of American Prairie beauty that will help bolster your creative skills and uplift the artist inside of you! South Dakota ought to be the most underrated spot in America for night photography- there are so many beautiful areas in the Western half of the United States to capture but the historical mystique, cultural influence, and grand expanses of prairies and badlands that lead into the foothills of the Black Hills and otherworldly rock formations like Devil’s Tower are unlike any other. It’s hard to articulate the sense of wonder you will feel here, as a human and artist.
Once in South Dakota, we tour you around and teach you how to capture the incredible night skies over the great American Prairies! Dark is an understatement, and June is the best time of year to capture the details and color across the Milky Way Galactic expanse as it rises from horizon to horizon- the Badlands are exceptional for this and our lessons will focus on fundamentals of night photography as we build into capturing great details, colors, and panoramas of the night sky.
We’ll do a mix of hotels and camping, with one foot in comfort and the other food immersed in a true astrophotography experience. Once you’re out in South Dakota, we handle all logistics, accommodations, and camping gear so you can focus your energy on experiencing the soul touching beauty, enjoying our small group of nature and photography lovers, and learning the art of night photography from industry leading experts!
The Northern Lights over Devil’s Tower. No promises, but we’ve been lucky at our Yellowstone and Glacier workshops with Aurora, especially around the equinoxes… Devil’s Tower is in a good position with it’s Northern Latitude and geomagnetic favorability!
logistics and lodging
We start in Badlands National Park about 1.5 hours from Rapid City, South Dakota, around 6pm on June 13th
We finish at Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, about 2.25 hours from Rapid City, Southa Dakota, at 9am on June 18th
We recommend flying in and out of Rapid City, it’s the main regional airport in the area with the most flights, rental cars, and is central to all our shooting locations! You are responsible for getting to and from the workshop and your transportation during the workshop.
Once in South Dakota we have you covered for all accommodations, and we can set up caravan/carpools for our shooting adventures as we go. We are camping the first two nights, then in hotels the next two nights, and camping the last night- there are hotel alternatives for hotels for those who prefer a bit more comfort! Please select the full hotels option at checkout.
difficulty and group size
This astrophotography is great for all level of astrophotographers and adventurers! We will cover astrophotography basics and build up to more advanced techniques like tracked panoramas. Our small group size, 6 students to 2 teachers (some workshops have 12 students and only 2 teachers and call that small… crazy!) allows us to tailor lessons individually and give lots of 1on1 hands on instruction under the stars to each participant.
location highlights
Badlands National Park
Black Hills National Forest
Needles Highway
Cathedral Spires
Sylvan Lake
Devil’s Tower
workshop cost & payment terms
The tuition for this workshop is $3,500 total, and $4,500 total for those who want hotels on our camping nights. A non-refundable deposit of $750 or $1,000 with the “extra hotels” option 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 non-photographer guest +1 for a small fee. Friends signing up together, groups, and alumni please reach out for a discount.
itinerary
june 13
We meet at our campground right in the heart of Badlands National Park around 3-6pm! We’ll do an introduction, overview, and group dinner.
There is a lodge option right next door for those who prefer a bit more comfort the next two nights, it’s where we will eat and do our editing sessions! We’ll be here the first two nights before we head up to the Sylvan Lake Lodge for two nights and shoot in the Black Hills, then finish camping at Devil’s Tower (there is a hotel alternative).
We’ll be right in the heart of the Badlands here and will shoot sunset and twilight, scoping out several spots together to come back and shoot later when the Milky Way is up. We’ll get to bed early, then wake back up to shoot the Milky Way at this toadstool rock and one of the best overlooks in the park…
june 14
We’ll be pretty tired from travelling and shooting the Milky Way most of the night! We’ll sleep in, and grab a late breakfast at the Cedar Pass Lodge together, where we will also edit together our photos from the night before. We’ll have most of the afternoon to nap, hang out, and explore until we meet back up in the evening at these Yellow and Red striped badlands at 7pm.
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
great galactic plains gallery:
