Orion and Taurus Molecular Cloud of the sky rising over the mysterious racing rocks at the Racetrack Playa, Death Valley.

5 nights in Death Valley

November 18th to 23rd, 2022

From back country excursions out to stunning geological formations, to imaging galaxies 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 deep space imaging sessions under the cosmos! 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 Bray Falls, 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 as well as plenty of space to capture unique compositions that catch your eye. 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!

Fall is a time of transition of the stars and long nights: Our nights will start with the Milky Way core and be a constant rotation of beauty as the beautiful Cygnus nebulae complex is overhead, the Andromeda Galaxy twinkles above, the pleiades and Taurus join the fray, and the Hydrogen-Alpha rich region of Orion rises late into the night. The amount of attractive objects to shoot in the night sky overhead will only be rivaled by the amount of magnificent geology and terrestial compositions to choose from!

A composite blend of a late sunset foreground with a 50mm (tracked) Panorama of the Winter skies over the Mesquite Sand Dunes.

overview

5 nights of photography and astrophotography lessons, 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 The Racetrack Playa, Badwater Basin, Zabrinske Point, Mesquite Sand Dunes, Mosaic Canyon, and several secret backcountry spots!

Date

Friday November 18th to Wednesday November 23rd

Difficulty

This astrophotography workshop is tailored to beginner and intermediate levels, and requires some hiking. We will cover both photography and astrophotography basics like planning, choosing compositions, how cameras work, single night exposures, time lapses, and build upon shooting and editing fundamentals as we get into tracking, stacking, deep space, and combining multiple exposures. In the field lessons will be balanced with several group and 1on1 editing lessons using Lightroom, Photoshop, and Pixinsight.

Lodging

Accommodations include reserved group campgrounds and group back country campsites with one night at The Ranch hotel in Death Valley. Extra camping gear can be provided for you upon request. We want to maximize our time and experience out under the stars, with a nice hotel night on the 3rd night (we will still shoot) to wash the dust off!

logistics

Transportation is not provided to Death Valley. We will caravan and arrange carpooling to and from our shooting locations when the workshop starts. No 4x4 is not required.

workshop cost

The tuition for this workshop is $2,500.00. A non-refundable deposit of $1,000 is required to reserve your spot with the remaining balance due on the first day of the workshop (November 18th). In case of a weather emergency or if you are unable to attend after signing up, your deposit is transferable to future workshops.

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 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

Please email me at derek@blazingheavens.com if you would like a detailed itinerary with day to day specifics and extra information before you reserve your spot. We mostly operate for golden hour, sunset, twilight, and night time- leaving day time open for you to rest and explore. Our editing classes are also during the day and we organize optional group meals and excursions.