Navajo Nights
astro + photography adventure workshop
One of the darkest and most colorful canyons in the world. We will be camping in it or on the rim! This is a blend of a twilight foreground with a single tracked shot of Orion with a Spencer’s Camera modded Nikon d810.
Navajo Nation, Arizona
June 8th-12th, 2024
Join us for 4 days and 4 nights adventuring into exclusive and remarkably vibrant private Navajo Canyons in Northern Arizona! There is no other workshop in the world like our Navajo Nights workshop. We provide all the logistical planning and guiding to gain our group access to experience, capture, and immerse ourselves in the beauty of exclusive Navajo canyons in Northern Arizona. We provide group guided hikes, 4x4 transportation into hard to reach but amazing Navajo Canyons, backcountry camping accommodations under the stars surrounded by rugged beauty, and hands on astro + photography lessons on how to capture and edit high quality images of our adventures and experiences with post processing sessions and editing tutorial videos.
Guided and permited shooting locations on this trip include:
Coal Mine Canyon
Blue Canyon
Lower Antelope Canyon (Daytime with light beams)
Several undisclosed slot canyons at night.
Cygnus setting over my good friend’s privately owned canyon. We will be camping on the rim or in this insanely colorful and epic canyon. I am personal friends with the Navajo owner, Terry Secody, and have exclusive access to bring my workshops here! This place is insane.
Tuition
The total cost of this workshop is $3800, and $3300 with the Alumni discount. A non refundable deposit of $1,000 is required to reserve your spot, permits, and accommodations- the remainder of the tuition is due on May 8th.
size
This workshop is limited to 6 participants to ensure a personal experience and that there is plenty of individual attention for each guest (3:1 student to teacher ratio) as we teach you in the field and editing in the classroom.
Difficulty
Our Navajo Nights workshop is great for all levels of photographers and adventurers. An okay fitness level is required, there is some short hiking at higher elevations and uneven terrain (all under a mile) with your camera gear, and hiking at night with a headlamp. We will master astrophotography fundamentals like planning your shot, choosing interesting compositions, and getting a well balanced single exposure at night, and build upon those shooting and editing foundations as we get into tracking, timelapses, panoramas, blue hour blending, and mastering color and detail in your night images..
Lodging is included
We will be providing private accommodations in various hotels and backcountry camping accommodations with amazing views overlooking these amazing canyons on private land. We alternate between camping and hotel accommodations to balance our energy, cleanliness, and immersion. We also provide fresh home cooked meals for you while we are backcountry camping under the stars! There are food options and stores at each stay location, we always grab snacks and drinks before heading out on each adventure.
Logistics
The closest major airport to fly into is Page or Flagstaff. Las Vegas works too, but is a longer drive. Transportation to the workshop is not included, however it is possible to arrange carpooling between guests if you fly into Flagstaff, Arizona. Not all of our shooting locations require 4x4, however all 4x4 transportation to our shooting locations is provided for you once in Tuba City. We will carpool and caravan to our various locations together. The drives up into the Navajo Nation are extremely beautiful! Please reach out and see if we can help you with logistics.
itinerary
june 8th: blue canyon
Meet: PRIVATE LAND AND GUIDE (coordinates given once signed up) at 3pm for a group introduction and workshop overview! Tuba City is on the way to stop for gas and supplies.
Stay: Backcountry Camping (Hotel Alternative: Moenkopi Inn, Tuba City)
Shoot: 4x4 down into one a truly otherworldly canyon! Short hikes (under a mile) to several amazing compositions of amazing striped and colored sandstone. We will shoot sunset and astro here.
Amazing rock formations, Bortle 1 skies. You will feel like you are on another planet!
june 9th: coal mine canyon
Stay: PRIVATE LAND AND GUIDE - Backcountry Camping on the rim of a Coal Mine Canyon. (Hotel Alternative: Moenkopi Inn, Tuba City)
Shoot: The most vibrant canyon in the world with extremely dark skies overhead! We will be staying right on the rim (or possibly inside depending on flooding patterns of the monsoon season) to have front row seating of the best light and colors of sunset, astro, and sunrise! I believe this is the most colorful canyon in the world.
Words can’t describe how amazing this place is.
june 10th: Antelope and other private slot canyons
Shoot: PRIVATE LAND AND GUIDE - Private tour into several colorful slot canyons. We have 2 tours during the day to capture the colors and light beams, then 1 tour at night with a guide into a private slot canyon for 3-4 hours to light paint and capture the Milky Way overhead through the openings.
Stay: Hotel in Page Arizona
Shoot: Lower Antelope Canyon during the day and several other private slot canyons at NIGHT!
Rattlesnake Canyon at night
June 11th: coal mine canyon
Stay: PRIVATE LAND AND GUIDE - Backcountry Camping on the rim of a Coal Mine Canyon, again! We’ll explore down into the canyon more and some other secret spots. (Hotel Alternative: Moenkopi Inn, Tuba City)
Shoot: Coal Mine Canyon
june 12th: finish
We officially conclude when our astro lessons end the night before or early on the 12th! We will say our goodbyes in the AM :’)
We follow up with video tutorials emailed to you.
You can email me at derek@blazingheavens.com with any questions.
