Death Valley astro + Photography workshop

5 nights in Death Valley

November 12th to 17th, 2022

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!

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 next morning. 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.

overview

5 nights of hands on 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!

Difficulty & goals

This astrophotography workshop is tailored to beginner, intermediate, advanced levels. Having two 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.

We will focus on mastering landscape astrophotography with an introduction to deep space photography concepts. 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, 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.

Lodging

Accommodations include reserved group campgrounds and group back country campsites as well as the first night in a hotel at the Shoshone Inn. 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. 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, are mostly on paved roads, and have lots of experience doing this. We will do all the 4x4 driving.

workshop cost

The tuition for this workshop is $3,500.00. A non-refundable deposit of $1,500 is required to reserve your spot with the remaining balance due November 1st. In case of a weather emergency or if you are unable to attend after signing up, your deposit can be 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.

Itinerary and shooting locations!

november 12th

Meet: 4:00pm at the Shoshone Inn lobby
Stay: Shoshone Inn

Shoot: Epic sand dunes (not mesquite, they get crowded and have lots of footprints) just 45min from our hotel!

november 13th

Stay: Camp at the Mesquite Springs Campground (Hotel Alternative: Oasis at Death Valley, 50 min commute)

Shoot: Ubehebe Crater with the Winter Milky Way and deep space from our Campground! We will be camping in a Bortle 1 high elevation setting with great horizons, so it’s ideal to focus on deep space astrophotography this night from our campground for most of the night with a fun escapade just 10 minutes to the massive Ubehebe Crater!

november 14th

Stay: Camp at the Racetrack Playa Homestake Campground (no close hotel alternative)

Shoot: Racetrack Playa. Another great night to get amazing landscape shots as well as deep space or timelapses at high elevation! Long winter nights means for lots of data, if you bring a second camera it allows us to set up one to shoot a timelapse or a stack of images while we use the other to capture landscape astro hands on at the Racetrack Playa, which is AMAZING! The sailing stones here are mysterious, and make for remarkable foregrounds in compositions.

november 15th

Stay: Furnace Creek/Texas Springs Campground (hotel alternative: Oasis at Death Valley, 5 min commute)

Shoot: Artist’s Palette and Mosaic Canyon

november 16th

Stay: Furnace Creek/Texas Springs Campground (hotel alternative: Oasis at Death Valley, 10 minute commute)

Shoot: Zabrinske Point and Badwater Basin! Reshoot any other spots if we get clouds or just enjoyed them :)

november 17th

Finish! We will say our goodbyes provide several editing video tutorials to take home with you :)