2023 Death Valley National Park/Alabama Hills Full Moon
Black-and-White Infrared Intensive Workshop
Join us February 3 – 8, 2023 for a five-and-one-half day workshop experiencing two locations east of the Sierra Nevada: Death Valley National Park and the Alabama Hills (the foothills of the Sierra Nevada). Death Valley is one of the most unusual and seemingly barren national parks in southern California. In less than a two-hour drive from Las Vegas, NV, you arrive in Death Valley, known as the hottest, driest, and lowest-elevation park in the United States. Approximately ninety minutes west from Stovepipe Wells, lies the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area which features small groupings of towering rock monoliths against the backdrop of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada range of mountains.
At first glance in Death Valley, one might look around and think “there is nothing to shoot,” which is farthest from the truth. Here one finds magnificent sand dunes, pastel-colored rocks, and salt formations on the valley floor. The creosote bushes, plants that survive the harshest summertime conditions in the dunes, glow in the infrared light. Best of all, we will be out early in the morning to take advantage of the setting moon which illuminates the landscape.
For three-and-one-half-days, we will photograph highlights of the park such as Zabriskie Point, the Mesquite Dunes, and Ubehebe Crater. We will visit a couple locations at both sunrise and sunset, as the same subject is unique in the light given at the time of the day in Death Valley National Park.
The full moon will be setting in the west over the Panamint Range shortly after sunrise during the workshop and we will be sure to capture it from different park locations. We will also have the opportunity to photograph the rising moon over the Amargosa Range of mountains as they are front lit by the setting sun.
On Monday, after a morning shoot, breakfast, and check out, we will drive to our base in Lone Pine to explore the Alabama Hills. Our subject material for two days in the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area includes the 14,000+ foot peaks of the Sierra Nevada to the west and the foothills of large, worn, rounded rocks (similar as the large granite boulders in Joshua Tree National Park). The workshop ends in Lone Pine at noon on Wednesday, February 8. From Lone Pine, it is approximately 3.5-hour drive back to Las Vegas through Death Valley.
From using the right gear, to capture and processing, this is a unique opportunity to learn how to create amazing black-and-white images.
At this workshop,
- You will be placed in the best locations to maximize the infrared light under existing conditions.
- You will receive individual help in the field to ensure a successful capture. Every day there will be hands-on experience in the classroom for processing your images while learning how to manage workflow.
- Finally, you will have the opportunity to use a Kolari Vision “loaner” infrared lens filter to make infrared images at no charge to you (for your converted-to-infrared camera or visible light/color camera).
Fee: $1995/person (hotel, meals, and travel not included)
Location 1: Furnace Creek Ranch (inside Death Valley NP), CA [4 nights beginning Thursday Feb 2]
Location 2: Best Western, State Route 395, Lone Pine CA [2 nights]
Start: Friday, February 3, 2023 at 9:00am (Furnace Creek, CA)
Moving Day: Monday, February 6, 2023 after breakfast, check-out; shoot locations on the drive to Lone Pine
End: Wednesday, February 8, 2023 after morning shoot and breakfast (Lone Pine, CA)
Included in fee: location instruction, minimum of two 4-hour processing sessions in hotel meeting room, Death Valley National Park usage permit
Not included in fee: all transportation, all meals, lodging, Death Valley National Park entrance fee
Skills Required: Thorough working knowledge of your camera from capture histogram to using Live-View (if you have a mirrored camera); must be comfortable shooting in manual mode; confident beginner with working knowledge of Adobe ACR/LR and layers in Adobe Photoshop; must bring your laptop to the classroom for processing sessions.
A detailed information package with hotel room reservation instructions, airport, gear suggestions, software requirements, itinerary, expected seasonal weather conditions, payment and cancellation policies, and signature required waiver of liability will be sent upon request.
New Partner/Spouse Guidelines
Non-photography spouses/partners are always encouraged to be a part of meals during our workshop time. However, if that person is a photographer (either infrared or color-only), and they wish to join us in the field but not in the classroom, a location-only workshop fee of $950 is required. If they wish to learn the processing workflow and participate in all classroom activities, a full workshop fee is required.
It is your responsibility to read and thoroughly understand the policies regarding payment and cancellation as stated here.
Maximum of six workshop participants. Reserve your spot now!
To request a detailed information package for this workshop, please complete the form below.
Thank you!
