Death Valley Alternate Tracks
Death Valley is the largest national park in the continental U.S., yet most photography workshops tend to visit the same spots again and again. The park has a lot more to see, and this workshop is going to see it. We'll be avoiding the usual hotspots in favor of driving to and photographing other amazing sights around the park, from a volcanic crater to a Joshua tree forest to an old salt mine and more. Even (believe it or not) a desert waterfall!
Workshop Details
December 2-7, 2024 — Completed
This is a 5-night, 6-day workshop. Your adventure begins on the morning of December 2, and ends after a final slideshow on the afternoon of December 7.
$3,295. Register below.
Skill level
Intermediate and above. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals.
Group size
10, with 2 instructors — 5:1 ratio
NPS website
Workshop Leaders
Registration
This event has passed. Thanks for your interest!
| • Deposit of $600 is required to reserve your spot at the workshop. |
| • Balance of $2,695 is due on September 3, 2024. → Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is September 2, 2024. (see cancellation and refund policy) |
| • The workshop fee does not include lodging, food, airfare, entrance fees or transportation to Death Valley. |
| • The workshop fee does 4 days of Jeep rental for getting to backcountry spot in the park. |
The Death Valley Alternate Tracks Experience
Even if they haven’t been to Death Valley, most people in the night photography world can rattle off the famous spots to shoot. Badwater Basin. Mesquite Flat. Zabriskie Point. Dante’s View. Rhyolite. Those are all amazing spots—and this workshop isn’t going to any of them.
Death Valley is the largest national park in the continental United States, and it has a lot more to offer than what most visitors usually see, and what most night photographers usually shoot. That’s where this workshop comes in.
Our “Alternate Tracks” experience will bring you to some of the many more locations in Death Valley that are very well worth hauling your cameras to. Sand dunes buried deep in the backcountry. A Joshua tree forest in the mountains. A ghost town in the back of a canyon. A series of volcanic craters. An abandoned salt-mining operation. All of this and more will be the targets of this journey through Death Valley’s deeper secrets.
Many of these locations will require driving on dusty backroads, so we’ve rented Jeeps for the group. Serious Jeeps, with reinforced tires. Safe Jeeps, with satellite beacons so we can get help if needed. There won’t be any technical 4-wheeling, but we’ll be traveling safely without worry—along the alternate tracks of Death Valley.
What You Should Know
This workshop caters to knowledgeable photographers with an intermediate or higher skill set. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals.
If you would like to attend this workshop but are unsure whether you have adequate night photography skills, we can offer pre-workshop tutoring to get you ready for your adventure with us. Alternatively or additionally, a few of us have written books that may be productive pre-workshop reads.
What You Will Learn
There will be little classroom time on this trip, as the places we’ll be shooting will require getting out into the backcountry during daylight hours. We will be happy to offer advice and answer questions about both day and night photography while in the field.
As for shooting, you can expect opportunities to learn more about pretty much all of the night photography techniques in your bag.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
panoramas and vertoramas
blue hour and starlight blends
star points and star trails
light painting
scouting with PhotoPills
and more …
Night Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Travel
Flying into Las Vegas is how most people get to Death Valley. It’s a bit more than 2 hours from our base, but the closest airport by far, and the drive is easy and desert-scenic.
Nearby Airports:
Las Vegas (LAS) — 2.5 hours from Death Valley
Los Angeles (LAX) — 5 hours
Palm Springs, California (PSP) — 5 hours
Rental Car
For most of the trip we will use Jeeps, which are included in the workshop fee.
But you will need a rental car, or to share a rental car, to get to the park and back out again, and to get to our first night’s shoot location.
Because the rental cars will be sitting unused most of the trip, we hope you’ll consider coordinating your flights and carpooling with others in the workshop.
If you are interested in carpooling or sharing a rental car, let us know and we will try to connect you with another attendee looking for the same.
Lodging & Food
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own meals and accommodations.
Lodging
We’ll be staying in the heart of the park. Details will be sent when the hotel is ready to take reservations.
You are not required to stay at the official workshop lodging. There are good options for camping and RVs, but you’ll need a cold-weather sleeping bag if you’re in a tent.
Food
We encourage eating two meals per day—a good breakfast and a great late lunch, the latter of which you’ll need to pack to bring with you on the daytrips.
When on the night shoots, you may wish to bring snack food or a sandwich and plenty of water.
Weather
It’s a desert, but it’s winter. Expect daytime highs in the 60s F, and nighttime lows in the 30s.
Recommended Attire
Pants and long-sleeve shirts for daytime, much warmer pants, base layers, sweaters, gloves, a hat and jackets for night.
A wool or alpaca sweater and heavyweight winter jacket will likely be useful. Think base layers and winter gear at night.
Comfortable and protective shoes are recommended for getting around. There won’t be long hikes, but we will be on trails and walking on sand, so quality trail shoes or hiking boots would be optimal.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this workshop is Easy-Moderate. (See more about our classifications.)
None of the hikes will be long, per se, but at least one will be on tall sand dunes, another will require 1 mile covering flat ground to get to sand dunes, another will be on a trail you’ve maybe never heard of. You should be comfortable carrying your own equipment over uneven ground in the dark, Please consider your physical abilities prior to registering.
Considerations
IMPORTANT: We encourage reading our FAQs section for more information about skill and gear requirements, and other information that pertains to all our workshops.
If you have questions, please contact us—we're happy to talk it over with you.
A special place, a special feeling …
“Some national parks just feel special. Death Valley is certainly one of those places.”
In 1995 I drove cross-country with a photographer friend. As we passed through the Southern California desert, I noted that Death Valley was only about an hour off our route. We discussed the possibility of heading north to visit the national park, sorting through the pros and cons, then chose to keep heading west.
I didn't have another good opportunity to visit Death Valley again until 20 years later. When I did, it was rapidly apparent that my friend and I had made a big mistake.
Some national parks just feel special. Something about what's contained within the boundaries is different enough from the surrounding areas so that you know: Yes, this land needed to be preserved. Death Valley is certainly one of those places.
Driving into the park from any direction, you soon move from a standard desert environment into an amazing desert landscape. Rock formations, canyons and mountains all define the geological setting. With that you find colors, and salt flats, and sand dunes. A set of volcanic craters. Rocks that move across playa. A waterfall in a thriving oasis. Old primitive roads that lead to ghost towns and abandoned mines.
The space is beautiful, and the things that fill the space are wondrous.
Yes. My friend and I surely made a mistake. But I've rectified that. Since my first visit to Death Valley, I've returned half a dozen more times. Always exploring. Always photographing the magic.
