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Death Valley in Black and White
Discover the Mystique of the Desert: A Monochrome Exploration
Join us in 'Death Valley in Black and White: Discover the Mystique of the Desert,' an immersive workshop that transcends traditional photography and delves into the captivating world of monochrome imagery. In the vast and rugged landscapes of Death Valley, we'll explore the diverse textures, contrasts, and shadows that come alive in black and white. From the iconic Mesquite Dunes to hidden gems that whisper tales of the desert's timeless beauty, you'll learn specialized techniques to visualize and capture scenes in a whole new light. This workshop includes both field sessions and classroom instruction, focusing on black-and-white conversion, tonal control, and creative expression to elevate your photography to fine art. Embrace the desert's mystique and embark on a unique journey that will enrich your creative vision and skillset.
December 9-13, 2024
Availability: Only 4 Spots Left!
Group Size
8
Investment
$2,495
Initial Payment – $995
Your Leaders
Location
Fly To
Las Vegas
Fitness Level
Easy
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Description
What You'll Experience:
- Black-and-White Exploration: Venture into iconic locations like Mesquite Dunes, Badwater Basin, and our personal favorite hidden gems. Capture everything from sweeping vistas to intimate details, all rendered in dramatic black and white.
- Creative and Technical Mastery: Delve into specialized black-and-white conversion techniques, learning how to use color to create desired tonalities and elevate your imagery to fine art levels.
- Classroom Instruction: Benefit from comprehensive classroom sessions covering lighting, locations, and post-processing, including burning and dodging techniques. We strongly recommend bringing a small Wacom tablet, allowing us to demonstrate how this tool can enhance your post-processing journey.
- Personalized Guidance: Receive tailored support from professional photographers specializing in black-and-white imagery, ensuring your creative vision comes to life.
Why "Death Valley in Black and White"?
- Stunning Diversity: From carved canyons to vast salt flats and towering sand dunes, the diversity of Death Valley offers endless opportunities for dynamic and expressive black-and-white photography.
- Hands-On Learning: Your growth as a black-and-white photographer is our priority. Enjoy a mix of field exploration and in-depth classroom instruction to hone your skills.
- Comfortable Exploration: We'll be visiting during cooler temperatures, allowing a more pleasant experience as you uncover the mesmerizing landscapes of Death Valley's 3.4 million acres.
Important Details
Lodging: We have rooms held in Stovepipe Wells for $229/night. Unless you are willing to camp or drive a long distance each day, this is the only option in the area. More details will be emailed after signing up.
Itinerary
Day 1 - We will meet at 5:00 pm in the Auditorium at Stovepipe Wells for introductions and a presentation to prepare you for the workshop. We will rest the first night.
Day 2 – Rise early for sunrise, come back for breakfast and time for a short nap. Classroom session to go over our unique Lightroom techniques in the afternoon. Go out for sunset, a potential night shoot, and return to the hotel.
Day 3 - Rise early for sunrise, come back for breakfast and time for a short nap. Go over advanced Lightroom techniques in the afternoon and touch on Photoshop. Go out for sunset, a potential night shoot, and return to the hotel.
Day 4 - Rise early for sunrise, come back for breakfast and time for a nap. Go over advanced Photoshop techniques in the afternoon. Go out for sunset, a potential night shoot, and return to the hotel.
Day 5 – Rise early for sunrise and return to the hotel for breakfast and an image critique session. We will finish up by 1:00 pm, at which time you are free to go.
What is Included
What is Not Included
Image Gallery
Safe, Legal, Responsible.
We are proud members of Nature First Photography. This movement is dedicated to responsible nature photography. At its core are seven principles that we abide by and promote to our clients. We hope you will join the movement!
Concerned About Your Safety
We understand how important your safety is when we’re in remote locations. This is why David and Jennifer are both certified Wilderness First Responders, we are prepared for any situation large or small. We also carry satellite communication devices should we need rescue assistance in remote areas.
Legal
We always run our workshops on the up and up. For this workshop, Exploring Exposure is Authorized Permittee of Death Valley National Park. We are also an equal opportunity service provider.
Our Philosophy
We encourage you to find your unique style of creativity with focused training based on your style and skill level. You will experience a rigorous learning experience in the field and the classroom to take your photography to the next level.
Our passion is seeing you grow in your photographic journey. We put your interests ahead of our own. Early on in the workshop, we will not photograph at all. Our focus is your learning experience, and we will not run off to chase the light and leave you behind. As the workshop progresses, we will take a few photos in a limited manner. This is so you can see how we approach a scene, demonstrate techniques, and create comradery with the group. Our focus will always remain with YOU.
We understand everyone comes to workshops at different points in their photography journeys. We will be there to guide and help you, whether you are a beginner or advanced shooter. There is always something to learn about photography, and we will do our best to help you find your creative vision.
Above all, we want this to be a fun experience for you. With our small group size, we get to know our clients very well, and we feel like they are part of our extended family. We do this for the love of photography, and there is nothing that gives us greater joy than seeing our clients grow and find their artistic vision.
This workshop will involve short hikes of 2-3 miles total daily. We will be hiking to sand dunes, but do not let this discourage you! The hikes are primarily to the dunes, not in them. They are 1 mile one-way over fairly flat, hard-packed sand that just about anyone in good health can do. Once we arrive at the dunes you can choose how far you want to go, they are fairly low, rolling dunes with just a bit of up and down. For those that want to go higher, we can split up the group since we have two leaders. If you have any doubts, please contact us before signing up to discuss further.
Questions?
Please do not hesitate to send us any questions you may have, we would be happy to help.
Private Death Valley Workshops
If you are looking for a private guide to show you around Death Valley, look no further. We spend every winter in Death Valley and are constantly exploring the incredible landscape to find all it has to offer. We can be your private tour guide or we can turn your experience into a full workshop training you on composition, vision, post-processing with Lightroom and Photoshop, all without the group.