Death Valley Intimate Landscapes

A Creative Exploration Workshop

Explore the hidden details of Death Valley through intimate landscape photography, a unique journey that transcends the grand vistas and delves into the subtle textures and whispers of nature. In this immersive workshop, you'll be guided to see beyond the obvious, finding compositions within compositions, transforming rocks, sand, water, and plants into abstract art that tells a story. Engaging classroom sessions will enhance your understanding of abstract and contemplative techniques, helping you to connect deeply with your surroundings. Whether a seasoned photographer or a passionate beginner, you'll benefit from hands-on guidance in using Lightroom and Photoshop to process your images, with instructors simplifying complex procedures into actionable steps. This multifaceted experience is not just about capturing photos; it's about crafting visual poetry and understanding the soul of the landscape, making it an unforgettable exploration of Death Valley's lesser-known beauty.

November 18-22, 2024

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Availability: Sold Out - Get on the Waiting List

Group Size

8

Investment

$2,995
Initial Payment – $995

Your Leaders

David Kingham
Jennifer Renwick

Location

Stovepipe Wells, CA

Fly To

Las Vegas

Fitness Level

Easy

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Workshop Overview

This workshop explores the small scenes that make Death Valley a canvas for creativity and unique vision. Eschewing the grand landscapes typically captured, this workshop dives deep into the hidden textures, patterns, and details that tell a more profound story of this enigmatic place.

What You'll Experience:
  • Intimate Landscape Mastery: Delve into Death Valley's hidden beauty by focusing on intimate landscapes or small scenes. Explore the subtle interplay of light, shadow, and form as you capture the mesmerizing details that often go unnoticed.
  • Creative Exploration: This workshop emphasizes personal creativity, inspiring you to break free from the conventional and discover your unique eye. Learn how to see beyond the obvious and interpret the landscape in your way.
  • Personalized Guidance: With a commitment to helping photographers find and hone their vision, you'll receive tailored instruction and insightful critiques, guiding you to develop your distinctive photographic style.
  • Daily Field Exercises: Engage in hands-on exercises that challenge you to think creatively and apply new techniques, all within the captivating landscape of Death Valley.
  • Classroom Sessions & Presentations: Engage in stimulating classroom sessions, including inspiring presentations on abstract photography, contemplative photography, and more. Open your mind to new creative possibilities and interpretations of the landscape.
  • Hands-On Processing Guidance: Dedicate time to process your captured intimate scenes using Lightroom and Photoshop. Benefit from expert instruction on enhancing your images, refining details, and bringing your unique vision to life.
Why "Death Valley Intimate Landscapes"?
  • Tailored for Creative Growth: This workshop is not about capturing the same images as everyone else. It's about nurturing your creativity and helping you see the world through your unique lens.
  • Expert Guidance: Benefit from professional nature photographers' combined expertise in intimate landscapes and black-and-white imagery.
  • In-Depth Classroom Learning: In addition to fieldwork, experience enriching classroom sessions that broaden your understanding of abstract and contemplative photography. Gain insights into various artistic approaches and develop skills in post-processing with Lightroom and Photoshop.
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This was my third workshop with David and Jennifer but my first time to Death Valley National Park. I have attended workshops by other photographers and I feel that you will not find a better environment for learning than David and Jennifer are able to create. They make every effort to accommodate a wide range of experience levels. If you need basic instruction or want space to create on your own they are very sensitive to those needs. I have not found a student on any of the workshops who did not have a very positive experience and a high opinion of their workshops. Along with being very accomplished professionals, David and Jennifer are both genuinely thoughtful, interesting and fun people to spend time with!

Alan

Excellent

This was a great workshop. A few things that I really appreciated: David sent handouts ahead of time, this allowed me to look over the material and make a point to ask about things I did not understand. Sometimes during the presentation, the amount of information can become overwhelming to process. Both David and Jennifer were easy to approach and ask questions. Like many other reviewers have stated, they are there to help you. I liked that we got to do both, take photographs and edit. I learned quite a bit about Lightroom. The small group size was nice. One felt like, you got the one on one attention time to ask questions. Definitely recommend a workshop with Exploring Exposure.

Sejal

First class experience. David and Jennifer provided the exact right mix between support and freedom, instruction and relaxation. It's hard to imagine a better workshop. I learned about the absolute critical importance of great light. And I realized more powerfully than ever before the importance of careful composition. I am now a confirmed tripod-using, exposing to the right, (for me, black and white) photographer. Be sure to go on a workshop with these gentle, knowledgeable people.

Bob Feldman

What is Included

  • Two attentive instructors to ensure ample time for individualized attention
  • Small group size of eight
  • Extended field sessions each day of the workshop (since the subjects we will be photographing can work in all kinds of light, most days will include extended morning and afternoon photography sessions with a break in between)
  • Mentoring on creativity, personal expression, composition, light, and technical decisions in the field
  • Guided exercises to expand your photography skills, creativity, and ability to see intimate landscapes
  • Feedback on your photographs, including time for formal image critique
  • Processing instruction in Lightroom and Photoshop during scheduled sessions, with a focus on photo processing techniques for small scenes

What is Not Included

  • Transportation - 2 people can ride in our vehicle, others will carpool together. Most locations will be accessed from paved roads or easy gravel roads. If multiple group members have 4x4 vehicles, we may be able to access some more remote locations, but a 4x4 vehicle is not required for the workshop.
  • Lodging – We have a block of rooms held for workshop participants at Stovepipe Wells
  • Meals – Workshop participants will need to pay for their own meals during our time together. 

Image Gallery

death valley mud waves
death valley mud cracks
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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!

Join Nature First

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!

Legal

We always run our workshops on the up and up. For this workshop Exploring Exposure operates under a Commercial Use Authorization through 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.

Photography Prerequisites

This workshop is open to anyone with an interest in photographing nature’s small scenes. Although we can help you with improving your technical skills, the more creative aspects of photography will be the focus of this workshop. Thus, you will get the most from this workshop if you are comfortable with the technical basics of nature photography (how to operate your camera and use your lenses, exposure, focusing, and basic post-processing skills). Additionally, we will be photographing around sunrise and sunset but will not be photographing the sunrise or sunset over a grand landscape. You will get the most out of this workshop if you are excited about focusing on smaller scenes during our full time together.

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  • Fitness Level

  • How to get there

  • FAQ

  • Cancellation Policy

This workshop will include a mix of easy roadside photography plus hiking to access photography locations. Most hiking will not include much elevation change but will include walking over uneven terrain (like in canyons without established trails) and across sand dunes, which can be physical exhausting despite the minimal elevation change. We may also make one or two short but steep hikes to access viewpoints. Good balance and the ability to carry your camera gear for hours at a time will also be necessary. The photography locations for this workshop are between -252 feet and 7,000 feet in elevation. Hiking will typically be limited to 1 to 2 miles at a time.

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.

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