Death Valley Unveiled: Off-Road Explorations
Join us for an experience of a lifetime in the beautiful and lesser-visited landscapes of Death Valley National Park. We will show you our favorite locations far off the beaten path. It will also be an educational experience with two professional instructors showing you how to photograph everything from grand landscapes to small scenes. Transportation is provided in rented Jeeps driven by the instructors to get to the park’s most remote areas.
December 4-8, 2023
Canceled due to extensive flooding in Death Valley
Group Size
6
Investment
$2,995
Initial Payment – $995
Fly to:
Las Vegas
Description
This is a unique opportunity to photograph some of the most remote areas in Death Valley that are only accessible with Jeeps or moderate hiking. Even if you have been on a workshop with us before in Death Valley, many of the locations will be new to you. You will have the opportunity to photograph two different remote sand dunes, massive fields of Joshua Trees, polygons on Badwater, dramatic overlooks high above the valley, and unique viewpoints of Zabriskie Point and 20 Mule Team Canyon. Be prepared for long drives to reach these remote areas; because of the long days, we will not have classroom time during the workshop. There will be an image critique session and Lightroom processing after the workshop over Zoom.
Day 1
- 11:00 – Meet at the hotel, drive to the Ibex Dunes, hike, and photograph the dunes.
- Evening – Dinner in Shoshone and drive back to the hotel.
Day 2
- Morning – Photograph Aguereberry Point, drive back to the hotel, and have breakfast at Stovepipe.
- Midday to Evening – Drive to Marble Canyon, hike, photograph, and return to the hotel for rest.
Day 3
- Afternoon – Drive to the Eureka Dunes, hike, photograph dunes, and dinner in the field.
- Evening – Drive back to the hotel.
Day 4
- Morning – Photograph Mosaic Canyon.
- Afternoon to Night – Options include photographing Lee Flat or the Racetrack, depending on conditions.
Day 5
- Sunrise to 10:00 – Sunrise photography, concluding the workshop.
Testimonials
What is Included
- Transportation (Rented 4x4 Jeeps that the instructors will be driving) from the hotel to the locations we will be photographing
- Two attentive instructors for a client to instructor ratio of 3:1
- Water and snacks
- Image Critiques
- Tailored processing instruction in Lightroom and Photoshop
- Meals when we are out in the backcountry
What is Not Included
- Lodging - we have a block of rooms held for you
- Meals - we will be eating some meals together as a group
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!
The Nature First Principles
- Prioritize the well-being of nature over photography.
- Educate yourself about the places you photograph.
- Reflect on the possible impact of your actions.
- Use discretion if sharing locations.
- Know and follow rules and regulations.
- Always follow Leave No Trace principles and strive to leave places better than you found them.
- Actively promote and educate others about these principles
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 operates under a Commercial Use Authorization with the National Park Service. 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 1.5 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. There is also a hike up a steep and narrow ridge, if you are uncomfortable with heights we can again break the group up for this and some can go to a lower viewpoint.
- We recommend flying to Las Vegas, from there it is a 2 hour drive to Furnace Creek.
- We recommend using Google Flights to find the best option for where you are coming from.
Are spouses/partners welcome?
We’re sorry, but due to limited seating in the Jeeps spouses will have to pay full price to come along on field sessions.
Will I have a cell signal during the Workshop?
Cell signal is extremely intermittent in most of the locations we will visit, you should not expect to be connected all the time, at certain locations you may be offline for long periods, enjoy the silence. Stovepipe Wells has cell service, but expect the data to be extremely slow and potentially unusable. The hotel has wifi which is also extremely slow.
Will the instructors take photos during the Workshop?
The instructors will take a few photos in a limited manner, this is so you can see how we approach a scene, create comradery with the group, and to show you the same type of images you will be taking for our post-processing session. Our focus will always remain with you.
Will the weather cancel the Workshop?
Dramatic weather is when the best photographs are created! Unless there are very dangerous conditions, the weather will not stop us, in fact, it will encourage us! No rain checks will be given for any weather-related circumstances.
- If you cancel 90 days prior to the workshop we will refund your initial payment minus a $100 fee.
- 90 days before the start of the workshop, we will refund your initial payment only if we can fill your spot.
- The full balance is due 60 days before the workshop. There will be no refunds on the full amount owed. We will attempt to fill your spot, if filled there will be a $100 administrative fee charged and the rest of your payment will be refunded.
There are NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS POLICY, even for medical emergencies. All cancellation requests must be in writing and received either by US mail or E-mail. We encourage participants to purchase refundable airline tickets and trip cancellation insurance. We strongly recommend trip insurance to protect you in the event of an unexpected situation that prevents you from attending the workshop. We recommend Travelguard or World Nomads.
We reserve the right to cancel any workshop if the minimum student enrollment is not met. In the event we cancel a workshop, participants will be given the option to reschedule to a later date or receive a full refund. we are not, however, liable for expenses incurred such as airfare or accommodations, and for this reason we also recommend the purchase of trip insurance.
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.