The Stunning Southwest
Sedona, Monument Valley, 4X4 to Hunts Mesa
and Arches National Park • May 2024
7 days • 6 nights May 6th – May 12 th, 2024 ** workshop full **
Group size 8-9 $3,400
single room fee $650
An Awesome Road Trip
In May of 2024, I will be doing another very special workshop to some of the most scenic and iconic locations of the Southwest. I wanted to have a workshop that included some of the best spots to photograph in Arizona and the Four Corners region. I have worked very hard on trying to create an itinerary that included the least amount of travel but afford the most amount of photo opportunities
This fun road trip will start out from the beautiful city of Sedona, where my wife and I live. After Sedona, we will caravan in SUVs to amazing Monument Valley and then off to Arches National Park for more incredible shooting.
Then our road trip will take us back to Monument Valley for some great shooting with my guide and then it will end with a spectacular 4 wheel drive up to the one of a kind Hunts Mesa for a night under the stars camping and shooting at this iconic location!
My town of Sedona
The workshop will start with a meet and greet at my home in the picturesque town of Sedona. We will go over the workshop itinerary before having dinner together and then head out for the a possible sunset shoot before a beautiful night shooting the Milky way over the stunning red rocks.
Capturing the Milky Way over this stunning city is something that never gets old as it is a perfect location for the night sky and we will have one fun time on this first night out! Then it is off to bed before our early start to Monument Valley.
Sunrise, Sunset and the Milky Way
I have timed this workshop for the Milky Way and also a little moonlight. Along with some beautiful sunrise and sunset locations, we will work hard on the night sky in some great spots all along the journey in the southwest. And also, hoping to capture star trails along the way!
Monument Valley!
Monument Valley is like heaven on earth for photography and it is the place with so much history in the US. So many Western movies have been filmed here as it is just one of a kind for stunning photography.
We will stay at my favorite hotel called Gouldings Lodge and venture out to so great locations including the infamous Mittens, which we will shoot several times. We will also shoot at the spot where Tom Hanks stopped running in the movie “Forrest Gump” as it is a classic spot in the southwest for great photographs.
We will also the photograph the cool rock formations known as the ” Mittens ” at sunset and try and capture the Milky Way over the Mittens after dark. This very special place is pretty magical and we will explore all over day and night.
Off to Moab and Arches!
After Monument Valley, we will head off to the super cool town of Moab. We will have lunch at a super fun 50’s diner called the “The Moab Diner ” and then explore surreal Arches National Park that you have to see to believe. We will shoot all over Arches that first day including shooting after dark in some great locations. Before sunrise the next morning, we will also venture to Deadhorse State Park for some amazing shooting from high above.
After lunch, we will do a super fun hike up to one of my favorite locations in the Southwest, Corona Arch. This will be an awesome day as the hike up is just incredible but the shooting under the arch will be one super cool time especially while light painting the arch after dark! We can also wait for the Milky Way to line up above the arch which is stunning! And I am hoping to have my wife Holly model for us at Forrest Gump Highway and under Corona Arch like she did in the photo on the right and one below.
Milky Way over Totem Pole in Monument Valley
Back to Monument Valley & 4 wheeling to Hunts Mesa!
After a super fun time in Arches and Moab, we will head back to Monument Valley for more amazing photography. We will go with our guide after dark to Totem Pole, which is very rare and capture their Milky Way over this incredible rock formation. Then go with our guide once again in the morning to capture Totem Pole, Yel-Bichel and more at sunrise, which is always beautiful shooting.
After lunch, we will pack up and leave the hotel to meet our guide once again and go heavy duty, 4 wheeling up the backside of Monument Valley to the awe inspiring Hunts Mesa for some of the most beautiful photography in the entire southwest.
Our Navaho guides will set up tents and prepare our food while we are off shooting sunset over Hunts Mesa. When we return to camp, we will be treated to an insanely good steak, chicken or veggie dinner over the campfire. We will also roast marshmallows and have S’Mores and enjoy the gorgeous scenery under the stars in this epic place that most people do not venture to.
We will shoot once more at sunrise as sunrise can be even more stunning than sunset at Hunts Mesa. Then, after a week of fun, we get on the road and head back to Sedona! We will have a last night goodbye dinner at a fun restaurant and if we have any energy left, for those who want, we can even try another Milky Way shoot this last night if we are not too tired!
Will be one fun adventure!
From hiking to exploring to eating some great meals along the way, this will be one fun filled photography workshop! Each day and night, we will be in a different location looking for great photo ops in the southwest from car trails to star trails to a ton of stunning locations!
IN THIS WORKSHOP — WE WILL COVER:
• How to scout out the best light & compositions
• Stepping out of your comfort zone to create powerful & timeless images
• How to shoot the stars as points of light & star trails with color
• Star Stacking
• Learning how to use a Star Tracker
• Lightpainting techniques and which gear works best
• How to shoot panoramas
• How to master your camera gear
• Scouting & capturing the Milky Way
• Using the best computer and phone apps for the night sky including Photo Pills
Lodging & Meals
Lodging is included in the workshop except for any nights in Sedona, before or after the workshop. Two nights in Monument Valley at Gouldings lodge is included as is two nights at the La Quinta Resort in Moab.
Also, the highlight of the workshop is the camping out in tents our last night, under the stars in Hunts Mesa where the Navajo guides will prepare everything for us, including our amazing campfire dinner for that very special night and a yummy breakfast in the morning.
Any nights before leaving on the road trip on the morning of May 7th or any nights after we come back is not included. We can go over which hotels are decent ones here in Sedona. We will be eating at different places on the road or even pack some lunches and dinners while we are out hiking. All food during the workshop is not included except for breakfast at La Quinta Resort in Moab but we will have some good choices for meals on this workshop!
Intermediate to Advanced
Moderate
Rocky Terrain,
Moderate Hiking
8-9 people
WHAT TO EXPECT
This workshop includes a reasonable amount of walking or hiking and requires an average level of physical fitness. There will be lots of good food along the way and we will pack in food probably once or twice.
You can leave some camera gear in the hotel room as you might not need everything all the time but when we are in vehicles, you can bring it all with you.
HEALTH
As I mentioned earlier, it is a good idea to be in good shape as we will be walking & hiking all over the place throughout the workshop. There will only be one long hike but typically is about an hour or so one way. The pay off will be well worth it!
There are ladders to climb and a rope for support on one section of the hike so be prepared but 6 year old kids to this hike all the time with their parents so this will be a fun adventure for sure!
TRANSPORTATION
As I wrote above, we will be driving in three large SUV’s with myself and my friend Paul driving & one other driver. This will be a fun road trip but everyone is encouraged to bring small to medium size luggage if possible.
I will go over this with everyone who signs up but smaller luggage will be a huge bonus for going in and out of the different hotels and also making sure all of our luggage and camera backpacks fit into the SUV’s.
LOGISTICS
The workshop will start on May 6th, 2024 in Sedona at my home. This first day and the last day of the workshop, both in Sedona, will be the only hotel that guests will have to book and pay for themselves before and after the workshop. You can come to Sedona a day or two early and stay a bit later also if you want.
All hotels during our road trip are included and also most breakfasts. An amazing yummy campfire dinner is going to be prepared for us by our Navajo guides while atop Hunts Mesa as is a yummy breakfast on our last morning.
CLIMATE
The climate in the Southwest at this time of year is usually pretty nice but it can get pretty warm during the days but all cool after dark. I will keep everyone posted on how to pack and what too bring but we will also keep an eye on the weather report well before we leave on our journey.
Most of the time, it should be pretty mild and enjoyable although we will be hoping for clouds as much as possible. We will also be out late after dark shooting at times, so it will prepare for this. I am hoping for great skies for Milky way shooting so let’s keep our fingers crossed!
CLOTHING
Shorts or long pants are good to wear most days but the weather can change anytime and nights can get a bit chilly so it’s also good to have fleece & maybe also a warm down jacket to layer with to be safe.
I would wear hiking shoes if you can as there will be a lot of walking over all kinds of terrain. A light rain jacket is a must also as the rain can pop up anywhere, but not all that often where we will be on much of the journey in the Southwest.