6 Day American Southwest Photography Workshop

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Description

Summary

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Las Vegas, NV, USA

Minimum age:

None

Description

The American Southwest is a dream destination for landscape photographers – rugged, dynamic and beautiful, all at once. Join us on this 6-day photography workshop as we traverse the spectacular desert terrain, crossing from the sand dunes and salt flats of Death Valley to the dusty red walls of Arizona's breathtaking Upper Antelope Canyon.

Throughout this photo tour, you'll have two seasoned photography guides on-hand, taking you to the best locations in the American Southwest for photography. They'll share their immense wealth of knowledge with you to ensure that you'll take home stunning images from your trip, all while developing your photography skills in-field.

Over 6 days and 5 nights, you'll experience stunning views, immersing yourself in the wild and remarkable scenery as your guides whisk you away on the road trip of a lifetime. Your adventure will span from Las Vegas, Nevada across three other states as you capture the highlights of the Southwest, including:

- The iconic Horseshoe Bend in Arizona

- The enchanting Toadstools, a series of balanced rock formations within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park

- The amazing natural wonders of three slot canyons: Upper Antelope, Rattlesnake and a private tour of Secret Slot Canyon

- The famous extremes of Death Valley National Park in California

- The world-renowned Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada.

Don't miss out on this exclusive American Southwest Photography Workshop with our two award-winning photography guides! Check availability by choosing a date.

Included

2 Award-Winning professional photography guides

Premium hotel accommodations: prices are based on single occupancy rates

Welcome and Farewell Dinners

Transportation during the workshop in comfortable vehicles

Private Secret Slot Canyon tour

Photography tour of Upper Antelope and Rattlesnake Canyon

Post-processing and editing sessions

Bottled water on the bus for all participants

Park permits and entrance fees

Map

Attractions

United States

Activities

Photo Tours

Photo Workshop

Daily itinerary

Day 1

Day 1 - Arrival (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA)

You'll arrive to Las Vegas, the city of dreams. From the airport, you'll make your way to your hotel, where you'll have some time to rest or to explore the city at your leisure. In the evening, you'll meet with your photo guides and the rest of the group in the lobby of the hotel. From there, you'll head out to a wonderful local restaurant for dinner. As you enjoy your meal, your photo guides will go over the plan for the days ahead. It's the perfect time to ask any questions that you my have in relation to the itinerary. You'll then retire for the night to your accommodation in Las Vegas, ready for an early start in the morning.

Day 2

Day 2 - Death Valley, California

The adventure begins bright and early on day two! After breakfast, you'll travel towards the Death Valley National Park in California – the driest and hottest location within North America. Located on the border of California and Nevada, this famous arid desert destination is well-known for a number of spectacular sights. Our first stop will be at the Mesquite Sand Dunes. This vast expanse has been made quite special over time by the interaction of strong winds amidst the mountainous landscape. Here, the sands have gathered to form 30 metre high (100 foot) dunes. We'll capture the enchanting light and the movement of the wind as it whips across the sand, making for a surreal sight. In the afternoon, we'll make a brief stop at Furnace Creek, before heading to Zabriskie Point. The undulating eroded landscape here offers many compositions. We'll take our time exploring it in detail, before getting ready for a sunset session at Badwater Basin – an expansive salt flat with incredible textures that look brilliant beneath the sunset light. We'll then return to Las Vegas for dinner and settle in for the night.

Day 3

Day 3 - Valley of Fire, Nevada and Page, Arizona

On day three, we'll rise early for a sunrise session within the Valley of Fire State Park. We'll explore an isolated section of the park on the Fire Wave Trail, where the scenery is characterised by breathtaking red and orange-coloured sandstone, glowing beneath the sunlight. We'll take our time making the most of the leading lines as we practice important composition techniques in photography. We'll then hike to the Elephant Arch and Mouse's Tank, before packing up and continuing the journey towards Page in Arizona. Once we arrive in Page, we'll check in to our hotel where we'll be based for the next two days. There will be some time to freshen up, before we make our way out to a sunset session at the spectacular and easily-recognisable Horseshoe Bend. This is where the meandering Colorado River forms a wonderful loop as it snakes across the landscape. We'll capture this iconic image from a panoramic viewpoint.

Day 4

Day 4 - Page, Arizona and Kanab, Utah

On day four, we'll have a brief discussion over breakfast about photography techniques before we head towards the magical slot canyons of Arizona. We'll go over everything you need to know about safety, so you can ensure that you'll have a safe shoot. The highlights of the day will be the soaring natural arches of the Rattlesnake Canyon, as well as the magical geology of the Upper Antelope Canyon, where rays of light bounce off the dusty red walls. In the afternoon, we'll head into the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park, where we'll photograph the otherworldly rock formations known as the Toadstool Hoodoos while the sun sets ovehead.

Day 5

Day 5 - Page, Arizona

On day five, we'll have breakfast followed by a masterclass post-processing session, during which you'll have the chance to seek critique and valuable feedback on the photos you have already taken. After lunch, we'll have a private photo tour of the best kept secret in Arizona – the protected Secret Slot Canyon. Here, swirling smooth curves are highlighted by rich colours amidst beautiful beams of light as sand trickles in from above. It makes for a number of stunning compositions, particularly with a wide angle lens. Later in the evening, we'll journey back towards Las Vegas, where we'll check in to our hotel for the night. There, we'll meet for one last dinner as a group where we'll no doubt have a wonderful time going over all of the vivid memories that we've garnered from this incredible adventure.

Day 6

Day 6 - Departure

This will be our final day. When the time is right, you'll take a transfer back to Las Vegas airport, where you'll be able to fly home or onwards to your next destination with memory cards full of fantastic images from the breathtaking American Southwest.

Safety

The southwest US is extremely rugged. Strong winds, rain, mud and wildlife are real dangers when photographing on location. There are several cliffs at locations where we will be shooting at, and these are dangerous as they frequently crumble away and cause rock fall. You will be expected to follow safety instructions to ensure you are kept safe and out of harm’s way.

Our guides are Red Cross certified for CPR and First Aid. All our vehicles are equipped with a first-aid kit and GPS-enabled satellite beacons for emergencies. We have commercial use authorization permits for the National and State parks we operate in and carry a general liability policy that includes commercial auto insurance.

Disclaimer

Due to the unpredictability of the weather, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to visit all the locations on the itinerary. Changes may be made at the lead guide’s discretion to accommodate best shooting conditions based on the weather forecast for the week.

Since this workshop is focused on landscape photography and ensuring you get the best possible photos for your portfolio, we will aim to shoot most locations in the best light, which is at sunrise and sunset.

Departure Schedule

21-27 May 2020 - Guided by Sigurdur William Brynjarsson and TBD

Guides

Siggi the Viking

English, Icelandic

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Siggi was born in Iceland and has spent most of his photography career in this paradise.During his time as a photographer, he early on found that his passion lies with photographing the beautiful landscapes and nightscapes of Iceland. One of his favorite activities is being out, chasing the northern lights and thinking of new ways to top his shots.

He has won multiple awards for his work, both locally and internationally, especially for his photos of the Aurora Borealis. Sigurdur has also written a book on the subject to aid everyone in getting the perfect shots of Lady Aurora and held nightscape photography workshops in Iceland since the beginning of 2012 with great success.

When the days get longer and the northern lights fade into the daylight, he turns his eyes towards the sun and the amazing midnight sun that Iceland has to offer with the golden hours that seem to stretch on forever.