California Desert Skies & Wildflowers
Day & Night Photography Workshop
Anza Borrego, Joshua Tree & Death Valley, California
April 5 - 10, 2022
Five Day / Five Night Workshop
$3195
8 Participants Max
Ground Transportation, Hotel Accommodations Included
Workshop Highlights
Experience the Ultimate California Desert Roadtrip!
Southern California is the home of some of the world’s most famous deserts. And early spring is the best time of the year to witness the explosion of color that accompanies their annual wildflower bloom. Join a small group as we travel together to experience the best of California’s deserts during the day and night in this unique, immersive photography experience. You’ll visit three of Southern California’s most iconic desert parts during the peak wildflower season: Death Valley National Park, Anza Borrego State Part, and Joshua Tree National Park. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the views as we depart and return from the Las Vegas International Airport, with all hotel and ground transportation included.
Southern California is the home to a wide range of desert ecosystems, from the arid landscapes of Death Valley National Park to the Date Palms that live in the mid-elevations of Anza Borrego; to the higher elevation Mohave desert, home to California’s native Joshua Trees. At each location, you will have the opportunity to tour special, off-the-beaten-path sites Mike has discovered during his thirty-plus years of exploring of the area.
Dr. Mike Shaw will be your workshop instructor and guide. He is the author of the highly-rated night photography books, “The Complete Guide to Landscape Astrophotography,” and “Creative Nightscapes and Time-Lapses.” He hosts the annual Aurora Summit conference each year. He is also the co-creator of the video tutorials embedded in the Planit Pro app. He lived in Southern California for years and is intimately familiar with all your workshop locations!
Highlights include:
Bucket-list road trip through Southern California’s most iconic desert State and National Parks
Carpets of wildflowers often stretching to the horizon during peak season
You’ll recognize many scenes from some of Hollywood’s most famous films
Guided access to incredible desert locations with the darkest skies possible (Bortle Class 1)
Night photography of the rising Milky Way, star trails, constellations, panoramas, time-lapses and deep-sky objects
Two nights in Death Valley National Park; and single nights in each of Anza Borrego and Joshua Tree/Twentynine Palms included, along with comfortable transportation to/from the Las Vegas International Airport included
Workshop Itinerary
Tuesday, April 5, 6 pm - Meet & Greet. We meet for our orientation meeting at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas Hotel and Casino (see map). Mike will give a workshop overview and general agenda. We’ll discuss your goals for the workshop, and the camera systems you’re using.
Tuesday, April 5 Following the Meet & Greet meeting, we climb into our workshop bus and drive to a nearby location for your first night’s photography session. You will receive personal instruction on how to properly set up and focus your camera in the dark, compose in the dark, and what are the best camera and exposure settings for night photography. You can also explore the effects of different lens focal lengths and lens filters for the best composition and depth of field. We’ll capture many images of the sparkling lights of Las Vegas before returning to our hotels in preparation for hitting the road early the next morning.
Wednesday, April 6 We’ll drive from Las Vegas to Anza Borrego State Park, where we’ll spend the night. Along our way we’ll visit fantastic cactus gardens in the wild, breathtaking vistas of wildflowers and soft, weathered badlands; and keep an eye out for native Bighorn Sheep. We’ll check into our night’s accommodations and after a quick dinner in Borrego Springs, we venture out to capture the sunset and an evening of night photography in Anza Borrego State Park. We may alternatively have an early evening after sunset in preparation for an early morning Milky Way shoot - including stunning Milky Way panoramas over Anza Borrego’s incredible vistas.
Thursday, April 7 Following an early morning of Milky Way photography and an amazing desert sunrise, we grab breakfast and a few hours rest before checking out and making the short drive to Joshua Tree National Park. There, we check into our accommodations and prepare for a beautiful sunset and night of photography amongst the iconic native California Joshua Trees. Here, you will learn more about specific night photography topics of interest. After a full night of photography, we return to our hotel in Twentynine Palms. Again, we may alternatively return early in anticipation of an early morning rise for more Milky Way photography.
Friday, April 8 After a welcome breakfast and rest, we travel from Joshua Tree National Park to Death Valley National Park where we will spend the next two nights. We check into our accommodations in The Ranch at Furnace Creek and unpack. After a rest, we grab a quick dinner and head out to capture incredible nightscape images in Death Valley National Park. Depending on the weather and the interests of the group, we may visit Zabriskie Point, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, the Badwater Basin salt flat hexagons and mud cracks, Artist’s Palette, and other lesser-known gems. After filling our memory cards, we reluctantly return to our rooms.
Saturday, April 9 Today we have the flexibility of waking early for Milky Way photography in Death Valley National Park and sunrise, or catching up on rest. Mid-morning we depart for a few hours exploration of Death Valley by day, including the spring wildflower bloom. We learn about the historic, recent climate events in the context of the natural history of Death Valley National Park. We may choose to travel up to Dante’s View, or Panamint Valley, or simply stay nearby and explore Golden Canyon and/or the Ubehebe Crater. And did you know? Death Valley is the home of many scenes in iconic Hollywood films - bring your light sabers if you wish to reenact a few key moments! After a quick dinner either back in Furnace Creek or on the road, we enjoy our last night of nightscape photography among the fantastic Death Valley scenery.
Sunday, April 10 Following an early morning of Milky Way photography in Death Valley, we return to our rooms for breakfast, a quick rest and our departure. We make our way leisurely back to Las Vegas, where we arrive by 5 pm. If needed, we can drop you off at the Las Vegas McCarren International Airport for your flight.
Sunday, April 10, 5:00 pm - Workshop concludes. We arrive at the Golden Nugget Las Vegas Casino and Hotel by 5 pm and reluctantly say our goodbyes - until our next adventure together!
Workshop Structure
We’ll first meet at 6 pm on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 in the lobby of the Golden Nugget Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada (See map). We will depart for your first session of night photography in the Las Vegas area after this meeting. You will be transported in a comfortable van throughout the workshop. You may also choose to drive in your own car, if you prefer.
We will return to the Golden Nugget hotel no later than 5 pm on Sunday, April 10, 2022. You can catch an airport shuttle from the Golden Nugget or you can be dropped off at the Las Vegas McCarren International Airport (LAS) airport during our returnon Sunday.
There are no significant hikes as part of this workshop and you will have easy access to your gear.
Food is not included in this workshop. You are free to bring your own food, as well as visit any nearby restaurants or shops.
Be sure to bring warm clothes, warm boots or shoes, a raincoat, a warm hat and gloves.
Workshop Accommodations & Venue
Accommodations for four nights (Wednesday, April 6 - Saturday April 10) are included in the workshop price.
You will spend your first night (Wednesday) at the Borrego Springs Motel in Borrego Springs; the second night (Thursday) in Twentynine Plans/Joshua Tree and the third and fourth nights (Friday & Saturday) at The Ranch at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park.
Accommodations in Las Vegas for the night of Tuesday, April 5, 2022 are not included in the workshop price. You may choose to stay at the meeting hotel:
Golden Nugget Las Vegas Casino & Hotel:
Address: 129 E Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: (702) 385-7111
You may also choose to stay at any of the other Las Vegas accommodations.
Pricing
$3195/Person
Ground Transportation, Hotel Accommodations Included
Workshop Includes:
Four nights hotel accommodations (Wednesday, April 6 - Saturday, April 10, 2022)
Five days round-trip ground transportation from Las Vegas, Nevada to all workshop locations
Five days of professional photography guiding and instruction in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park
Post-processing / image enhancement sessions
Mike Shaw’s original Night Photography Plan, template, and instructions for using it to plan successful night photography sessions
Detailed learning sessions with the Planit Pro app
Opportunities to try out filters, trackers, panorama heads and other night photography accessories
Five nights of expert night photography sessions for images of the Milky Way, star trails and MUCH more
Welcome Packet with a complete gear list and other useful information
Workshop Does Not Include:
Transportation to/from your home to Las Vegas, Nevada
Meals, beverages & snacks
As you complete your registration and payment process, you will be given the choice of either paying the full amount or a 50% deposit. If you pay the deposit, the balance payment is due no later than 90 days prior to arrival.
Recommended Gear Lists
(You will receive a detailed gear list in your Welcome Packet when you register)
Camera Gear - the Essentials:
DSLR or mirrorless camera with the ability to manually focus and manual set the exposure (ISO, f-stop & shutter speed)
Lens. An 18-55 mm kit lens works just fine. Also great are a wide-angle lens (in the 14 - 24 mm range) or a mid-range lens (in the 24 - 70 mm range)
Tripod / ballhead - the sturdier the better
Headlamp with a red bulb
Extra batteries
Extra memory cards
Lens/camera cleaning kit
Camera & other operating manuals
Camera Gear - Nice to Have:
Loupe for focusing
Cable release
Tiffen Double Fog 3 lens filter
External intervalometer
Extra flashlight
Personal Gear:
Snacks
Water
Portable chair
Hand warmers
Laptop for downloading & editing your images during the class sessions
Warm clothes in layers
Warm boots, hat & gloves
Warm jacket & raincoat
