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About this trip
Join us for an exciting and rewarding five day, four night exploration of the unique landscapes of Death Valley National Park while based in national park lodging at the Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel.
You and fellow photographers will explore the beauty and desolate wonders of Death Valley with ominous but colorful sounding names like Badwater Basin, Dante's View, Furnace Creek and the Devil's Golf Course. We will explore sand dunes, salt flats, colorful sandstone canyons and historical sites in early morning and late afternoon golden hour and blue hour light, and keep our eyes peeled for Death Valley's famed wildflower blooms.
Subjects will include, but not be limited to: unique salt flats, colorful rock formations, sand dunes, mountain vistas, slot canyons, a ghost town, sunrises, sunsets and astrophotography in an internationally recognized dark skies park. The park contains incredibly varied topography, with the lowest elevation in North America (282' below sea level) as well as mountains up to 11,000' high!
We will end the workshop with a group slide show and supportive critique. You'll be surprised what your fellow photographers come up with at the same locations, and that's part of the fun!
About the Workshop Leaders
Colin D. Young is an award-winning photographer who has spent the past decade exploring the red rock Canyonlands of Southern Utah and the mountains of Colorado, after spending 25 year capturing the landscapes of upstate New York. He has led dozens of workshops in Colorado, Utah and national parks across the U.S. as the founder of Rock Light Photo Tours. As a lifelong lighting designer for theatre, television and live events, he has a keen sense and deep knowledge about natural light. He is a certified and insured photography tour guide in Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands & Rocky Mountain national parks. www.RockLightPhoto.com
Geremy Kornreich is a long-time photographer who began his career in photojournalism. He moved to aviation and motorsports photography, and currently does photography for many music concerts (both classical and rock,) and as much travel photography as possible. He creates fine art images of landscapes, astrophotography, sunrises, sunsets. and abstracts. He's won awards for his photojournalism and images and has exhibited in Colorado and New England. Geremy creates intense photography to share experiences, events, and places, and his work can be seen at www.ShinyMachines.com
What you'll experience - Field Lessons
- Recognizing and capturing the magical natural lighting in Death Valley
- Making your landscape images pop
- Determining proper exposure
- Analyzing a scene for compositional options
- Learning to read and capture the light in challenging environments
- Using filters to improve artistic results
- Capturing the Milky Way with your digital camera
- Making the most of your photo equipment
What you'll learn: Classroom Instruction
- Photographic techniques for capturing the unique landscapes of Death Valley
- Shooting and stitching panoramic images
- Adobe Lightroom workflow for getting the most from your images
- Creating great black & white images from digital color captures
- A positive group critique of images to end the workshop - this is a wonderful lesson in composition and seeing the world through other peoples' eyes.
Other Considerations
Skill Levels
All skill levels are welcome. Participants who have a good working knowledge of their cameras, a basic understanding of digital workflow, and knowledge or exposure to Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop will get the most from this workshop.
Physical Demands
Though locations visited during this workshop are readily accessible, the hilly terrain requires some moderate hiking (typically 1-3 miles round trip). Participants MUST BE IN GOOD PHYSICAL SHAPE and able to climb and descend moderate to steep inclines. They should wear sturdy boots and use caution on sandy and uneven rocky slopes.
Group Size
Maximum 8 photographers (with 2 instructors)
Workshop Details
Registration/Tuition fee: $1800 per person (includes location transportation and shuttle to and from Las Vegas, NV)
Deposit to reserve a date: Varies depending on housing options
Dates and Times
Workshop begins Wednesday, March 18 at 11am, and ends Sunday, March 22 with a late afternoon drop-off in Las Vegas
Non-photographer/tag-along rate: $750 - for a spouse/partner/friend who wants to come along, eat meals with the group, and travel to some of our shooting locations. Included r/t transportation to/from Las Vegas.
Where to Meet
We will meet at a chosen location in Las Vegas TBD. Directions and details will be sent well in advance of the workshop.
What’s included
- Transit from Las VegasRound trip transportation between Las Vegas and Death Valley (Stovepipe Wells)
- Hotel roomDifferent package options for hotel rooms at Stovepipe Wells
- Local transportionWe will travel together in a big passenger van(s) to photo locations
What’s not included
- airfarePlan to fly into Las Vegas on the night of Mar 17
- MealsWhile we will eat a couple of meals together, meal costs are not part of the workshp reservation
Available Packages
A standard room with a queen bed and a private bathroom in Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel, 2 miles from Mesquite Sand Dunes, inside Death Valley national park.
A/C, Mini fridge, desk, WiFi room rate 4 nights at $185/night incl tax. (Mar 18-22, 2026)
Full price includes workshop registration and all applicable taxes.
A standard room with a queen bed and a private bathroom in Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel, 2 miles from Mesquite Sand Dunes, inside Death Valley national park.
A/C, Mini fridge, desk, WiFi room rate 4 nights at $225/night incl tax. (Mar 18-22, 2026)
Full price includes workshop registration and all applicable taxes.
A deluxe room with a king bed and a private bathroom in Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel, 2 miles from Mesquite Sand Dunes, inside Death Valley national park.
Sleeps up to 2 persons (if you are signing up for 2 people, make sure you select the ' no lodging' option for the 2nd person if you plan to share a room.)
A/C, Mini fridge, desk, WiFi
room rate 4 nights at $290/night incl tax. (Mar 18-22, 2026)
Full price includes workshop registration and all applicable taxes.
A deluxe room with a 2 queen beds and a private bathroom in Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel, 2 miles from Mesquite Sand Dunes, inside Death Valley national park.
Sleeps up to 2 persons (if you are signing up for 2 people, make sure you select the 'no lodging' option for the 2nd person if you plan to share a room.)
A/C, Mini fridge, desk, WiFi
room rate 4 nights at $300/night incl tax. (Mar 18-22, 2026)
Full price includes workshop registration and all applicable taxes.
Choose this option for a participant who will be sharing a room with another participant who has already paid for their shared room.
Full price includes workshop registration & tuition, ground transportation to/from, Las Vegas, and all applicable taxes.
For a non-photographer spouse/friend/colleague/fellow traveler who wants to join in group meals, transportation to/from Las Vegas, and visit some of our shooting locations during the week. Assumes shared room with participant (no lodging included).
Yes, of course, they can take cell phone shots, but generally no photo instruction given.
Itinerary
We will pick you and your luggage up in Las Vegas, NV (somewhere on the NE side of town - exact location TBD) around 11am Pacific Time to begin our trip down to Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley (note - this probably means you need to fly into Las Vegas the night before on 3/17. Try not to lose it all at the casinos eh?). We will make a stop for groceries, and then head toward the photogenic Rhyolite Ghost Town near Beatty. From there we descend into Death Valley, where we get settled into out hotel rooms at Stovepipe Wells, and then head out for sunset on the Mesquite Sand Dunes, before finishing the day with a group dinner at the Toll House Restaurant.