Death Valley Dark Sky Night Photography- March 19-22, 2014

Mastering The Night with Lance Keimig and Scott Martin

Dates: March 19-22, 2014
Location: Death Valley National Park
Cost: $1195
Limit: Ten workshop participants.

The Night Skye and Onsight  invite you to Death Valley next March.  Unlike our usual Full Moon Night Photography workshops, this one will take place in the waning stage of the lunar cycle which will offer us some moonlight, as well as dark skies for star point and Milky Way photography. This intensive workshop is intended for photographers with a good grasp of photographic principles and for those who are completely comfortable with their equipment. We’ll be pushing you to step outside your comfort zone, to test and find the limits of what your camera can do, and to make images that you can’t do at home. There will be great light painting opportunities, but if that’s not your thing, Death Valley is huge, and there are countless other options for Night Photography. Some experience or familiarity with Night Photography is recommended, as working in the desert without the aid of light from a full moon can be challenging.

This is an advanced class for those looking to expand your photographic horizons, recharge your creative batteries, share ideas with friends and colleagues, and to go home with some exciting images from this unique landscape. We’ll create individual goals for each participant, and encourage you to blur the lines between night and day, consider why you photograph at night, and to make images that are as far removed from postcard views as possible. Collaboration is a great way to make new discoveries and new friends, and will be a part of the experience. Working through image ideas and lighting together is a fun and rewarding process, and can help give you that kick in the pants you’ve been looking for.  Locations may include the famous Racetrack Playa, Rhyolite, the Mesquite Sand Dunes, charcoal kilns, Badwater Salt Flats. Discoveries await.

The workshop base camp will be at Furnace Creek. We have secured a block of standard rooms at Furnace creek Ranch at a discounted rate, and once you make your deposit, you will receive a code that can be used to reserve one of the group rooms. If you wish to upgrade to a deluxe room, they are available on a first come, first served basis. The group reservation is for 5 nights, from March 18th to check out on March 23rd.

Plan to arrive on March 18th or sooner for the Night Photography workshop. Check out March 23rd or later. Death Valley is remote- very remote. It’s a 10 plus hour drive from the Bay Area, 5 hours from LA, and about a 2 hour drive from Las Vegas, which has the the closest airport. Shooting in remote locations means long drives both before and after shooting hours, so expect some late nights. One night in particular will require a 2.5 hour drive on a rough road that requires an AWD high clearance vehicle. We expect to carpool to this location and take a few vehicles as possible. There are Jeeps available for hire at Furnace Creek, and we will be contacting participants in advance to coordinate AWD vehicles. Jeep rental is not included in the cost of the workshop.