Bisti Badlands Fall Photo Workshop

Oct 19-23, 2025

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Let your imagination run wild in one of the most bizarre and alien landscapes! We will be visiting areas in and around Shiprock and the Bisti Badlands of New Mexico. The dates are optimized for prime Milky Way shooting and pleasant temperatures! Expect plenty of individual attention with our small group sizes. We will be accompanied by Navajo Guides while on reservation lands. Workshop includes all 4x4 transportation so you don't have to worry about the rough roads. It's time to take your astrophotography skills to the next level!

Tuition

Max Group Size

  • 4 Students per Instructor
  • 8 Students Max

Instructor(s)

  • Wendy Casey
  • 2nd TBA

Physical Intensity

Bisti Badlands Photo Workshop

Highlights

  • The badlands of New Mexico are truly astonishing, with whimsical hoodoos, jagged spires, arches, fossils, and much more! The incredible diversity here will get your creative juices flowing.
  • Dates are timed for optimal Milky Way shooting and comfortable temps. Expect to do a lot of night photography if skies are clear!
  • Learn many new techniques and photograph wide range of desert subjects.
  • Count on plenty of individual attention with a max group size of 8 students and 2 instructors.
  • Post-processing and image critique sessions will be scheduled throughout the workshop to help make the most of your images.
  • The group will be accompanied by local Navajo Guides while on reservation lands.
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Itinerary

The exact itinerary will be kept flexible to account for the weather and current conditions. The badlands are spectacular in all different weather conditions and the itinerary below serves only as an example of what we might do.

  • Day 1:  Meet at 1PM in Farmington, NM for a mandatory orientation session. We will cover many techniques you will be using during the workshop and discuss the itinerary in detail.  After a quick dinner, we'll meet up with our Navajo Guide to photograph sunset and Milky Way.  We return to town around midnight.
  • Day 2:  It's a short night and we are up early to photograph sunrise in the Badlands.  A quick half-mile hike puts us in an area with some incredible formations and hoodoos. We just can't get enough of the otherwordly shapes and spires. We return for breakfast and then meet together for a post-processing session. We take a well-deserved afternoon break and then head out for our sunset shoot. Some stormy clouds have moved in and we capture some dramatic light and glow!
  • Day 3:  We are up early again for golden light in a new area of the badlands. There is so much to explore and photograph here! We do another post-processing and image critique session when we return to town. Mid-afternoon we venture out onto the Navajo reservation with our local guide. He takes us to some really unique rock formations!  After sunset, we all group together at our favorite formations to capture the brilliant Milky Way.
  • Day 4:  Based on the forecast, we decide to revisit one of our favorite areas of badlands for sunrise. Mother Nature is kind to us and we get a couple hours of soft light and perfect clouds.  We return to the hotel for an image critique and post-processing session.  After lunch and a mid-day rest break, we head out for our sunset shoot, if skies are clear, we will stay out for Milky Way.
  • Day 5: We wake up for our final sunrise at a location of the group's choosing. We return to town in time for breakfast and check out of our hotel. We reluctantly say goodbye to all the new friends we have made! The workshop will conclude by 11AM so you can plan your return travel after that.
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Bisti Badlands Photo Workshop Milky Way
Shiprock New Mexico Bisti Badlands Photo Workshop

Logistics

Please plan your travel so that you are in Farmington, NM no later than 1PM on on the first day of the workshop.  We will begin promptly with our orientation session and group meeting.

For those who are flying in, Durango, CO is the closest airport. It's a one hour drive from Farmington but the flight options are fairly limited. Albuquerque International Airport is a 3-hour drive from Farmington but has many more flights.

Transportation will be provided during the workshop for all participants. You are welcome to follow us in your own vehicle, but we recommend everyone ride together since we may be out late at night or going on some rough or muddy roads . Each participant will need to get to Farmington, NM on their own.

To simplify logistics, we have pre-paid for 4 nights of hotel lodging at the highly rated Comfort Suites in Farmington.  During checkout you will add your lodging package based on either single or double occupancy.  See the Pricing section for more details.

Our goal is to maximize your photography while you are here. This can mean short nights and not a lot of sleep. We will utilize the middle of the day for naps, rest breaks, and post-processing sessions.

This workshop is rated Difficult for activity level. No long hikes are planned but participants should be able to hike a cumulative 2-4 miles over relatively flat terrain each day to get to the shooting locations while carrying their photo gear.  The workshop will conclude by 11AM on the last day.  You can either head back home after that time or spend additional days in the area.

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Bisti Badlands Photo Workshop
Bisti Badlands Photo Workshop

Pricing

$2350/person + Tax

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Trip Includes:

  • 5-Day Photo Workshop with 2 Pro Instructors
  • 4x4 Ground Transportation
  • Local Navajo Guides
  • In-Field Photography Instruction
  • Night Photography and Lighting Setups
  • Post-processing and Image Critiques
  • Pre-Workshop Zoom Meeting
  • A 4-night lodging package at the Comfort Suites Farmington will be added to your booking. Cost is $275 for double or $550 for single occupancy.

 

Trip Does NOT Include:

  • Transportation to/from your home to Farmington, NM.
  • Meals and Beverages.
  • Photo Instructor and Navajo Guide Gratuities.

 

When you complete the checkout process, you will be given the option to either pay the full amount or put down a 50% deposit.  If you pay the deposit, the remaining amount will be charged 120-days prior to arrival to the credit card we have on file.

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Recommended Camera Gear

  • Sturdy tripod and ballhead
  • Digital SLR or Mirrorless Camera Body.
  • Wide angle lens in the 16-35mm range. For night photography, you need a wide angle lens that is f/2.8 or faster.
  • An ultra-wide lens like an 11-24mm or a fisheye will allow you to make very creative compositions.
  • Mid-range zoom lens in the range of 24-100mm.
  • Telephoto lenses are optional and there won't be much use for them.
  • Circular polarizer filters.
  • Backpack to carry your gear.
  • Extra batteries, memory cards, and cleaning supplies.
  • Remote cord for your camera.
  • Laptop if you wish to backup and work on your photos.

Personal Gear List

  • Sturdy hiking footwear, hiking socks, and long pants .
  • Warm jacket for cool mornings
  • Headlamp
  • Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Sun Hat.
  • Water bottle or hydration bladder.
  • Hiking poles if you like having them.
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Bisti Badlands Photo Workshop-2
How many of you use Back-Button Focus? In the latest episode from Images in Focus, Juan Pons and I discuss the advantages behind Back-Button Focus. I find it useful for so many types of photography, whether it be landscape, wildlife, portrait, or even storm chasing! Be sure to check out the episode here: https://youtu.be/hHYIR7Hz9i4 This shot was done as a stitched vertical pano at 170mm. The light spilling into the valley really made things come alive! I love using back-button focus for stitched panoramics. To get the the best results, you want to focus once and then take all frames at the same focus. Without back-button focus, I would have to auto-focus, move the lens to manual focus, take the shots, and then remember to put it back to auto-focus. Back-button focus makes this so much easier and removes all these extra steps!

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Ryan McGinty

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Ryan McGinty is a seasoned landscape photographer living in the Palouse area of southeastern Washington.  His first-hand experience in this unique agricultural area makes him the perfect instructor to lead people to out-of-the-way places for those once-in-a-lifetime rainbows, sunsets and sunrises in the beautiful rolling hills. He loves chasing the light and diligently checks weather apps to get the latest sun and rain predictions, cloud formations, wind and temperatures for the best locations and light.

His interest in photography started at an early age and continued in college with graduate work at Brooks Institute of Photography.  His experience in portrait, wedding, film, and medium and large format photography give him an extraordinary background for his award-winning landscape photography.

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Shane McDermott

Shane McDermott

Photography Instructor

Artist's Statement: Through all of my wanderings, photography has remained a constant, providing the creative link between my passion for adventure and the outdoors. I will never get enough of that “Wow!” feeling when I see a stunning image rendered on my camera’s LCD and helping guide others to that same experience is the bacon in the beans for me. I am excited to start working with Action Photo Tours. Everything about their instructors, locations, deep research, proficiency and stop-at-nothing vibe shows me that I have found the company where we can all grow and have countless “wow” moments together.

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Photography has been a transformative experience of Self-discovery more than it has been about great image-making. The interior landscapes of my Soul have been the primary territory of my exploration. From a place within, the landscapes and creatures of our great planet have provided amazing opportunities to learn about myself and my connection to the world.