Death Valley & Beyond

Nov 5-10, 2025 - 6 Days

Experience the rugged beauty of Death Valley National Park as you stand atop soaring vistas, trek through pristine sand dunes, photograph towering canyon walls, and gaze upon otherworldly colors and textures! Even better, we'll get off the beaten path and photograph some remote locations like the Racetrack! During this 6-day workshop you'll learn many new photography skills from wide-angle close-ups to long lens techniques. Post-processing instruction is included to help you make the most of your images! We aren't planning much hiking on this workshop, but to photograph the dunes you will need to walk around 2 miles in the sand with your camera gear in tow. The workshop includes all transportation to/from Las Vegas along with lodging. Supercharge your adventure by adding our Eastern Sierras Fall Workshop Oct 30-Nov 4, 2025.

Tuition

$2895
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Max Group Size

2 Instructors
Max 8 Students

Instructor(s)

Ryan McGinty
Josh Miller

Physical Intensity

Highlights

Photograph a variety of landscapes across Death Valley with sand dunes, salt pans, huge views, towering canyons, mud cracks, and much more!
Contemplate the mystical moving rocks at the Racetrack Playa.
Transportation is provided to/from Las Vegas. No need to rent a car!
Take your photos to the next level with in-field instruction and digital darkroom training by pro photographers.
Itinerary is flexible to chase the best weather conditions.
Expect a good assortment of classic locations and off-the-beaten path spots!
Supercharge your trip with our Eastern Sierras Fall Workshop!

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Itinerary

The exact itinerary will be kept flexible to account for the weather and current conditions in the park. We will optimize our time for the best possible photography. The itinerary below is just an example of what you can expect.

Day 1: Meet at 9AM for pickup in Las Vegas. We'll drive over to Death Valley, check into our hotel, and head out for our first sunset shoot in the sand dunes after a short orientation session.
Day 2: With nice clouds in the sky, we wake up early to photograph the salt polygons at Badwater. We venture further afield to colorful badlands and slot canyons. In the afternoon we photograph old cars, waterfalls, joshua trees, ghost towns, and finish at sunset with Badwater Basin stretched out below us. We decide to stay a couple hours after sunset to do some night photography!
Day 3: We drive out to some remote sand dunes for sunrise, capturing the ripples, curves, and textures of the dunes. We return to the hotel for lunch. Late afternoon we reconvene for an intensive post-processing session and then photograph a nearby location for sunset.
Day 4: It's another early morning departure for a sunrise shoot. With dramatic clouds, we opt for a high sweeping view and then photograph some crazy mud cracks. We return for lunch and an afternoon post-processing session. We decide on our sunset location based on the weather and then decide to stay out late again for night photography!
Day 5: Some clouds rolled in overnight and we get an absolutely a brilliant sunrise over the sand dunes as we find ripples, curves, and leading lines to amplify our compositions! Right after breakfast, we start the long drive to the Racetrack - the home of the moving rocks! We stop en route at the massive Ubehebe Crater. Once at the Racetrack, we explore various areas and stay out after sunset to photograph the blue hour. It's a very late night arrival back at the hotel.
Day 6: Due to the late night arrival, we catch up on some much needed sleep. We meet that morning for a quick image critique before loading up and heading back to Las Vegas, arriving at the airport around noon.

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Logistics

Please arrive at in Las Vegas prior to 9AM on Nov 5th for pickup at the Las Vegas Airport or an airport hotel. Transportation is provided to/from Las Vegas so there is no need to rent a car. We will return to Vegas around noon on Nov 10th. If you are adding our Eastern Sierras Fall Workshop, we recommend booking a room at Stovepipe Wells Hotel for Nov 4th if you don't want to return to Vegas.

Lodging is in short supply so five nights of hotel lodging have been pre-paid for our group. We will be staying in Stovepipe Wells in Deluxe Rooms (much nicer than the standard rooms). During checkout you will add your lodging package based on either single or double occupancy. See the Pricing section for more details.

Everyone on this trip should be in reasonably good physical condition. We aren't planning any long hikes on this trip but you should be comfortable walking 2-3 miles per day while carrying your photo gear. The sand dunes are the most physically taxing and we may be walking a couple miles in the sand.

Expect high temps in the 50's-70's and lows in the 20's-30's. Be sure to bring warm layers, a rain jacket, and a cover for your backpack. Please see the gear list further down.

We'll set aside time for post-processing and image critique throughout the workshop. There is no need for you to bring a laptop unless you want to download and or edit your images. All levels of photographers are welcome on this workshop and we'll tailor the instruction to the unique needs of the group.

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Death Valley Photo Workshop Badwater Flooded

Pricing

$2895/person + Tax

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Trip Includes:

6 Day Intensive Photo Workshop with max 8 participants and 2 pros.
All ground transportation to/from Las Vegas.
Photography guiding and instruction throughout the trip.
Post-processing and image critique sessions.
Park Entrance Fees and Permits.
Pre-Workshop Zoom Meeting.
5-night lodging with deluxe rooms at Stovepipe Wells will be added to your booking at checkout. Cost is $650 or $1300 for double or single occupancy respectively.

Trip Does NOT Include:

Transportation to/from your home to Las Vegas.
Meals, beverages, and snacks.
Instructor 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, you will be sent a payment link for the remaining amount due approx. 120 days before the workshop. Please see our Terms and Conditions.

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Recommended Camera Gear

Sturdy tripod and ballhead
Digital SLR or Mirrorless Camera Body.
Wide angle lens in the 14-30mm range. For night photography, you will need a lens that is at least f/2.8 or faster.
Mid-range zoom lens in the range of 24-100mm.
Long telephoto lenss for landscape compression and wildlife encounters. We recommend something in the 100-400mm range.
Circular polarizer filters for your lenses. If you like shooting with grads, bring them along.
Extra batteries, memory cards, and cleaning supplies.
Remote cord for your camera.
Cover for your camera/lens to protect against high winds.
Laptop if you wish to backup your photos or edit during the workshop.

Personal Gear List

Sturdy hiking footwear, hiking socks, and hiking pants.
A rain jacket and several warm layers.
Headlamp
Sunscreen, Sunglasses, Sun Hat, Warm Hat, and Gloves
Water bottle or hydration bladder.
Hiking poles if you like having them.

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Death Valley Mud Cracks Photo Workshop Photography

Badwater Salt Polygons Death Valley Photo Workshop

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Ryan McGinty

Photography Instructor

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.

His passion for the Palouse is only exceeded by his passion for photography and his desire to show people his favorite places. He takes a legitimate interest in his clients and strives hard to ensure they get the best shots. His photographs have been published in books, calendars and travel guides.

Josh Miller

Photography Instructor

Josh has been a professional photographer and educator for more than
twenty years. His work has been published by National Geographic, Sierra Club, Audubon, Microsoft, The Wall Street Journal, and Outside Magazine. Josh is also passionate about the environment and shares his photographs and knowledge with conservation projects whenever possible.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Josh developed a passion for “the high country” and “bad” weather. He became interested in photography while working at Denali National Park for a summer job during college, and after graduation he moved to the mountains of northern California to spend as much time as possible climbing, skiing, and photographing in the Sierra. In addition to being a professional photographer, Josh is a California
credentialed art and science teacher. Josh and his wife spent seventeen years running an environmentally focused high school academy in Northern California where they were both honored as teachers of the year. Josh also loves to travel, and after the Covid pandemic, he and his wife spent nearly two years abroad traveling and photographing the world with their two young boys.

During workshops, Josh loves sharing his passions for the environment and travel, and his expertise as both an educator and photographer helps students improve their technical skills and feel comfortable pushing their creative boundaries.