Death Valley & Eastern Sierra Photography Workshop 2025

Death Valley & Eastern Sierra Photography Workshop

Dates: February 24 – March 2, 2025

Tuition:  $2,795.00

Location: Death Valley NP, Lone Pine, CA

Instructor: Kurt Budliger & Joseph Rossbach

Overview:

The Eastern Sierra and Death Valley, a landscape of extremes. From the highest point in the lower 48 states, Mount Whitney to the lowest, driest and hottest place in North America, Badwater Basin, this workshop will visit some of North America’s most spectacular scenery from massive sand dunes, alien like playa’s, granite arches, multi-colored badlands and rugged mountain ranges reaching towards the heavens.

We will be traveling around both Death Valley National Park and the Alabama Hills with Kurt and Joseph there every step of the way with expert guidance in the best locations during the best light, helping you along your creative and technical journey toward making the images you’ve always dreamed of.

Our Vision & Focus:

Kurt and Joe will focus on learning to “see” the landscape in new ways; unlocking creativity in situations that require conceptual and compositional ingenuity.  In addition to composition and creative vision, we will discuss the best use of light and subject matter to create a memorable and publishable image.

During post processing sessions they will focus on teaching a logical, effective workflow that ensures the highest quality for your work, as well an image archive that is stable, consistent, and retrievable over the long term, and that ultimately liberates rather than burdens.  He will cover step by step the process from shooting RAW files in the field to optimizing the final image in Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Meet and greet and orientation beginning at 2pm at Stovepipe Wells Resort, Death Valley N.P. Afternoon/sunset shoot in the park

Day 2: Sunrise/morning shoot (approximately 3-4 hours field session),  sunset field session (approximately 3 hours in the field).

Day 3: Sunrise/morning shoot (approximately 3-4 hours field session), sunset field session (approximately 3 hours in the field)

Day 5: Sunrise/morning shoot (approximately 3-4 hours field session), sunset field session (approximately 3 hours in the field)

Day 5: Sunrise/morning shoot (approximately 2 hours). Check out of hotel and commute to Lone Pine, CA (approx 2 hr drive). Check into hotel. Afternoon/sunset shoot.

Day 6: Sunrise/morning shoot (approximately 3-4 hours), sunset field session, workshop concludes after sunset with farewell dinner.

Day 7: Sunrise/morning shoot (approximately 3-4 hours), workshop concludes after  morning field session.

Physical Difficulty:

There will be no strenuous hiking involved during the workshop and most locations will be close to the road.  Some locations, however may involve a short hike of approximately a mile each way with no serious elevation gains.  However, we will be walking in sand dunes which is more strenuous due to lack of firm ground.  Participants should be able to carry all their camera equipment comfortably for 3-4 miles. We will be spending a lot of time outdoors shooting in late winter conditions.  Daytime temperatures in the desert during winter can vary quite widely.  It’s imperative that participants be prepared for outdoor winter recreation, lots of warm layers, hats, mittens, good outerwear and warm boots are a must.  A modest level of health and fitness will greatly enhance your experience.