Fun in the Southwest 2026
Sedona, Monument Valley, Moab, Arches National Park,
Hunts Mesa, the Grand Canyon & Milky Way nights
The Stunning Southwest!!
In May of 2026, I will be doing a very special workshop to some of the most scenic and iconic locations of the Southwest. I wanted to have a workshop that included some of the best spots to photograph in Arizona, Utah and the Four Corners region. I have worked hard on trying to create an itinerary that included the least amount of travel but afford the most amount of photo opportunities. The new Navajo permit fees are incredibly high but I still want to do this workshop as I love taking people to the Southwest.
We will start off first in Sedona, where I live and after shooting the Milky way, leave the next morning for Moab and Arches, capturing some of the most iconic locations in that region, day and night. Next will be beautiful Monument Valley with some beautiful shoots planned with my Navajo Guide. Then, we will have an overnight on the last night in Hunts Mesa and stay in tents which is one fun time and have the worlds best campfire dinner! We will leave the next morning for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for our final shoot before returning to Sedona for dinner with everyone and our last night in the hotel. This will be one super fun time!
Dates: May 16th - 23rd, 2026
Group Size: 6-8 people
single room fee $ 585
7 days • 7 nights
$3,850 + $375 Navajo permit fee
The beauty of the Southwest, sunrise and sunset & Night sky funtime!
Sedona & Moab
We will start off first in Sedona, where I live and after a meet and greet at my home we will have dinner together and then go out and shoot the Milky way over the red rocks of this gorgeous town. Then the next morning, we will carpool with walkee talkees & head up to the town of Moab, Utah where we will be capturing the mystique and beauty of this unique city and explore Arches National Park.
We will shoot some great locations inside the park and also hike up to spectacular Delicate Arch to shoot it at sunset and then wait till after dark and capture it with my light panels uplighting the arch and shoot the arch with the Milky Way above. A rare shot that is not done very often as it is definitely a lot of work! We will also do an incredible hike up to Corona Arch, one of my favorite hikes anywhere and capture some one of a kind special shots of this amazing arch after dark.
Moab and Arches are two stunning locations in the Southwest and we will have a blast for a couple of days and also eat in some great places as I love the food in Moab!
Monument Valley
After shooting in Moab, we will head off to the one and only Monument Valley to capture some of the best that this unique place has to offer. Our hotel is Gouldings Lodge, which has stunning views of Monument Valley and my favorite hotel there.
On our first day, we will capture the iconic long straight highway used in the movie Forrest Gump and shoot the world renowned Mittens of Monument Valley at sunset. The next morning for sunrise, we will photograph the rippling orange sand dunes of Totem Pole & Y’ei Bi Chei and go back after dark to shoot a very, very unque shot of the Milky way over Totem Pole with our Navajo guide.
Iconic Hunts Mesa
After lunch on the 21st, we will depart by 4 x4 jeeps for an incredible 4 wheel drive journey to the amazing vistas of Hunts Mesa. We will camp out under the stars and have a home cooked barbecue over a fire prepared for us by our guide and sleep in tents by our campfire.
Shooting over the amazing landscape of Monument Valley from Hunts Mesa is very rare and this journey should be very special for everyone! We will be shooting at sunset which is just stunning but also, we will shoot again at sunrise, as both shoots are equally impressive. We just have to hope for good light & good weather!
In this workshop we will cover:
• How to scout out the best light & compositions
• Capturing the landscape in different ways, daytime & after dark
• Learning how to lightpaint with different lights & techniques
• Finding great locations for your images
• How to shoot panoramas, HDR and multiple exposures
• Understanding Photo Pills in the field and the classroom
• Stacking exposures for better night sky images
• Hopefully time for Photoshop techniques in the meeting room
• Mastering your camera gear
• How to improve your travel photography
• Shooting the night sky with and without light painting
•Understanding and using PhotoPills for planning shoots
Logistics
Workshop Time
The workshop begins at 4:00 pm on Saturday, May 16th, 2026 and ends on Saturday, May 23rd, 2026 mid morning. This will allow people ample time to return home.
Getting There
Sedona is located about 2 hours north of Phoenix with the nearest airport being Phoenix Sky Harbor and is an easy drive to the town of Sedona. There are many car rental places at Sky Harbor Airport to rent a car for the drive to the hotel in Sedona with plenty of discounts online, too. You can also share a rental car with someone else from the workshop and we can work with everyone on this too.
We will be carpooling for this road trip so we will need a few people to drive SUV's during the workshop and I will ask people who might want to be one of the drivers.
Skill Level / Fitness Level
Skill Level
Basic understanding of your camera operations including using f/stops and shutter speed is needed for this workshop. This workshop is for the intermediate to advanced photographer wanting to master sunrise & sunset light, night photography and composition and camera technique.
Fitness Requirements
Outdoor photography workshops require a moderate level of fitness for many aspects of these kind of adventures. There is hiking on uneven terrain some places while also carrying your camera backpack much of the time. We will also stress safety in all locations and pay attention to any adverse weather or other conditions that can arise. Please make sure that you are physically fit and comfortable in this kind of environment including the ability sleep in sleeping bags and a tent outdoors.
Baggage Requirements
Baggage Requirements
Since space is limited in our vehicles and especially our 4X4 jeeps, carry-on size luggage is essential for everyone as larger luggage will not work well for this particular workshop. You will be responsible for bringing the right size luggage or you will have to leave gear and clothes behind in Sedona.
Cost:
The cost for the workshop is $3,850 per person plus $375 for the new Navajo Permit fee which is so high!! This permit fee is brand new and upsetting to everyone including many of the Navajo guides. The workshop includes lodging at the La Quinta In & Suites in Moab, Utah and lodging at Gouldings Resort in Monument Valley. Breakfast is included in Moab. I am taking less people than previous workshops so that has also added to the cost.
The workshop also includes the fees for the Navajo Guide which will be for most of the locations in Monument Valley including the 4X4 Jeeps to Hunts Mesa and the overnight camping including all of the tents, sleeping bags, cots and our yummy bar•b•que dinner by the fire at night and a great breakfast on the final morning. It is very expensive for this one of a kind trip to Hunts Mesa but will be one to remember! The workshop also includes all of the photo instruction daily and a Photoshop class showing some good techniques for our photos in either the La Quinta or at Gouldings Resort one afternoon.
Items not included are: Lodging in Sedona the first night/last night, Navajo permit fee & breakfast in Monument Valley and the Single Room Supplement which is $585 if you want your own room.
We will carpool throughout the workshop and share the gas, eat as a group at many great restaurants, and shoot tons of super cool photos in many super cool stunning locations!
We will pick the carpools on the first day but if you want to be one of the drivers, please let me know. Please email me below if you want to save a space for this workshop. I cannot say enough about how photogenic this itinerary is as the Southwest is one special place for photography.
To see more of my images from past trips, click on this link, for images from the Stunning Southwest on my website.
THE SOUTHWEST IS AWESOME!!