White Sands National Park, Dec. 5-9, 2023 Photo Workshop - Canceled
With Rod Barbee
& Cliff Zenor
December 5-9, 2023
Alamogordo, NM
CANCELED Email to get on the list for our 2024 trip
Explore the Chihuahuan desert's graphic landscapes and intimate details among the 73,000 acres of rare gypsum sand dunes of White Sands National Park. December offers the low-angled light and desirable conditions that reveal the dunes environment's simple beauty. Soaptree Yuccas provide a sharp contrast to the smooth undulating dunes and make for a great anchor point in your compositions.
Days include morning and afternoon field trips with midday classroom sessions and image reviews. Expect to be in the park early enough to prepare for the pre-dawn glow and first light. Afternoon outings will last until the light fades over the dunes and the nearby San Andres mountains.
Be prepared for cold mornings (often near zero degrees Fahrenheit) that give way to warm light and glittering sands.
Our adventure will start in the late afternoon of the 5th at our hotel with a safety briefing by a park ranger. We'll then get an early start the next morning photographing the sunrise and the graphic patterns it reveals in the sands.
This workshop is limited to eight participants. With two instructors, this means more individual attention, a better chance to get to know your fellow participants and a smaller likelihood that someone will wander into your shots!
Pair this workshop with the above trip to Bosque del Apache NWR for a complete photographic adventure.
Pricing
$2290 ($2200 if paying both deposit and balance by check or money order)
The price includes personalized instruction, honest evaluation of your work, location expertise, and of course, ample teasing.
Prices do not include lodging, meals, transportation, park entrance fees or trip cancellation insurance (see below).
Visit the Sign Up Page for details on paying by check.
If you sign up for both White Sands and Bosque del Apache, receive a $400 total discount. Use the "Bosque and White Sands" sign up button on the Sign Up page.
Lodging
We'll be based in Alamogordo. A block of rooms will be reserved, most likely at the Holiday Inn.
The room rate is $122/night plus tax.
Upon signing up you'll be sent information on making your hotel reservations in our group block.
If you plan on arriving before the workshop or staying on afterwards for continued exploring, I highly recommend that you make your reservations early as this hotel usually fills quickly for this time of year.
The workshop begins on the evening of the 5th with a meet and greet and safety session and ends after the morning shoot on the 9th.
Getting There
The closest major airport is El Paso International Airport, which is approximately an hour and a half to Alamogordo.
If you are attending both the Bosque del Apache and White Sands workshops, you might consider flying into Albuquerque and flying out of El Paso.
Your instructors:
Cliff Zenor is a long-time photo workshop and tour leader who has led trips in the US, Canada, Africa, the Galapagos and more for companies such as Great American Photography Workshops (GAPW), Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Visionary Wild, and The Ansel Adams Gallery, either leading on his own or teaming with such notables as John Shaw, Jack Dykinga, David Middleton, and Bill Fortney.
His photos have been featured in magazines such as Outdoor Photographer, Horticulture, Fine Gardening and many more.
In the field, Cliff is one of the best teachers you can come across. He’s easy going, encouraging, enthusiastic and an all-around good guy.
Rod Barbee has been leading and co-leading photo workshops and tour nearly 18 years. Not quite as long as Cliff has. In fact, his first real job as a photo workshop leader was teaming up with Cliff for a GAPW workshop in Olympic National Park way back in 2001.
Since then he’s led or co-led trips in the US, Canada, and Iceland. Rod’s photos have been featured in Outdoor Photographer, Nature Photographer, Oregon Coast, and Northwest Travel magazines. He’s the co-author of The Photographer’s Guide to the Oregon Coast and the author of The Photographer’s Guide to Puget Sound and Northwest Washington.
Rod Barbee Photography is an Authorized Permittee of the National Park Service.
What's included
- Personalized instruction
- Honest evaluation of your work (workshops)
- Location expertise
- Ample teasing
Travel Insurance
We understand that sometimes folks need to make cancellations due to illness, family emergencies, etc.
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide refunds or credit for cancellations less than 90-days out from a trip. Nor will full refunds be issued in cases of Force Majeure (see cancellation policies).
We therefore highly recommend trip insurance that includes a "Cancel for any Reason" provision.
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