• Utah Badlands Photo Tour
Destination:
SOUTHEAST UTAH
In-Field Experience:
Wilderness
Group Size:
2 Guests
Travel Dates:
March 2024

Explore wild Southeast Utah with its unique landscape with rich variations of captivating badlands, majestic buttes, elegant arches, sky-scraping spires, meandering slot canyons and fantasy inspiring rock formations.

Highlights

Photograph Southeast Utah's uniqueness
5-day camping adventure
Explore low light conditions at its best
Photograph the Milky Way core
Aerial photography
Badlands, buttes, hoodoos, canyons, spires and more

This workshop is now SOLD OUT! If you would like to join the waiting list for places that become available, or if you would like to be informed of future workshop experiences, please let us know here.

Wild Southeast Utah

The Colorado Plateau is largely made up of high desert, with scattered areas of forests. Domes, hoodoos, fins, reefs, goblins, river narrows, natural bridges, slot canyons, badlands, washes are some of the features typical of this area. 

It is home of the highest concentration of U.S. National Parks in the country. Among 10 National Parks are Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, Mesa Verde, and Petrified Forest. Among its 17 National Monuments are Bears Ears, Dinosaur, Hovenweep, Wupatki, Sunset Crater Volcano, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Natural Bridges, Canyons of the Ancients, Chaco Culture National Historical Park and the Colorado National Monument. Sum to this impressive amount of parks the uncountable State Parks.

The southeast Utah is like a little microcosmos of the Colorado Plateau as it has a 'little bit' of all the different features encountered throughout the immensity of the entire Colorado Plateau. With little driving you have it all like at the palm of your hand.

In the 5 days of this photo tour we will have a huge variety of exposure to photograph the diversity of the Colorado Plateau with minimal daily driving. to enhance this experience we will camp each night at the locations of our photographic activity which will allow you to be at the right places at the right time to take low light (dusk and dawn) images and night photographs of a landscape that is one of the most beautiful on our planet.

Learn & Photograph with Passion

Work in different lighting and with short/long exposure and aperture.
Learn about night photography techniques in the beautifully desolate surroundings of southeast Utah.
How to handle equipment with care on location.
Assistance with camera settings, the basics of composition, guide and help in general.
Hands-on lessons that can help to take your photography skills to the next level.
Review and constructive criticism/feedback of the images taken during the day.

Itinerary

The exact itinerary will be kept flexible to account for the weather and current conditions. The itinerary below is just an example of what you can expect.

1st Day - We will drive from Farmington, NM to Kayenta, AZ. Our Navajo guide will take us up to Hunt's Mesa. The entirety of Monument Valley with its spires and buttes will lay in front of us for sunset and night photography.

2nd Day - The first morning light will give us plenty of opportunities to shoot some different images at the same place as the previous evening, just with a different quality of light which allows for new compositions not seen in the evening.

After a hearty "cowboy breakfast" we head back onto the road and towards Hanksville, UT to search for some interesting compositions in barren badlands.

3rd Day - With the first light on the landscape we will further explore this special valley with its geologic wonders. As next destination we will drive up Boulder Mountain in search of a creek with a three sectioned waterfall meandering through a tight canyon to finally end the day overviewing a large and unique sand stone bowl. 

4th Day - Our morning starts quite early as we will hike back to the sand stone bowl to catch the first day light giving some soft hues to the sand dune in the bowl and providing a colorful sky.

We return now to Hanksville to find some weirdly shaped sand stone which will stimulate our fantasy to find gargoyles, trolls, goblins, various animals. This will be a true paradise in infinite composition possibilities with the low light of at the end of the day and later in the night with the Milky Way on the sky.

5th Day - We will exercise our imagination in the morning again to create some new compositions in the never ending sand stone rock formations and the imposing Henry Mountains in the background. With some luck we might even have some snow at the peak to contrast with the red sand stones in the foreground.

We wake up early at the badlands overlook we visited already once to have a variety in light, clouds and hopefully some first snow on top of the Henry Mountains. The photo tour concludes after our morning shooting session. We will indulge in some warm breakfast in Hanksville to give our tour a comfortable closing.

Travel Facts

Facts

Utah Badlands & Red Rock 2023
March 2024
5 Days
Number of guests: 2

Included
Local transport
Camping gear including tent, stove, appliances, refrigerator, warm shower
All permits

Not included
Travel to and from the workshop destination
Meals and Beverages
Sleeping bag, mattress and pillow
Travel insurance

Ask Us
Do you have any questions about the Utah Badlands & Red Rocks or would you like to go on a private customized tour?

Price

US$2,500

Alumni to previous photo tour or workshop receive a 5% discount on the base price.

All prices are per person.

To secure your reservation a deposit of $ 500 per person is required. Refunds are handled according to the Terms & Conditions. The remaining money is due 90 days prior to the trip.

We recommend an independent travel insurance. Knowing you have 100% trip cancellation coverage can make a big difference should you have to cancel for some unforeseen reason.

Overview

GETTING THERE

We will start and end our adventure in Hanksville, UT. If you are flying in, we can pick you up a day prior of the beginning of the photo tour at the airport in Durango, CO, and drop up you off at the airport at the end of the tour. There will be a surcharge of $200 for picking you up at the Durango – La Plata County Airport, and drop you off at the airport at the end of the tour. All other participants will have to make their own arrangements (own car or rental car) to meet us in Hanksville, UT. During the photo tour we will use exclusively our highly customized Jeep and off-road trailer to ensure  getting through all the off-road sections of the tour.

BASIS AND RATES

All prices are quoted in US Dollars (US$). The prices are based on current tariffs and are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. While Peter Boehringer Photography will do everything possible to maintain the listed prices, if it is necessary to levy a surcharge, Peter Boehringer Photography reserves the right to do so, and notification will be given at the time of final invoicing.

PAYMENTS

A deposit is required at the time of booking. The invoice for the balance of payment will be issued 180 days prior to departure of international tours and 90 days for tours in the U.S.A., where after final payment is due. For reservations made within 180 days (international tours) or 90 days (tours within the U.S.A.) of the departure date, full payment is required when the reservation is accepted. In order to participate on a photography tour or workshop the participant must have made full payment prior to the start of the photography tour or workshop.

CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS

All cancellation notices must be received in writing and will become effective on the date, which the letter or email is received by Peter Boehringer Photography. There is no cancellation charge until 180 days (international tours) and 90 days (tours within the U.S.A.) before departure with exception of transaction fees (5.8% + $0.6 + international exchange fees, if applicable). Cancellation charges less than 180 days (international tours) or 90 days (tours within the U.S.A.) before departure are expressed as a percentage of the total price, and are as follows: 179 – 91 days, for international tours, and 89 – 31 days, for tours within the U.S.A., before departure 50%, and 90 days for international tours and 30 days for tour within the U.S.A. or less before departure 100%. Leaving a photography tour or workshop in progress, for any reason whatsoever, will not result in a refund, and no refunds will be made for any unused portions of a photography tour or workshop. Peter Boehringer Photography reserves the right to cancel a photography tour or workshop because of inadequate enrollment that makes the trip economically infeasible to operate, or because of good-faith concerns with respect to the safety, health, or welfare of the participants. If a photography tour or workshop is cancelled prior to departure, you will have a choice between a full refund minus transaction fees (5.8% + $0.6 + international exchange fees, if applicable) or a credit towards a future photography tour or workshop equivalent to amount paid. If Peter Boehringer Photography cancels the trip in progress, you will receive a pro-rata refund based on the number of days. Peter Boehringer Photography is not responsible for any refund for airline tickets, hotel accommodation, etc. purchased by the participant.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

In order to participate in a photography tour or workshop you are required to have comprehensive insurance coverage for personal accident and injury, medical and repatriation costs during the photography tour or workshop. In addition Peter Boehringer Photography strongly recommends that you arrange cancellation and travel insurance covering the loss, expenses and damages arising from, including but not limited to, cancellation of the photography tour or workshop (whether in whole or in part), loss of baggage and personal money and belongings, as well as flight cancellations and delays.

HEALTH REQUIREMENTS

You must be in good physical and mental health. Any physical condition or treatment requiring special attention must be reported in writing at the time of booking and again when signing Peter Boehringer Photography’s waiver of liability. By registering for a photography tour or workshop, the participant certifies that he/she does not have any mental, physical, or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/herself or other participants. Peter Boehringer Photography reserves the right in its sole discretion to accept, decline to accept, or remove any participant of a photography tour or workshop, without penalty, to make changes in the published itinerary whenever, in our judgment, conditions warrant or if I Peter Boehringer Photography deems it necessary for the comfort, convenience, or safety of the participants.

SPECIAL REQUESTS

If you have special requests, e.g. dietary, cabin number, bedding type, airline seat or other requests, you should inform Peter Boehringer Photography of these at the time of booking. Peter Boehringer Photography cannot guarantee that such requests will be met, and will have no liability to you if such requests are not met.

RESPONSIBILITY 

Peter Boehringer Photography shall not be held liable for (a) any damage to, or loss of, property or injury to, or death of, persons occasioned directly or indirectly by an act or omission of any other provider, including but not limited to any defect in any aircraft, watercraft, or vehicle operated or provided by Peter Boehringer Photography; and (b) any loss or damage due to delay, cancellation or disruption in any manner caused by the laws, regulations, acts or failures to act, demands, orders, or interpositions of any government or any subdivision or agent thereof, or by acts of God, strikes, fire, flood, war, rebellion, terrorism, insurrection, sickness, quarantine, epidemics, theft, or any other cause(s) beyond our control. The participant waives any claim against Peter Boehringer Photography for any such loss, damage, injury, or death.
Peter Boehringer Photography shall not be liable for any air carrier’s cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a non-refundable ticket to or from the participant’s Peter Boehringer Photography’s photography tour or workshop departure city. It is the sole responsibility of the participants to organize their own transportation to and from the meeting point as described in the photography tour or workshop itinerary, e.g. airport, hotel, and to ensure timely arrival. The participant should not book flights and/or hotel accommodation until Peter Boehringer Photography has issued final confirmation for the photography tour or workshop. In the event of late arrival it is the responsibility of the participant to join the photography tour or workshop, and to carry all associated expenses. Peter Boehringer Photography is not liable if the participant misses any portion of, or the entire photography tour or workshop as a result of the delay. Baggage and personal effects are at all times the responsibility of the participant.

OTHER

Other terms and conditions may apply to some photography tours or workshops, and details will always be provided with pre-trip mailings. By making the deposit payment, the participant agrees to the terms and conditions and the responsibility statements herein on behalf of all the individuals included in the booking.

MEALS

We will be out in the wilderness for six days. I always plan for breakfast and dinner. Lunch is usually informal with occasional fresh or dried fruits, nuts, energy bars, chips, and alike. You will have to plan a little bit in advance and you will have several opportunities to refresh goods along the trip.

I recommend for breakfast and dinner frozen and dried meal as this safes me time and it is easily fixed. It does actually taste quite well out in the wilderness.

Here are two links for you to explore, in case you are interested in such simple solution: 

There is always enough drinking water in the trailer’s water container for cooking and to keep you hydrated.

CAMPING EQUIPMENT

The road trailer attached to the Jeep Wrangler has a stove with two flames. Cooking and eating utensils are part of the kitchen equipment. The trailer has also a fridge to store a small amount of fresh produce and keep some drinking cold.

There are lights all over (in and outside) the Jeep and the trailer and yet it comes handy to have flash lights, or even better, headlamps for the night.

The trailer has also a warm shower, a toilet and a privacy shelter. Don’t forget to bring toilet paper, soap, shampoo and a towel.

Tent can be provided if requested. You will have to bring your own sleeping bag, pillow and mattress.

TRAVEL SAFETY

I will be carrying an inReach device with me during the entire photographic tour for  everybody’s safety. The inReach is a handy satellite operated device which has virtually 100% coverage capabilities regardless of where we are located in the wilderness. This ensures that I can dispatch a SOS signal for an emergency evacuation. The dispatch is free, but all the costs related to the rescue will be your responsibility and that is why a comprehensive insurance is imperative and mandatory.

WEATHER

The summers in the Four Corners area are hot and mostly clear while the winters are very cold and partly cloudy, and it is dry year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 30°F to 97° F and is rarely below 22° F or above 103°F.

Typical temperatures to be expected during this photography tour: Min 50°F , Max 80°F. The expected average relative humidity is 30%, while the average rainfall in September is 0.51 inches. The rain falls for 6.5 days.

DISCLAIMER

Peter Boehringer is a physician by trade and he takes people along with him on his trips because he enjoys the company and the opportunity to help people get to know and photograph the Southwest. His goal is to have a pleasant, safe trip with artistic value photography as a result. We share gear, ideas, and experiences. We will not be going anyplace on public lands that are not generally open to the public. No photographs you take on public lands may be used to promote the sale or use of a product or service. We will not do any "commercial filming" as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations.

***

Digital photography, social media and modern travel patterns changed nature & landscape photography radically. The amount of people visiting the wilderness increased over the last two decades exponentially. Nature is coping poorly with the increased human presence. It is time that we all, who value nature and photography, question our behavior out there and prioritize the well-being of nature over photography. As such I support the entities Leave no Traces, Nature First, Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Leave no Traces Nature First
Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance