Photo Workshop - Фотосафари

Tour Highlights: 

• Flowing lines of Wave
• White sand dunes
• Antelope Canyons and Arches
• Radio telescopes of “Odyssey 2001” and “Contact”
• Monument Valley from the bird’s eye

• Stories by the campfire with Navajo people
• Badlands and naked rocks
• Splendor of Autumn San Juan forest
• Hundreds of hot air balloons in the bright autumn sky of Albuquerque

Hunts Mesa, Monument Valley

Hunts Mesa is a sacred place for Navajo nation. It is hidden from eyes of a casual tourist, and can be reached only in a company of Navajo guides. 

It is almost impossible to describe what one experiences at Hunts Mesa. Like a bird, you are soaring above Monument Valley, your eye registers peculiar formations scattered over vast plains disappearing in morning glow. Truly, picture of this place will worth a hundred words - brilliant picture that you will be able to take while there. And don’t forget to bring your panorama heads!

Antelope Canyons

Antelope canyon is most visited and most photographed slot canyon of American South West. It is located in Navajo Land and consists of two parts: Lower and Upper Antelope.  Navajo call Upper Antelope “Place where water runs through rocks”, and Lower Antelope – “Arches of Spiral Rock”. Amazing shape and texture of inner walls of the canyons create unique color effects, most inspiring in reflected light. 

San Juan Mountains, Colorado

San Juan mountain forest can be rightfully called one of the most beautiful, most photogenic mountain areas in the world. Early fall season paints the forest with all shades of yellow, orange, and red, gradually climbing up to the snow-covered mountain peaks… Playful September weather may bring us amazing light conditions with stormy clouds and rainbows.

Hoodoos

Hoodoos is a set of unique geological formations located in Grand Escalante National Monument.  Rocks of all shapes and sizes balance on white columns, resembling giant mushrooms or, perhaps, pilgrims draped in dusty cloaks. Towers of Silence face east greeting rising sun, and Rimrocks Hoodoos look best in the afternoon light. It is challenging and at the same time interesting to find your own angle here, or to focus on textures of fragile nature of hoodoos.

Canyonlands

Two powerful rivers –Green River and Colorado River - carved the body of the Canyon land, and now towering peaks guard this extraterrestrial landscape calling out controversial emotions in hearts of their witnesses. We will stop at Green River overlook to capture natural beauty of this stormy land.

Arches National Park

It would be a challenge to visit all arches in this park during one trip! There are over 2000 of them, and every one is unique in its own way. For the purpose of our tour we picked several most impressive ones. Delicate Arch, the icon of Utah, will look its best at the sunset, and Northern Windows or Double Arch will pose for us in the morning. We will also have a chance to walk park’s trails, look around and find something special just for you – to photograph or to simply enjoy.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

This is the biggest and most photographed balloon festival in the world!  Over 700 hot air balloons gather here ever year, filling September sky of Albuquerque with crazy kaleidoscope of colors. We will spend one and a half days at the festival, shooting balloon launch at the sunrise and Glow at the sunset. Your happy colorful photographs will carry the atmosphere of celebration and cheer, keeping memories of your extraordinary experience live.

Day 1 (Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009)

We begin our tour Saturday morning meeting in Albuquerque and heading to Alamogordo.

Our first photo session of this trip will be at sunset in White Sands National Park

Day 2 (Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009)

We leave our hotel before the sunrise to go to the White Sands Park again, but this time we will watch first launch of Hot Air Balloon Fiesta! Morning light will make bright balloons look stunning over pearly white sand dunes. After breakfast we head out to Socorro, where we get ready to shoot radio telescopes.

Day 3 (Monday, Sept. 21, 2009)

Sunrise session is at radio telescopes, capturing the contrast of geometry and stillness of these human creations with elements of nature. Petrified Forest will be our evening location on the way to our hotel near Grand Canyon.

Day 4 (Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009)

Five lucky members of our group will depart to Wave, Vermillion Cliffs, this morning. And the rest of us will go to Yaki Point at Grand Canyon for the sunrise. After good breakfast we leave for Page, AZ, where we will spend 3 nights. Sunset session will be at Stud Horse Point. “Wave” group returns to the hotel after sunset.

Day 5 (Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009)

Sunrise session will be at Horseshoe Bend of Colorado River. During a day we will visit Upper Antelope Canyon and shoot sunset at Rimrocks Hoodoos.

Day 6 (Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009)

Waheep Hoodoos will be our morning destination today. After breakfast and short rest in the hotel we will go to Lower Antelope Canyon, followed by Nipple Bench, and Alstrom Point for the sunrise shooting.

Day 7 (Friday, Sept. 25, 2009)

We start our day on 17-mile Road on the way to Monument Valley. Our Navajo guides will meet us around noon and take to Hunts Mesa, where we’ll set up our camp and shoot sunset over Monument Valley. Dinner and bedtime stories by the campfire.

Day 8 (Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009)

Monument Valley lies in front of us lit by the morning sun. We photograph sunrise here, have breakfast and start our way back. Our next stop is Moab, UT where we will spend 3 nights.

Day 9 (Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009)

Today we photograph the Arches – North Window, Double Arch, Delicate Arch, and many more!

Dinner and rest at the hotel.

Day 10 (Monday, Sept. 28, 2009)

Mesa Arch in Canyonlands will be our morning location today. After lunch we will visit hidden False Kiva where we shoot breathtaking panoramic view of Canyonlands. Green River overlook is going to be our sunset point.

Day 11 (Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009)

We leave Moab before the sunrise and go to Dead Horse Point. By afternoon we will reach Mesa Verde National Park to see and photograph ruins of Pueblo Indians settlement.

Day 12 (Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009)

September in San Juan National Forest is most beautiful time of the year. We will spend all day here capturing colors, shapes and atmosphere of this magical place.

Day 13 (Thursday, Oct. 01, 2009)

Sunrise in San Juan Forest. Next we visit Telluride - a gem among authentic small towns of American Wild West; and at the end of the day we will follow fading day light by Last Dollar Road…

Day 14 (Friday, Oct. 02, 2009)

Dallas Divide is going to be our sunrise point today, and after breakfast we will head towards Albuquerque, visiting Beasty Badlands on the way.

Day 15 (Saturday, Oct. 03, 2009)

Standing at the festival grounds before the sunrise will give us a chance to capture first rays of sun lighting up giant hot air balloons … We will be there to watch balloons launch and perform their air dance over the crowd, or get in the basket and fly with them! Great opportunity for panoramic photo as well as colorful abstractions! In the twilight we’ll witness The Glow – a breathtaking show of light and shadows.

Day 16 (Saturday, Oct. 04, 2009)

Last sunrise of the tour will be at the festival grounds again – one more opportunity to capture your best picture! After that we will have our “farewell” breakfast in Albuquerque before departing home.