2-night buy-in
$700
Reserve your place in the workshop for 2 nights while keeping weather risk lower.
4-Night AdventureStarts at: $700
February 12–15, 2027 · Death Valley National Park
Death Valley Winter + Summer Milky Way
A 4-night Death Valley adventure with a 2-night buy-in and optional add-on nights.
Why this workshop exists
An opportunity to capture Milky Way panoramas from the East and the West all while not overheating your car.
February keeps us away from the brutal heat, gives us a chance at flowers or unusual surface conditions if moisture cooperates, and puts the Milky Way in the early morning so sunrise can become part of the adventure.
Death Valley can look empty at first, then the place starts revealing itself: salt polygons, dune ridges, cracked mud, distant mountains, and foregrounds that only work when subtle conditions line up.
Photographers who want desert textures, winter and summer Milky Way panoramas, and the opportunity to explore Death Valley before the heat is back should join us in February.
America's 250th Celebration Sale
Death Valley Winter + Summer Milky Way
Get 2 Nights for $500
Lock in this workshop now, then Aaron will help you choose the best shooting nights after purchase.
Reserve This Workshop for $500
8 spots available. Reserve before the sale ends.
Reserve this page's workshop
Death Valley National Park · February 12–15, 2027
Availability
Now booking
8 spots available.
8 spots available
Quick facts
Choose your nights
4-Night Adventure Calendar
Workshop nights Not selectable
Highlighted dates are the available shooting nights for February 12–15, 2027. Non-workshop dates are muted so the whole two-row week view stays easy to scan.
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Pricing and flexibility
How the 4-Night Adventure Works
- ✦$700 reserves 2 nights.
- ✦All 4 nights upfront is $1,000.
- ✦Add-on nights are $250/night on-site if weather, space, and schedule allow.
- ✦These adventures cap at 8 students total.
- ✦There are only 4 available nights. Once the 8 students are in, the workshop is sold out.
- ✦The flex here is not like the 8-night Flex workshops; it keeps cost and weather risk lower while still allowing extra nights if conditions are worth it.
Pricing options
All 4 nights upfront
$1,000
Commit to all 4 available nights upfront for the best value.
Add nights on-site
$250/night
Add nights during the workshop if weather, space, and schedule allow. Once 8 students are in, the workshop is sold out.
Availability
Now booking
8 spots available.
8 spots available
America's 250th Celebration Sale
Death Valley Winter + Summer Milky Way
Get 2 Nights for $500
Lock in this workshop now, then Aaron will help you choose the best shooting nights after purchase.
Reserve This Workshop for $500
8 spots available. Reserve before the sale ends.
Reserve this page's workshop
Death Valley National Park · February 12–15, 2027
Example itinerary
Example Death Valley Itinerary
Death Valley looks simple from the road, but the workshop is built around the details: salt textures, clean dune lines, cracked surfaces, low Milky Way panoramas, and the way early-morning sky can flow into sunrise when February conditions cooperate.
Night 1
Mesquite Sand Dunes
- ✦Mesquite Sand Dunes are one of the classic Death Valley night-sky foregrounds.
- ✦The walk through sand can be tiring even if the distance is not huge, and this can be one of the more physically annoying but rewarding locations.
- ✦Wind and foot traffic matter. If the dunes are clean, they can be incredible; if they are trampled, we may adjust.
Night 2
Mesquite Cracks
- ✦Cracks and textures near the Mesquite area can give Death Valley a completely different foreground from the dunes.
- ✦These foregrounds can work especially well with low winter and summer Milky Way panoramas.
- ✦The exact crack location may depend on scouting, recent moisture, drying patterns, access, and current conditions.
Night 3
Badwater Basin Textures Weather Option 1
- ✦Badwater Basin is a priority location, and Night 3 can become our first Badwater weather option if the sky and surface conditions line up.
- ✦The terrain is easy and flat, but we may wander a good distance from the parking area to find cleaner textures.
- ✦The goal is clean textures, salt formations, and low Milky Way panorama compositions.
Night 4
Badwater Basin Textures
- ✦The final night is our priority Badwater Basin night if weather permits because the Milky Way panorama opportunity is higher.
- ✦We will look for texture, salt polygons, and clean foregrounds that can hold a low panorama composition.
- ✦Because the summer Milky Way window leads toward morning, sunrise may naturally become part of the final-night adventure.
This is a perfect-weather example, not a guaranteed schedule. Death Valley plans stay flexible because the best foregrounds depend on wind, foot traffic, recent rain, drying mud, and where the clearest sky opens up.
Typical rhythm
What to Expect Typically Each Day
Death Valley can reward an ambitious winter-plus-summer panorama plan, but we will keep the rhythm practical so the group has enough rest to make good decisions in the field.
Two Milky Way windows
- ✦Death Valley in February can give us two Milky Way shooting windows in one night.
- ✦The winter Milky Way panorama window may start around midnight, while the summer Milky Way core panorama rises later, closer to early morning.
- ✦That can mean shooting, resting, then shooting again instead of one simple start-to-finish night.
Rest between attempts
- ✦If you stay inside Death Valley, camp, or book in-park lodging, it may be easier to rest between the winter and summer panorama windows.
- ✦On some mornings, especially Badwater Basin, there may be walking involved, so there may be less sleep between windows.
- ✦The goal is to balance ambition with enough rest that everyone can still think clearly when the sky gets good.
Sunrise can happen naturally
- ✦The summer Milky Way window leads toward morning, so sunrise can naturally become part of the workshop.
- ✦We will not force sunrise if the group is completely cooked, but some of the best Death Valley mornings may happen right after the Milky Way work.
- ✦Exact timing is never guaranteed because weather, terrain, group energy, and sky position all matter.
Helpful 2-night reservation note
- ✦If you only reserve 2 nights up front, choose February 14 and 15.
- ✦The Milky Way panorama from Badwater Basin will be at its highest on those two nights, and we will prioritize Badwater Basin then if weather permits.
- ✦Mesquite Sand Dunes and Mesquite Cracks are better fits for the first two nights.
What you’ll photograph
- ✦Badwater Basin textures
- ✦Mesquite Sand Dunes
- ✦Mud cracks and salt formations
- ✦Low Milky Way panoramas
- ✦Sunrise transitions after early-morning Milky Way
February is chosen for cooler temperatures and early-morning Milky Way timing, with possible sunrise transitions after the core rises.
Practical expectations
Terrain, lodging, and transportation
Expect flat salt basin walking, tiring sand dunes, uneven cracked surfaces, long drives inside the park, variable winter temperatures, and daytime sleep after early-morning sessions.
Flying
- ✦Las Vegas is usually the best airport and is a relatively close drive to Death Valley.
- ✦Death Valley is very spread out, so plan drive time carefully and do not treat park distances like city distances.
Driving
- ✦Everyone drives themselves. This gives students freedom to explore during the day and meet the group for the main workshop sessions.
- ✦Self-driving also helps when the final field plan changes around weather, foregrounds, or sleep schedules.
Lodging
- ✦Lodging inside Death Valley can be limited and can fill. The Inn and Ranch areas are close options; going to cities like Beatty or Pahrump can provide Airbnb and hotel options, but comes with more driving.
- ✦You can book lodging as soon as you want for Death Valley. We are not bouncing across Southern Utah or changing base cities.
- ✦Weather may change which Death Valley location we prioritize each night, but we will be photographing in Death Valley, so your lodging choice should not need to move.
- ✦Consider comfort carefully because the workshop schedule may mean sleeping during the day after early-morning Milky Way sessions.
After the workshop
After the workshop, you’ll also get a 1-hour Zoom processing help session. I’ll send out scheduling options after the trip, and there is no expiration date. You can use it right away or wait until you are ready to work through your images.
Workshop video
Watch the Milky Way Rise in Death Valley
Before you arrive
Review the Workshop Prep Guide
Use the prep guide for camera skills, lenses, clothing, footwear, and field expectations before any workshop.
Open the Prep GuideWorkshop scenes
Death Valley National Park workshop gallery
America's 250th Celebration Sale
Death Valley Winter + Summer Milky Way
Get 2 Nights for $500
Lock in this workshop now, then Aaron will help you choose the best shooting nights after purchase.
Reserve This Workshop for $500
8 spots available. Reserve before the sale ends.
Reserve this page's workshop
Death Valley National Park · February 12–15, 2027
Ready to talk details?
Ask Aaron whether this workshop fits your goals.
Now booking
8 spots available.