2-night buy-in
$700
Choose any 2 of the 3 nights at registration. This keeps your cost and weather risk lower while reserving your spot.
3-Night AdventureStarts at: $700
February 8–10, 2027 · Southern Utah
Southern Utah Winter + Early Summer MW Panoramas
Choose any 2 of 3 nights, then add the third that week if weather is good. Or get the 3rd night today at a discount.
Why this workshop exists
An opportunity to get Milky Way Panoramas looking EAST and WEST!
The biggest bonus of Winter Milky Way Panoramas is that we can photograph foregrounds that normally face the wrong direction for a summer Milky Way Panorama.
My favorite example is Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. Looking out over Horseshoe Bend means looking west. In normal summer Milky Way season, the galactic core is way off to the left and does not feel featured over the bend at all. But in winter Milky Way season, the thinner band of the Milky Way, Orion, Barnard’s Loop, and all those winter sky features can arch across a western-facing subject beautifully.
That is the opportunity here. We can arch the winter Milky Way over subjects like Factory Butte, Goblin Valley, and Dead Horse Point in a way that normal summer core season often does not allow.
The challenge is that this workshop can have two shooting windows in one night: a winter Milky Way panorama window and then an early-summer Milky Way core window later toward morning. Come prepared to stay in or near Green River for multiple nights if weather allows, sleep during the day, and adapt if the clouds push us somewhere else. Our main goals are Factory Butte, Goblin Valley, and Dead Horse Point, but depending on weather, we could end up anywhere in Southern Utah.
America's 250th Celebration Sale
Southern Utah Winter + Early Summer MW Panoramas
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
Southern Utah · February 8–10, 2027
Availability
Now booking
8 spots available.
8 spots available
Quick facts
Choose your nights
3-Night Adventure Calendar
Workshop nights Not selectable
Highlighted dates are the available shooting nights for February 8–10, 2027. Non-workshop dates are muted so the whole two-row week view stays easy to scan.
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
Feb
7
Feb
8
Feb
9
Feb
10
Feb
11
Feb
12
Feb
13
Feb
14
Feb
15
Feb
16
Feb
17
Feb
18
Feb
19
Feb
20
Pricing and flexibility
How the 3-Night Adventure Works
- ✦$700 reserves 2 nights.
- ✦Choose any 2 of the 3 nights at registration.
- ✦Choose any 2 of 3 nights, then add the third that week if weather is good. Or get the 3rd night today at a discount.
- ✦All 3 nights upfront is $850.
- ✦These adventures cap at 8 students total.
Pricing options
All 3 nights upfront
$850
Get the third night today at a discount if you already know you want the full adventure.
Add the third night
$250
Add the third night that week if weather is good and space allows.
Availability
Now booking
8 spots available.
8 spots available
America's 250th Celebration Sale
Southern Utah Winter + Early Summer MW Panoramas
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
Southern Utah · February 8–10, 2027
Example itinerary
Example Winter + Early-Summer Itinerary
This three-night winter/hybrid workshop can be more taxing than the late-season vertical trip. Cold conditions, long nights, and the possibility of two shooting windows in one night are part of the challenge, but the payoff can be rare winter foregrounds plus early-summer Milky Way planning.
Night 1
Goblin Valley in winter
- ✦Goblin Valley is a strong starting option because it is accessible from Green River and packed with compositions.
- ✦Winter skies can give the desert a very different mood than summer workshops.
- ✦This is a good place to work on foreground lighting, stacking, and a patient cold-weather night workflow.
Night 2
Factory Butte / Orion and winter sky
- ✦Factory Butte gives huge open space, big sky, and wide desert compositions.
- ✦This night can emphasize the winter sky and Orion direction before turning attention toward early-summer core timing.
- ✦The terrain, cold, and longer sessions make this more demanding than the beginner-friendly late-season workshop.
Night 3
Dead Horse Point / snow-dusted canyon country
- ✦Dead Horse Point and nearby Canyonlands areas can produce rare winter drama when snow or cold conditions line up.
- ✦The foreground can feel completely different from summer, which makes scouting and composition decisions especially valuable.
- ✦Winter plus early-summer panorama work may mean two separate shooting windows in one night; it is awesome, but not the easiest format.
Southern Utah range
Southern Utah workshops can move across a wide range of locations depending on clouds and conditions. We may chase clear skies anywhere from Southeastern Utah, including Canyonlands, Green River, Factory Butte, Goblin Valley, Dead Horse Point, and Goosenecks, all the way toward Southwestern Utah locations like Hoodoo Village, Toadstool Hoodoo, Escalante, and Devil’s Garden.
This is a perfect-weather example, not a guaranteed route. Southern Utah is huge, and we use that to our advantage. Clouds, smoke, wind, road conditions, moon timing, and group energy can change the plan day by day. The goal is not to force one printed itinerary. The goal is to put the group under the clearest sky with the strongest possible foreground.
Typical rhythm
What to Expect Typically Each Day
A greedy Milky Way photographer’s dream
- ✦This workshop can give us both winter Milky Way panoramas and early summer Milky Way core opportunities.
- ✦Winter Milky Way lets us photograph subjects that face the “wrong way” for normal summer core panoramas.
- ✦Dead Horse Point is a great example: the classic view faces the wrong direction for a normal summer core panorama, but winter Milky Way can arch naturally over the canyon scene.
Two shooting windows
- ✦Earlier in the night, we may shoot the winter Milky Way panorama.
- ✦Later, after a waiting or sleeping break, the summer Milky Way core begins to rise.
- ✦Some nights may involve driving to one composition, shooting the winter sky, resting in cars if needed, then waking up for the early summer core before twilight.
Green River base
- ✦If weather allows, Green River is likely the most useful base.
- ✦Factory Butte, Goblin Valley, and Dead Horse Point can all be reached from Green River with reasonable drives.
- ✦Some students may choose Moab for Dead Horse Point, but staying in one place can be worth the extra drive because checking in and out of hotels adds friction.
Sleep and meals
- ✦Do not expect breakfast every morning; with double shooting windows, students should expect to sleep through breakfast many days.
- ✦We will usually aim for one group meal a day, often an early dinner.
- ✦We are not trying to shoot sunsets on this workshop unless conditions make it unusually worthwhile. Rest matters because the night can stretch long.
Sunrises
- ✦There may be sunrise opportunities because the summer Milky Way core window can lead us into morning.
- ✦Expect at least one sunrise if weather and group energy make it worth it.
- ✦If everyone is too tired, we may prioritize sleep instead.
Astro-modified camera recommendation
Strong recommendation: if you can rent, borrow, or bring an astro-modified camera, this is the workshop where it can really shine. Winter Milky Way panoramas do not have the bright galactic core as the main feature, but they can show off Barnard’s Loop, the Rosette Nebula, Orion, Sirius, Betelgeuse, Rigel, and all the color hiding in the winter sky.
What you’ll photograph
- ✦Majestic canyons, winding rivers & chasms
- ✦Clear skies under Bortle 1 level darkness
- ✦Winter Milky Way panoramas over desert foregrounds
- ✦East- and west-facing winter sky opportunities
- ✦Orion, Barnard’s Loop, nebula color, and early-summer core timing
- ✦Panorama workflow and efficient turn-taking
- ✦Low-level lighting when the foreground needs it
- ✦Weather-based route decisions
- ✦Blue-hour or time-blended foregrounds when timing makes sense
- ✦Sandstone textures
Winter Milky Way panorama instruction with early-summer core opportunities, foreground alignment, low-level lighting, and flexible weather-based route decisions.
Practical expectations
Terrain, lodging, and transportation
Cold nights, uneven terrain, sand, short hikes, long drives, and possible sleep-in-the-car breaks between winter Milky Way and early-summer core windows.
DO NOT RESERVE NON-REFUNDABLE HOTELS YET.
100% cancellable lodging only
Southern Utah workshop routes can change late because weather decides where we go. Do not book non-refundable lodging. Do not lock yourself into one city too early. Anything you book should be 100% cancellable or refundable until Aaron confirms the route closer to the workshop.
Weather can change the route.
- ✦Everyone drives themselves. That is intentional because Southern Utah workshops can shift across large distances; Green River, Moab, Blanding, Escalante, and Kanab can all become useful depending on the route and clouds.
- ✦Green River is often the starting point because it gives fast access to Goblin Valley and Factory Butte. Salt Lake City is usually the easiest airport for Green River starts; Las Vegas can work, but it is a much longer drive to Green River and is better positioned for Kanab or Southwestern Utah.
- ✦Keep lodging flexible when possible. Do not book non-refundable lodging too early unless you are comfortable with the risk, because weather can change the route. Aaron will send location links and final meet-up details as the forecast becomes more trustworthy.
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.
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
Southern Utah workshop gallery
America's 250th Celebration Sale
Southern Utah Winter + Early Summer MW Panoramas
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
Southern Utah · February 8–10, 2027
Ready to talk details?
Ask Aaron whether this workshop fits your goals.
Now booking
8 spots available.