Arizona Spring Flowers MasterClass

April 4TH - 7TH 2025

cactus and sunset in the sonoran photography workshop

Come chase the magic of spring in the Sonoran Desert together on this 3 night, 4 day photographic adventure. The Superstition Mountains are home to some of my favorite desert peaks and jumping cactus. Learn how to translate a vast desert scene into a magical wonderland through your lens.

Milky Way over the superstition mountains in arizona and blooming flowers

TRIP DATES

April 4th - April 7th, 2025

TRIBE SIZE

LIMITED TO A SMALL GROUP SIZE OF 6

DIFFICULTY LEVEL

BEGINNER - ADVANCED

*DISCLAIMER: HIKING DIFFICULTY LEVEL IS INTERMEDIATE. WHILE SOME HIKES CAN BE SHORT (1 MILE) SOME INCLUDE ROCKY TERRAIN.

ITINERARY

Day 1

Our workshop begins at 4:00pm with a meet and greet at our set location(TBD). After we go over the agenda and get to know one another, we will grab our gear and head out to explore some of the magical jumping cactus and enchanting views while photographing the sunset and twilight.

Day 2

Classroom session begins directly after an early lunch. You will learn some applicable editing tips to apply to your post processing arsenal. After class, we will pack our camera gear and adventure out to some of the magnificent cactus scenes and flowers peaking for some sunset, blue hour and Milky Way fun.

Day 3

There is nothing better than catching the morning light trickling through the magnificent glowing chollas and flowers. Another classroom session will follow after a morning of chasing sun rays through the blooming flowers and cactus. We will have a quick break before heading back out for sunset, blue hour and Milky Way.

Day 4

Wrapping up our amazing week with a working breakfast to go over any final questions about techniques or critiques on your photos.

***We will be chasing conditions and constantly monitoring the weather. The itinerary may change based on what conditions are during the workshop.

beautiful sunset light over cactus in the superstition mountains of arizona

Planning your shoots

• Scouting and evaluating conditions

• Composing an image to grab the viewer’s attention

• Composing an image with a person in frame to show scale and tell a story

• Utilizing apps, such as PhotoPills, for more efficient planning

• Choosing the right lens and filters for the job

• How to shoot with a plan and vision for editing your image

• Histogram - how to read for perfectly exposed images

• Exposure control - how to use ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed in different scenarios

• Bracketing, Perspective Blending and Focus Stacking

• Focusing at night to capture pin sharp stars and foreground

• Long Exposure - how to capture blue hour & Milky Way

• Stacking Stars for Noise Reduction - how to shoot the proper frames to stack

• Lightroom and Photoshop - learn our post-processing workflow

• Luminosity Masks

• Dodging and Burning

• Understanding layers and masks

• Finishing touches using clone stamp and removing distractions

• Creating Orton glows and painting with light

• Build Social Media Presence - how to maximize engagement

Fiery sunset captured with some cactus in the foreground in arizona desert

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

All Lodging Accommodations

We have reserved lodging for the duration of the workshop and each person will have their own designated room.

All Photo Instruction

From the field to the computer, we will cover it all. We will teach you techniques on how to capture a better image and our unique work flow in Lightroom and Photoshop.

Social Media Insights

Instagram and growing your social media has been a huge interest for many. We will be touching on the ever changing algorithm of Instagram and how to successfully grow your presence as a photographer in the world of social media.

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Our goal is to leave you feeling confident, motivated and passionate about your photography with a new set of ideas and perspective! We will teach simple and actionable techniques to scout out incredible compositions and the process of how to approach and execute unique photos in any environment or conditions.

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The classroom portion of this adventure will teach you a combination of Lightroom and Photoshop workflows and methods that will allow you to create some powerful images. We decided to keep the group small and intimate, thus allowing us to focus and give you much more access to the instructors and 1-on-1 attention. We will always be with the group providing thoughts and real time critique as the light changes from sunset to the enchanting night skies.