photo - Ken Gilbert

With its rugged terrain and magnificent canyons, Southern Utah
is an American treasure revered for its natural beauty, rare
wildlife and otherworldly rock formations. Join the Mentor Series
and Nikon professional photographers Dave Black, John Reddy and
Daniel J. Cox as we venture out to navigate the dizzying altitudes
and vast expanses of Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.
Head to the overlook that provides a glorious perspective of lower
Zion Canyon where steep sandstone cliffs tower in the distance. We
will take advantage of the changing light as we meander along a strip
of land between the monstrous cliffs and the Virgin River, and hope
to catch a glimpse of the canyon tree frog. Discover sunlight streams
through cottonwood and box elder trees, illuminating these hidden
tarns, some of which are fed from waterfalls running off looming cliffs.
Get a jump on the morning to photograph the jaw-dropping
expansive multicolored natural amphitheater in Bryce Canyon as the
sunrises. Learn how to best capture the warm light and saturated
colors at this time of day. Along Queens Garden trail witness the
majestic hoodoos— massive haunting spires of sedimentary rock carved
away by eons of erosion and rising over 100 feet from the desert floor.
We will trek to nearby Inspiration Point, providing spectacular vistas of
the brown-and-red patterns of the tightly packed rock peaks set against
the deep blue sky. The late afternoon sun will penetrate the narrow
gorges and provide a backdrop to capture a sunset like no other.
SchEdulEd to appEaR
Limited to 15 Students per Instructor
John REddy
Smithsonian
Men’s Journal
Workshop fee: $1075 *
When night falls, mentor Dave Black will conduct a light painting
class at the base of the infamous Thor’s Hammer, a towering
rock structure that demonstrates this region’s true capacity
for beauty, along with a ponderous defiance of gravity. This
creative lighting technique involves long exposure photography
illuminating a subject using mobile light sources and can provide
an ethereal unique mood to your night photography.
We won’t miss out on some of the other unique gems in this
gorgeous part of the country as we spend time at Zion Mountain
Ranch. Utilize the opportunity to view and photograph a herd of
buffalo roaming on several hundred acres of ranch property. Capture
the culture of Native Americans when we visit a Paiute Indian Village
or observe the drumming, dancing, and story telling around the campfire.
Encounter another of the area’s main draws as adventure
buffs engage the scenery. Frame the shot using the unparallel
beauty of the landscape in the background, while mountain
bikers maneuver the rocks along traversing trails, or
courageous rock climbers rappel down the majestic cliffs.
Don’t miss this opportunity to photograph the rich hues and
harsh terrain of this magnificent geological arcadia while the
mentors continually offer suggestions and reveal tips for making
unique images of the natural world as we experience it.
© Joy Fera © Ben Klaus © Ben Blankenburg
* includes national park entrance fees, coach transportation to all shooting locations,
photo ops, in the field training, digital review sessions and an Mpix photo book.
with additional support from:
davE Black
Newsweek
Sports Illustrated
danIEl J. cox
National Geographic
National Wildlife Federation
www.storemags.com & www.fantamag.com
TM
Special thanks to our premier sponsor:
Come to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park and try
out some of the latest equipment that offers
including their high-performance digital SLRs, NIKKOR
lenses and a variety of Coolpix compact digital cameras.
You’ll capture Bryce and Zion as never before!
®