The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is an otherworldly landscape tucked into the northwest corner of New Mexico. What was once an ocean of rolling waves millions of years ago is now a desert with steeply eroded badlands, colorful layers of rock, and precariously perched boulders, all within a terrain that sometimes resembles a bubbling cauldron.
Join Doug Merriam on a photographic adventure through this magical area, which spans roughly 40,000 acres. While we can’t possibly cover all of it in three days, we are certainly able to photograph some pretty incredible landscapes. From our base in Farmington, we travel together to the Bisti Wilderness, heading out early for sunrise sessions and later capturing sunset light as the afternoon fades. And this year we will have a full moon rising over the Bisti on Monday which we will take advantage of photographing.
During our time in the field, Doug shares technical information and creative methods for improving your landscape photography, as well as daily critiques of participants’ work. After three days in the Bisti, we pack up and make our way to The Workshops state-of-the-art-digital lab in Santa Fe, where we bring our images to life in the printed form.
Don’t miss the chance to turn your lens toward spectacularly surreal formations that offer endless opportunities for creative expression through landscape photography.
Get an inside look at the Bisti workshop experience! Read this article from New Mexico Magazine.
Working knowledge of digital workflow and manual mode on your digital SLR or mirrorless camera. Participants must be able to download, select, and transfer images to their own jump drive for class each day.
Douglas Merriam is a travel, food, and lifestyle photographer based in Santa Fe. His commercial and editorial photography career has taken him on extensive travel assignments, which always include photographing people and their culture, as well as landscapes and food. Doug was one of the founding members of The Workshops, and in 1990 he became its operations director, helping to make the organization what it is today. He has taught workshops on a plethora of subjects, including studio lighting, travel, food, and capture to print. Doug is also the author of Farm Fresh Journey, a cookbook inspired by the Santa Fe Farmers Market.
Website: douglasmerriam.com
Instagram: @douglasmerriam
