Intimate Death Valley: Slices of a Vast Landscape
with Alex Noriega
January 26 – 29, 2027
Course Description
Death Valley National Park has long been regarded as one of the world’s great landscape photography destinations because it offers an extraordinary combination of geological drama, exceptional light, visual simplicity, and a profound sense of time. The valley reveals millions of years of geological history in exposed rock layers, folded mountains, volcanic formations, sweeping sand dunes, ancient lake beds, colorful mineral hillsides, and vast alluvial fans. Few places make Earth’s processes so visible.
Death Valley is a place where the landscape feels both ancient and constantly changing, inviting photographers to interpret rather than simply record what they see. Each location offers a completely different visual language. The quiet, austere beauty rewards patience, encourages intentional seeing, and reminds us that the strongest landscape photographs often arise not from dramatic scenery alone, but from a deeper relationship between the photographer and the land. In that sense, Death Valley is not simply a spectacular place to photograph—it is a place that shapes photographers.
Join fine-art, nature photographer Alex Noriega and seven fellow landscape photographers for a workshop to help you find a unique artistic interpretation of this place where “light has nowhere to hide.” Alex shows you how to find original intimate compositions within this vast landscape using careful observation, thoughtful composition, introspection, an open mind, and a telephoto lens! He guides you through the entire process of making compelling photographs from in-field techniques to post processing. Alex helps you choose the best compositions, utilize different types of light ranging from subtle to dramatic, capture the proper amount of dynamic range and depth of field, get proper exposure and learn techniques for long exposures and focus stacking.
In addition, Alex shares his master post-processing skills including raw conversion, blending, sharpening, and artistic choices. These valuable tools help you take complete control over the processing of your images. Alex’s daily instruction in the field goes far beyond the basics, although those who need more basic instruction are certainly accommodated.
The workshop’s meeting point is Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley which acts as our base camp while we venture to locations within the park to include Mesquite Dunes, Zabriskie Badlands, Twenty Mule Canyon, Titus Canyon, Ubehebe Crater, and Dante’s View. Our daily itinerary is flexible in order to chase weather, light, and conditions as they occur. Alex uses his years of experience in this National Park to put you in the best possible position to make compelling photographs.
Expect to grow as an artist while also learning the most advanced techniques for capturing the highest quality images possible. These lessons endure long after leaving the desert, influencing how you see every landscape you encounter.
This workshop is limited to eight photographers. A post-processing and image critique/sharing session will be held via Zoom about a month after the workshop.
Additional Information
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
What You Should Know:
Working knowledge of digital workflow and manual mode on your digital SLR or mirrorless camera. Participants should plan on bringing a tripod and ND filters for this workshop.
Special Notes:
Las Vegas’s McCarran International Airport (LAS) is a 2.5-hour drive, and Los Angeles (LAX) is a 4.5-hour drive to Death Valley. A standard rental vehicle is appropriate for this workshop, though a high-clearance vehicle is helpful. Once the workshop begins, Alex organizes carpooling to and from most locations within the park.
Both hotel (Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel) and camping accommodations are available for the workshop. All meals the responsibility of each participant. The initial workshop meeting is scheduled for midday on the January 26 and the workshop ends midday on January 29 (ie. beginning with an evening field session and ending with a morning field session). Breaks are given on the two full middle days between the morning and evening field sessions to download/process images, rest, and eat.
Activity Level:
To get the most from this on-location workshop experience, you must be in good physical (mobility, stamina) and mental health. Come prepared for long days before sunrise and after sunset. You must be able to carry your own photographic and personal gear at all times and be prepared for hikes up to 2 miles round trip on difficult terrain. Minimal steep ascents are necessary to get to certain vantages but are not required. The most intensive hiking required is up and down sand dunes.
Accommodations:
Both hotel (Stovepipe Wells Village Hotel) and camping accommodations are available for the workshop.
Package Price INFO:
$2,395 includes all workshop field sessions and instruction, Death Valley National Park group license and entrance fees, plus an online classroom session with Alex via Zoom in late February. Travel to, from, and during the workshop, lodging, and meals are the responsibility of each participant.
about
Alex Noriega is a full-time nature photographer and photography educator focused on the American West. After a prior career working with computers, he has spent the last 16 years developing a slow, deliberate approach to photography, using his digital camera much like a large-format film camera. While his process is grounded in traditional technique, his post-processing emphasizes mystery and atmosphere over strict realism. His work is known for its simplicity of design and intimate compositions.
Alex’s journey began in Minnesota in 2010, when he bought a camera to photograph computer parts he was selling online. A year later, a road trip to California sparked his passion for the landscapes of the West. He soon moved to Oregon, where he would live for the next seven years. In 2019, Alex became a full-time nomad. He has lived on the road ever since, exploring and photographing public lands across the West.
Alex’s work has been widely published in magazines and books worldwide, and he has won several international competitions, including International Landscape Photographer of the Year. He has also served as a judge for the Natural Landscape Photography Awards. He is an experienced workshop leader, having spent years guiding students creatively in landscapes such as Death Valley, Big Sur, Olympic Peninsula, and Yosemite.
Website: alexnoriega.com
Instagram: @noriegaphotography
