DESERT SOUTHWEST DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
Photograph the Utah Badlands via drone from above where the scenes will expand your horizons and the images will blow your mind
A DESTINATION EARTH PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
MARCH 27 - APRIL 1, 2026
The landscapes in the deserts of Utah are unlike anywhere on earth. What many see as just dirt lies thousand foot high buttes, deep canyons, and vibrant colors of the sedimentary layers that rival a rainbow. This area is best photographed one way: from the air. Where the erosion over the millennia is revealed in an incredible arrangement of veins, patterns, brain rock, and abstract art land formations that is hard to comprehend. Only by standing there on the earth itself can you get a taste of it, but the real surprise happens when flying above it all and seeing what is revealed in real time on the screen.
On this 6 day Photography Workshop we will take you beyond the standard vistas and into off-road canyons to get up close and personal with hidden gems that are rarely photographed. Some never before by anyone besides our very knowledgeable guides now willing to share their secrets of the desert. The drone photography here is unparalleled and goes way beyond the Moonscape Overlook, Factory Butte, and the Mars area. The area is expansive with many new locations rich in compositions that only our guides know well. We will get you deep into the Badlands with no ATV tracks in sight and the scenes are pristine. Simply put, nobody besides Destination Earth is offering these locations!
This trip will be a mix of camping and staying in cabins to keep us as close as possible and minimize our driving as much as possible even though we will still be covering a lot of ground. All throughout you will be provided with expert instruction on how best to use your drone, get on top of subjects, create depth in the scene, and capture the light and interesting compositions. The goal of the workshop is to give you the ability to explore, learn, and fine tune those photography skills both in the field as well in post processing development to bring your images to life. Helping clients create a portfolio of images they are excited and proud of is priority number one on all of our workshops (along with having a good time).
INSTRUCTORS: CHRIS BYRNE & KANE ENGELBERT
GROUP SIZE: 8 PARTICIPANTS
COST: $4550
INCLUDED: 3 Nights Camping (Tent provided), 3 Nights Hotel (Single Occupancy)
NOT INCLUDED: Camera Equipment, Drone, Flights, Travel Insurance, Rental Car
DEPOSIT: A 50% deposit is required to secure a spot with the final balance due 90 days prior to workshop.
ITINERARY
On March 27 we will gather in Goblin Valley State Park for our first part of the workshop where we will be camping for three nights. Using this as our home base we will be providing tents, sleeping pads, and delicious camp meals. We have chosen Goblin Valley for its photogenic landscapes and also its proximity to other incredible formations. From there we will make our way to Hanksville and spend three more nights staying in comfortable cabins. Once again be on the doorstep of unique and vast desert scenes that can only best be captured from the air. We could list a number of locations that we plan to visit if they had any names! Only through extensive scouting by our guides down winding dirt roads and on google earth have these hidden gems been discovered and photographed. Our last night together will be on April 1, with lodging included that evening. We will have a sunrise session on April 2 and participants should plan to travel home anytime after that. All tents and cabins will be single occupancy.
USEFUL INFO / PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY
Most of our shooting locations will have minimal hiking and/or be right near our vehicles. There is potential to visit some rarely photographed areas that will require a moderate hike of a 1.5 miles and 500 feet of elevation gain therefore it is important for participants to be in good physical health with the ability to hike that distance with camera gear.
Temperatures this time of year can range from highs in the 70’s F to lows in the 30’s F and dry. Sunrise will be around 7:30am and sunset at 7:30pm.
AIRPORT / ACCOMODATIONS / FOOD
Participants can fly into either Salt Lake City, Utah (airport code SLC) which is a 3 hour 45 minute drive or into Grand Junction, Colorado (airport code GJT) which is a 2 hour 15 minute drive. Factoring in drive time, please plan to arrive in Goblin Valley, Utah by mid afternoon on Day 1: March 27, 2026. The workshop will end after sunrise on the morning of April 2 and participants should plan to fly home after that time being mindful of drive times and time needed at the airport.
While we are camping for three nights in Goblin Valley, we will provide tents, sleeping pad and camp meals. Participants will need to bring a sleeping bag and camping pillow. During our nights staying in a hotel in Hanksville, lodging will be provided for single occupancy rooms. While there we will not be providing meals so that people can have their choice of the restaurant selections in town.
A standard rental car will be fine for this workshop to get from the airport and between our accommodations. We will be transporting the group daily in off-road vehicles to our shooting locations. There will be charging stations in the cars to keep all drone batteries topped off and ready for more flights.
More details will be sent out as the workshop gets near.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
A week exploring the desert badlands and the unique geology revealed by countless years of erosion in what feels like the land before time. The only way to truly explore and photograph this phenomenon is by the air using a drone. We will be driving you throughout the badlands down roads that will make you question just where in the world we are going. But all will make sense when you get that camera in the air and witness the remarkable patterns and canyons in the earth and try to make sense of it all photographically. There will be early mornings and late evenings and days spent doing exploratory missions in our off road vehicles and by air, killing some batteries with our drones. All of this to get images that you have likely never seen before from the wonders of the desert southwest.
The field sessions are structured to not wear anyone out and get the most enjoyment of the surroundings and scenery. In the field techniques and tips will be provided to help capture images correctly "in camera" with the goal being that part becomes second nature and students can then focus on the creative aspects of landscape and nature photography. Post processing instruction will run the gamut of importing and organizing files into Lightroom to processing images in Lightroom and Photoshop and finally prepping images for the internet or for print. Our guides are an open book and willing to share any tips or tricks they’ve learned to help you turn your photographs into art!
FIELD & CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION WILL INCLUDE:
Using your drone in multiple ways to capture images beyond the typical straight down shots.
Compositional elements in drone photography
Controlling your camera in manual mode
Understanding and using the Histogram
Finding foregrounds
Filters - when & how to use them and avoiding their pitfalls
How lens selection affects the scene
Technical Tricks: Bracketing, Focus Stacking, Perspective Blending
Understanding and using light
Capturing Difficult Scenes (getting all the pieces in the field to put together in post processing)
Lightroom - importing and organizing
Lightroom development tools
Cleaning up images - cloning tools, warping and stretching, eliminating distractions
Blending images in Photoshop
Dodging and burning
Using layers and masks
Mindful sharpening (depending on the output)
Image Critiques
RECOMMENDED CAMERA GEAR, ETC
Drone and lots of batteries
DSLR & Lenses ranging from wide angle (14mm) to telephoto (400mm)
Drone
Camera manual
Memory cards
A very sturdy tripod
Filters: Solid ND filters for drones if you want to do video
Lens cloths, rocket blower, etc.
Computer with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
Notebook
RECOMMENDED GEAR - CLOTHING, ETC.
Layers of warm clothing
Hats and gloves
Handwarmers
Sunglasses
WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED
Camera Equipment / Drone
Airfare
Hotels before or after the workshop
Rental car
Meals and snacks for half the workshop
Travel Insurance