Yosemite High Sierra
When most people think of Yosemite, it’s probably the famous valley that immediately comes to mind. This workshop is based in Yosemite’s High Sierra, centered around spectacular subalpine meadows, mountain lakes and glacial erratic boulder fields.
Workshop Details
Yosemite High Sierra Workshop
August 28-September 1, 2022 — Completed
This is a 5-night, 5-day workshop. Your adventure begins on the morning of August 28 and ends after the location shoot the evening of September 1.
$1,995 + applicable taxes. Register below.
Skill level
Open to all who have an understanding of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras.
Group size
12, with 2 instructors — 6:1 ratio
NPS website
Bodie Ghost Town Add-On
September 2, 2022 — Completed
This is an optional overnight experience in Bodie Ghost Town. See further below for more info.
$499 + applicable taxes. After registration for the main workshop, you’ll receive a link to register for the add-on option.
Skill level
All Levels
Group size
12, with 2 instructors — 6:1 ratio
Location Website
Our workshop mission is to explore every U.S. national park. As with all our Passport Series locations, it may be years (if ever) before we return to any specific park. If you have a dream of making epic long exposures at night in Yosemite’s High Sierra, we hope you join us.
Workshop Leaders
Registration
This event has passed. Thanks for your interest!
| • Deposit of $600 is required to reserve your spot at the workshop. |
| • Balance of $1,395 is due on May 30, 2022. —> Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is May 29, 2022 (see cancellation and refund policy). |
| • The workshop fee does not include lodging, food, airfare, Yosemite entrance fees, or transportation to Lee Vining or to our nightly shoot locations. |
The Yosemite High Sierra Experience
The High Sierra portion of Yosemite National Park may be less famous than the valley, but is equally magnificent. Mountain lakes, subalpine meadows, rivers and moonscapes made from granite domes are dotted with glacial erratics and punctuated with pines growing from soilless crevices. This workshop involves more hiking than most of our trips, and some locations will involve up to 4-mile round-trip hikes with some elevation gain. You don’t need to be a mountaineer, but you should be in good physical condition and willing to hike. Believe us, it’s worth every minute.
Our base for this workshop is the town of Lee Vining, California, the eastern gateway to Yosemite. Located at the junction of Highway 395, which runs north and south along the eastern side of the Sierra, and Highway 120, which cuts across it, Lee Vining is the logical base to explore the wonderland that is Yosemite’s High Sierra.
The short summer season at 10,000 feet will be winding down as our workshop begins. The days will be warm with cool nights and clear, dark skies. It’s the perfect time of year to experience this glorious landscape.
The days will be getting shorter, meaning we’ll be able to get out and photograph earlier. The Milky Way will be high in the sky and nearly vertical by the time darkness sets in. Our workshop takes place between the new and first quarter moons, so our focus will be on astro-landscape photography for star points and Milky Way photography, and on Low-level Landscape Lighting on foreground elements. Daytime will be a combination of classroom instruction, image review and day trips to explore the area. The amount of class time versus daytime field excursions will be somewhat determined by the experience level and interests of the group. We want to make this the most rewarding experience possible for you.
If you wanted to attend our 2021 Bodie and the High Sierra workshop, this one is similar, but with more time in Yosemite. We’re even including an optional add-on to photograph at Bodie after the main workshop is over.
The Add-On Experience
After the workshop you’ll have an opportunity to spend a night photographing at Bodie, the country’s largest, most famous and best preserved ghost town.
There are 110 buildings still standing in this former gold rush town, along with various pieces of mining equipment and several old vehicles. It’s a light painting paradise, and notoriously difficult to access at night. We’ll have the town to ourselves from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The night we spend at Bodie will be illuminated by the light of the first quarter moon, which is perfect to provide landscape illumination while we light paint the structures in our foregrounds.
Note: This optional add-on is available only to workshop attendees. You’ll get a link to purchase a ticket after registering for the main workshop.
What You Should Know
Participants must have at least basic photo skills, know their cameras well, and be comfortable shooting RAW in manual mode with a DSLR or high-end mirrorless camera.
Night photography experience is not necessary, but even folks with extensive experience shooting at night will find this class challenging, stimulating and inspiring. For more advanced night photographers, we can offer a portfolio review and specific challenges and goals, and will offer guidance in the field if you mainly want to concentrate on creating portfolio images or learning more advanced techniques.
If you would like to attend this workshop but are unsure whether you have adequate night photography skills, we can offer pre-workshop tutoring to get you ready for your adventure with us. Alternatively or additionally, a few of us have written books that may be productive pre-workshop reads.
What You Will Learn
We hope to push you to step outside your comfort zone—to test the limits of what you and your camera can do. You’ll go home after the workshop with a solid grasp of night photography in dark sky and minimally moonlit environments, plus a good foundation in light painting techniques.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
astro-landscape photography for star points and the Milky Way
nighttime panoramas
Low-level Landscape Lighting
photographing the crescent moon
and more …
This workshop will have both field and classroom instruction. We will be in the classroom during the day, and out in the field at different locations each night. Participants can stay out shooting as long as they, or their camera’s batteries, hold out. While in the field, the instructors will demonstrate their own techniques, and work with participants one-on-one to make sure everyone gets the most out of the workshop. During classroom sessions, there will be presentations by the instructors, but we will focus on developing your images and sharing everyone’s work and ideas with one another.
Our locations have generous room to explore, so everyone will be able to spread out and not get in one another’s way. Each participant will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with Lance and Matt in the field.
We do not tell our attendees what to photograph, and won’t line you up in a row to all shoot the same thing (unless it’s helpful to get some people on track). Instead, we encourage you to use what you have learned to create your own unique images, and to let us guide you through the process should you desire. We do not teach you to do what we do, but rather how to develop your own night vision.
Night Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Travel
Our base will be in the town of Lee Vining, near the shores of Mono Lake. Staying in town is convenient to the parts of Yosemite where we will spend our time, giving us access to a wider array of dining options, and avoids the traffic found on the other side of the park.
You will need a rental car. There is no need for four-wheel-drive. If you are interested in carpooling or sharing a rental car, let us know and we will try to connect you with another attendee looking for the same. You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own transportation.
Nearby Airports:
Reno-Tahoe (RNO) — 2.5 hours from Lee Vining
Mammoth Yosemite (MMH) — 30 minutes (limited flight options)
It’s also possible to fly into one of the Bay Area airports and make the 6-hour trek across the Central Valley and Yosemite. If you are curious about where your food is grown or have never driven across California, it might just be worth the extra time. Plan on a full day to drive from the airport in San Francisco (SFO), Oakland (OAK) or San Jose (SJC). Sacramento (SMT) is about 4 hours away.
Lodging & Food
The recommended points of lodging are Murphey’s Motel, where we have reserved a block of rooms, and the El Mono Motel. Lance has stayed at both on many occasions and recommends either, depending on your budget and style.
Murphey’s will be our home base. It is a solid but basic motel with minifridges in all rooms.
The El Mono is less expensive, eclectic and a little bit funky. It’s attached to the Latte Da Coffee House (best coffee in town), and has a fun and relaxed vibe. Some rooms have shared baths.
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own meals and accommodations. If you are interested in sharing a room with another participant, let us know and we will try to connect you with someone like-minded in the group.
Nicely’s is the breakfast spot, and most people eat their main meal at the Whoa Nellie Deli. There are a couple of other options, including the fabulous Ohanas 395/June Lake Brewing in nearby June Lake. The town is small and both hotels are within walking distance to everything.
We encourage eating two meals per day—a good breakfast and a great early supper. When on the night shoots, you may wish to bring snack food or a sandwich and always plenty of water.
Weather
Expect daytime highs in the 70s F, lows in the 40s.
Due to its high-elevation climate, temperatures in the Eastern Sierra can be highly variable. Summer days are pleasant, with daytime highs in the 70s to 80s. Nighttime lows range from the low 60s to possibly below freezing at Bodie. Or, it could be 60 at Bodie at 1 a.m. You never know.
Recommended Attire
Bring your long johns, hat and gloves, and a warm winter coat, and hope you don’t need them. As always, layer your clothing for flexibility and comfort.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this workshop is Moderate to Active. (See more about our classifications.)
Lee Vining is at 6,700 feet of elevation, and Tioga Pass is just under 10,000. You might consider coming a day or two early to acclimate yourself to the elevation. There’s no shortage of things to see and do.
At least two or three of our locations involve walking or hiking a mile or more at elevations above 9,000 feet. There will be an optional climb to the top of Lembert Dome (3 miles, 900 feet of elevation gain, starting at 8,500 feet). Even walking a few hundred yards can take your breath away (literally) at elevation if you are not acclimated and fit.
It is recommended that anyone considering this workshop should be accustomed to moderate hiking before taking the workshop. If you do not exercise regularly, you may want to get in shape with cardio workouts for at least 4 to 6 weeks before the workshop.
Note: To ensure the safety of individuals and the group, the workshop leaders may use their discretion to limit an attendee from engaging in a rigorous activity on-site should that person’s physical health or ability be in question. If you are unsure about your ability to meet the physical demands of this workshop, we will be happy to discuss your concerns one-on-one before you register. You are also, of course, welcome to attend a workshop and sit out any physical activity that makes you uncomfortable. In such cases, we can provide you with ideas for alternative shoot locations for that time.
Additional Information
Please read our FAQs section for more information about skill and gear requirements, and other information that pertains to all our workshops.
If you have questions, please contact us—we're happy to talk it over with you.
Returning again and again ...
“I always felt like I was where I was supposed to be when I was there.”
I didn’t feel “right” for the first couple of workshops I’d done in 2021 since starting back up after the big Covid pause. I was especially looking forward to the Bodie and the High Sierra workshop, because it was a place I knew well, where I had taught many workshops before. I always felt like I was where I was supposed to be when I was there.
I’ve been visiting the High Sierra since 1990. I went there first with my night photography summer class from the Academy of Art University. I guess that you could say that I have a history with the place. I quickly fell in love with the landscape and the little town nestled at the eastern entrance to Yosemite, and my affection for the place has only grown over time. I’m a creature of habit, and tend to go to the same places over and over again. Scotland, Iceland, The Eastern Sierra.
I can’t count how many times I’ve been to the high country in Yosemite, but most of my time has been spent in just a few spectacular locations, such as Olmsted Point, Tuolumne Meadows, Lembert Dome.
And of course, at Steve’s Rock.
Last July when Chris and I led a workshop based in Lee Vining, we took the opportunity to explore and to see a bit more of the park. I was so accustomed to revisiting the places I loved that it took some gentle prodding to get me to step out of my comfort zone and check out some new locations. I am grateful for Chris’ nudge, because now I can guide others to even more pretty cool locations, and share this place I love.
