Zion
Boasting some of Utah’s most awe-inspiring red-rock peaks, cascading waterfalls and the beautiful Virgin River, Zion National Park and its amazing landforms are a perfect complement to the night sky. We'll explore this epic, iconic landscape under the stars, as well as venture into a nearby ghost town and its 18th century graveyard under the light of a bright gibbous moon.
Workshop Gallery
Workshop Details
April 10-15, 2022 — Completed
This is a 5-night, 6-day workshop. Your adventure begins in early afternoon on Sunday, April 10, and ends after a final slideshow on the afternoon of Friday, April 15.
$1,950 + applicable taxes. Register below.
Skill level
Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals.
Group size
12, with 2 instructors — 6:1 ratio
NPS 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 at Zion, we hope you join us.
Workshop Leaders
Registration
This event has passed. Thanks for your interest!
| • Deposit of $500 is required to reserve your spot at the workshop. |
| • Balance of $TK is due on December 21, 2021. —> 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 December 20, 2021 (see cancellation and refund policy). |
| • The workshop fee does not include park entrance fees, lodging, food, airfare, transportation to and from the airport, or transportation to shoot locations. |
The Zion Experience
From our first four years we were committed to offering a workshop at every U.S. national park, one at a time, without repeating. However, you kept asking us to return to some. So for the second consecutive year we put a vote out to our alumni to see which park we should go back to. For 2021, they chose Zion. It’s an excellent choice. We are very excited to revisit, and to bring you all with us. In 2022—because we had to postpone.
This five-night, six-day photography workshop takes place during Zion’s early spring season. Clear skies, cool nights and a waxing gibbous moon will help bring out the best of this epic landscape and the sky that covers it.
Several early afternoons will find us sharing and learning in the classroom with lectures or image reviews, while evenings and nights will be spent shooting in the field. Most nights we’ll spend time in two separate locations, but some locations are so epic, they deserve more time. Locations may include the famous Lone Pine, Towers of the Virgin, the Court of the Patriarchs, Checkerboard Mesa, Grafton Ghost Town, The Great White Throne and several lesser-known gems.
This workshop is for anyone who is interested in exploring Zion’s magnificent landscape while gaining a deeper understanding of night photography. Making new friends, learning new techniques, having fun and bringing home some epic images is guaranteed!
What You Should Know
This workshop caters to photographers with intermediate and advanced skill sets. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals.
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. You may also be interested in watching Tim’s video Lightroom: Library and Develop Modules, which is designed both for beginner and intermediate photographers.
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 and moonlit environments, and a good foundation in some advanced techniques for creating high-quality night photographs.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
how to photograph and edit night skies
how to photograph and edit star trails
blending foreground landscapes with the night sky
photographing under moonlight
shooting to edit in Starry Landscape Stacker and Sequator
and more …
While in the field, the instructors will demonstrate their own techniques and will work with participants one-on-one to make sure everyone gets the most out of the workshop. 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 Tim and Chris 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
You will need a rental car. 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:
Las Vegas, NV (LAS) -- 2 hours, 40 minutes from Springdale
St. George, UT (SGU)- 1 hour from Springdale
Food & Lodging
You are not required to stay at the official workshop lodging, though doing so does make it easier to meet with the group each day. Lodging info and group code will be sent after registering. If you are interested in sharing accommodations, let us know and we will try to connect you with someone like-minded in the group.
Although Springdale is a small town, it does have one or two decent places to eat. A good-size market will help with purchasing snack food or sandwiches for bringing on the night shoots. Zion is a desert. Be prepared to carry and drink plenty of water!
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own meals and accommodations.
Weather
Expect daytime temps in the high 50s F, and evenings in the low 30s.
Recommended Attire
April in Zion is cool and comfortable. Light pants, a long-sleeve shirt and a light coat will get you through most days. In the evening, the dry desert air can allow the temperature to drop significantly. A sweatshirt and medium-weight jacket will likely be useful, and a base layer might not be a waste of packing space. Bring a rain jacket, rain pants, gloves and warm hat just in case. Layers are good. Comfortable and protective shoes are recommended for getting around. We’ll be on trails, crossing sandy flats and walking on sandstone (slickrock), so hiking boots or quality trail shoes with an aggressive tread would be optimal.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this workshop is Moderate. (See more about our classifications.)
Zion’s terrain varies wildly. There are many locations where you can simply pull off the road to photograph. There are also many hidden gems that await those on a short trip down a trail. Off-trail scrambling is also quite common in this park. We’ll be photographing in all of those circumstances.
There won’t be any long hikes (nothing longer than 2.5 miles round-trip), but there will be trails involved, and you should be comfortable carrying your own equipment over uneven ground and sand in the dark. Please consider your physical abilities prior to registering. If you have any questions, just drop us a line!
Note: To ensure the safety of individuals and the group, National Parks at Night reserves the right for workshop leaders to 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 Info
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.
A Cacophony of Color …
“There is a cacophony of color within the red canyon walls, vibrant green foliage and deep azure skies.”
I’ll never forget my first reaction to Zion National Park. It was a keen and odd mix of awe and depression. My friends had just returned from a sojourn across the Southwest and were sharing pictures and stories from their time on the road. I was so envious of their adventure because I had been invited to go, but I couldn’t make the trip due to prior obligations. Their pictures of Zion really made an impression. I had to get down there.
That evening, one of the trio of desert rats noted my mood and kindly offered to return to Zion with me the very next day. I was ecstatic! For one, it was my first trip to the Southwest; two, I was going with a great friend; and three, the towering peaks and verdant valley of Zion awaited our arrival.
That was May 1993, and ever since then I have visited Zion nearly every year.
I love the national parks, and each one has its own unique flavor. They are all so awesome, I’ve had to make separate categories to define my favorites: the park I would most enjoy living in, the one with my favorite weather, the one with the best hiking, etc.
Zion is my favorite park for photography. It’s the only park I know where great images can be made at any time of the day or night, any season and in any weather. Its majestic peaks can be rivaled only by the sheer quantity of intimate and macro subject matter. There is a cacophony of color within its red canyon walls, vibrant green foliage and deep azure skies.
I can’t imagine a better place to return to time and time again.
