This Masterclass is not a photography tour.
Entering the Wilderness
The Arizona Strip is one of the most remote regions of the American Southwest.
Stretching across northern Arizona and southern Utah, the region remains largely untouched — a vast wilderness of sandstone formations, hidden canyons, and desert plateaus. There are few paved roads, few towns, and very few visitors.
For photographers, this remoteness creates something rare: a landscape where the light, geology, and silence of the desert can still be experienced in its natural state. This workshop takes photographers deep into that wilderness to explore locations that reveal the extraordinary visual language of the desert.
Two Nights Beneath the Desert Sky
Because we are camped on site photographers can work on the light for optimum landscape art interpretation. During daylight we explore the sandstone formations and begin studying how light reveals the edgy structures. Sundowns are times of cool shadows which give way to moonlight and starlight, a light that transforms surface tension to calm poetic group shapes. Pre sunrise and then golden hour bring vibrance and saturation to the textures and chances to capture dramatic reflections in monsoon rain pools.
We take care of the remote logistics so that you can concentrate and enjoy creative landscape art photography.
Tents, cots, Chuck Wagon meals— everything you need— are included and prepare for you.
One of the defining experiences of the workshop is spending two nights camped at White Pocket, one of the most remarkable geological formations in the Southwest.
Our 4X4 vehicles get us to this remote location and that effort is part of what makes the location so special. As we roll though junipers and the sandstone rises in layered waves of ivory, ochre, and crimson, and then suddenly we come upon the formations that feel almost surreal — sweeping ridges, twisting patterns, and quiet reflecting pools scattered across the ochre, orange and white formations.
Inside Wire Pass Canyon
Later in the workshop we enter Wire Pass Canyon, one of the most beautiful slot canyons in the region. It’s here that the landscape becomes intimate and sculptural. Tall sandstone walls narrow into elegant corridors where sunlight filters down from above and reflects softly across the canyon walls.
These conditions create a completely different photographic environment and instead of dramatic vistas, photographers begin exploring:
- Reflected light
- Tonal transitions
- Sculptural compositions
- Intimate studies of form and texture
Many landscape photographers discover that some of their strongest images emerge from these quiet interior spaces.
Desert Sculpture
Another highlight of the workshop is our extended study of the delicate hoodoo structures that rise from the desert floor like natural sculptures carved by erosion. Rather than visiting briefly, we photograph the formations during both morning and late afternoon light, allowing art photographers to see how the changing sun transforms the scene.
Working during different times of day allows photographers to explore the relationship between light, shape, and structure.
What You Will Learn
This Masterclass is designed for photographers who want to deepen their artistic understanding of landscape photography.
Throughout the week we explore:
Workshop Details
Students may register with $2,147.50 down.
Primary Locations
- White Pocket
- Wire Pass Canyon
- The Toadstools
- Aspiration Point
- Peek-a-Boo Canyon
Requirements
- Must be able to work up to 3 miles roundtrip over uneven ground
- Group size limited to 8 + instructors
- Small group instruction
Dates & Schedule
- September 6th – 12th, 2025
- Orientation: Sunday Sept 6th, 5 PM
- Workshop ends: Friday Sept 12th, 5 PM
- Base: Kanab, Utah
Physical Level: Must be able to work up to 3 miles roundtrip over uneven ground.
Group Size limited to 8 + instructors
Small group instruction
Base Camp Lodging
Our Base Camp is the La Quinta Inn, Kanab, UT where we have a block of rooms reserved. Please contact them directly and tell them that you are a member of the National Park Photography Masterclass and book your room for the dates of the class. You need to arrive on Sunday September 6th, and your departure will be Saturday, September, 12th.
The La Quinta Inn is located at
465 South 100 East, Kanab, UT 84741
Phone
Your Masterclass Starts on Sunday 8th September 6th at 5 PM for Safety and Orientation and runs through 5 PM Friday September 12th.
Student Gallery
Students in the Field
Join Us in the Arizona Strip
The Arizona Strip Masterclass offers photographers a rare opportunity to explore one of the most extraordinary wilderness landscapes in the American Southwest while developing new ways of seeing the land through photography.