Bisti Badlands and Chaco Canyon

Otherwordly Landscapes in the New Mexico Desert

September 2 – 8, 2024

Northwest New Mexico is an extraordinary place. The otherworldly formations of De-Na-Zin (Bisti) and Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah that define this area were shaped by ancient seas and extend for miles. The wind and rain have uncovered bones of dinosaurs that once roamed this area, and petrified cypress trees litter the ground. The hoodoos and buttes are like no other on this Earth. Thousands of compositional elements go along with the fantastic New Mexico skies.

We will spend the first few days and nights photographing the formations of Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah. Here we will learn composition techniques and how to light up these unique hoodoos without detracting from the night sky.

We will head into the wilds of the Bisti Badlands for a comfortable camping experience. With hoodoos outside our tents, we will spend time exploring and photographing instead of driving to our destination.

While camping, we will also head to nearby Chaco Canyon. We will visit, explore, and photograph the massive buildings that the ancestral Pueblo people built. These buildings were built between 850 and 1250 A.D. Chaco Canyon has been dedicated as an International Dark Sky Park, so the night sky above the ancient dwellings will be extraordinary.

After our return to Farmington, we’ll have time for rest and our signature image reviews and post-processing sessions.

You can expect easy two-mile hikes in the very comfortable high desert temperatures. We will explore some unique compositions for daytime shooting and make the landscape come alive using artificial light with a star-filled sky.