Sacred Lands
- joshua6029
- Apr 5
- 8 min read
Where do I even begin? This workshop was one for the books...The first workshop of 2025. The Sacred Lands...So called because of some of the locations we chose for this new workshop. Situated on the Navajo and Hopi reservations of northern Arizona. Brand new for 2025 and a trip I have been VERY excited about!
Each year I try to incorporate new workshops. New formats, new locations, new ideas, and new experiences. I am lucky to have a really amazing core group of folks that enjoy these trips each year and its essential to offer them new workshops. The first new workshop of 2025 went off with a BANG, too! A full group of 6 folks. 3 new Wild Light guests and 3 seasoned alumni. Including, a very special person to me, a man who I believe needs a special mention, he's been attending my trips since nearly the begnning of it all. Whos experienced it all, all around the west with me over the years. Dr. Bob - mountaineer, climber, physician, and possibly the nicest guy around, plus a total badass..
The stakes are always high to show everyone an equally amazing experience. The alumni know that I try to find amazing, remote locations far away from the crowds whenever I can, however the new folks really didnt know what to expect...or what they were about to experience.
The first workshop of the year... I've been planning this this for 8 months... The Sacred lands was a 5 Day, 4 night Overlanding-Camping-Landscape-Astro-photography workshop. Four nights of camping ON location, feet away from our shooting locations, hundreds of feet above vast canyons and nestled amongst the incredible rock formations in some of the most jaw dropping places youve ever seen. The words "this is the most incredible place I've ever seen" were uttered each day by pretty much everyone in the group and being part of that experience, for me is what its all about. Its an honor for me to be a part of someones experience of discovery and knowing that I can continue to surprise even the most seasoned of my workshop guests, an added bonus!
Each evening we enjoyed fireside camp feasts prepared by moi, and traveled to and from locations by day, it was the perfect mix of soaking in the desert, lounging around the camp fire, camping, and the road warrior experiences of being a landscape and astro photographer. Sleeping in your rooftop tent, on the ground or in the back of your SUV. Waking up to the frigid morning air in pure darkness under the darkest of skies. Going to bed sunburnt, dusty and fulfilled by the days experiences. This is what its been like for me, in my personal shooting. And it's easily my favorite way to host a workshop and to connect with clients and their work and vice versa. By bringing them into my world and immersing them in the experience and in nature. So many folks will never experience this type of thing. Its truly special for me.
Our first location once the Convoy linked up in Page, AZ was a STUNNING overlook of lake Powell, or rather, whats left of it and its extremely low water level. An incredible location never the less. A long-arduous road to get there. High clearance and 4x4 highly reccomended, and airing your tires down! We all made it no problem. Even Dr. Bob in his tried and tested Subaru outback...somehow. Once we arrived we quickly levelled out our rigs, set up tents and grabbed our gear to explore the canyon edge. The initial forecast looked clear, so the unexpected clouds right at sunset were a beautiful welcome for these folks from all over and they ended up clearing out just in time for stars later on. That first night-post sunset was spent around the fire enjoying some particularly tasty chicken fajitas with all of the fixings as the last of the suns light faded. The Wild Light mascots, Kiva and Luna making their introductions as things settled down and they decided who was the weak one that was going to give them their scraps. It was an early night for most. Worn from their travels to be there for the workshop. An even earlier morning as we rose around 3am to capture the milky way as it too rose over the eastern horizon. Then the sliver moon joined the sky later on adding an even more dynamic feeling to the experience. The sounds of coyotes in the distance echoing to eachother, delighting in their nights successful hunt ushered in the sun soon after. The group eager to feel the warmth of the morning sun after a chilly night.
The morning chill didnt last long as we packed up our rigs and gear for the long drive out to civilization, coffee, brunch and to our next location. Guided by our Navajo guide we traveled accross a vast plataue to a seldom visited Overlook of the Grand Canyon. Known to the aboriginals as Tatahatso. Arguably even more stunning than the previous location. Far more remote and truly special. It was our first of the truly sacred locations. When I say we camped just feet from the edge. I mean it! That evenings sky was clear, the afterglow intense. The earths shadow created the most beautuful gradient in the horizon. We shot well into the night that evening, capturing stars over the canyon and rose just in time for the alpenglow to kiss the distant, snow capped ridges. This location was west facing so the milky way appeared behind us over an endless savannah. Most of the group took the chance to sleep in until morning blue hour knowing theyd have another chance at our next location. The clouds started to roll in just as the sun was rising which made for a great morning.
After another chilly but exhilerating night we once again packed up camp and rolled out the convoy for another adventure deep into the sacred lands of the navajo a little further south. Ironically my partner Shawnas extended Navajo family has lived and herded sheep along the canyon rim of our next location for generations giving us special access to one of the most breathtaking places. Coalmine Canyon. Named as such for the distinct coal seam that runs just below the canyon rim wherever you look. Once providing sunstainable heat for the locals. This coal seam delineates the jurassic and cretacious age epochs and a mass extinction event. The upper most layers contain inumerable fossils, evidence of a nearshore marine enviroment containing petrified wood and vast oyster beds left behind from massive floods and tides over millions of years and several different marine ecosystems. Simply a jaw dropping place. The stratigraphy of the lower deposits in the sand and mud stones, deposited when massive volcanic eruptions rocked the earth and its fine silty sediment fluttered down and into the waters of a low energy inland sea. Each time depositing minerals resulting in the amazing striped patterns of the painted desert formations. In this case the entrada sandstone. The history of this earth is fascinating!
That evening we wandered to a narrow finger of the vast canyon to focus on the more wide angle stuff, capitalizing on the incredible geology and various colors. Stormy clouds rolled in which made for mixed but moody light. I think the moody atmosphere really suits this place. The sunset caught fire in the distance behind us as we made our way back to camp. That evening we feasted on Burgers, baked beans, and potato salad. A proper summer tradition on a truly nice evening. Distant thunder rolled as the storm cleared out.
We didnt have the clouds we'd hoped for at sunrise but sometimes, you dont need them. The early morning blue hour light more than made up for it, as did the clear skies and arching milky way overhead.
On our third morning we really got to enjoy a slow pace. No hurry to pack up as we only had a short drive to our next and final workshop location. We sat and soaked in the suns rays around the fire and just relaxed. I made us all pancakes, bacon and sausage and somehow those camp breakfasts just taste so much better than any restaurant sometimes. Our final location took us into the Hopi lands where we met up with our Hopi guide Bertram of Ancient Pathways Tours and made our way into Blue Canyon. A very different and incredible experience to being perched high up on a canyon looking down. We really got a chance to be immersed in the landscape and used all of the focal lengths available to capture this wild place and its formations. We even stumbled upon ancient pottery scattered and eroding out of the clay it was laid in centuries ago. Its amazing when you can find evedence of the ancient past and people who once lived there. it gives you a whole different perspective on things and suddenly youre more aware, treading even more carefully and even more attune to your surroundings. The evening provided what felt like never ending golden light until the sun finally set. The following mornings light was colorful! A slow burn, a subtle burn but a wonderful sendoff for the group which gave way to what felt again like never ending golden morning light. Its not often you get the right conditions for shooting well after sunrise or before sunset. The soft clouds help diffuse the light creating rich colors but subtle shadows.
Once we made it back to pavement we aired everyones tires back up and said our goodbyes to half of the group as they had to begin their long journeys home. The other half was going to join us for a bonus, non-workshop night out at white pocket. Since I was off the clock, so to speak, I would get a chance to really sink into shooting and enjoy the evenings light, stars and sunrise with the remaining group, shawna and the pups! I really try to avoid shooting on workshops so I can be completely focused on making sure everyone is enjoying the experience, learning and having fun. That being said, I still put my group chef hat on that night and although it was a friday, it was taco night around the fire and I dont know if any of you have ever had fire side tacos after 5 days of shooting in the cool, dusty, windy, sandy desert, but they may have been the best tacos I've ever had, and a great final meal of the trip as we set off for home the next morning. We were exhausted and our original plan to try and get south coyote buttes permits the next day was going to have to wait for another time as I had to get back to moab for a private workshop with another lovely pair of ladies.
This was my 101st group workshop since I started hosting them in 2015 back east in the finger lakes. I never thought I'd still be doing it a decade later, still out here in the desert! Being a part of so many photographic journeys is an honor I dont take lightly. For some folks and I its been a journey of growth, together. As my own work morphed and grew, so did theirs, and watching their progress has been so fulfilling. I am so grateful for this life, and the folks in it that make it so great. I am beyond excited to do this trip again next year and for the rest of 2025's workshop lineup!
If youd like to join me on a trip like this, please checkout the lineup of overlanding workshops I offer. If camping isnt really your style I offer lodging based trips as well as a mix of both to get your feet wet! You can find them HERE
If youre interested in where folks rented their overlanding rigs: Outdoorsy.com and Turo.com
I am also in conversations with a company with a fleet of overlanding rigs that may become a steady resource for these trips.
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