Visiting Badlands National Park in South Dakota is like stepping onto the surface of Mars.  The landscapes that surround you are eerie, bizarre, otherworldly, compelling, and most certainly beautiful. You'll want to start photographing immediately, but there are so many pictures to be taken it's hard to know where to start. If nature photography beckons you, the Badlands are a must. Join Jim for this fascinating journey to what could easily be considered an extraterrestrial experience . . . minus the space capsule.  The landscape is incredibly rugged, and then perfectly contoured, and then stunningly colorful. It changes constantly, and that's part of the intriguing nature of this photography tour.  We will take advantage of the best light at sunrise and sunset, and if conditions are ideal for good photography we can shoot all day.  Otherwise, during midday, we will have critiques sessions and Photoshop tutorials that will teach you how to post-process your images for maximum visual impact. 

Itinerary

Depart from your home and fly or drive to Rapid City, South Dakota.  Arrive on September 1, 2022.  If you fly, take a taxi or Uber to the hotel.  We meet in the lobby of the hotel at 5pm for a discussion of the upcoming photo tour, and Jim will be happy to answer any questions you may have about photography or Photoshop.  We then enjoy our welcome dinner and get ready for photography early the next morning.

The itinerary every day will consist of sunrise and sunset outings plus exploring the Badlands National Park mornings and late afternoons.  If the sky is overcast, we can shoot during the middle of the day as well.  The exact itinerary is flexible depending on weather and the condition of the sky.  We will also visit Mt. Rushmore which is close by the park.  During midday when the lighting is harsh, Jim will conduct critique sessions.  In addition, we will have lessons in Photoshop in which Jim shows how to post-process landscape image, how to replace the sky, and how to use landscapes in composite work.

On September 5 we have our last sunrise shoot, and then we will depart Rapid City after breakfast.