Joshua Tree National Park Workshop, March 4-7, 2025 (Deposit)

This workshop is now full. If you would like to be notified if and when a spot opens up, join the waitlist via email.

Total workshop fee: $2,795, which includes the workshop fee. A $1,200 deposit secures your spot in the workshop.

Download the workshop PDF for a complete description of the workshop, including an itinerary, lodging info, what to bring, and more.

Joshua Tree National Park is another of those places in the West that beguiles and amazes the photographer. It is a unique landscape marked not only by its signature succulent (not a tree, despite its name)  but also by stunning rock formations of all sizes; spring wildflower, cactus and ocotillo blooms; gorgeous vistas; and the remains of early 20th century mines and cattle ranches (and rustlers). Rick LePage, who is co-teaching this workshop with me, says that it’s one of his favorite places on the planet, and I guarantee that after a few days in the park, you’ll be glad you came along. It’s that beautiful.

In Joshua Tree you can stop literally anywhere in the park, release a group of photographers, and everyone will come back with cool and unique images. It’s the perfect location to practice photography in an otherworldly place, with trees that look like they came from the mind of Dr. Seuss and towering rock formations of all shapes and sizes that are as fantastic as the trees.

In this 12-person workshop, we’ll explore Joshua Tree in all its majesty, with me, Rick and our good friend David Archer as your guides. We’ll learn about this beautiful land, shooting among the boulders and arches of the park, and in the midst of wide fields of Joshua trees. You’ll find gorgeous blue hours, silhouettes of rock climbers against the sky, and expressive panoramas that capture this amazing place. 

Joshua Tree locations

Joshua Tree National Park is unique in that within its borders lies the dividing line between two great deserts: the Mojave and the Colorado. The Mojave, whose boundary stretches across the northern part of the park, is the natural  habitat of the Joshua tree. The Colorado, which sits on the southern and eastern parts of the park, is the home of cholla cactus and ocotillo plants.

We’ll spend a lot of time wandering through the park in El Jefe, scouting locations for the best light. We’ll have sunrise shoots at the iconic Arch Rock and Penguin Rock, sunset shoots at Jumbo Rocks and among the fields of Joshua trees that are everywhere in the northwestern part of the park. We’ll look down on the Coachella Valley from the perch of Keys View, wander among the crazy Cholla Cactus Garden, and if we’re lucky, we’ll be there at the right time for wildflowers out by Barker Dam or Hidden Valley. We will also have one very early (2:30-4:45 am) Milky Way shoot for those interested.

We’ll spend our classroom time in a spacious home in the town of Joshua Tree, a short drive from the park’s West entrance. During classroom time, we’ll look at images, talk about shooting in the blue hour, working compositions in the field, and special techniques like panoramas. There will also be plenty of editing time, where we can talk about how best to process your work, and answer questions about anything photographic.

Lastly, we will wander around the quaint and vibrant town of Joshua Tree, which is full of charm — and, more importantly great coffee and good food of all types.  

Tentative course schedule

This is a proposed guide to our Joshua Tree workshop, and is subject to change based on weather and group interest at the time we’re in the park. We’ll do our best to have student image reviews and photo critiques, as well as some class time for post-processing demos, instruction and Q&A. In the field, we’ll demonstrate advanced techniques like panoramic mergers, focus stacking and night-sky photography.

While our days in the field will largely be centered around early mornings and sunsets/blue hour, there will be ample periods in the middle of each day for meals, classroom instruction and rest.

Day 1: Tuesday, March 4 (9:30 AM START TIME)

• Meet and greet
• Workshop overview, weather discussion and Q&A
• Student portfolio reviews
• Drive to Keys View overlooking the Coachella Valley; scout locations for sunset

Day 2: Wednesday, March 5

• Sunrise shoot at Arch Rock
• Classroom time will include discussions on Milky Way capture, focus stacking and Raw processing
• Day 1 image reviews
• Scouting drive through the park; possibilities include golden hour at Cholla Cactus Fields, sunset/blue hour shoot in Joshua tree fields.

Day 3: Thursday, March 6

• Early morning Milky Way shoot (2:45 am)
• Student day two image reviews
• Open editing and Q&A
• Sunset/blue hour at Jumbo Rocks/Penguin Rock

Day 4: Friday, March 7

• Sunrise shoot in the park
• Open editing + Q&A Session
• Student day three image reviews
• Afternoon shoot and sunset where the light leads us.
• Dinner as a group

Fees and Payment Terms

The Joshua Tree workshop fee is $2,795; participants can secure a place with a $1,200 deposit. An invoice for the remaining balance will be sent approximately 90 days prior to the workshop. The balance must be paid in full 60 days prior to the workshop to hold your place.

All workshop payments are fully refundable less a 10% fee up to 60 days prior to the first day of the workshop. If you cancel anywhere from 59 to 30 days prior to the workshop, we will make every effort to find a replacement. If we can fill your spot, 90% of your workshop fee will be refunded; if we cannot find a replacement, we will refund 50% of your workshop fee. Any cancellation within 30 days is non-refundable.

We do expect that all workshop participants will have read, and acknowledge and understand, our workshop Code of Conduct, as presented at hudsonhenry.com/workshop-code-of-conduct.

Download the workshop PDF for a complete description of the workshop, including suggested lodging info, what to bring, and more.