FEB 26-MARCH 5th,2025 |FAIRBANKS,AK
WITH NICK SELWAY AND JOE GARZA
CLIENT REVIEWS
Northern Lights - One of the most phenomenal displays in nature is the Aurora Borealis. Join us where we will set out to several different locations in search of clear skies to watch and photograph these phenomenon light shows. Although predicting the northern lights can be finicky Feb & March are considered to be the best month for viewing these breathetaking natural wonders. You will leave with some incredible images around Fairbanks. Aurora Borealis is to many people a "Bucket list" event we want to see let alone photograph. We want to make sure you are right there during the action starts till the early morning hours. If you're ready for an epic adventure with then check out more information below and come join us. We'll provide you instruction on how to capture the light and create unique compositions with the goal of providing a comfortable, fun environment to explore photography settings and techniques to help you learn and fine tune your photography skills. We'll even provide assistance after the workshop to help you with your post-processing editing to bring your images to life.This workshop does fill up quickly each year!
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WORKSHOP
- Northern Lights
- The Famous Dalton Hwy/Stunning snow covered trees!
- Castner Ice Cave Hike
- Dog Sledding Adventure
- Exploring Denali National Park
- Broad Pass
- Opportunity to photography wildlife Caribou & Moose
- An evening relaxing at Chena Hot Springs
- Visiting The World Ice Art Carving Championship in Fairbanks
Workshop Information
Workshop Schedule- The tours will begin on Feb 26th and we will be checking in by 3pm at The Westmark Hotel Fairbanks,AK . From there we will be heading to our rooms and then getting your camera gear ready so we can head out for the first night to chase The Northern Lights. Before we take off we will have a meeting downstairs in the lobby at 5pm to introduce ourselves to everyone and answer any questions and then let the fun begin. Depending on the weather each night we could drive up to 200 miles one way to find clear skies just to put everyone in the right spot to capture the auroras. Each night we could possibly be out until sunrise the next morning shooting. Prepare for very long nights, little sleep and extremely cold temperatures ranging for -40F to 30 F.
Most importantly create a relaxed, fun and enjoyable atmosphere for an incredible experience. You will feel more confident taking your photography skills to the next level. The last morning of our workshop March 5th checkout of the hotel is at 12pm.
Group Size- Limited to 10 people
Booking-The workshop will need to be paid in full by Dec 26th. Deposit Refunds are non refundable after the 60-day mark unless we can find another person to fill your spot.
Cost-Total cost for this tour
A 50% Deposit will need to be made to sign up for the tour which can be made at the bottom of this page.
-Double Occupancy-$4200.00
-Single Occupancy-$5000.00
Hotel- Westmark Hotel, Fairbanks #907-456-7722 813 Noble Street. Fairbanks, AK 99701
Lodging- Included in workshop fee with Double occupancy and Single occupancy.You do not need to call the hotel once you sign up we will send you your room confirmation # in the following weeks.
Westmark Hotel Fairbanks,Alaska
Travel-The nearest airport is Fairbanks Airport 4.5 miles from our hotel
Included-Lodging ,Permits,Guiding/Transportation, 1hr Dog Sledding Adventure,Hiking to a stunning Castner Ice Cave, Chena Hot Springs and as much laughter as possible and our wealth of photo knowledge making sure we put everyone in the best possible locations for light and compositions to capture their own stunning images.
Not Included -
- Airfare and Meals ....but our hotel does have free breakfast every morning from 6am-10am.There is also a great restaurant in the hotel open daily for lunch and dinner.
- Gratuities for Instructors, Local Guides/Dog Sledding.
Transportation- We will be renting 2 comfortable vehicles to take everyone from the hotel to our shooting locations each day/night. If you are flying into Fairbanks the day before please make sure you setup your hotel accommodations to cover yourself. Our rooms are only booked and scheduled from Feb 26th-March 5th. The Westmark Hotel is 4.5 miles away from the airport so you would need to take a cab or Uber to and from.
Dog Sledding Adventure-
We will be going on a 40 min dog sled ride with the company Paws For Adventure
Your dream of Dog Sledding in Alaska comes true where we will join an experienced dog musher and a team of eager huskies. The trail swoops and winds down forested winter trails in the heart of interior Alaska’s Chena River Valley.
While mushing a team of huskies on the trail, it’s not uncommon to see ptarmigan, spruce hens, moose and snowshoe hare tracks, maybe even a cow moose and her calf. (Moose are sighted weekly in our field adjacent to the dog yard). Ravens often swoop down and fly along the trail ahead of us. A perfect dog sled tour for a taste of dog sledding and just the right length for a dog sled ride when it’s exceptionally chilly.
Castner Ice Cave Hike
We will be taking a morning and afternoon to drive about 2.5 hrs SE of Fairbanks to hike to the stunning Castner Ice Cave. It is a 2.5 mile hike round trip with no elevation gain/easy hike.Exploring this ice cave makes for amazing opportunities for photography. We will spend about 3 hrs in and around the ice cave.
Difficulty of Workshop and Clothing Needed
Some areas will require short hikes thru mountain terrains with some mild elevation gains less than 150 ft. Our shooting areas will give you the most remote breathtaking views to enhance your experience. Snow Hiking boots we recommend Sorel boots or equivalent to, warm base layers top and bottom, snow jackets, warm hoodies, snow pants, beanies, gloves, face mask covering and wool socks . Make sure you always bring water and some snacks for the nights. You will need to bring a good headlamp. We will be providing hand warmers and hot chocolate each night.
Recommend gear to include but not limited to.
Very Important- You will want to have a wide angle lens 16mm-35mm and that has an aperture of 1.4-2.8. Depending on how bright the Northern Lights are on any given night we will be doing long exposures anywhere from 5 sec to 20 sec also make sure you have a cable release for your camera!
DSLR, Mirrorless cameras or whatever you comfortable with. Solid tripod with either a ballhead or equivalent. Shutter release setup for long exposures. Recommended lens 16-35mm,20mm Prime, 24-70mm,70-200mm. These are the lens we have found to be the best for all around coverage in the areas we will be.
Make sure to have extra batteries at least 3 full batteries every night charged, SD Cards
What you will learn-
-Long exposures night time photography
-Creating Stunning Compositions-Rule of 3rds and simplicity
-Understanding Exposure- Shutter Speed, Aperture ,ISO, Depth of Field
-What lens to use for different compositions and lighting
-Introduction to Lightroom and Photo Shop
-Focus stacking
-Create breathtaking panoramic images
Post Processing
Joe & I believe in maximizing everyones time in field photographing while on the workshop.After the workshop is over in the following weeks we offer a 1/1 - 2 hr Post processing session for anyone to pick 3-4 images from the trip and we will go over with you our work flow in Lightroom & Photoshop.
