I work full time as a staff photographer and photo instructor for Lindblad/National Geographic Expeditions and spend the rest of my time as a private photo guide. I offer a range of custom photography workshops both in the United States and around the world. Private workshops are available and I work with my clients to customize an itinerary where we explore the best photography locations, learn new post processing techniques, and explore possibilities for capturing stunning images both in the day and at night. I make sure to maximize our shooting time which includes finding the best locations, planning the ideal time to be in each location, and using off-hours for post processing classwork.

Shooting Techniques and Styles

      In each workshop, we will practice shooting techniques for both daytime photography and night sky photography. We will discuss and practice fundamental skills required to capture the best pictures in various situations. Night photography is unique and requires a completely different set of skills from shooting in daylight. During landscape shooting, low ISO and high apertures are ideal, while night photography requires a very high ISO and wide open aperture, together with very long shutter speeds. 

      We will go over how to set up your camera before the shoot, and how to adjust your focus and settings while shooting in the night.

Post Processing

       Learn post processing techniques in Photoshop / Photoshop Elements and NIK software to achieve beautiful results in your images. We will cover color balance, noise reduction, balancing light painting, and controlling contrast of the image and the Milky Way. Each day we will review images from the previous day, critique the compositions, and go through post-processing techniques.

       Example workshops:

Arches and Canyonlands – We will explore many of the beautiful sights these two parks have to offer, but we will have the unique opportunity to come back and photograph them at night with the beautiful Milky Way as our backdrop. I will go through very thorough instructions on how to take the best images possible in the darkness of night, and walk you through the process one on one when we arrive at our destinations. Post processing techniques will be covered during the day, and I will help you achieve the stunning images that you can capture at these fantastic locations

          Amazing Utah – Includes the Arches and Canyonlands itinerary, but we will then explore the beauties of central and southern Utah including several Anasazi ruins, then moving on to the beautiful slot canyons of southern Utah including the famous Antelope Canyon. This is a great opportunity to capture the light beams shooting down into the canyons, but we will have the unique opportunity to photograph these canyons at night as well, something very few people have access to. I will walk us through how to shoot in the canyon, and how to light the walls to capture stunning images from inside the canyon walls at night. We will also have the opportunity to photograph light orbs and fire orbs inside the canyon. Next we will explore the beautiful narrows of Zion, and other amazing locations in the park. Finally we make our way to Bryce national parks to photograph the remarkable hoodoos and breathtaking vistas. Other options include: North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Toroweap extension, and Colorado Extension.

               Wonderful West Coast – This trip is action packed. We begin in Portland with some waterfalls and lovely gardens, then we’ll move west to drive down the coast, stopping frequently to take advantage of all the most photogenic areas. We make our way to California where we get the opportunity to walk through the massive redwood forests, find more hidden waterfalls (there are some wonderful images to be made here), explore great coastal opportunities including beautiful beaches and piers, and make our way to Yosemite National Park. Each day, we will be shooting the stops we make, but we will also plan our night stops at the best locations for night sky and milky way shooting. After Yosemite, we move east to shoot the beautiful sunrise/sunset at Mono Lake, then down to Lake Tahoe where we will get some amazing day and night photo opportunities. Next we drive to Death Valley and capture beautiful salt flats, sand dunes, and the famous ‘Race Track.’ Finally we end up at Red Rock State Park near Las Vegas where we will spend the day shooting the stunning desert landscape. Other options on this trip: Exploring Washington’s lush forests, Mt Rainier, Joshua Tree National Park, Scripps Pier in La Jolla, Grand Canyon National Park…

          Every trip is entirely customizable; these are only a few examples of recent trips I’ve led. If you have an idea in mind or would like to create your own customized photography expedition, please feel free to contact me at max@maxwilderness.com to create a schedule that suits your needs, and for pricing. Trips can range anywhere from a couple of days to several weeks, so any time frame is possible!