Sunset & Night Sky Workshops (Trona Pinnacles)

Have you ever visited Mars? Well, we may not be capable of taking you to Mars but we can take you to Mars on Earth. Join us on an otherworldly adventure under the stars and to explore the Martian looking landscape of the Trona Pinnacles in California.

We will visit this Martian land for some stunning sunset photography utilizing the tall tufas as foreground. By night, we’ll immerse ourselves in an alien-like terrain creating stunning foregrounds below the evening stars. You will learn how to light paint the scenery at night and capture stunning images of the Milky Way as well as star trails.

If you’re ready to elevate your night photography skills, this is an experience you won’t want to miss!

Participant Limit: 10

Skill Level: Any

Physical Activity: Easy (Walking/Standing)

Photoshoot Length: 6 hours

Cost: $400 per person

Trona Pinnacles is a rugged terrain with little to no cell service. Each participant will receive a handheld walkie talkie in case you become separated from the group.

Itinerary:

6/20/2025

1-4pm - Meet at the Ridgecrest Welcome Center 880 N. China Lake Blvd for orientation, introductions and information about the workshop for shooting the Trona Pinnacles sunsets and Milky Way

4-5:30pm - Dinner

5:30pm - Depart for Trona Pinnacles (30-minute drive)

6pm - Arrive Trona Pinnacles

Sunset Time: 8:10pm

Photoshoot Time:

6pm-Midnight

We will shoot during sunset, and the magical golden hour and blue hour moments. The stars will show up in abundance and sparkle above. The Milky Way will appear magnificently in the south just after sunset.

Photo Review Date/Time & Location:

6/21/2025

1-3pm

Time to share and discuss your images with the class. We will cover photo editing to make your images pop and standout.

Gear:

• Digital camera (Smartphones are welcome too)
• Wide angle lens (12-35mm with an aperture of f/2.8 or smaller f number
• These are great for wide landscapes and night sky
• Medium telephoto lens (24-70, 24-105mm)
• Bring the scene closer to you
• Sturdy tripod that doesn't shake with a ball head or pan head mount
• Extra batteries
• Memory cards
• Intervalometer
• Headlamp
• Flashlight

Additional Items:

Image Editing

• Laptop with Lightroom Classic. You can download a free trial for 30 days here.
• Sequator (Free software for PC)
• Hard drive or external hard drive with enough space to store your photos

Clothing

The temperatures will probably be quite warm during the daylight hours, so be prepared for the heat during the first couple hours during sunset. Summer nights are usually quite comfortable at this time of year and the skies are usually clear.

• Base clothing, long undergarments
• Comfortable shoes
• Hat/Gloves

Payment

The full amount is due upon registering in order to reserve a spot.

Workshop Fee is $400



What is includeD:

• Photographer Guidance
• In the field instruction on mastering sunset and night photography skills
• Light Painting tools to try out
• Classroom session including Lightroom & Photoshop techniques and image critiques

Cancellation Policy

• All cancellation requests must be received by email to phodeobug.@gmail.com.
• Workshop content may change based on weather and access to locations or other unforeseen circumstances and attendees will be notified whenever possible. We reserve the right to cancel any program that does not meet the minimum participants required. In case of cancellation by our workshop, you will be fully refunded. There are no exceptions to the due dates as per the workshop description due to the logistics to prepare for the workshops and fees that might have been incurred by our workshop.
• 60+ Days Before: Full refund minus a $50 fee.
• 30–59 Days Before: 50% refund or credit for a future workshop.
• Less Than 30 Days: No refund, but credit may be offered if your spot is filled.

What is not included

• Airfare to/from Las Vegas or Los Angeles
• Transportation
• Hotel accommodation
• Meals

Book your flight

• Los Angeles (LAX) — 3 hours drive
• Las Vegas (LAS) — 4 hours drive

Hotels

There are a number of hotels in Ridgecrest. Check out the list of Ridgecrest Hotels on the Ridgecrest Welcome Center website.

Transportation

If you are flying in, we recommend you rent a car. Trona Pinnacles is a dirt road so we recommend having 4- wheel drive but it's not mandatory.

Meals

We will have dinner Friday together after orientation and before heading out to the Trona Pinnacles. If anyone is interested, we can have dinner together again Saturday after photo review and editing.