Death Valley & Alabama Hills Winter Workshop  
— December 5th to 9th, 2008 —
An exclusive five day field workshop to Death Valley with Alain and Natalie Briot
Workshop focus: Light, Composition and Personal Style

Open to 12 participants

Update, November 18th: 1 seat available




Mesquite Sand Dunes


"I have learned so much during the workshop. Thank you very much.
You and Natalie offer great insights into the art of photography.
I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
My friends and family have noticed how much my photography has improved
since I started attending your workshops."

Kathy Swanson, Navajoland Workshop participant


Workshops FAQ
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Announcing an exciting workshop to Death Valley with Alain Briot and Natalie Briot
This workshop will take you to one of the most photogenic locations: the otherworldly landscape of Death Valley National Park. We will spend most of the workshop exploring the harsh beauty of Death Valley, before concluding our expedition in the Alabama Hills, at the foot of Mount Witney. If we can find the spot we will try, on our last day at sunrise, to photograph at the location where Ansel Adams created one of his most famous photographs Mount Whitney from Lone Pine.

1 - Your Itinerary
The itinerary for this workshop was designed with two goals in mind: convenient travel arrangements and exciting photographic opportunities. The workshop starts in Death Valley and concludes in Lone Pine.

Friday, December 5th, 2008
We will be meet you in Death Valley National Park. You will receive information on our exact meeting time, together with directions to Death Valley approximately two weeks before the workshop.

On this first day we will start with workshop and park orientation and introduce each other. After a first photography tutorial, which will address the goals of this workshop, we will focus on photographing sunset at Death Valley.

Saturday, December 6th, 2008
We will rise before sunrise to photograph at Sunrise. After breakfast, we will start on an all day exploration of Death Valley . We will photograph such famed locations as Badwater, Artist Point, Dante's View and much more. We will end our day at a our chosen location where we will photograph sunset. This will be a day to remember.

Sunday, December 7th, 2008
On Sunday we will again rise early to reach the Stovepipe Well Sand Dunes before sunrise and explore the photographic opportunities there for several hours. After Breakfast, we will start on a second day of photography and exploration, this time focusing on the lesser known aspects of Death Valley. Monday will also be print review day. Make sure to bring 5 to 10 prints of your work, 8x10 or larger. Our print reviews are comprehensive and friendly, lasting from 15 minutes to an hour. The print review provides a superb opportunity to ask any and all questions about your work. It is also a wonderful opportunity to get feedback on your work, not only from Natalie and I but also from other workshop participants.

Monday, December 8th, 2008
On Monday we will do one more sunrise shoot over Death Valley, from another stunning overlook (you'll love our choice for that day). After breakfast and checkout, we will proceed towards Lone Pine. After lunch we will proceed towards the Alabama Hills to search for a suitable location for Sunset.

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
Tuesday morning will see us return to the Alabama Hills for sunrise, to a location we will have found and selected the previous evening (we can't find the best location in the dark !). After the shoot is over we will have breakfast in Lone Pine. The workshop concludes after breakfast, giving everyone plenty of time to drive back.

Playa Reflections 1

2 - Cost, registration and number of participants, :
The cost of this once in a lifetime workshop is only $1295. This workshop is open to participants of all levels of experience, using 35mm to large format, film and/or digital.

There are three ways to reserve your seat in this workshop:

1- Download this emailable Workshop Registration Form
2- Email Alain at alain@beautiful-landscape.com
3- Call Alain toll free at 800-949-7983 (or 928-252-2466 )

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. A receipt will be mailed to you the day after your registration has been processed. You can charge the registration fee in one instalment or in 3 equal installments placed to your card a month apart starting when you register. Just let us know your preference when you sign up.

If you have any questions before registering, click here to send us an email inquiry. We are pleased to assist you with any questions. You can also call Alain or Natalie Briot at 800-949-7983 or 928-252-2466 .

Registrations are on a first come, first served basis. We recommend you act now because our workshops sell out quickly.
This workshop is for you if you have been thinking about becoming more serious about your photography, building up your portfolio, developing your personal style, or if you simply want to visit locations which offer exciting photographic possibilities.

3 - Important things to keep in mind:
- Bring clothing suited for a variety of temperatures, from cold mornings to warm afternoons. Also be prepared for potential rain and for active weather. To quote David Muench: "bad weather equals good photographs."

- Food, lodging and transportation are not included. Some of you may want to camp, some stay in a hotel, some may want to eat with the group while other may prefer to be on their own. This arrangement provides for maximum flexibility while keeping the cost of this workshop to a minimum. It will gives you maximum freedom in planning your meals and give you time by yourself if you choose.

- We will email you directions to Death Valley as well as a list of hotels in Death Valley and Lone Pine when you register. You will also receive an email with the Friday evening meeting place and a detailed workshop schedule approximately 2 weeks before the workshop.

-We have a no tag-along policy. Spouses, friends, significant others and non-photographers need to be registered as full-time participants to join any aspect of this workshop. This includes meetings, print reviews, lectures, meals and all other aspects of this workshop. No exceptions. For further details read our Workshop FAQ.

- We will use walkie-talkies to communicate with each other during the workshop, when we are on location and when we are driving. If you become separated from the group we will call you on your walkie-talkie to find out where you are (provided you are within a 2 or 3 mile range). For these reasons we ask that you bring a walkie-talkie, such as a Motorola Talkabout or equivalent, to the workshop. Please set your walkie-talkie to channel 4-5. Some GPS units now double up as walkie talkies, such as the Garmin Rino 110 and 120. If you can, we recommend that you use a GPS-Walkie Talkie combination unit during the workshop.

Zabriskie Point

4 - Instructor Availability
We will be helping you and photographing with you from sunrise to sunset, with a break for breakfast and lunch, during the entire duration of the workshop.

5 - Cancellation policy:
All monies are non-refundable. If you cancel participation in this workshop your registration fees may be transferred towards registration in another Beaux Arts Photography workshop under certain conditions. Transfer of fees to another workshop is not automatic and is decided solely by Beaux Arts Photography as a courtesy. We reserve the right to decide whether to transfer your fees to another workshop or not. You must register for another workshop within one year from the starting date of the workshop you originally registered for. Participants transferring from another workshop will be registered for this other workshop in excess of the regular number of participants. We can only accept two transfers per workhop. If you decide to attend a higher priced workshop, or if the workshop fee has increased, the difference in cost between the two workshops will be charged to your credit card when you notify us that you want to sign up for this other workshop. Your registration is guaranteed only when we have payment in full. We reserve the right to change this policy at any time.Workshop fees can only be transferred to another workshop and cannot be used towards purchase of a product such as mats, portfolio cases, CD or DVD tutorials, prints, portfolios, or other. Workshop fees cannot be transferred towards purchase of the Mastery Workshop DVDs. If this workshop is cancelled by us you will receive a full refund.

6 - Liability Limitation
Beaux Arts Photography, Beautiful-Landscape.com, Alain Briot, Natalie Briot, guides, and cooperating agents aim to provide every participant a safe, educational, and enjoyable experience. We act solely as agents for you regarding accommodations, special activities, and travel, by any means, and assume no liability for any act, error, omission, injury, loss, delay, mishap, or damage to persons or property arising from any cause during the course of the workshop or in transit thereto. We can accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in the services to be provided. We reserve the right to change our arrangements should conditions necessitate, or to cancel any aspect of the workshop due to exceptional circumstances. In the event that we deem it necessary to cancel the workshop we will provide a full refund which the participant(s) acknowledges as full and final settlement. In the event of a workshop cancellation airline tickets, car rentals and hotel reservations associated with participation in this workshop will not be refunded. We recommend you purchase refundable airline tickets and make refundable car and hotel reservations. We also recommend you carry travel and camera equipment insurance.

As there is always an element of risk in any adventure associated with the outdoors, participants must read this form carefully. This liability release will certify that the participant is physically fit and capable of participating in outdoor photography exercises in field locations, and is fully and completely aware of any associated risks created by field locations and weather.

Meeting times, meeting places and itinerary are subject to changes dictated by the weather, the road conditions and other imponderable variables that are part of doing landscape photography. We do not carry cell phones. You are responsible for being at the meeting place at the designated time and have your photographic equipment with you.

By joining this workshop I acknowledge that I have read the above information concerning responsibility and release Beaux Arts Photography, Alain Briot, Natalie Briot, their guides, instructors and any cooperating agent from any liability. Beaux Arts Photography, Alain Briot, and Natalie Briot will assume no liability for injury, illness, or loss of personal property or expenses thereof associated with workshop participation. I also acknowledge that Alain and Natalie Briot have the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime and that workshop policies are subject to change at any time .


Sierra Arch


The four unique aspects of this workshop:

1- This workshop has a unique focus: Personal Style
This means that we will focus our teaching towards helping you develop, or refine, your personal style. This is very different from just going to Death Valley to photograph. Here you will be going to Death Valley with the knowledge that we will help you either develop or refine your personal style. To my knowledge few workshops focus on this aspect of photography. Yet, as you know, it is one of the most important aspects of photography. Why? Because Personal Style is what makes your work stand out from the rest. It is what makes you unique. Above all, Personal Style is what will make you enjoy your photography more than you ever enjoyed it. How do you develop a Personal Style? The answer to this question will take 5 days, the length of this workshop. Join us!

2- You will be working under the guidance of not one but two instructors: Alain, professional large format photographer and Natalie, painter and Certified Art Teacher.
You will be working with two professional instructors who both have intimate knowledge of Death Valley and other locations where we will be visiting. Having two instructors for a small group is a huge benefit. It means that you will literally get one-on-one attention. This will result in much faster skill improvements than if you were working either on your own or as part of a large group.

Natalie and I also have a widely different teaching style. I focus upon taking photographs, finding the best light and the best composition possible and then framing the scene, calculating the exposure and so on. Natalie, on the other hand, takes a different approach, focusing on helping you build visual skills one at a time and completing your Photographic Skills Enhancement Exercises in a constructive manner. As I said before (and I cannot say it enough) Natalie is very patient and very dedicated.

Working with both of us, and being exposed to our two teaching approaches, will be a pleasurable and effective experience for you. While I will focus on technical photographic aspects as well as on composition and finding the best photograph, Natalie will focus on helping you with your exercises, with answering questions and with providing additional information on a variety of topics.

Sand Dunes and Mountains

3-We will take you to some lesser known locations which we discovered after years of exploration.
We found many little known, or completely unknown locations during the many years we spend exploring Death Valley, the Alabama Hills and the surrounding area. The first time I went there was 1983, and the first time Natalie went there was 1987. Since then we have done numerous visits and expeditions to this area, to explore and photograph. We will be taking you to some of these locations, selecting those that do not require extensive hiking. Of course, knowing me and my work you know that I will choose locations that offer the most exciting photographic opportunities! Of course, visiting these locations is dependent on the weather and on road conditions. We may adapt our itinerary depending on these unpredictable variables.

4-You will be practicing Photographic Skills Enhancement Exercises daily
In my 9-part article series on Aesthetics in Photography I introduce my Photographic Skills Enhancement Exercises. This concept is based on approaching photography as an activity in which visual training is necessary. This approach is based on conducting specific exercises designed to allow you to practice your photographic skills.

While my articles describe these exercises and provide you with the theory behind them, my workshops are designed to go much farther by providing an environment where you can apply the skills you learned in my articles under the guidance of Natalie and I. Natalie is very personable, very patient and very attentive to everyone needs. I know you will love working with her.

Of course, you can get as little or as much instruction and input as you want. If you prefer to focus on your own work you will have all the time needed to create your images. Just let us know and we will work with you to provide a learning environment tailored to your needs.

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