Prairies & Peaks in the South Dakota Badlands
September 8th – 12th, 2021
$ 995.00 (plus tax, travel, accommodations and food)
Imagine silence.
Just you and Mother Earth.
No hustle and bustle of your everyday life.
No pressure or stress.
Time to breathe deeply.
Yet the adrenaline is flowing because you are doing what you love and it’s exciting. The landscapes are beautiful and plentiful, the wildlife is abundant, and the night skies are so clear you are in awe as you’ve never seen so many stars.
Just you and 10 other women you connect with at a primal level. Your tribe feeds on the photographer’s high – that moment when the light is JUST right and everything comes together for that perfect shot. You can’t help but feel the instant energy.
Life. Is. Amazing.
Our destination offers an impressive expanse of land consisting of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in the United States. Best known for its striped hillsides, the Badlands is also home to bison, mule deer, badgers, antelope, eagles, owls, prairie dogs, coyotes, big horned sheep and bobcats. Working in harmony, this ecosystem thrives and offers a playground for photographers.
You and your tribe will have both field and classroom instruction. During classroom time you will learn workflow, editing techniques, the composition of a good photo, how to focus in the dark and much, much more. In the field we will put everything you learned to practical use. With two leaders, you will get personalized attention and learn how to adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Your experience will be amazing from beginning to end. You and your tribe will learn together, support one another, laugh until you cry, and walk away with many moments to remember. Come explore some of the South Dakota’s 244,000 acres with Inspire Photo Tours and learn how to explore the world creatively!
You deserve this, and you’re worth it.
Limited to 10 participants (minimum of 4 required)
Skill Level: Open to all skill levels, though participants should have a working knowledge of their camera.
Equipment: DSLR, assorted lenses from wide angle to telephoto, sturdy tripod (a ball or gimbal head works best), plenty of memory cards, batteries, filters, camera manual, remote trigger, card reader, headlamp, and laptop computer with Lightroom and photoshop.
The Nitty Gritty
What you will learn on an Inspire Tour. Our tours focus on making compelling landscape and wild life images. We will talk extensively about composition, working with available light and how to manipulate existing light and digital darkroom techniques. We will also spend time critiquing the days images, so please bring a laptop. We will spend a large amount of time in the classroom, but we know your goal is to be out exploring the park. Weather dependent we will spend the majority of our time in the field applying our classroom techniques.
A general schedule for an Inspire Photo Tour can vary according to which locations we visit, how long we shoot at a particular location, and what the weather conditions are like. Flexibility is key to successful landscape photography, so expect that plans might change. But a typical day would be:The night before we go out in the field, we will give an overview of the day to come, techniques and things to look for.
- We will be up for sunrise. Expect to spend at least 3 hours in the morning out in the field. We will then return to have breakfast together and talk about how the morning went. We will have classroom activities and critiques.
- We will take a short break before heading out in the afternoon, returning for group dinner and discussion, then back out for sunset (which will be at about 7:30pm).
- If weather permits, we will venture out at night to capture the milky way, star trails, etc.
All attendees must supply their own equipment. All tours are structured around a DSLR camera. So, please bring a working camera as well as a working knowledge of that camera. Photographers of all skill levels will benefit from this tour. A full list of recommended items will be supplied in your welcome packet once you sign up for this or any tour offered by Inspire Photo Tours.
We limit the number of people so that we can give you the best possible instruction, both in the classroom and out in the field. We also know how it is when you go on an excursion and you can’t get the instructors attention or find a spot at the location because you are constantly bumping into someone. It’s just not fun. We want everyone’s experience to be enjoyable, educational and FUN! Small tour size also allows us to customize your tour on the fly, whether it’s due to weather or experience, ensuring you get the most of your tour.
We want all attendees to have the best possible experience on an Inspire Photo Tour so all attendees are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful and professional manner. They will be asked to leave if their behavior is deemed unacceptable. No refunds will be given in this circumstance.
Tours are restricted to adults only. No one under 18 is permitted to register.
All attendees will be required to sign a model release and liability waiver. While we will take every precaution that we can to ensure your safety, all activities are at your own risk. Inspire Photo Tours is not responsible for bodily injury, equipment damage or loss.
We get a lot of questions about physical requirements. We will be doing some light to moderate hiking during this workshop. Just be aware that the terrain can be very uneven in the Rocky Mountains. If you have physical limitations or are worried about the physical requirements, please contact us before registering so we can discuss whether this workshop is appropriate for you or not.
Lodging: It makes it easier if we can all stay at the same hotel, so we will always try to get a room block for each tour. We will post that information as soon as it becomes available to us. If we can’t procure lodging at one hotel, we will always give you a couple of other options.
Transportation is on your own. However, if all parties are agreeable we can take turns carpooling to location.
Expenses for travel, accommodations, food, permit fees, etc. are the responsibility of the attendees. Tour fees are for instruction only.
Payment Policy: The workshop fee is for instruction only. All other expenses, including transportation, accommodations, National Park entrance fees, and meals are the responsibility of the participant. Attendees can receive full refunds up to 30 days or more in advance of the workshop dates. 50% refund 14-30 days. No refunds within 14 days. Inspire Photo Tour recommends travel insurance for your trip. You can procure travel insurance through Insure My Trip. Here is the link for your convenience https://www.insuremytrip.com/.