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Desert Ecology & Photography Workshops

A Four-Stage Series

Workshop 1. Seeing the Unseen: Intro to Desert Ecology & Landscape Photography

This foundational workshop grounds participants in the hidden complexity of the Mojave dune ecosystem while introducing core landscape photography skills. You’ll learn to observe microhabitats, understand ecological interconnections, and translate those insights into compelling images.

Objectives

  • Learn key aspects of the Mojave ecosystem, with a special focus on Wonder Valley’s dunes.
  • Understand how careful observation can inform photography and challenges the assumption of the desert as a lifeless space.
  • Gain hands-on experience with photographic techniques in a high contrast environment.
  • Reflect on how ecological insights shape creative storytelling.

Morning Session (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)

Welcome & Overview (30 minutes)
  • Introduce workshop goals.
  • Personal narrative: How the Icelandic Highlands taught me to see where there’s nothing to be seen.
Mojave Ecosystem Immersion (45 minutes)
  • Lecture on Wonder Valley’s dune dynamics, creosote ecosystems, hidden fauna, and the legacy of ancient lake beds.
  • Discussion on transforming “empty landscape” into a multidimensional life-supporting landscape.
Guided Nature Walk (1 hour 30 minutes)
  • Drive/walk a predetermined route along the dunes.
  • Stop to observe microhabitats and discuss how these details reveal the desert as a living archive.
  • Participants to take notes, photographs, or sketches regarding what they see, linking nature’s details to broader ideas about time and perception.
  • A local guide versed in Mojave ecology will accompany us.

Lunch Break (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM)

Vegetarian lunch and an opportunity for informal chat and reflections. If you have dietary restrictions, please pack what is suitable for you.

Afternoon Session (1:30 PM – 5:30 PM)

Photography Fundamentals & Field Techniques (1 hour)
  • Classroom-style session on technical fundamentals for desert photography.
  • Introduce methods of capturing the passage of light that draw on methodology in my dissertation.
  • Show examples of desert-based work that lead to rich narratives.
Hands-On Field Practice (2 hours)
  • Participants work individually or in pairs with guidance.
  • Exercises include shooting textures, capturing motion and light, and experimenting with different angles and lenses.
Closing Reflection, Group Feedback & Printing (1 hour)
  • Gather for a group discussion.
  • Share key insights, memorable images, and how today’s experience reshaped participants’ understanding of the desert.
  • Summarize how ecological observation combined with photography can become a powerful advocacy tool for conservation.
  • Print a selected image for each participant.

Location & Logistics:

  • Wonder Valley, CA, 15 miles east of Twentynine Palms, CA 92277, and 30 miles east of Joshua Tree, CA.
  • Main roads are paved. Class and field location are unpaved but passable.
  • Cell service is excellent throughout the area we are in.
  • Instruction is in a house that will serve as classroom and facilities (wifi, kitchen, and bathroom). 
  • For greater comfort, plenty local motels in 29Palms, or short term rentals nearby in Wonder Valley are available. Otherwise participants can camp on premises with access to the house for facilities. November nights can be chilly. So camping is advised only if you are equipped for it.
  • Required equipment: DSLR camera (film is ok but no printing will obviously be possible), tripod, laptop to download and transfer images. A range of lenses and UV filters if you have them, but not necessary.
  • If any participants are staying for Workshop 2 Desert Perception that takes place the following day, we can coordinate a group dinner on Saturday.