Oct 14-17, 2020: Fall Light of Canyon De Chelly & Monument Valley

Here's what you will discover on this 3 Day Photography Excursion:

* How to use your telephoto lens to create visual distance.

* How to find the greatest depth of field for your composition.

* How to master compositions to know what to include and exclude.

* How to gauge the exposure values to leverage your dynamic range

* How to photography the night sky & create stunning black and white photographs!

* .... and after you've done that, how to edit the landscape and Navajoland portraits from this photography excursion.

Known as Canyon De Chelly to the world. To the Navajo, it is Tséyi' - meaning "Deep In The Rocks" or "Far Into The Rocks/Canyons".

Canyon De Chelly is stunning, spiritual and remarkable!

The canyon, cottonwood tree's, walls covered with desert varnish and the echoing sounds of nature is here for us to experience with the exceptional light and fall colors!

Within Canyon De Chelly, the wildlife can range from mule deer, black bear, turkey, peregrine falcons and eagles soaring above us. We often find red tail hawks grazing the sheer cliffs which strike over 500' above us!

Deep in the vast canyons, we will most certainly see the signs of those who lived in the region hundreds of years ago.

For over 5,000 years, many have survived inside these canyons from high in the canyon walls and drawing water from the natural source that flows at the base of the sandstone monoliths. Many of these sheer cliffs rise over 1000' in height!

IF there was a landmark that was to be the heart of Navajoland, it is Canyon De Chelly. Nestled near the middle of the Four Sacred Mountains that surrounds Diné country, I look forward to assisting you as a photographer to generate wonderful, if not, stunning images of Tséyi'!

Covering beyond 84,000 acres, over 40 families continue with daily life surrounded by these marvelous sandstone walls! It is a living canyon.

Though Canyon De Chelly is a place to visit, it is exceptional during the fall colors. The cottonwoods release their leaves into the wind as Autumn is in effect.

We will have plenty of time to photograph from the canyon walls above and the valley floor where the ancient ones once walked.

The natural erosion left a portion of what was once a part of the Rocky Mountains. Our ancestors later inhabited the region that is now known as the Four Corners.

Many of the stunning buttes in and around Monument Valley rise from 400 to 1,000 feet! When clouds are present, the landscape changes and only adds more energy to the region.

Even on severe clear days, filling the composition with large monoliths isn't a difficult task. Known as Tse' Bii' Ndzisgaii which means Valley of the Rocks, Monument Valley it is a living landscape. With families, animals and wildlife about, it breathes each day. Navajoland covers roughly 26,000 square miles and of that, Monument Valley spans over 143 square miles.

The sweet light in Monument Valley is best photographed in the morning. The natural colors can change depending on temperature and natural elements from the atmosphere. The natural and vibrant colors from the golden light to the cool somber and rich reds will be present.

There are fantastic opportunities to photograph the light in undisturbed environments. I often wonder what the ancient ones pondered about when they awoke to such majestic light! The Sweet Light of Navajoland is unique, different and very moving because we will often be alone as a group.

Aside from my home area, I've visited Monument Valley hundreds of times in my youth to my professional days a photographer. I am happy to share the techniques and how to approach Monument Valley with any camera system.

This part of Navajoland is rich in history, culture and stories. We will be in the heart of the land that often embodies the spirit of the Southwest.

- Attendee Limit: 8

- Cost: $1,197

- Payment options are also available below to pay in 2 or 3 payments. (See below)

- Dates: October 14-17, 2020

- Meet and Greet in Chinle/Canyon De Chelly on October 14 at 4pm local time.

- Oct 14th to half of Oct 16th will be in Canyon De Chelly.

- Oct 16th and 17th will be in Monument Valley.

*There are many hotel options in Chinle and Monument Valley for your hotel reservations. The workshop fee does not include lodging or meals in Chinle/Canyon De Chelly. IF you prefer staying in a hotel while we are in Monument Valley, I recommend staying at Gouldings Lodge.

Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email . You will also receive a separate email which will include items to review, important updates. I will send you documents to submit which will contain your personal contact and emergency information, camera equipment list, motivations, desires to accomplish (personal goals) and additional documents which will help me understand how to help you.

IF you need to cancel the workshop, we can do 1 of 2 things.

1) IF your seat is replaced by another attendee when the workshop fills, we can refund you or

2) Use your payment(s) made towards another workshop. You can use the paid funds towards another workshop within 24 months of this event which I am not co-leading.

I process my work using Lightroom and highly recommend using it for your images. You DO NOT NEED Lightroom in order to attend. I firmly believe processing an image is important! The time we have to process our work will provide plenty of opportunities to learn, apply and grow. I've found that a discussion or group mastermind session has always helped attendee's gain a better understanding of what other photographers create during the same time.

We will have group critique sessions and recommendation review. With post processing, I will cover the exercise and routine I go through when processing a digital file and show you how to be effective while processing your files. IF you are new(er) to photography, we will cover the important elements to take into consideration when processing your image.

Other Pieces of Important Information

Canyon De Chelly Hotel and Photography Training will take place at: Holiday Inn Canyon De Chelly - Bia Garcia Trading Post, Rte 7 Chinle, AZ 86503 (928) 674-5000

Getting to Chinle/Canyon De Chelly

Page, AZ to Chinle: 170 miles (Approx: 2.5 hours)

Flagstaff to Chinle: 175 miles (Approx: 3 hours)

Phoenix, AZ to Chinle: 300 miles (Approx: 5 hours)

Las Vegas, NV to Chinle: 420 miles (Approx: 6.5 hours)

Albuquerque, NM to Chinle: 235 miles (Approx: 4 hours)

Salt Lake City, UT to Chinle: 435 miles (Approx: 7 hours)

Moab, UT to Chinle: 200 miles (Approx: 3.5 hours)

Denver, CO to Chinle: 555 miles (Approx: 9 hours)

*Chinle to Monument Valley is approximately 92 miles (1.5 hours)

Food/Dining: With food and nutrients in mind, we'll makes sure you have plenty on hand for your needs. In Chinle and at Goulding's, there are restaurants and grocery stores. For some of our longer drives and excursions that may take us further into the canyon, we'll coordinate food, snacks, water and drinks. Our longest walk will be about 15-20 minutes. IF you have questions or concerns about the terrain and your ability to get there, please contact me to have a better conversation. Email: mylo@fourthworldimages.com

Camera Gear and Recommendations

* Tripod. There is a reason this number one. IF you are in search for a tripod, let me know. I use different tripods that range and differ from using my 8x10, 4x5, Fuji 617 Panoramic, Nikon D810....If you need some help with a right tripod/camera head, contact me as well. I also have 5 different systems I use for specific images and cameras. Bring a tripod!

*Lenses: Anything from 24mm to 300mm will be fine if you have a full frame camera. We may not use the focal ranges from 200mm-300mm as much as the wider angle lenses but there will be opportunities to bring them out. If you have wider lenses than 24mm, I highly recommend bringing them especially a 14-24 lens! IF you don't have those lenses, I highly recommend looking into renting them for this workshop. Renting will be a valuable thing to do. (You can contact Pictureline in Salt Lake City if needed. They've helped me a ton when my attendee's need lenses they don't have. Pictureline: (800) 748-8200 www.Pictureline.com

*Filters: Polarizer, a 2 or 3 "soft stop" GND (Graduated Neutral Density). I personally use these two filters the most when photographing. If you are looking to invest in filters, I absolutely live and breath Singh-Ray Filters. I've personally tested many and know the optical quality is spot on but above all, the color accuracy is best which is minimized by the color cast! As my workshop attendee, you will receive a discount code for your purchase(s).

*Everything to charge your gear. Camera's, GoPro's, laptop's, tablets....etc. I will have my Goal Zero Sherpa 100W and Yeti 400W with me if you need to charge anything, I've got you covered. These are the best systems on the planet to "power anything anywhere" - the beauty of solar power!

*Cable Releases. Some of our locations will require long shutter speeds. With some new filters from Singh-Ray Filters such as the 5, 10 and 15 stop, we may work on having long exposures even in afternoon light. Most camera's also come with built in 2 or 5 second shutter release. The only set back is you may be limited to only a 30 second shutter speed. IF we need more than 30 seconds, you're going to need a cable release.

As we get closer to the workshop date, I will send you more information with updates, road and route conditions, itinerary changes (if needed) and overall, more communication for your time on the workshop. I want to make sure all is in order for you to have a great time photographing places I love back home.

See you on Navajoland,

Mylo

"The Canyon de Chelly & Monument Valley workshop with Mylo exceeded my expectations as a photographer. Beginning with his welcoming session, when he introduced himself, discussed his approach to photography and reviewed our agenda, to the final amazing sunset, he was a consumate professional. Mylo quickly helped me take my photography to another level at every diverse venue. His photo-processing sessions using Lightroom were incredibly helpful to me. The added bonus was the education I received about the Navajo traditions and way of life, and the stunning beauty of Navajo lands.

I highly recommend Mylo's workshops. His energy and positive attitude are infectious. He is a talented photographer and teacher and I am grateful for my time with him!"

Martha J. – 2x Navajoland Workshop Attendee

"I recently participated in two different workshops led by Mylo Fowler, Navajoland (northern Arizona) and Monument Valley. Both were fabulous! Although I have spent most of the last five years or so photographing nature, my focus has been wildlife more than landscapes. I know that I learned more from Mylo in eight days than I have in years about photographing landscapes and taking advantage of the incredible scenery and light he showed us.

He also spent a lot of time with us working on the processing end of photography – turning wonderful images into truly great ones. But best of all, Mylo shared his rich Navajo heritage with us through his amazing images, his stories, and his unique access to some of the most spectacular lands anywhere in the world. I definitely plan to travel with Mylo again and, without any reservations, recommend his workshops to photographers of all levels. Thank you, Mylo, for making me a better photographer and expanding my horizons. I’m proud to call you a friend!”

Cheers! Andrea W. – 2x Navajoland Workshop Attendee

"Mylo excelled as a guide and instructor. We could not have been happier with Mylo’s knowledge, encouragement, and patient instruction—Cindi (a beginner) and I (a more experienced photographer) both made enormous leaps in our abilities to shoot and develop images.

Teaching digital camera basics, to framing/composing and shooting photographs, to developing those into striking finished images, requires a broad range of knowledge and talent—Mylo has all of that.

More importantly for the student, he has the skill to convey techniques in clear, well-organized ways. Lightroom is a very powerful tool, but without the kind of experience and instruction that Mylo provides, much of that power remains confusing and out of reach.

Mylo took us through all of the possibilities that were present in a particular image, and helped us learn and choose the best Lightroom tools to bring out the heart and soul of our photographs.

He simplified the process and pointed us toward advanced techniques. If you have the chance to work with and learn from the incredibly talented Mylo Fowler—shooting photographs and developing them with Lightroom — Cindi and I encourage you to seize that opportunity. You will be greatly rewarded!"

Michael and Cindi P. — Santa Fe, NM.