The Badlands and Black Hills Photography Workshop switches between the Badlands National Park and the Black Hills. We’ll photograph the Badlands for two and a half days. In Custer we’ll spend the two and a half days photographing the Black Hills. Destinations include Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, and Wind Cave National Park.
Dates: Not currently scheduled. You can see the list of current photo workshops here.
Locations: Wall, South Dakota and Custer, South Dakota
Bryan Hansel Photography is an authorized permittee of the National Park Service and operates under a Commercial Use Authorization from the National Park Service.
Check out my current photo workshop schedule.
Badlands and Black Hills Photography Workshop Itinerary
The Badlands and Black Hills Photography Workshop itinerary will remain flexible to take advantage of the conditions and unique situations that arise. I used to live in Rapid City, so I know that area and want to keep the schedule flexible. We’ll base out of Wall and Custer. The key for this workshop, more so than some of my other workshops, is to remain flexible in regards to our daily destinations. Due to the long days in June, we will take a midday break for rest and to work on your images.
Day 0
Check in at Wall, South Dakota. You’ll need a permit, so you should either get it earlier in the day or expect to buy one at the gate.
Day 1
Meet before sunrise to shoot the sunrise. After the golden hour light ends, we’ll head back to the hotel for a break. Then it’s back into the field for the day. We’ll explore and photograph the Badlands until sunset.
Day 2
Sunrise in the field. We’ll photograph the park until mid-morning, so bring breakfast. After we finish, we’ll return to the hotel for a break and lunch. In the afternoon, we head back out in the field and stay out for sunset.
Day 3
After sunrise in the park and breakfast. We check out and head to Scenic, a ghost town. Then we go to Custer, SD. In Custer, you’ll check into your hotel and we’ll head back out into the field after everyone is organized.
Day 4
We’ll start at sunrise and end at sunset with breaks for breakfast. Lunch will be in the field or at a restaurant near wherever we are for the day. If we’re near Custer for the evening, we’ll eat a dinner there, otherwise we’ll eat near wherever we’re photographing. The longest drive we will take could be up to an hour each way. We’ll base our locations on the conditions that we’re experiencing to take advantage of the lighting.
Day 5
We’ll photograph the sunrise and stay in the field until the good light fades. After sunrise the workshop finishes.
Additional Information
Maximum number of participants: 10
Experience Level: This workshop is a destination photo workshop. Destination photo workshops are designed for participants that have taken one of my workshops previously or have equivalent experience. For destination workshops, I’ll provide participants with videos of my presentations before the workshop. You can watch them on your own. If you are a novice, the videos will be a good way to catch up. The goal on destination workshops is to emphasize experiential learning by spending more time in the field.
Activity level: While most of the shooting locations are near parking lots, we may hike up to 3 miles round trip over moderate hilly terrain at a leisurely pace. For those that don’t want to hike, there are photo opportunities near the cars that you can take advantage of until the group returns.
What’s included in the workshop fee: Instruction fee and guiding.
What’s not included in the workshop fee: Transportation. Carpooling is required. We will use an application to help coordinate carpools before the workshop. Lodging. Meals. Trip insurance. Park entrance fees for the Badlands and Custer.
Lodging partner: After you register, I’ll send you information on how you can register for the room block. We will use two hotels with our week schedule this way: 3 nights in Wall. 2 nights in Custer.
Check-in: May 7
Check-out: May 12
Getting there: The Badlands National Park and Wall, South Dakota is located about 55 miles east of Rapid City, South Dakota on Interstate 90. From Minneapolis, it’s a 7.5 hour drive via US-169S to MN-60 W and I90 (check Google Maps for the exact route). Rapid City has a small regional airport (RAP). Custer is in the Black Hills. There are multiple routes from Scenic to Custer and we’ll talk options the day we transfer between locations.
Weather: The weather is perfect in the Badlands and Black Hills in June. Highs in the Hills average around 74°F and lows average near 48°F. In the Badlands, it’s 81°F and 53°F. In May it averages 63°F / 39°F in the Black Hills and 66°F / 45°F.
Equipment list: After registration, you will receive a full equipment list and participant package. The package will discuss equipment options, photography techniques and more.
Filters: I recommend a 3-stop soft, 3-stop reverse, All-in-One and a LB Neutral Polarizer. No filters are required, but the recommended filters can help you get better photos. More information is in the participant package. You get a discount when buying direct and using the code “hansel10”.
Registration and Cancellation Policies
Please, read the Registration and Cancellation Policies at the link. There are no exceptions to the policy.
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