The Badlands and Black Hills Photography Workshop moves between two of South Dakota’s most iconic landscapes, Badlands National Park and the Black Hills. We’ll spend two and a half days exploring the rugged formations of the Badlands, then shift our base to Custer for two and a half days photographing the forested hills, granite spires, and wildlife-rich areas of the Black Hills. Destinations include Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, and Wind Cave National Park.

Dates: October 7-11, 2026

Price: $1099 ($550 nonrefundable deposit due on registration. Final payment is due 90 days before the workshop)

Location: Wall and Custer, SD

Bryan Hansel Photography is an authorized permittee of the National Park Service and operates under a Commercial Use Authorization from the National Park Service.

What You Will Learn

This workshop focuses entirely on field-based, experiential learning. There’s no classroom time. It’s real-world instruction in some of the most dramatic landscapes in the American West. You’ll receive one-on-one guidance in the field while photographing sunrise, sunset, and the constantly shifting light throughout the day. Instruction will be personalized to your skill level and goals.

Here’s what you’ll learn in the field:

• How to approach unfamiliar landscapes and quickly find strong compositions
• Working with the harsh midday light of the West and turning it into something useful
• Techniques for shooting dramatic skies, layered ridges, and complex foregrounds
• Creating depth in wide-angle images using line, shape, and light
• Balancing exposure for high-contrast scenes using filters
• Working efficiently with a field-focused workflow that includes scouting, shooting, and reviewing
• Tips for photographing wildlife (if we encounter any—bison, pronghorn, or bighorn sheep often make appearances)

You’ll also get access to video lessons ahead of time that cover the core technical concepts I usually teach in the classroom. This way, we can spend our time outdoors putting those ideas into action.

Itinerary

The itinerary for this workshop will remain flexible to take advantage of the best lighting, weather, and photographic opportunities. Because I used to live in Rapid City, I know the area well and prefer to adjust the schedule based on real-time conditions. We’ll base out of Wall for the Badlands portion and Custer for the Black Hills.

Day 0 – Arrival in Wall, South Dakota

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 – Exploring the Badlands

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 – Full Day in the Field

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 – Scenic to Custer

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 – Black Hills Exploration

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 – Final Shoot

We’ll photograph the sunrise and stay in the field until the good light fades. After sunrise the workshop finishes.

Additional Information

Workshop type: This is a destination photography workshop. The goal of destination workshops is to emphasize experiential learning by spending more time in the field. Learn more about workshop types.

Maximum number of participants: 10

Level: This workshop is for all levels of photographers and works best for photographers using digital cameras.

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: Quality small group and one-on-one instruction. Conference room for classroom time. Fun!

What’s not included in the workshop fee: Transportation to Grand Marais and photography locations. Carpooling is highly recommended. Lodging. Meals and drinks. Park permits.

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. Please, note that the room block in Custer isn’t finalized, yet. I’ll send information when it is finalized.

Workshop Dates: October 7-11, 2026

Check-in date: October 6

Check-out date: October 11

Getting to Grand Marais: 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 58°F and lows average near 33°F. In the Badlands, it’s 60°F and 39°F.

Equipment list: After registration, you will receive a suggested equipment list and participant package. The package will discuss equipment options, photography techniques and more.

Registration and Cancellation Policies

Please, read the Registration and Cancellation Policies at the link. There are no exceptions to the policy.