Eagle’s View: The American Southwest
Drone/photo workshop
April 11 — 15, 2026
Workshop start/finish — Salt Lake City, UT
Dates: April 11 — 15, 2026
Price: $2,100 per participant
Deposit: $500
Group size — limit: 5 participants
Instructor: Alex Mironyuk
Workshop Highlights
Our base will be Hanksville, Utah — one of the most visually diverse and underrated landscapes in the American Southwest. This area offers truly unlimited creative potential: colorful bentonite badlands, deep canyons, winding rivers, dramatic cliffs, sculpted rocks, hoodoos, and natural arches. In one moment it feels like a Martian desert, and just 20 minutes later you’re standing in a surreal moonscape. Every turn brings a completely different visual story.
We’ll photograph every day during sunrise and sunset, working with long shadows, textures, patterns, and abstract details. This is a place where traditional landscape photography shines — tripods and cameras will be used at every location — but to fully unlock the true potential of these landscapes, a drone becomes an essential creative tool. From above, familiar scenes transform into powerful graphic compositions, abstract art, and cinematic views. This is also an ideal environment to safely improve your drone piloting skills.
Photography opportunities range from classic wide landscapes to intimate abstract details. Weather and conditions may also allow for Milky Way photography. For those interested, we’ll host an informal post-processing session focused on Lightroom to help bring your images to the next level.
This workshop is a dream for landscape photographers ready to explore beyond the obvious, push creative boundaries, and quite literally take their photography to new heights — drone heights 🚀
Physical Difficulty: Easy.
Fitness Level: While a reasonable degree of fitness is ideal for any outdoor activity, we will not engage in strenuous physical activity.
Weather: It is generally pleasant and mild, with warm days and cool nights. Daytime Temps: 70–85°F. Nighttime Temps: 40–55°F
Transportation: Included in the tour price except for the flights to and from Salt Lake City, UT
Lodging: Accommodation for the Photo Tour is based on double occupancy (single available on request). Lodging options in Hanksville are very simple and limited, but practical and comfortable
Meals are not included in the tour price except for a very simple continental hotel’s breakfast But we can easily miss it due to our sunrise photo session.
Itinerary
Day 1 — April 11 (Saturday)
We’ll meet as a group around noon at the rental car facility of Salt Lake City International Airport. If you arrive in Salt Lake City the day before, we recommend booking a hotel near the airport so we can easily pick you up in the morning.
From there, we’ll begin our drive toward Hanksville — approximately a 4-hour journey through classic Utah scenery.
We’ll head out for our first field session, catching the evening light and sunset in the surrounding landscapes.
In the evening, we’ll gather for our first group dinner at a local grill restaurant — a great chance to get to know each other, talk photography and drones, and set the tone for the days ahead.
Night: Hotel in Hanksville
Days 2–4 — April 12–14 (Sunday–Tuesday)
Our daily rhythm during these days will be similar and intentionally simple — focused on light, landscapes, and creativity.
We’ll start early each morning, driving to carefully chosen sunrise locations to photograph during blue and golden hour. After sunrise, we’ll return to Hanksville for breakfast and some rest.
One or two of these days, we’ll set aside a few hours for an informal Lightroom post-processing session for those who’d like to participate.
Lunch will be at a very local, well-known spot — including the option to try their famous bison burger.
In the late afternoon, we’ll head out again for our sunset photo session, exploring different landscapes each day. After dark, we’ll return to Hanksville for dinner and a well-earned rest.
These days are designed to be productive but not rushed, with plenty of time to shoot, fly drones, experiment, and improve both photography and piloting skills.
Day 5 — April 15 (Wednesday)
We’ll check out early in the morning and head to our final sunrise location, one of the most remote areas of the workshop.
After sunrise, we’ll drive through a very isolated part of Utah’s desert, making several photo stops along the way — buttes, canyons, badlands, and wide-open desert scenery.
Eventually, quite literally from the middle of nowhere, we’ll begin our drive back toward Salt Lake City. After about two hours, we’ll reach a town where we can enjoy a proper late breakfast or lunch.
We expect to arrive in Salt Lake City around 4–5 PM, so return flights can be booked from 6:30 PM or later.
End of the workshop
Payment schedule and cancellation policy:
The total price for the workshop is $ 2,100.
A deposit of $ 500 is required to reserve a space in this workshop.
Cancellation Policy: We will refund your deposit if you cancel this trip before 02/01/2026. If you cancel after 02/01/2026, your deposit becomes non-refundable. Therefore, we suggest all participants buy separate travel insurance.
The final balance is due by February 1, 2026. If you cancel after the final payment, you will not receive a refund of the total amount owed. However, if we find another client to fill your space, you will receive a full refund minus your deposit.
If we cancel this workshop — you will get a full refund.
What is included:
- Hotel lodging (double occupancy): You can upgrade your stay from double to single occupancy for an extra fee (subject to availability).
- Transportation during the workshop.
- Entrance and parking fees at all locations according to the itinerary.
- Expert instructions and guidance to various locations in Utah
- In-field instruction on capture technique (composition, compensating for high dynamic range, focus stacking, creating effective sun stars, night photography, light painting, and much more).
- In-field recommendation on your photo gear.
- An incredible, unforgettable experience, full of adventure with amazing people and loads of great photos!
What is NOT included:
- Airfare to and from Salt Lake City, UT
- Visas
- Meals, snacks, and water.
- Alcohol.
- Medical Insurance & Incidental Costs.
Recommended Photo Equipment:
- A drone with extra batteries (if you use one). Participants must comply with all US drone laws and regulations to fly a drone in this workshop. The drone must be registered in the US, and the participant must obtain all necessary drone pilot permits (if that is necessary) before the tour starts.
- Camera (DSLR or Mirrorless) with extra batteries and memory cards.
- Tripod with a ball head (leveling base is optional but very helpful for panoramic shots).
- Wide to standard zoom lenses, with their lens hoods (I carry 16-35mm and 24-70mm lenses).
- Telephoto zoom lens for extraction and abstract scenes (I use 70-200mm and 100-500mm lenses).
- Circular polarizer filter to remove glare from the water and leaves.
- Graduated neutral density filters (if you use them).
- Rocket blower and microfiber cloths to keep glass surfaces dry and clean.
- Most importantly — a great attitude!
Recommended Personal Gear:
- Flashlight or headlamp
- Down (insulated) jacket or hoodie.
- Fleece jacket and extra warm layers.
- Hat and warm gloves
- Rain jacket.
- Windshield jacket
- Backpack (bag) to carry your photo gear.
Questions? Please contact me at (386) 627-1449 if you have any questions or message me.
A follow-up email will be sent to registered photographers with schedule details, recommended gear, and a liability release.
A deposit payment of $500 is required to confirm the booking. We will send you payment instructions upon registration. The remaining balance is due February 1, 2026. Please register for this workshop using the form below.
