Valley of Fire Regional Event (Feb 2-5, 2025)

Leader | Travel & lodging | What to expect | Preliminary itinerary

Registration is now open

EVENT OVERVIEW:

Join Jennifer King photographing the red rock desert landscape of Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. The Valley of Fire is an inspiring and unique state park only 1-hour from Las Vegas. The rocky desert landscape burns fiery red when lit by the sun. Over time, these red rock formations have created arches, slot canyons and colorful striations that provide endless photo opportunities. Join us for this incredible opportunity to explore and photograph in the Nevada desert.

COST:
Early Bird Rate: $720 NANPA & ASMP Members/$920 Non-members by November 29, 2024

After November 29, 2024: $820 NANPA & ASMP Members/$1020 Non-members

Maximum number of attendees: 10

Last Date to Register: January 24, 2025

DATES:

• January 5, 2025 7-8 pm (Eastern Time) Pre-Event Webinar for Participants (optional)
• Sunday February 2, 2025 at 7 PM to Wednesday February 5, 2025 at 1 pm
• February 19 7-9 pm (Eastern Time) (optional) Post event Image Sharing and Feedback Webinar for participants

Registration and Meet & Greet
Sunday February 2, 2025 at 7 pm in the hotel lobby which has several tables and chairs for the group. Plan to have dinner on your own before the meet and greet.

©Jennifer King

WHAT TO EXPECT:

We will photograph sunrises, sunsets and desert details in one of the southwest’s most interesting parks. The Valley of Fire is a state park that contains sandstone outcroppings surrounded by limestone mountains. Much of the sandstone is worn over time, which creates interesting rock formations. While the park is relatively small, there are amazing locations to photograph.

The surrounding town of Overton, NV is extremely small, but very friendly. There is a cafe, restaurant, grocery store, Subway, McDonalds, ice cream parlor and a couple of small stores. The location of Overton to the park is perfect, as it is a short 15-minute drive to the park entrance.

LEADER:

©Jennifer King

Jennifer King–

Jennifer King is an internationally acclaimed landscape and fine art photographer with a passion for teaching and inspiring photographers around the world. She draws on her fine art and design background to bring an artistic approach to nature photography. Jennifer is honored to be a Moab by Legion Master Photographer, Singh-Ray Filters Ambassador and one of the premier black and white photographers in the country. She is recognized as 1 of 15 Amazing Women to Follow by 500px, and is the Founder of Photography for the Fight Against Breast Cancer (pfabc.org), an industry wide organization bringing together the biggest names in photography to raise money for breast cancer research. You can find her photography, tutorials and interviews in Shutter Magazine, Camera in the Wild, Photography Talk, VIA Magazine, Smoky Mountains Journal of Photography, Wild Planet and more!

Jennifer has conducted many tours in the Valley of Fire over the years.   You can learn more about Jennifer by visiting her website at jenniferkingphoto.com

TRAVEL AND LODGING

We will be based in Overton, Nevada during this regional event.

NANPA is holding a block of hotel rooms for event participants at a hotel in Overton, NV. Room rate is $110 + tax per night (breakfast included).

Check in time 3 pm, Check out time 10 am.

Hotel details and reservation procedure will be shared with registered participants.

The last day to register in the NANPA room block is January 24, 2025

NEAREST AIRPORT:

Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, NV (LAS)

The airport is just over an hour from Overton, NV and Valley of Fire.

EVENT TRANSPORTATION:

Transportation to and from the hotel and during the event is not included and is the attendees’ responsibility. A rental car is necessary for this event and can be rented from the airport.

Most roads in Valley of Fire are paved and easy to drive on. There is one section of the park that has a gravel road that we take to photograph details. It does not require a high clearance or 4×4 vehicle. 

Ride Sharing: We will depart daily from the hotel. Ride sharing is strongly recommended as our permits limit us to 3 vehicles for our group and parking is limited inside the park. You are welcome to either drive or ride with someone. This is a great way to meet and have fun with fellow photographers during the event. If you are a passenger in another participant’s car it is customary to offer the driver some gas money and chip in towards the daily vehicle admission fee as a courtesy.

Note that NANPA, and Jennifer King, do not have insurance for carpooling arrangements and assume no liability for them. Carpooling, ride sharing or anything similar is strictly a private arrangement among participants. Participants assume the risks associated with this travel.

MEALS:

All meals except brunch on the last day are on your own.  The brunch location will be announced at the Meet & Greet.

©Jennifer King

PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATIONS:

Your leader is familiar with the areas that you’ll be visiting, and locations will be based on what’s most photogenic at the time, wildlife activity, weather conditions, etc.

We will visit both iconic and lesser-known locations for this event. Some of the locations that we will most likely photograph include: Monolith Rock, White Dome North Trail, Fire Wave, Pink Canyon, Crazy Hill and more!

If you wanted to extend your stay in the area, other worthwhile photography sites include: Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead National Recreation Area and The Neon Museum Las Vegas.

PARK ADMISSION FEES:

Park admission is $10 per vehicle per day ($15.00 for Non-NV Vehicles). Envelopes for cash are available at the gate, as well as a credit card machine. Entrance ticket will need to be displayed on the vehicle dashboard.

HEALTH AND FITNESS:

There will be no excessively strenuous hiking unless required by the site itself. Most photo locations will be close to where we park, and some hikes can be up to one mile. The length of the walk will be up to the participant and how much they wish or are able to explore, there will be photographic possibilities along the way. The trails are considered easy to moderate.

WEATHER

Valley of Fire has very nice temperatures in February. In the mornings, we can expect low 40’s, and in the afternoons, temperatures are in the mid to upper 60’s. However, weather can be unpredictable.

CLOTHING

• Hiking Boots
• Hat
• Gloves
• Sunglasses
• Lip Balm
• Layers for warmth
• Warm Coat and Pants
• Fleece or Nano Puff Jacket

CAMERA GEAR:

• Camera – DSLR or mirrorless, full frame or cropped sensor. Also, bring the camera manual should you need to consult it. Cellphone camera as backup is better than no camera and good for snaps of your group.
• Lenses – There will likely be photo opportunities for your full range of lenses, from extreme wide angle to telephoto and macro. We will use lenses from 11-400mm.
• Non-abrasive Lens Cleaning Cloth and Wipes.
• Tripod – A lightweight carbon fiber tripod with a ball head is recommended for sunrise and sunset photography. There are opportunities to use a table top tripod in small arches and rock formations. It is not necessary to purchase one, but bring it if you own it.
• Lots of Memory Card Storage – We use fast 64GB cards, good for stills & video.
• Camera Battery Charger and Extra Batteries.
• Sensor Cleaning Tools
• Polarizing filter(s) to fit each of your lenses.
• Neutral Density Filters, Graduated Neutral Density Filters
• Shutter Release – You can use a locking cable release, a wireless remote, or the camera’s self-timer (except in BULB).
• Rain Cover – For camera and lens protection.
• Laptop Computer – for downloading and viewing your images.
• Image Processing Software – Good choices include Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, or Elements.
• Back-up device – Such as an external hard drive.
• Flash Drive – For sharing images.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS:

• Flashlight and/or Headlamp
• Battery-powered Alarm Clock/Watch – In case cell phone service isn’t available. It’s better to bring your own alarm than miss a morning shoot!
• Cell Phone
• Water bottle
• Energy bars or other snacks

Preliminary itinerary

Please note schedules are fluid due to weather conditions, recent wildlife sightings and other variables. Sunrise is roughly 6:35 am and Sunset is roughly 5:05 pm

Sunday, February 2

• “Meet and Greet” at 7 pm in the hotel lobby.
• Plan to have dinner on your own before the meet and greet.

Monday, February 3

• Sunrise Field Session
• Desert Details Session
• Sunset Field Session

Tuesday, February 4

• Sunrise Field Session
• Desert Abstracts Session
• Sunset Field Session

Wednesday, February 5

• Sunrise Field Session
• Check-out of hotel
• Group Brunch (included in fee)
• The event wraps after Brunch at 1:00 pm

GENERAL:

We will be based in Overton, NV during this regional event.

This event is designed for nature photographers at all levels of experience. For the best experience, please know your camera before you arrive, and bring your manual in case we need to look up something.

Assistance will be available in the field for those who wish to improve their photographic skills. If you already have plenty of photography experience, Jennifer will ensure you get to the best locations at the best times to capture those perfect shots.

Please keep in mind this NANPA Regional Event is designed to be a photo tour, not a photo workshop. In other words, there are no formal instruction sessions planned, there are no assignments, you will not be receiving any handouts or the like. That being said, your leader, Jennifer, has experience as a photography workshop leader and is available to answer questions and give you guidance. If you need help, please advocate for yourself and speak up and ask for help – Jennifer is happy to help. Be aware that many of your fellow participants may also be accomplished photographers and may be able to help you too.  Part of the regional event experience is the camaraderie that comes from sharing experiences and lessons learned among participants. If you notice someone with the same or similar camera, perhaps they can help you with an issue you’ve been wondering about, and maybe you can return the favor.

Attendance and participation at NANPA Regional Events is limited to registered attendees only.  Anyone wishing to participate in any portion of, or travel with a registered attendee during the group event must contact the NANPA office and pay the full registration fee.

RESOURCES:

• Valley of Fire State Park https://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area https://www.nps.gov/lake/index.htm
• Neon Museum https://neonmuseum.org/neon-boneyard/
• Red Rock Canyon http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/

©Jennifer King