TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE | NIGHT SKY | LANDSCAPES
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK | CALIFORNIA
MARCH, 1st - 5th, 2026
CLASS LIMIT : 7
INVESTMENT: $3,499.99 / $2,760 (ALUMNI)
ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP
Death Valley is a recognized International Dark Sky Park located in the remote area of eastern California about 100 miles west of Las Vegas, NV. We will enjoy several days and nights photographing one of the most stunning places on Earth. During our stay, we will experience and photograph the Great Total Lunar Eclipse of 2026. You will also learn where and when to look for the milky way during each month of the year! The highlight of this workshop will be the total lunar eclipse on March 3rd, 2026, and we will be at the Racetrack Playa for it! During the eclipse it will be dark enough for the rising milky way to be seen. We will have some special milky way racetrack photo ops to while we explore this remote area of Death Valley.
In order to have a Total Lunar Eclipse you need to have a Full Moon. That means this will diminish the number of stars we see at night but don't worry, there will still be plenty of stars for our star trails on our night shoots. The Moon is a valuable tool to illuminate the landscape, and it will also give you a better understanding of how to shoot at night during various lighting conditions. I have photographed total lunar eclipses from all over the country, including the Super Blood Moon Eclipse from Yellowstone in 2015, and here, in Death Valley in January 2019. During the total lunar eclipse phase, it will be plenty dark to see the milky way at the same time. It is quite an experience to see the brightest night sky object (our Moon) and the distinctiveness of the Milky Way at the same time, we will do this from the Racetrack. I cannot wait to return for another incredible time in Death Valley with you in 2026! This is certainly one you do not want to miss, if we do, we will have to wait until 2029 for the next opportunity!
BATTLE BORN
DESERT LIGHTDeath Valley National Park, CA
WORKSHOP INCLUDES
- Commercial Permit Fees
- Total Lunar Eclipse information
- Transportation to and From the Racetrack Playa
- Total Lunar Eclipse Observation and Photography for the duration of the eclipse at one amazing location inside Death Valley NP.
- Processing your Eclipse Photos and creating panoramas
- Star trails and light painting techniques, Sunset and Sunrise Shoots
- Multiple Shooting Locations
- How to plan your shot and where to look for the Milky Way
- Understanding shutter speed, f/stop, ISO, white balance and other custom settings
- Best Filters for Landscape Photography
- Post Processing of our images online tutorials
- Online Video Tutorials on Star Trails, Timelapse Photography and Meteor Showers and Eclipse
WEATHER
Death Valley is the driest place in the US, but winter months bring some of the only rain of the year. Conditions are usually always clear and comfortable this time of year, I have been here in early March with hot weather, also cooler temps, it will always be a surprise!
WHAT WE PLAN TO PHOTOGRAPH
With a highlight of this workshop being the total lunar eclipse from the Racetrack Playa, we will also be capturing night sky images, and landscape photography at sunrise and sunset. Locations include, Zabriskie Point, Dante's View, Badwater Basin, Mesquite Dunes, Devils Golf Course and others.
BADWATER AT DAWN
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
DEATH VALLEY FIERY SUNRISE
ALONE WITH EACH OTHER | DEATH VALLEY , DECEMBER 2021
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
SUNRISE AT THE RACETRACK PLAYA
ABOUT THE TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
The duration of this event will be about 5 1/2 hours, with the maximum eclipse phase last about 1 hour! This provides lots of time to get the shots we need of both the eclipse and milky way out together. If you have a tracker, I encourage you to bring it with you. I will have at least one there with me.
NOVEMBER 2022 TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
NOVEMBER 2022 TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE & MILKY WAY | MAY 2022
FULL WOLF MOON LUNAR ECLIPSE - 2019
DEATH VALLEY MOON HALO | DECEMBER 2021
TRAVEL
Travel to, from, and during the workshop is not included. The easiest airport to fly into is Las Vegas. We will be based out of Furnace Creek in Death Valley the entire time. We will spend one (1) night out at the Racetrack Playa camping, Transportation to this destination is included in the workshop price, but will need one volunteer to drive out the second 4x4 Jeep.
LODGING
Please make your reservation at either the Furnace Creek Campground if you wish to camp, or at the Furnace Creek Ranch if you wish to have a room instead!
LENS SELECITON
Long lenses will come in very handy for the eclipse and for other detailed shots in the wide open landscapes. I suggest a minimum of 200mm. A range of 400mm to 600mm will also work for this workshop. I will be used my trusty 400mm f/4.5 with a 1.4x teleconverter making my focal length around 560mm on a 45MP camera.
CAMERA GEAR
A full list of camera gear will be supplied to upon registering, the basics are a DSLR or Mirrorless camera, wide angle lens, telephoto lens, and a tripod with a cable release. You can also see the recommended equipment of most workshop on the Workshop Overview Page.
DEPOSIT
A non-refundable deposit of ($1,450.00) is due to secure your spot on the tour. If for some reason you need to cancel, you will be credited that amount towards a future workshop with us. Due to the nature of this workshop, once a payment has been made, we cannot offer you a cash refund. The remaining balance must be paid no later than 90 days before the start of this workshop. This workshop is expected to fill up quickly. The first 7 photographers who sign up will take the spots, if eight photographers sign up before you do, you will be refunded your full payment and placed on the wait list. Thanks for your understanding!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Jeff Berkes Photography reserves the right to make changes to the schedule, dates if need be. We are not responsible for bad weather, delays or cancellations. We are also not responsible for unplanned events, lost or stolen items, injuries, sickness, death or damages to personal equipment and loss of personal travel expense, consider travel insurance as well. You understand that outdoor activities may include some level of risk on any workshop. Failure to comply to park rules and regulations could result in you being ejected from the workshop. Some nights we will be up to midnight or later photographing the milky way and up early for sunrise. While in some of these locations we may be able to carpool and have less impacts at the locations that we visit,
SIGN UP AND RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY!
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