Workshop costs include:

  • All fees and permits for taking photos at night in the park

  • Daily classes and instruction in night photography, 12 hours in total

  • Three full nights of field photography, 15 hours minimum

  • At least two locations per night

What's not included:

  • Travel to or from your home to Joshua Tree

  • Housing near Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms

  • Meals or alcoholic beverages

  • Travel insurance

Typical April Joshua Tree weather:

One of our preferred times to visit, as tourist season isn’t in full swing but the Milky Way has started to climb into the sky and sunsets are still relatively early around 7:15. We are looking to prioritize the stars and will therefore be visiting the park during the new moon where the orb is only a slight arc at most and will keep the skies as dark as possible.

The termperatures are typically mild in the day, mid to high 70’s Fahrenheit (20-23C) with evenings dropping about 10-15 degrees to the lower 50’s Fahrenheit (10C). We pack layers, with tee shirts during the day with jackets and hats for the evenings when out shooting.

It is one of the driest months of the year but there are always a few days and nights of rain and clouds. It’s unlikely that we will need raincoats or umbrellas overnight. Should it rain we will find ways around the weather to demonstrate light painting techniques under cover.

Recommended equipment:

 Camera, DSLR or mirrorless digital camera and (2) 32 GB storage cards storage minimum
Sturdy Tripod that you are comfortable with carrying for several hours
Lenses, we recommend any of the following:
o    Very wide rectilinear 11mm or 14mm for the skies
o   Middle range zoom (24-105mm) for most use cases

Accessories
o   Remote shutter release (and a backup unit)
o   Polarizing filter for daytime images
o   Small flashlight for inspecting your settings

More details about gearwill be provided with the full equipment list later

Cancellations and refunds:

Emergencies happen and things change which is understandable, we hope you understand that workshops are complex to plan and organize.  Email jeff@jeffmccrum.com immediately with any cancellation requests keeping the policy below in mind.

Weather and other unforeseen events will cause us to modify plans but will not cancel the workshop.  Should events beyond control (all flights are canceled due to Colorado volcanoes, COVID outbreak, etc.) cause any cancellation we will inform participants as quickly as possible and issue full refunds.  We are not responsible for any losses incurred that are not currently covered by the workshop (airfare, etc.), and therefore recommend that all parties purchase fully refundable travel insurance.

Deposits are required when you register and the balance is due 16 February 2026.  Emails sent to cancel any time before 16 February 2026 will result in a refund of half the deposit to the means as originally used to pay.  All cancellations are to be sent via email to jeff@jeffmccrum.com, phone calls or texts are not acceptable.  If the balance is not received by midnight Eastern US 16 February 2026 we reserve the right to retain the deposit and re-list your spot on the trip as securing flights takes time.  After 16 February 2026 there are no refunds.

All activities have associated risks and we cannot be held responsible for any injuries and will require an indemnity waiver to be signed for all participants.  Other circumstances like illnesses or diseases, such as COVID-19 or influenza contracted by a participant will be asked to do their utmost to minimize exposure to others, both inside the group and those in Venice.  Masking while inside and socially distancing by 2 meters outside would be seen as the expectation and group leaders reserve the right to discuss additional options with attendees as required, as not every circumstance can be foreseen.  Similar to other cancellations, we cannot refund, even for illness, within 60 days of the start of the workshop, as there would be no means of filling the opening, we would, again, recommend a travel insurance policy that would cover the cost of the workshop.