2024 ALASKA NORTHERN LIGHTS PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

March 4-11, 2024 | Fairbanks, Alaska


Northern Lights Photo Tour with Joe Garza & Nick Selway


The northern lights fill the Alaska night sky over the Brooks Range with a array of rainbow colors. The mountains covered with snow make a dramatic foreground.
'Brooks Beams' | Brooks Range, Alaska | 2022 Alaska Northern Lights Photography Workshop

One of the most phenomenal displays in nature is the Northern Lights. It's mesmerizing and awe inspiring to watch the lights come down from the heavens and dance overhead. It's a bucket list adventure that will provide you an incredible experience and unforgettable memories. Join us as we set out each evening in search of clear skies to watch and photograph these astounding light shows.

Although predicting the northern lights can be finicky, February and March are considered to be the best months for viewing these breathtaking natural wonders. We will make sure you are in the right place at the right time - from when the action starts in the night until the early morning hours to see the Northern Lights. If your ready for an epic adventure check out more information below and come join us. This workshop will fill up quickly!


Video review provided by Kevin O'Donnell. Be sure to watch his episode of Alaska Behind the Door with Kevin O'Donnell as he recounts the first part of the Alaska Northern Lights Workshop in 2023!



Workshop Information

Workshop clients stand under the northern lights in Alaska with their camera gear shooting the northern lights.

Dates: March 4-11, 2024

Group Size: Limited to 8 people

Cost: $4,200.00 for Double Occupancy; $5,000 for Single Occupancy

Deposit: 50% deposit due at the time of registration which can be completed at the bottom of this page.

Included: Lodging, Permits, Guiding/Transportation; 1hr Dog Sledding Adventure, Chena Hot Springs, Visiting The World Ice Art Carving Championship in Fairbanks, hotel breakfast each morning; As much laughter as possible and our wealth of photo knowledge making sure we put everyone in the best possible locations for light and compositions to capture their own stunning images.

Not Included: Airfare, meals, gratuities for instructors and/or guides.

Booking: The workshop will need to be paid in full 90 days prior to the day the workshop begins. Refunds are not available after the 90 day mark unless we can find another person to fill your spot.


Workshop Instructors | Northern Lights Photography Tour

The night sky is filled with colors of red, green and yellow as the northern lights shine in the sky. The Alaska pipeline overhead runs across the landscape.
'Over the Line' | Alaska Pipeline Under Northern Lights | Brooks Range, Alaska

Led by Joe Garza and Nick Selway, this incredible Light Chasing Photo Tours Workshop is one you don't want to miss. Both Joe and Nick are professional landscape and nature photographers with years of experience leading workshops and helping individuals at all levels enhance their photography skills. (See bios below)

Joe and Nick create a relaxed, fun environment where you feel comfortable asking questions about your camera gear, settings, techniques, and composition so you can bring your photography skills to the next level. Workshops are a great opportunity to learn as the guided photography tour will bring you right to the best locations and sites so you can focus on your photography and taking in the breathtaking views that will surround you. We hope you'll sign up so we can hit the ground with you in one of our upcoming workshops! Feel free to contact Joe directly with any questions.


Alaska Northern Lights Photo Tour Locations

The night sky is covered with green, purple, red and yellow beams of light from the northern lights. Snow capped mountains sit on the edge of a frozen lake.

These Alaskan mountains covered in snow with Aurora Borealis striking down from the heavens is a site to see! This night was cold hovering around -30 degrees couldn't shake the beauty that surrounded us.

On this bucket list adventure our stops will include these stunning locations for you to capture amazing images:

  • Northern Lights
  • The famous Dalton Highway (Ice Road Truckers)
  • Castner Ice Cave
  • Dog Sledding Adventure
  • Denali National Park
  • Wildlife that may include caribou, moose, and lynx
  • A visit to North Pole, Alaska
  • An evening relaxing at Chena Hot Springs
  • Visiting The World Ice Art Carving Championship in Fairbanks

Workshop Schedule

We will meet in the lobby of The Westmark Hotel, Fairbanks, AK at 5pm on March 4 to kick off our workshop. Well take time to introduce ourselves to everyone and answer any questions. Then we'll head out for our first night of chasing the Northern Lights!

Prepare to arrive and check in at The Westmark Hotel, Fairbanks, AK sometime between 3pm and 4:30pm on March 4th. From there we will be heading to our rooms to get camera gear ready and then meet in the lobby at 5pm to kick off the workshop.

Depending on the weather each night we could drive up to 200 miles one way to find clear skies just to put everyone in the right spot to capture the aurora. Each night we could possibly be out until sunrise the next morning shooting. Prepare for very long nights, little sleep and extremely cold temperatures ranging for -40F to 30 F.

Most importantly we'll create a relaxed, fun and enjoyable atmosphere for a incredible experience. You will gain confidence in taking your photography skills to the next level. Our workshop will end on the last morning of our workshop, March 11th, and checkout of the hotel is at 11am.

A open snowy road leads my directly into snow covered mountains in Denali National Park. The evening sunset filled the sky with purple colors.
'Last Frontier' | Denali National Park Photos | 2022 Alaska Workshop

Lodging, Travel & Transportation | Alaska Northern Lights Photo Tour

Lodging at the Westmark Hotel in Fairbanks Alaska is included with either double or single occupancy. You do not need to make a hotel reservation. We have secured rooms with standard double occupancy or single occupancy and will assign single or double occupancy rooms based on your selection when you register for the workshop. We will reserve your room for you and send you a reservation number for your room prior to the workshop.

Amenities include 2 restaurants in the hotel, Free Parking, Free WiFi.

Note that our rooms are only booked and scheduled from March 4 through the 11th. If you plan to arrive in Fairbanks the day before, please be sure to set up your own hotel accommodations.

Hotel accommodations at the Westmark Hotel in Fairbanks, AK for the workshop.

Travel: Plan to arrive in Fairbanks and be ready to check in at 3pm on March 4th. The Westmark Hotel is 4.5 miles away from the airport so you would need to take a cab or Uber to and from.

Transportation: We will be renting a very comfortable sprinter van to take everyone from the hotel to our shooting locations each night. You only need to book transportation to and from the airport.


Dog Sledding Adventure | Light Chasing Photo Tours

We will be going on a 30-45 minute dog sled ride with the company "Paws for Adventure". The cost of this adventure is included with the workshop.

Your dream of Dog Sledding Alaska comes true where we will join an experienced dog musher and a team of eager huskies. The trail swoops and winds down forested winter trails in the heart of interior Alaska’s Chena River Valley.

While mushing a team of huskies on the trail, it’s not uncommon to see ptarmigan, spruce hens, moose and snowshoe hare tracks, maybe even a cow moose and her calf. (Moose are sighted weekly in our field adjacent to the dog yard). Ravens often swoop down and fly along the trail ahead of us. A perfect dog sled tour for a taste of dog sledding and just the right length for a dog sled ride when it’s exceptionally chilly.



Difficulty of Workshop and Recommended Gear

Some areas will require short hikes thru mountain terrains with some mild elevation gains less than 150 ft. Our shooting areas will give you the most remote breathtaking views to enhance your experience. The following clothing and equipment are recommended.

Collage of images of nothern lights in Alaska over mountains.
  • Snow Hiking boots we recommend Sorel boots or equivalent to,
  • Warm base layers top and bottom
  • Snow jackets
  • Warm hoodies
  • Snow pants
  • Beanies, gloves, face mask covering
  • Wool socks
  • Headlamp
  • Hand/toe warmers
  • Make sure you always bring water and some snacks for the nights.

Recommend Camera Gear

Depending on how bright the Northern Lights are on any given night we will be doing long exposures anywhere from 5 sec to 25 sec also make sure you have a cable release for you camera!

  • DSLR or mirrorless or camera
  • Lenses: 16-35mm,20mm Prime, 24-70mm,70-200mm
  • Solid tripod with either a ball head
  • Remote shutter release
  • Filters (Circular Polarizing Filter, Graduated ND Filters and Solid ND filters for daytime exposures)
  • Extra batteries; at least 3 full batteries charged every night
  • Memory Cards
  • Lens cloths, rocket blower, etc.
Glacier ice cave walls carved out like ice cream scoops from the walls and ceilings. Clear bright blue ice reflects from the sunlight leaking into the cave.
'Echos' | Castner Glacier Ice Cave | 2022 Alaska Photography Workshop

Instruction Provided During the Workshop Includes:

The northern lights filled the night sky and danced over the Sukakpak mountain in the Brooks range. Only foot prints are visible thru the snow covered pond.
'Footprints' | Sukakpak Mountain | Brooks Range, Alaska | 2022
  • A guided photography tour of Alaska including Northern Lights, Denali National Park, Alaska Landscapes
  • Long exposures night time photography
  • Shooting in manual mode (Shutter speed, aperture, ISO, depth of field)
  • Lens selection for composition and lighting
  • Creating stunning compositions (rule of thirds and simplicity)
  • Finding foreground elements
  • Capturing grand landscape photos
  • Creating intimate, abstract images
  • Creating panoramic images
  • Filters - how and when to use them
  • Focus stacking, bracketing, histogram usage


Alaska Northern Lights Photography Workshop



CANCELLATION POLICY

The workshop must be paid in full 90 days prior to the day the workshop starts. Client cancellations prior to 90 days before the workshop will be eligible for a full refund or transfer of funds paid to another workshop. Refunds are not available after the 90 day mark unless we can find another person to fill your spot.

We reserve the right to cancel the workshop if minimum participants are not met or in the event of an emergency. If a cancellation does occur, participants may either use the fee towards a future workshop or receive a full refund. We are not responsible for travel expenses and therefore we strongly recommend travel insurance to cover such costs.



THE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS

JOE GARZA

Joe Garza | Alaksa Northern Lights Photography Workshop Instructor

Born and raised in Westland, Michigan, Joe has always had a passion for photography. It started while serving in the United States Navy in the early 90's when his travels brought him all over the world. He was able to turn his passion into his profession and continues to focus on bringing you amazing images through his collection of images from National Parks, Hawaii, and the U.S. from the east coast lighthouses, Colorado mountains, and canyons and deserts across the southwest. Joe resides in Madison, Wisconsin with with his 3 children.




NICK SELWAY

Nick Selway | Light Chasing Photo Tours Instructor

Born and raised in Lake Stevens, Washington along the Northern Cascade Mountains, he grew a profound appreciation for the natural world at a young age. He spent his childhood traveling and exploring the Pacific Northwest with his family as his love for mother nature grew. He has been photographing for the last 18 years. He'd lived in Kailua Kona, Big Island of Hawaii for the last 14 years where he ran 2 photography galleries "Lava Light Galleries" and did photo tours to the volcano and around the island. In 2018 Nick moved with his beautiful wife Sarah Buzzetti and embarked on a new journey his lifelong dream by opening his very own photography gallery on June 1st, 2018 located on main street in Breckenridge, Colorado. He currently travels up to 150 days a year photographing mother nature’s beauty and teaching a variety of photography workshops.


Workshop clients standing under the northern lights in Alaska.
2022 Alaska Northern Lights Photography Workshop Clients with Nick & Joe.