photography, portraits, travel, workshop

THE MAGIC OF BIG BEND

I feel very fortunate to have been to Big Bend National Park a lot. I really mean it. A whole lot.

I’ve been to Big Bend at least 2-3 times every year since 2001. I’ve experienced the park in every single month of the year.

But this past December blew me away.

I’ve heard of snow storms hitting the Chisos mountains ever so often, but never seen it myself. Well, December 2017 brought a unique situation to the otherwise temperate Chihuahuan Desert.

A gorgeous snow storm hit the desert and Chisos mountains, bringing a rarely seen blanket of white to Big Bend.

It didn’t stick around long… maybe a few days. But the magic of seeing such a rare sight was just incredible.

I can say, that in all the times I’ve visited, I’ve never regretted being there. Whether it was hot as hell, cold as the north country, stormy, windy, dry. Doesn’t matter. There’s a magic to this place that you cannot explain. You just have to experience it.

The light is just magic here. And that’s why it was one of the very first places that I started teaching workshops.

I love sharing special places with people. I want them to love it as much as I do. And to understand it. To become concerned with its health and well-being. To want to take care of it. To treat it with respect, like I do.

So, if you love photography, and special places, you should come out to Big Bend sometime.

Join me for a 4 day, 3 night epic adventure into the heart of Big Bend National Park to learn everything from scouting a new location, to processing your images, the “art of seeing”, and most everything outdoor photo related and in between. Fall in love with Big Bend.

There are only a few spots left, so register fast…

— Andrew

Ellen and I hit the road full-time in June of 2016. We are on a mission to inspire and educate everyone on the importance of getting outside. Check out my workshops and my prints, made #ontheroad in my mobile print studio. The revenue will help propel us further on this great adventure. Enrich yourself and others… and feel great about it too as you’re helping to ensure our public lands are cherished and to keep the wild spirit of the American Dream alive. Our goal is to visit all 59 National Parks in 3-5 years. LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE’RE DOING HERE

Want to learn photography and enjoy a guided experience? Check out my exciting, NEW workshop dates:

EVERGLADES // WINTER // LANDSCAPES + WILDLIFE

BIG BEND// LANDSCAPE + THE ART OF SEEING

I’m excited to announce my “The Photographic Guide to Our National Parks” series of eBooks:

Rocky Mountain National Park

Grand Teton National Park

If you are interested in purchasing a “print from the road”, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:

Andrew Slaton // prints from the road

If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:

Tandem Stills + Motion // Andrew R. Slaton

For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

All images and content © ARS Media, LLC 2018

landscape, nature, photography, workshop

The Great BIG Bend Giveaway

How would you like to join me on my new Big Bend Workshop in April…. FOR FREE??

Well, you could be the lucky one to win The Great BIG Bend Giveaway, and receive free tuition for our April 24-27, 2014 workshop!

Simply fill out the short form below. A random drawing will be held and the winner announced on February 15.

You are also welcome to simply email us directly at workshops@andrewslatonphoto.com to enter yourself, or to confirm your entry… we would love to hear from you, so drop us a line!

AND DON’T WORRY, WE NEVER EVER SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH ANYONE ELSE!

So hurry and sign up… and don’t forget to SHARE with all your photo-phile friends!! Oh yeah, P.S… once you’ve signed up, if you share on Facebook, your name gets entered again! Twice the chance to WIN!! :)

Name(required)

Email(required)

Join Our Email List? (We NEVER share your info) (required)

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What’s Included if you win – Four days/ three nights packed with photography, instruction, and adventure in Big Bend National Park, plus more!

Pre-workshop Personal Skype Session – Before all of our destination workshops, you can benefit from a personal Q&A Skype session at your convenience with Andrew, to ask any questions you might have about your upcoming trip. This is immensely helpful to gat to know your instructor, and to making sure you feel prepared for the great adventure ahead!
Welcome Packet – You will receive your personalized welcome packet 2-6 weeks before the workshop with maps, helpful local info, nature facts, FAQ’s, technical photography information on what we will be discussing, a comprehensive list of what to bring, and more.
Park Related Fees – We believe in and support our National Parks system, so we are proud Commercial Use Authorization Permit holders with Big Bend National Park! This provides us good standing with the Park and the rangers, and it helps to fund fantastic conservation projects that would not be possible without special use educators and their students! So a portion of your tuition goes right back to help protect the park you love!
Numerous Guided Hikes – We will embark on at least one hike per day through the intensely beautiful landscape of the Chihuahuan Desert and the Chisos Mountains. We will explore the myriad flora and fauna of both ecosystems, shooting anything and everything in nature, discussing a wide range of photographic tips and techniques.
Night Photography – You’ll get very used to your siestas on this trip, as we will spend the first hour or two before sunrise and after sundown navigating the exciting night sky with our cameras. We will discuss and execute several techniques including night landscapes, star trails, painting with light, and more!
3 Nights Camping, water, and snacks – Other lodging is available at the expense of the student. But If camping is your thing, then you will enjoy all three nights of group camping in the park with Andrew, giving you extra time to talk about photography! All you need is to bring your own camping gear! Regardless of if you choose to camp or stay at a nearby hotel, plenty of bottled water and snacks throughout the day will be provided.

Transportation to and from Big Bend National Park, lodging (other than group camping), meals, and anything else not listed above is the responsibility of the student. If winner opts out of the April 24-27, 2014 trip, winner forfeits his or her prize, unless otherwise agreed upon by Slaton.

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If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level please check out my new workshop dates:Big Bend Photographic Tour/ Workshops 2014More Destination Photo Tours/ Workshops 2014If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:Tandem Stills + Motion // andrew r. slaton

If you are interested in purchasing prints from this post, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:

andrew r. slaton // photographer // prints

For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

all images and content (except otherwise attributed) © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2014

art, landscape, photography, random thought, travel, workshop, writing

big bend // revisited… part 2

Once again, I woke up before the sun…

And witnessed a spectacular sunrise over the Chihuahuan Desert, with both Texas and Mexico in view.

Everything in the desert seems to want to hurt you. It’s an amazingly inhospitable place.

Maybe that’s why I love it. It continually screams at me to leave, and I, unrepentantly scream back at it, “no!”

Mariscal mine settlement. When you visit this small village (seriously) in the middle of nowhere… it really does make you think about how beautifully tough our forefathers must have been.

This place is so difficult to get to and remote, that few people even nowadays visit. What with our air conditioned cars and four wheel drive.

So I finnally exited the River Road and hit pavement. It’s funny the feeling you get when you’ve only felt super bumpy, unimproved dirt tracks underneath you for two days – driving 20 miles an hour, because if you drove any faster you’d surely bottom out or receive a flat for your insolence and disrespect to the road – finally being lifted up on to the smooth ride of a highway, and potential speed of 65. I love it. Kinda feels like you just won the lottery. Undeserved and glorious. Thankful you made it off that God-forsaken death trap of a road. The reverse can also be true. I LOVE THE RIVER ROAD!!

So I spent the next several hours scouting a few different locations. The first being my evening “epic” Big Bend landscape, that attempts to sum up the place. Tough indeed, if you’ve ever been to BBNP.

The second shot was a night, road photograph I’ve had in my mind on this trip. I got one in RMNP, but really wanted to try one here. I had several nice spots from which to choose.

The third and fourth theoretically could be the same spot. One shot would be in the very early morning hours… a star picture. And the other was a morning “epic” Big Bend landscape.

I finished my scouting with several hours to spare, so I decided to hike to one of my favorite little spots in the park, Cattail Falls.

I always go when water is scarce, so I’ve never come away with the waterfall picture I want, but it’s a great little hike and the only place I’ve ever seen a bear in the park.

By the time I got back, it was late afternoon… time to begin my work for the evening.

I ended up with a few shots I like, so I called it a night… at least get a few hours of sleep. Back up at 4 a.m. to shoot the stars and catch what would be a gorgeous sunrise.

That morning was a sunrise-to-end-all-sunrises. At this point, it was as good a time as any to quit while I felt ahead.

And besides, I was into my third week of being on the road…. living out of my Subaru, eating lots of peanut butter and honey, sleeping alone (an activity I used to love – that I am now quite weary of) on the hard ground.

It was time to go home. Hard to leave, but definitely time.

So I composed my last shots of the desert and mountains of Big Bend National Park, and bid it farewell… this time thankfully, it won’t be so long between visits…

If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level, and/ or Big Bend photography tours and workshops, please check out my new workshop dates:

B ig Bend Photographic Tour/ Workshops 2013-2014

More Destination Photo Tours/ Workshops 2013-2014

If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:

Tandem Stills + Motion // andrew r. slaton

If you are interested in purchasing prints from this post, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:

andrew r. slaton // photographer // prints

For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

all images + content © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2013

art, landscape, photography, random thought, travel, workshop, writing

big bend // revisited

It didn’t take long to get back into the rhythm of Big Bend.

After all, it had only been 18 or so months.

But this lesser-known National Park, in the middle-of-freaking-nowehere on the border of Texas and Mexico, has been a refuge for me for the last 10 years.

In many senses of the word, I found myself in Big Bend.

I’ve found myself lost in the middle of the desert in 110 degree heat.

I’ve found myself 18 miles from any person or paved road in a almost completely submerged truck… in 110 degree heat.

I’ve found myself purposefully leaving civilization and humanity.

I’ve found myself at the top of the world on the South Rim looking out on the expanse of the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas and Mexico, in awe.

I’ve found myself coming to terms with my insecurities and problems.

I’ve found myself watching a total lunar eclipse from the South Rim of the Chisos Mountains.

I’ve found myself spending New Years Eve alone atop the Dodson Trail, happy as a clam.

I’ve found myself sharing my alone time for the first time with my (then) future wife.

I’ve found myself kissing said future wife in Boot Canyon in the fall with the maple leaves ablaze around us.

I’ve found myself returning annually to celebrate her birthday.

I’ve found myself pushing the limits on how many miles I can hike in 1 day… turns out, it’s at least 18 miles… done on two different trips :)

I’ve found myself chasing a black bear in a desert oasis.

I’ve found myself standing in the middle of the Rio Grande alone at 4 o’clock in the morning to get a star picture of Santa Elena Canyon.

I’ve found myself (more times than I can remember) talking with the God of the universe in all the glory of His creation.

I’ve found myself entering the park ill, leaving well… entering heavy hearted, leaving renewed… entering empty, leaving full.

Big Bend is a very special place to me.

I arrived in the middle of the day, so no sweeping, epic landscapes available to shoot.

I set up camp and focused on the details.

I decided to start with Santa Elena that evening, so I hiked out to scout my location.

Done. That was quick.

I then went to Mule Ears overlook to hike the desert a bit.

Made friends with a black-tailed jackrabbit, then headed off to catch the sun going down at Santa Elena Canyon.

I went back to camp to shoot a few desert star pictures.

Got up well before the sun (4am) to shoot a star picture of Santa Elena.

Bats flew all around me as I stood in the middle of the Rio Grande until sunrise.

The sun rose high quickly. So I moved on and headed for the infamous River Road.

Prickly Pear Cactus flowering late.

I hiked Pine Canyon.

After driving several hours on the River Road (where I drowned my truck a few years ago), I arrived at one of my old favorite campsites, Jewels Camp.

It overlooks the Rio Grande, Mexico, and the Chisos Mountains.

I would come to learn (the next day on my way out) by a border patrol agent who searched my car, that it also happens to be a favorite spot for the cartels to smuggle drugs into the U.S.

Good thing I slept that night with my .45.

On a serious note though, I have NEVER had any problems in Mexico, Big Bend, or on the River Road. I think it’s important to draw from experience rather than fear.

Okay, so back to my trip….

Evening at Jewels was gorgeous, as it always seems to be. The colors of the desert come alive at dusk.

I read a little that evening, and then crashed. All this getting up at 4 a.m., hiking all day, then going to bed at 10 p.m. was truly exhausting.

But I was there to work… so before I could go to bed for the night, I had a few star pics I wanted to capture…

I slept SO well that night, once I actually went to sleep. And I would need it… the rest of the trip would be jam-packed and one of the most productive adventures in Big Bend yet!

Stay tuned for the second (and possibly) third part of Big Bend // revisited!!

If you are interested in learning more about photography, taking your art to a new level, and/ or Big Bend photography tours and workshops, please check out my new workshop dates:

B ig Bend Photographic Tour/ Workshops 2013-2014

More Destination Photo Tours/ Workshops 2013-2014

If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency:

Tandem Stills + Motion // andrew r. slaton

If you are interested in purchasing prints from this post, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request:

andrew r. slaton // photographer // prints

For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com

Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com!

andrew slaton | blog

travelogue and visual catharsis of a nomadic photographer

Tag Archives: slaton workshops

THE MAGIC OF BIG BEND

The Great BIG Bend Giveaway

big bend // revisited… part 2

big bend // revisited

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