Remember Summer Camp? New friends, campfires, hiking, and boating? This trip is like that, but for adults with cameras.
And you can drink beer without getting into trouble.
Download the Brochure!
Photo Camp Brochure
Trip Overview
If you live and breathe for wild places, photography, and creativity then this trip is for you. This isn’t a traditional photo workshop. Nor is it a photo tour. This is the opportunity to get out with some like-minded people, learn from others, and explore one of the last great wilderness areas in North America.
About that… This trip will be based out of the remote community of Wiseman, Alaska, which lies in the central Brooks Range, some 70 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Wiseman is a gold-rush-era village with a permanent population of around a dozen. It is surrounded by the genuine wilderness of the Brooks. Gates of the Arctic National Park lies a few miles west, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is 10 or 15 miles east. But you can’t drive to either place. The only access to Wiseman by road is via the famous Dalton Highway. A narrow ribbon of dirt and gravel that connects the town of Fairbanks (where our trip begins) to the oil fields on Alaska’s north slope.
So what do we do there? We dive headfirst into creative photography. Each day we’ll pack up some lunches and head into the mountains. One day at least, we’ll drive north over Atigun Pass, the highest road in Alaska, and out onto the Arctic Coastal Plain. We may encounter caribou, musk oxen, wolves, or bears, and we’ll certainly see big mountains, sweeping tundra plains, and epic wild country.
We will take long hikes up remote valleys to get away from the road. There we’ll find rarely photographed landscapes, opportunities for adventure photography, and maybe, some wild critters.
Some days we’ll stay closer to home. We’ll make shorter vehicle excursions to good places for photography and hiking, and spend our time making images of mountain lakes, big peaks, and the surreal colors of autumn tundra.
Right. Did I mention this trip happens during the peak of autumn color? Because it does. In northern Alaska, the colors of the tundra go bonkers in the fall. It’s a sea of orange, yellow, red, maroon, and green.
In the evenings we’ll return to our lodging in Wiseman, kick back in front of a campfire, eat dinner, and wait for the northern lights to appear.
That reminds me – this trip is also timed for the aurora season. So we’ll be out late photographing swirling green skies while watching the Koyukuk River flow by.
I hope you don’t need much sleep.
New for 2024!
Mid-trip, we will leave Wiseman, driving north all the way to Prudhoe Bay where we will stay for one night. However, the industrial oil-field facilities of Deadhorse are not our main goal. Rather it’s the coastal plain, where we may encounter herds of caribou, musk oxen, waterfowl, and the sweeping vistas of the arctic.
Itinerary
20 August 2024
At around 9am, you’ll be picked up at your local hotel in Fairbanks, Alaska, and depart shortly after for the Brooks Range. It’s a six-hour drive through the wild country north of Fairbanks. We will make several stops including in the White Mountains, the Yukon River, Finger Mountain, Arctic Circle, and Coldfoot. With stops and a picnic lunch along the way, count on a full day of travel. Dinner, wilderness and bear safety instruction, and local northern lights hunt once in Wiseman.
21 August 2024
Today, we’ll get our feet under us, literally, by heading out for a hike in the mountains near Wiseman. Depending on the weather conditions we may get ambitious, venturing up a remote valley to toward jagged limestone peaks, or simply take an amble along a glacial blue stream, looking for photo compositions. We’ll also have our first instructional session today, as we look at how we create more compelling images of the landscape.
22 August 2024
After breakfast, we will load up the vehicle and head north up the Dalton Highway to Deadhorse. It’s a dramatic day on the road as we cross over the highest roaded pass in Alaska, Atigun Pass, and drop down onto the North Slope. We’ll wind our way out of the Brooks Range, keeping our eyes open for wildlife like caribou, musk oxen, and grizzlies. Eventually, we’ll leave the mountains behind and start across the rolling expanse of the coastal plain, and eventually the industrial zone of Prudhoe Bay. We’ll spend the night at a comfortable oil field hotel, a cultural experience in itself.
23 August 2024
Today, we’ll retrace our steps south, back down the Dalton, to Wiseman. With different lighting, the drive will seem new as we pause for wildlife, and views as we approach the mountains. Back in Wiseman, we will settle in for a few uninterrupted days of photography.
24-26 August 2024
With three full days, we will throw ourselves into creative outdoor photography. We’ll have numerous class sessions where we will discuss not only creating photos, but also making a living from photography, how to get assignments, guide others, and work in a very competitive industry. All of this while out exploring the spectacular autumn landscape of the central Brooks Range.
27 August 2024
On our final day, we will drive back down the Dalton Highway to Fairbanks. We’ll leave Wiseman by around 9, and make a bit better time heading south than we did north. We’ll stop for lunch at the Yukon River, and for unmissable photo opportunities, but we will aim to get back to Fairbanks in time for evening flights home.
Trip Leaders
David W. Shaw
Dave is a full-time outdoor photographer, writer, and photo educator. He specializes in wildlife, landscape, and documentary image-making. A resident of Alaska for 23 years, he has had the opportunity to explore most of the state’s wild corners. Dave’s images and articles have appeared in hundreds of publications across the world, and his series of popular photo workshops are often booked up years in advance. He’s worked on assignment for numerous magazines and conservation organizations.
Of all of Alaska’s wild places, the Brooks Range is far and away his favorite. An enthusiastic wilderness traveler, Dave has guided river and backcountry trips across Alaska and has extensive experience keeping others safe in wild places.
Alyce Bender
Alyce Bender is a nature photographer, writer, educator, and adventurer. Camera in hand since childhood, her fascination for photography developed into a career after serving in the U.S. Air Force. Her passion for wildlife and the natural environment compels her to connect others with nature through sharing both visual art and in-field experiences that promote conservation, creativity, and ethical photography. She is a Tamron USA Ambassador, contributing writer for the Journal of Wildlife Photography, and her work has been featured in group and solo gallery shows across the US as well as in international publications from the UK to Japan.
Bender leads photography adventures around the world for photographers of all levels to explore and expand their personal vision and naturalist skills ethically. When not in the field, she offers a variety of educational programs both in person and virtually for photography organizations large and small.
- All lodging and transportation from Fairbanks
- All hikes
- Meals and Snacks
- Guide Services
- Airfare to and from Fairbanks, Alaska
- Hotels in Fairbanks
- Alcoholic or specialty drinks
- Tips for Guide (optional)
- Optional Activities (as noted elsewhere)
Cost
8 day/7 Nights: $3500/person
See Payment and Cancellation Information page for more information.
Flexibility
You must be easy-going and adaptable to changing schedules and plans.
Fitness
You must be fit enough to hike 3 or more miles and up to 2000 vertical feet over trail-less mountain terrain while crossing creeks and soaking your boots and socks.
Be Safe
You must be willing to abide by guidance from the trip leaders and follow all safety rules.
Willing to Help
You also must be willing to help out with group chores like cooking meals, cleanup, and packing the vehicle.
Share
You must also be willing to share a room or bring your own roommate (separate beds).
Optional Activities:
Rafting: Day of rafting and photography on the Koyukuk River. The river is swift, but there are no large rapids. No experience is necessary, the trip will be led by professional river guides. $300/person, minimum 4. This activity is tentative and depends on group interest and availability.
Flight-seeing: The Brooks Range is spectacular from the air. Weather permitting, we will arrange an evening, flight-seeing trip across either or both the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or Gates of the Arctic National Park. (approx 1.5 hrs flight time). Cost TBD.
This isn’t a popularity contest! We don’t care how many Instagram followers you have. And we don’t care how many awards you’ve won. What we care about is your creativity, desire to collaborate with others, your flexibility to changing conditions, and your photographic, artistic, and professional goals. We are looking for enthusiasm and potential, not necessarily accomplishment.
What you need to do:
Submit the following questionnaire and your $500 deposit. (The deposit is refundable if you are not selected for the trip.) And submit 10 of your favorite outdoor images as either 800px, 72dpi jpegs to Dave, or link us to an online gallery.
Brooks Range Photo Camp
