Monument Valley Infrared Photography Workshop

In Monument Valley, sandstone buttes rise from the red earth like sculptures, junipers twist against bold skies, and late-season monsoon clouds build into towering forms perfect for black-and-white infrared photography. Using infrared, foliage glows white, tones in the skies deepen, and familiar scenes transform into graphic studies of tone and texture. With Navajo guides, we’ll work from classic overlooks to quiet corners and make a dedicated push to Hunts Mesa for sweeping, elevated perspectives that are especially beautiful in monochrome.

This workshop is suitable for both beginners in infrared photography and those further on their infrared journey. Instruction is constant and hands-on, tailored to this itinerary’s opportunities, including filter choice, avoiding hotspots, controlling diffraction, and achieving sharp focus. You’ll learn how to use IR’s strengths, revealing familiar scenes in striking, emotive ways to create images that feel intentional and timeless.

In the classroom, we’ll review your images, looking for ways to improve technique. We’ll all discuss our compositions and learn from each other’s work. Through this, you will start to train your vision for the invisible, learning to anticipate how the world changes when viewed through an infrared filter. We’ll demonstrate the post-processing workflow for infrared images from import to the finishing touches that will make your images sparkle.

We move with respect for place and culture, following Navajo guidance and leaving each location as we found it. You’ll return with a set of infrared images – desert forms, storm built skies and luminous junipers – plus a workflow for monochrome IR that you can use anywhere the light and weather allows graphic, elegant photographs.

For a brief introduction to infrared, see our blopost on Infrared Photography.