6 Spaces Available
Location: Tucson, Arizona See Trip Report from 2025
Dates: April 9-13, 2025 Wednesday at 7 pm – Sunday morning after sunrise shoot
Cost: $4099, single supplement $800
Details: Come photograph one of the most iconic landscapes of the West, the Sonoran Desert at Saguaro National Park. Tucson is the perfect location to fully explore and photograph this mountainous desert environment. We’ve designed this workshop to be loaded with special photo opportunities, and timed to catch wildflower blooms in the desert. We’ve spent many years photographing in this area, and a blazing orange sunset framed by a towering saguaro cactus is an image every photographer should capture.
Highlights:
- On our first morning, we will look for desert birds nesting in cactus at the striking San Xavier Mission, south of Tucson.
- We will spend one afternoon photographing at the world-renowned Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. This 98 acre museum is loaded with a huge variety of cactus and endemic desert plants, as well as having walk-in bird aviaries and big mammals.
- We arrange a private session for our group an active wildlife blind to photograph desert birds and at eye level. These blinds have water features and food so bird activity is high.
- Our evenings will be spent capturing spectacular sunsets and saguaro cactus at a variety of different locations.
On this workshop you will:
- Photograph at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, including our favorite, the walk-in hummingbird aviary
- Photograph the Sonoran desert, wildflowers and saguaro cactus at various locations
- Have a private afternoon photography shoot at ground level wildlife blinds
- Have a sunrise shoot at San Xavier Mission
- Have daily classroom sessions on topics such as composition, exposure, landscape techniques, filter use and more
- Have a review and critique session of participant’s images
Hotel: We will book a hotel that is central to our photo sessions. Accommodation will be arranged for you and is included in the fee. If you would like your own private room be sure to ask for the single supplement rate.
Closest Airport: Tucson, 5 minutes from the hotel. Alternatively, Phoenix often has cheaper airfare and is 1 hour and 45 minutes from Tucson.
Recommended camera gear:
- Camera body
- Lenses ranging from wide angle 24mm to 70-200mm
- Wildlife lens: some choices include 200-500mm, 500-600mm
- Tripod
- Polarizing filter
- Speed light
Included in the fee:
- All instruction
- Entrance fees to Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum
- Private session at bird blinds
- Welcome Dinner
Participants will provide their own:
- Transportation, airfare, rental car
- All meals, except welcome dinner
- Saguaro National Park entrance fee
Tom Bol Photo Workshops is a permittee of the National Park Service for this workshop and under a Commercial Use Authorization
Know Before You Go: Rated Moderate. This trip involves walking from 1-3 miles per day on loose and uneven terrain.
