Hanksville Photography Workshop This April 2026 in Utah’s Badlands

World-renowned astrophotographer Derek Culver of Blazing Heavens and I have just announced our April 15–19, 2026 Hanksville Photography Workshop, and this one is going to be special!

Four nights in southeastern Utah during the New Moon. A small group of around 6 photographers. Two experienced backcountry guides. And some of the most surreal terrain in the American West as our classroom.

This workshop is designed for photographers who want to capture epic images at one of the most amazing locations in the US. Over the course of the week, we will focus on:

• Photographing the Milky Way over the Bentonite Hills and Factory Butte
• Building strong foreground compositions in massive desert terrain
• Focus stacking for front-to-back sharpness
• Blue hour blending and night-to-twilight transitions
• Advanced editing workflows that simplify complex techniques
• Working in remote environments safely and intentionally

If Hanksville has been on your list, this week will let you focus on the landscape while we do all the rest! You can find full details on dates, lodging, and booking here:

Hanksville Workshop April 2026

A few locations we'll be shooting on this workshop

Hanksville wasn’t always a workshop destination for me. It was something I actually discovered by accident. While embarrassing to admit, the first time I drove through Hanksville, I thought I had found something no one else had ever seen.

Factory Butte rose off in the distance like a monument from another planet and the Bentonite Hills rippled with color in a way that felt almost artificial. The badlands stretched so far that depth and distance started to blur together. It genuinely felt like I had crossed some invisible line and ended up somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be. It was my first major photography trip and first solo trip I had made.

That was several years ago, before adventure photography became the social media currency it is today. Back then the pandemic caused the marketing company I helped lead to shut its doors, and I had lots of time, so I drove west!

New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, California were on my list, and I had all the time in the world. I had a short list of iconic spots to see, but mainly my plan was to wander and see what I could come across, and somewhere in the middle of that wandering, I passed through a small, quiet town in Utah called Hanksville and passed by the mind blowing Factory Butte.

Let me tell you again, to fully own up to my hilarious ignorance, I truly believed I had discovered something.

Of course, I hadn’t. Factory Butte is one of the most photographed landmarks in the American West. The Bentonite Hills are no secret. Moonscape Overlook has been inspiring photographers for decades. 

I'm always on the hunt for a good cactus foreground

What is it about Hanksville?

There's no shortage of otherworldly beautiful places in the West, but Hanksville is really close to the top of the list, both in scale and accessibility.

Within a short drive in any direction, you have tons of incredible locations. The Bentonite Hills look like paintings that are still wet. The mineral-rich clay creates these incredible swirls of red, purple, gray, and green, and the colors shift throughout the day. You can basically stand in the same spot and watch the color change.

Factory Butte is awe-inspiring in person. In photographs it looks beautiful, but standing there is a different experience entirely. The scale is hard to explain. The otherworldly veins that spill away from the butte are massive on their own, and it isn’t until you’re standing on top of one, looking up, that the place really clicks.

For me, despite the abundance of compositions and leading lines, it’s one of the hardest locations to photograph. I’m still chasing the image I see in my head, the one that finally does this place justice.

Then there are places like Goblin Valley, Moonscape, the Badland Spires, and Leprechaun Canyon. Each location not far from the other, yet completely different. It is no exaggeration to say the terrain feels Martian.

People use the phrase “like another planet” casually but in Hanksville, it actually fits.

Drone shot at sunrise

This Landscape Pretty Much Demands Your Time

One of the biggest mistakes photographers make in general is rushing it. Many times it's necessary as vacations are short, or places like may be a pass through on the way to somewhere else, where an afternoon or so is all you have. 

In my experience, this landscape does not reward speed. There are too many great frames and locations all in one area. Drone shots here are epic, timelapses even on a cloudless day have motion over the shadows and highlights, and for fine art, there are endless comps. And you can't do all of those at once successfully - one of the reasons I have so few "epic" captures from the area is I try to do it all at once. I come home with quite a few great pieces of video and good photos, but it comes at a cost.

The clay hills respond dramatically to subtle light changes. Clouds can transform an ordinary scene into something surreal. Shadows carve depth into otherwise flat terrain. And the difference between a good image and a strong one often comes down to patience and focusing on one thing at a time. Fly your drone one sunset, shoot with your main camera the next. You could spend weeks here and still not exhaust the possibilities.

That was one of the biggest lessons I learned on that first trip, and I'm still so in love with the area I find myself making the same mistakes I'm advising against. It's hard to not chase it all all once!

Light and color change fast

The Night Sky Over Hanksville

If the landscape feels otherworldly by day, it becomes something else entirely after dark.

Hanksville sits far from major cities. Light pollution is minimal and generally rated as Bortle 1. On a clear night, the Milky Way rises in full, stretching across the horizon with a clarity that is increasingly rare. Light pollution is overtaking the US at rates up to 10% a year in some areas, so this area offers a great opportunity to view and capture the night sky at it's best. 

Utah is known for its dark skies, but central/southeastern Utah in particular offers some of the best conditions in the country for astrophotography. When the New Moon aligns with clear desert air, the night sky becomes a remarkable subject. 

Photographing the Milky Way in Hanksville is much more than just pointing a camera upward as you can pair that sky with some of the amazing foreground opportunities. Bentonite ridges under starlight. Factory Butte silhouetted beneath the galactic core. Badlands that feel ancient and exposed under a canopy of stars, it's a magical experience. 

It is one of the most compelling combinations in a Utah photography workshop setting.

Milky Way over Factory Butte

Backcountry but Not Remote

One thing I love about this area for people who are just starting to explore adventure photography, camping, overlanding, and backcountry travel is how remote it feels. Time out here can feel like you’re alone on another planet and the landscape gives the impression that you’re thousands of miles from everything, even though you’re much closer to civilization than you might expect.

You can park your rig on the edge of a Martian-like cliff, staring out over an endless, untouched landscape. Yet if you need a real bathroom or a proper bed, you’re often only 15 to 30 minutes away. Hanksville isn’t a large town, but it has more than enough to keep you comfortable. That balance is what makes this such a great place to dip your toes into overlanding and backcountry travel without being completely cut off.

In a workshop setting like this, it’s an especially good way to try it with a group. Weather can change quickly, and roads that look solid can turn to mud and trap your rig, which can be a real problem when you’re alone. Learning how to read conditions, knowing when to adjust plans, and moving with a group makes a big difference. I enjoy teaching the photography side of things, but when the opportunity comes up, I also like sharing what I’ve learned about overlanding and working safely in remote environments with those who want to go deeper.

Camp setup along the stream behind Factory Butte

Why This Workshop Is Built the Way It Is

We intentionally keep the workshop small, usually around six participants with two instructors. Occasionally there may be a few additional people, alumni or other instructors who don’t require one-on-one time. Our goal is always the same: keep the group small enough that every participant gets real, meaningful time with us.

That matters because we’re investing a lot into each student. We want you to leave with the knowledge and skills we’ve spent years refining, not just a handful of tips you could have found online. Limiting the group size allows us to meet people where they are and give each person the attention they need.

Our workflow covers everything from scouting locations and building strong compositions to advanced editing techniques like focus stacking, exposure blending, refining night skies, stacking for detail, and tracking the Milky Way. Some participants come primarily to focus on Milky Way photography. Others want to strengthen their landscape work or simplify their editing process. We tailor the experience so you walk away with tools that actually fit how you shoot and work.

There is structure to the workshop, but we keep it flexible on purpose. We know that for most people, time is more valuable than money. This isn’t only a financial commitment, it’s an entire week of your life! That time deserves to be used well, and that’s why we put our students first, always.

If you are considering joining this upcoming Hanksville Photography Workshop, you can find full details here:

Hanksville Workshop April 2026

Build Your Own Workshop

Each year I design dozens of one-on-one and small private workshops built entirely around the participant. Location, timing, skill level, creative goals, and pace are all tailored specifically to you.

These custom workshops take place year-round across the United States and are guided by myself and other experienced photographers who know how to access remarkable places safely and intentionally. If a listed workshop is sold out, not yet open for booking, or if you don’t see the destination you’re looking for, reach out. Whether you’re seeking a focused learning experience, a specific landscape, or a fully personalized photography adventure, we’re happy to build something that fits!

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