A unique photographer’s road trip through the deserts and landscapes of Nevada and California
The pictures and write-up from this year’s event can be seen here
This epic photography road trip adventure journeys through the spectacular deserts and mountains of Nevada and California. Our route has been carefully designed to take in the most wonderful shoot locations. We will drive in a convoy of five vehicles and we will be staying in small town motels along our route. As is customary on these trips there will be the occasional opportunity to enjoy an end of day drink in a classic saloon style bar for that authentic Wild West experience.
We will have two professional models with us for the duration of the trip. I will be joined by Martin Hill as joint tour leader and co tutor. Martin is an expert image-maker, a resourceful leader with a kind heart and is a perfect road trip companion. Martin and I have run many prestigious events together over the past 14 years. He is a star!
Join us on this exciting adventure in 2024. The 2023 event was so good we will do the trip one more time next May. Sign up for advanced notice here.
- Nine days of photography and road trip adventure.
- Two professional models with us for the duration of the tour.
- Shooting portraits among abandoned mining buildings and shacks.
- Shooting landscapes at Mono Lake, Cathedral Gorge and the Alabama hills.
- Shooting at a railway museum, in the engine sheds and among the wagons.
- Staying at classic motels along the way.
- Travelling in a convoy of spacious luxury SUVs. Chevy Suburban or similar.
- 35 shoot locations on a journey of 1445 miles.
- Flash kits, triggers and smoke machine supplied.
- Guidance and inspiration from expert tutors throughout.
Overview
Dates: 20th-28th May 2023
Tutors: Damien Lovegrove & Martin Hill
Genre: Portraiture, plus the occasional landscape
Group Size: Maximum of 12 participants
There are a few seats available for non shooting partners. Contact me for details.
Price: $5975, or €5485 or £4700 per person (exchange rate correct at time of publishing)
Deposit: $1000, €920 or £785 Payable at the time of booking
Balance payment: $4975 is due on 28th Feb 2023
Payment plan option: An initial deposit of $1000, followed by 4 bi-monthly payments of $1188. Book your slot on this page then email me to set up your payment plan.
Notes: Prices are listed in USD and this website defaults to USD but Euro or GBP currencies can be accepted at the exchange rate of the day. Please ask for more details. The tours start and end in Las Vegas. The fee includes; tuition, model fees, motels (8 nights), vehicle hire and fuel. The fee does not include; meals, drinks or flights/ transfers to and from Las Vegas.
The planning for this adventure has been very thorough. I’ve been to each of our locations, driven every road, checked out the terrain and scouted the best places for us to shoot at. I followed up my recce by writing up each day’s itinerary with a 15-minute resolution. I checked out motels, restaurants and bars too so we are ‘all set’.
The benefits of this adventure
- Enjoy the freedom of the open road
- Create lifelong memories
- Share the experience with like-minded people
- Make new friends
- Enjoy the visual beauty of the desert
- Feel liberated
- Have creative fun taking fabulous photographs
- Learn new skills
“Most of our previous Lovegrove road trip photographers are still connected and the friendships formed on their trip will last for many years. Some say that it was a catalyst for big change in their lives. There is something special about these road trip adventures that bonds us all. Now, you can be a part of this amazing experience. You will leave this adventure a more confident photographer with images to be proud of and memories to last a lifetime.” Damien Lovegrove
Sign up below for advanced notice of Deserts and Gold Dust 2024. I will personally message you with the dates, prices and itinerary information. Once we have a fully bookied event I will create a WhatsApp group so participants can get to know each other and I’ll arrange a Zoom call to discuss all the details and final logistics. Let’s make 2024 the best event yet.
Google Reviews from the 2023 tour
Damien Lovegrove & Martin Hill
Martin and I have an honest approach to sharing our knowledge and skills. Our partnership has worked really well on the numerous workshops and adventures that we have run since 2008.
Martin is the sensitive, observant, kind and caring one. He is efficient with time, never flustered and always prepared. His background in the Royal Marines is useful in the mountains and out in the desert too. His photography skills are excellent and he has a no-nonsense approach to setting up wonderful pictures for you to shoot. Martin is a master with flash and can make a shot ‘pop’ with light.
I am passionate and enthusiastic and I love sharing my vision. You won’t be left struggling if you are lost in-camera menus and I won’t ignore you if you are quietly getting great photographs. What we’ll do is show you how to build rapport and communicate with our two models to make structured poses look relaxed and natural.
Sign up below for advanced notice of Deserts and Gold Dust 2024
Martin and I enjoying an end-of-day drink on our first USA Adventure in 2016.
The small print
A deposit payment of $1000 is required at the point of booking. You can pay online via PayPal, debit/credit card or you can contact me to pay via bank transfer. Alternatively, you can take advantage of the payment plan option. An initial deposit of $800 is required at the point of booking, followed by 8 monthly payments of $620 starting on the 29th July 2022 and finishing on the 28th Feb 2023.
Cancellation Policy
Should you cancel your place on this event for any reason, no refund will be available unless your place is resold. If you would like to cancel please contact us by phone or email as soon as possible. If your place is resold, we will, of course, make a full refund or credit to you.
We also reserve the right to cancel any workshop if there is insufficient demand, especially if it means that our costs would be higher than our income. Please, therefore, do not leave it until the last few weeks if you are interested in a particular event, as you may find that it has been removed.
Some costs for each training event remain the same regardless of how many attendees there are, just like any pre-booked tickets for the theatre, concert, flights, etc. We are therefore unable to give a refund in the event of non-attendance, regardless of the circumstance.
Please note that we cannot be liable for any other costs incurred by yourself, so please check with us before booking any non-refundable accommodation or transport.
Please take a look at our full terms and conditions.