DAY 1

 

3:00pm: Meeting at River Springs - We arrive at a beautiful desert oasis surrounded by wild horse herds, unpacking to already prearranged tents, getting acquainted with our camp and our stunning surroundings.

 

3:30 – 4:30pm: Presentation #1 – Intro to Wildlife photography and its 3 main components, with farther orientation specific to artistic wildlife imagery.

 

4:30 – 6:30pm: Photography session with wild horses (on foot) - We go roam between the many herds, viewing rearing stallions at battle, mares and newborn foals, playful bachelor bands engaged in mock battles and galloping bands.

 

6:30: Dinner at River Springs - After a safari-like dinner setting we enjoy watching the incredible display of stars and Milky Way above the towering snowy White Mountains, and at night we listen to the sounds of wild horses, who come truly alive in the dark.

 

DAY 2

 

8:00am: Breakfast at River Springs

 

9:30 – 10:30am: Photography session with wild horses (on horseback) - It is a truly incredible experience to ride atop your horse amongst the many herds of wild mustangs, while there is a curious interaction between your mount and the wild horses. The resulting images seem very alive with a lot of interesting action, set against those amazing snowy mountains looming above us (no riding experience necessary to comfortably control your steed!)

 

10:30 – 2:30pm: Ride to Pizona camp - We enjoy a pleasant lunch in the shade of a pinyon pines (sometimes with fresh nuts!) with a great view overlooking the mustang herds below us. We ride through the gently rolling sagebrush hills and pinyon pine forest until we arrive in another desert oasis, our new camp higher up. We unpack to our new tents and enjoy lovely hors d'oeuvres and hot showers in our high safari camp.

 

4:00 – 6:00pm: Photography session with desert flora, historical 1800s stone-cabin and optional hike to wild horse skeleton (on foot) - A great chance to spend more time exploring our little desert oasis, with many wild irises in bloom and a bit of history, since our camp is set upon the old stagecoach road to Bodie.

 

6:00: Dinner at Pizona

 

6:30 – 7:30pm: Presentation #2 – Anticipation of action specific to wild mustangs’ social structure and its application to camera settings prior to shooting - This is a unique lecture combining the deeper understanding of the subject with photography skills, a true jewel to enhance your wild horse imagery. After dark we get a chance to watch the stunning display of stars and Milky Way, even brighter from our high camp.

 

DAY 3

 

8:00am: Breakfast at Pizona

 

8:30 – 11:30am: Ride to high desert country - With the first sun-rays shining over our little oasis we ride through a lovely lush canyon to the truly high country. There is wild desert apricot in bloom amongst many other flowers, and the sagebrush forms tunnels over 20 feet tall. We arrive at 8,000 ft near Red Mtn. Pass.

 

11:30 – 1:30pm: Photography session with spectacular views of snowy High Sierra and White Mountains - It is stunning to be this very high up with the entire two mountain ranges spread below us, while we track the wild mustang herds on top of our high desert. To view the wild horses set against the towering snowy peaks is truly spectacular! We enjoy our outdoor lunch here, feeling like on the roof of the world

 

1:30 – 3:30pm: Ride back to Pizona

 

6:00pm: Dinner at Pizona

 

6:30 – 7:30pm: Relaxing evening around a campfire, sharing wild horse stories. Another night we can be falling asleep looking for shooting stars in the high desert.

DAY 4

 

8:00am: Breakfast at Pizona

 

9:30 – 11:00am: Ride to River Springs - We start slowly descending back across the high desert to River Springs. We stop for lunch in the pinyon pines while we enjoy our views of the Adobe valley, and pinpoint the location of the wild herds

 

11:00 – 12:00pm: Photography session with wild horses (on horseback) - Once again we going to meander amongst the wild horses, observing and photographing the many stallions, mares and foals, with our deeper understanding of their intricate social structure and practicing different angles and settings

 

12:00pm: Farewells at River Springs