Eastern Sierra: Spirit of the American West
June 3rd to June 8th, 2027
From $3,950 All-inclusive except some lunches
Spots Available:
10 spots available
About this Adventure
There’s something about the Eastern Sierra that stirs the imagination: wild horses moving across open country, a deserted mining town catching the first light of day, and vast skies above an ancient lake. This American West holds stories still unfolding and waiting to be photographed.
Join Gail Fisher and Dotan Saguy for a photographic adventure through a region that has become part of Dotan’s own life and work. We’ll photograph wild horses in the Mono Lake area, explore Bodie at sunrise, and visit Mono Lake’s remarkable South Tufa shoreline in the changing light of morning and evening.
Our time with the horses grows out of a personal documentary project. At the invitation of his friend Ronda Kauk, a Mono Lake tribal representative and cultural monitor, Dotan spent several weeks documenting the herd remaining after a roundup and its relationship with Ronda and her family. That work led to an ongoing connection and an opportunity to introduce fellow photographers to the horses, their landscape, and the people working to protect their future.
Throughout our adventure, Gail and Dotan will help you turn your observations into thoughtful photographs. Guidance in the field, editing sessions, and constructive critiques will help you refine your compositions, recognize your strongest images, and discover connections within your work. On our final full day, we’ll help you select and sequence a slideshow to share at our closing dinner and help you sequence your own digital photo book..
The Western spirit carries through to our home base at Virginia Creek Settlement. After exploring the open range, the shores of Mono Lake, and the streets of Bodie, we’ll return to shared meals and evenings around the firepit by the creek. It’s a place to unwind, exchange stories from the day, and get to know your fellow photographers as daylight fades.
Giving Back to the Places We Photograph
Part of your workshop fee supports the living heritage and historic places we’ll photograph. Our wild-horse experience includes a contribution to the Indigenous Wild Horse Society, supporting its efforts to protect the horses through Indigenous stewardship. Our photography access fees at Bodie support the Bodie Foundation’s work to stabilize and preserve the historic town. It’s an opportunity to create photographs while giving something back to the places and stories that inspire them.
Led by
Gail and Dotan
Gail and Dotan's teaching styles complement each other perfectly and so do their areas of expertise. The two of them will be with you all day every day: presenting, coaching, providing feedback in the field, and conducting honest, constructive critique sessions.
What's Included
Five nights at Virginia Creek Settlement.
Photography instruction with Gail Fisher and Dotan Saguy.
A wild-horse photography outing through Dotan’s connection with the local tribe, including a contribution to the Indigenous Wild Horse Society protecting the horses.
A private sunrise photography session in Bodie, including access fees supporting the Bodie Foundation.
Editing sessions, group critiques, and guidance in selecting and sequencing for your part of the final slideshow and your own photobook.
All transportation during the workshop once you arrive.
Four breakfasts, five dinners, and one lunch.
Not Included
Travel to and from the workshop.
Three lunches, taken on your own.
Accommodations
There are no 5-star hotels in these parts, stranger, so our workshop headquarters will be a bit more on the rustic side this time as it should!
Our cozy home for five nights is the Virginia Creek Settlement, a charming rustic Western motel, just south of Bridgeport and near the windy road to Bodie Ghost Town. With its knotty-pine motel rooms, creekside cottages, on-site restaurant, and outdoor gathering places, the settlement carries the Wild West character of our adventure into the hours between photographic outings. We’ll return from our Western adventures to shared meals and evenings around the firepit by the creek. There are two categories of rooms available:
Standard Motel Rooms
Included in the base workshop price, these traditional rooms feature knotty-pine interiors and the character of a classic Sierra roadside retreat. Built in 1954, they combine their historic atmosphere with a queen bed, private bathroom, refrigerator, in-room coffee, television, Wi-Fi, and air conditioning. Daily housekeeping is included, and shared picnic areas, barbecues, and fire rings offer places to unwind outdoors.
Creekside Cottages
For participants who prefer a kitchenette and their own outdoor gathering space, the creekside cottages offer a different way to enjoy the settlement. Each includes a private bathroom with shower, a small indoor dining area, and an outdoor deck with seating, along with a private picnic area, barbecue, and fire ring. They’re an inviting option for lingering by the creek between outings.
Pricing:
$3,950 for a private standard motel room.
$4,650 for a creekside cottage.
$2,500 for a non-photographer companion lodging in the same room or cottage (2 separate beds possible upon request).
$2,950 for a photographer companion lodging in the same room (2 separate beds possible upon request).
Itinerary
Wild Horses and a Living Story
Spend an evening photographing wild horses in the landscape where Dotan developed his documentary project. His connection with Ronda Kauk and her family brings personal context to the experience. We’ll share a picnic dinner in the field and photograph the horses in the evening light.
Bodie in the First Light of Day
Weathered wood, quiet streets, and buildings filled with traces of another era make Bodie a compelling place to explore with a camera. Our sunrise session will take place before the park opens to the public, giving us time to study the light, search for details, and create our own interpretations of this historic mining town. We will be granted special access to the untouched furnished interiors of some of the cabins.
Mono Lake at Sunrise and Sunset
Along Mono Lake’s South Tufa shoreline, limestone formations meet open water, wide skies and several bird species. We’ll return in different light, exploring how viewpoint, timing, and composition can reveal different photographs within the same landscape.
Editing Your Own Western Story
With Gail and Dotan’s guidance, you’ll review your work, identify the images that matter most, and explore how they work together. You will start laying out your own photobook, after which the workshop will culminate in group slideshow, shared before a well earned delicious closing dinner.
Who should attend
This workshop welcomes photographers of all experience levels who want to strengthen their observation, composition, editing, and visual storytelling. You should have a working knowledge of your camera and bring a laptop + external drive for downloading and editing photographs.
Expect early starts and outdoor photography sessions on uneven terrain. Please inquire about walking distances, terrain, and accessibility so we can discuss whether the workshop is a good fit for you. Non-photographer partners are welcome to enjoy the destinations, shared meals, and outings without participating in the photography instruction.
