Alain Briot Fine Art Photography

Alain and Natalie Briot
Master Class
and Artist Retreat

An exclusive, 6 day photography Master Class to private locations
with Alain and Natalie Briot

Limited to 3 participants

Spring 2025 Eastern Navajoland Master Class: 1 seat left
May 2 to 7, 2025

Email us to inquire about attending the next Master Class:
alain@beautiful-landscape.com

Introducing the Master Class
The goal of the Master Class is to help you go further with your work by completing a personal project focused on the areas you will photograph during the Master Class. To do so we offer you the opportunity to photograph locations that no one but Natalie and I know about. We also offer personalized guidance regarding the conception, the execution and the completion of your Master Class project.

The Master Class is different from the Little Known Workshops. If you attended a Little Known Workshop you photographed locations that were little known. By attending the Master Class you will photograph locations that are literally unknown, areas that were discovered and first photographed by Natalie and I. You will also focus on designing and working on a personal project during the Master Class.

To reach this goal we have designed a new type of workshop whose purpose is to provide you access to locations that are private because we own the land where these locations are found. The goal is also to provide you with an opportunity for creativity and exploration which we cannot provide in a large group workshop held in a location open to the general public. This can only be achieved with small group in a controlled environment.

Enrollment requirements
The Master Class is open by invitation only. The invitation is sent to qualified participants who have attended both a regular workshop and a little known workshop with us previously. Having done consulting with us increases your chances of being invited.

Shiprock Sunrise
We will photograph this location during the workshop

Of all the photography classes I've attended, the Alain Briot Workshops have opened the door to unexpected forms of creativity. I am very happy with the images I produced on that Workshop. In fact, I ended up with more interesting images from your workshop than from any other. Thanks again!

Joel Geffen

Workshops FAQ
Discover our other workshop

Announcing a unique workshop to the Lesser Known areas of Navajoland with Alain Briot and Natalie Briot
Natalie and I have lived in Navajoland and other remote areas of the Southwest for years and we have been offering workshops in the Southwest for over 10 years now.

Our regular workshops are open to groups of 12 to 14 photographers. This group size allows us to offer our workshops at an affordable price. However, it also limits us to visiting areas that can accommodate a large group.

Unfortunately, most of Navajoland is difficult to access with a large group. Most of Navajoland is also little known and rarely traveled except by local residents. This is unfortunate because these lesser known areas of Navajoland are just as photogenic as the most famous ones, if not more.

This is true for most other areas of the Southwest as well and for that reason we offer little known workshops in several areas of the Southwest.

This is why we decided to create The Master Class. This workshop is by invitation only and offered only to students who have attended one or several of our regular workshops. The Master Class is open to 3photographers only. The extremely small group size allows us to explore areas that cannot be explored with a large group. Having previous participants means the group is cohesive and highly motivated.

Given how remote and unknown some of the locations in these workshops are, we should have titled it The Unknown Locations Workshops! This would not be an exaggeration because we will be exploring and photographing areas discovered by Natalie and I, areas that most photographers do not know about, areas that are rarely, if ever, photographed.

Bisti Badlands
We will photograph this location during the workshop

The Three Areas of Navajoland
Navajoland is a vast area. When we started offering the Navajoland Workshop we offered only one workshop in which we tried to cover all the areas as well as possible. This meant a huge amount of driving (Navajoland is huge) and therefore a lot of time spent on the road instead of on photographing, doing print reviews or giving presentations. It also meant being very selective as to which areas we would photograph or not photograph.

This was unsatisfying and we sought a better way to offer these exclusive workshops. We found the solution by dividing Navajoland in several distinct areas for the purpose of this unique workshops series and then offering workshops focused on each area.

As of this writing we have outlined three separate areas of Navajoland and we are offering three different Little Known Navajoland workshops, each focused on a specific geographical area, as follows:

1 - Little Known Navajoland Workshop Part 1: Western Navajoland (Tuba City)
2 - Little Known Navajoland Workshop Part 2: Northern Navajoland (Chinle to Bluff)
3 - Little Known Navajoland Workshop Part 3: Eastern Navajoland (Chinle to Farmington)

Each workshop is a continuation of the previous one in the series. Usually the following workshop starts where the previous one ended. You do not have to attend these workshop in succession, meaning you don't have to attend #1 then #2 and then #3. You can start with any of the three. However we do recommend that you attend all of them because it will give you the most comprehensive opportunity to photograph Navajoland you can ever have because no one else besides Natalie and I offers these workshops. If you attend all three you have the opportunity of creating a unique portfolio of Navajoland with photographs that no one else will have.

About Alain and Natalie Briot
I specialize in creating large format, fine art landscape photographs and I have been photographing since 1980 in Europe and since 1983 in the United States. I have 6 years of experience teaching photography and communication courses at the graduate and undergraduate level at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. I have 20 years of experience photographing the Southwest and Navajoland, the fascinating region we will explore during this workshop.

Natalie is a certified Art Teacher. She has been teaching since 1992, first in Houghton, Michigan, then in Chinle, in the heart of Navajoland, starting in 1995. Natalie loves teaching and specializes in helping her students fulfill their vision through visual exercises. Natalie is extremely patient and attentive to her students' needs.

The unique aspects of this workshop:

1 - You will be photographing areas that are rarely, if ever photographed.
Some of the areas that we will be visiting are known only to local residents, and those residents are not photographers. This is therefore one of the finest opportunities to create original work, to take photographs of areas that you will not see everywhere, and to develop a unique body of work.

2 - You will be able to work on your personal work under the guidance of Natalie and I
We have structured this workshop, both in the schedule and through the small number of participants, so that you have the largest number of opportunities to work on your own projects. If you have been considering creating your first portfolio, or if you are working on a new portfolio, this is the ideal opportunity to create personal images from areas that are rarely photographed.

We strongly recommend that you bring with you an artist statement for your work and a list of artistic and photographic goals that you want to achieve during the workshop. While not an absolute requirement for the workshop, we feel that this will help you get the most from this experience. Keep in mind that the small size of our group and the remote locations we will be visiting will be conducive both to inspiration and to personal work.

3 - A unique print review
We will focus on your own style, approach and goals during the print review. Instead of focusing only on what works and what does not work, as we do during our regular workshop print reviews, our focus in this review will be to help you achieve your photographic goals. The review will be aimed at helping you define what is your personal vision, your personal style and the unique characteristics that define your work. We recommend that you bring a collection of your most recent work, in print sizes 10x15 or larger.

4 - An adventure and an exploration
In many ways this workshop is an exploration of rarely seen areas, areas that are away from the touristic routes and that are traveled almost exclusively by locals going about their business. We will be driving on a lot of dirt roads, and we will be seeing places that few people see. You will need an SUV as a regular car will not do for this expedition.

5 - You will enjoy a visit led by instructors intimately familiar with Navajo Culture
This is a definite advantage for you and the guarantee of an enjoyable visit. As you know Natalie and I have lived in Chinle for 7 years from 1995 to 2002 (we moved from Chinle to Peoria, Arizona, in January 2003). We know the way of life of the Navajos, we are familiar with their customs and their beliefs, and we know how to interact with them. Furthermore, we have been doing business with Navajos since 1995 and have been exploring Navajoland since 1983, for myself, and since childhood for Natalie who has lived in Arizona nearly all her life.

This intimate knowledge means that we will be able to provide you with a unique introduction to Navajo culture. You will, no doubt, have many questions about the Navajo way of life and about Navajoland. We will be able to answer these questions, based on our long experience living and working in Chinle. We will also be able to provide you with an insider view of the Navajo Culture and with information about life in Navajoland that you will not find in guide books.

6 - Your Itinerary
The itinerary for this workshop was designed with the goal of taking you to areas that we cannot visit with a large group. Our goal was also to avoid visiting the areas we visit during our regular Navajoland Workshops. There is no crossover locations-wise between the regular and the Lesser Known Navajoland workshops, with the exception of photographing Sunset at Canyon de Chelly, something that can be replaced by a different location near Chinle based on the preferences of the participants.

Friday, May 2, 2025
Meeting and sunset in Chinle.

We will be meet you in Chinle on Friday where we will start our adventure into the lesser known areas of Eastern Navajoland. You will receive time and location to our meeting place approximately two weeks before the workshop.

We will photograph sunset at a little known location near Chinle.

We will stay in Chinle that night.

Saturday, May 3, 2025
Chinle Area

On Saturday we will explore little known locations in the Chinle area. We will start our day by photographing sunrise at another little known location near Chinle. We will go back to Chinle for Breakfast. After breakfast we will explore little known locations in the Chinle area that we did not photograph on previous Little Known Workshops. One of these locations is a large and undamaged Anasazi ruin known only to local residents. This is a splendid site that you will be amazed at.

We will also photograph a location that features unique sandstone domes. We call this location the 'Chinle Coyote Buttes' because of its similarity with the well known Coyote Buttes in the Paria Canyon Wilderness area. We discovered this location when we lived in Canyon de Chelly and I don't think it has been photographed professionally. I have never seen photographs of this location from other photographers.

We will stay in Chinle that night.

Sunday, May 4, 2025
Buffalo pass, the Chuska Mountains, Greg’s Arch and Ship Rock.

On Sunday we will travel from Arizona to New Mexico photographing and exploring little known and extremely photogenic locations in both states. We will be traveling on back roads, going to locations where very few, if any, photographers venture.

We will photograph the Lukachukai Mountains from the west side, the top and the East Side of the mountain. This is a remote area known almost exclusively to the Navajos, with many photographic opportunities. We will drive up the mountain from the Arizona side (Tthe Western side), explore the forest at the top of the mountain, then drive down the Eastern side into New Mexico. There we will explore an area called Cove and photograph Cove Arch, one of the largest and yet least known arches in the Southwest. Afterwards we will drive to Ship Rock, one of the most amazing rock formations of New Mexico.

We will photograph sunset at Ship Rock.

We will stay in Farmington that night.

Monday, May 5, 2025
Ship Rock and Chaco Canyon

On Monday we photograph Ship Rock again this time at Sunrise. We will return to Farmington for breakfast and afterwards travel to Chaco Canyon to photograph the many Anasazi ruins and rock art sites located there. Chaco Canyon is an amazing place with excellent photographic opportunities. We will spend the rest of the day photographing Chaco Canyon and doing presentations and print reviews.

Sunset will be at Chaco Canyon or on our way back from Chaco Canyon to Farmington.

We will stay in Farmington that night.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Dinetah

Tuesday will be another day of exciting exploration in an area hardly ever visited by photographers.

After breakfast in Farmington, we will travel to the town of Blanco, 27 miles from Farmington. In Blanco we will explore an area called 'Dinetah' which is the original land of the Navajos. This is where they lived before they were moved to the Navajo Reservation as we know it today. This area is filled with ancient habitation sites and rock art sites. The rock art is unique to this area and not found anywhere else.

We will stay in Farmington that night.

Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Bisti Badlands

If you spend the night in Farmington you have the option of doing one more sunrise. We will check out before leaving for sunrise and then drive to Thoreau, along I-40, after our sunrise shoot is over. That way we do not need to drive back to Farmington. Depending on where you fly out of, or your destination, from Thoreau you can drive to Albuquerque, Gallup or Flagstaff of Phoenix using the interstate all the way.

7 - Important things to keep in mind:
- Bring clothing suited for a variety of temperatures, from cold mornings to warm afternoons. Also be prepared for potential rain and for active weather. To quote David Muench: "bad weather equals good photographs."

- Food, lodging and transportation are not included. Some of you may want to camp, some stay in a hotel, some may want to eat with the group while other may prefer to be on their own. This arrangement provides for maximum flexibility while keeping the cost of this workshop to a minimum. It will gives you maximum freedom in planning your meals and give you time by yourself if you choose.

- We will email you directions to Chinle, where we will meet on the first day, as well as a list of hotels in the towns where we will be staying when you register. You will then receive an email with the Friday evening meeting place and a detailed workshop schedule approximately 2 weeks before the workshop.

- We will be photographing from 4000 to 6000 feet elevation on average. Normally the only problem you can expect is a slight shortness of breath. However the higher elevation is something to keep in mind if you live at sea level or you are prone to encountering physical difficulties at higher elevations.

- You will need an SUV for this workshop. A passenger car will not work because we will be driving on a lot of dirt roads where we will need high clearance and the traction that an SUV provides.

-We have a no tag-along policy. Spouses, friends, significant others and non-photographers need to be registered as full-time participants to join any aspect of this workshop. This includes meetings, print reviews, lectures, meals and all other aspects of this workshop. No exceptions. Spouses and significant others must be registered for the entire length of the workshop. We cannot do single day registrations for this workshop as we do occasionally for our other workshops. For further details read our Workshop FAQ.

- We do not carry cell phones. We will use walkie-talkies to communicate with each other during the workshop, when we are on location and when we are driving. If you become separated from the group we will call you on your walkie-talkie to find out where you are (provided you are within a 2 or 3 mile range). For these reasons we ask that you bring a walkie-talkie, such as a Motorola Talkabout or equivalent, to the workshop. Please set your walkie-talkie to channel 4-5.

Chaco Canyon
We will photograph this location during the workshop

Instructor Availability
We will be helping you and photographing with you from sunrise to sunset, with a break for breakfast and lunch, during the entire duration of the workshop.

Policies specific to this event
The Master Classes are open by invitation only and only to previous Little Known Workshop participants. If you have not taken a workshop with us before you need to attend one of our regular workshops and one of our Little Known Workshops before you can be invited to our Master Class.

Be aware that this is a Master Class, meaning an advanced Little Known Workshop, that the workload is larger, that the registration fee is higher and that this event is more challenging in many ways, as described here and above.

The Master Class dates and itinerary are not announced on my site so the only way to get this information is through the pre-announcement list email. It is also not announced in my regular newsletter (the one to which you subscribe with the Subscribe button at the top of this page). It is announced only by private invitation.

Cancellation policy
All monies are non-refundable. Because of the unique nature of this event if you cancel participation in the Master Class your registration fees may cannot be transferred towards registration in another Beaux Arts Photography or Little Known Workshop, or the Fine Art Summit, or the purchase of Beaux Arts Photography products. Your registration is guaranteed only when we have payment in full. If this workshop is cancelled by us you will receive a full refund. By registering for this workshop you agree to this policy.Navajoland Badlands
We will photograph this location during the workshop

Liability Limitation
Beaux Arts Photography, Beautiful-Landscape.com, Alain Briot, Natalie Briot, guides, and cooperating agents aim to provide every participant a safe, educational, and enjoyable experience. We act solely as agents for you regarding accommodations, special activities, and travel, by any means, and assume no liability for any act, error, omission, injury, loss, delay, mishap, or damage to persons or property arising from any cause during the course of the workshop or in transit thereto. We can accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in the services to be provided. We reserve the right to change our arrangements should conditions necessitate, or to cancel any aspect of the workshop due to exceptional circumstances. In the event that we deem it necessary to cancel the workshop we will provide a full refund which the participant(s) acknowledges as full and final settlement. In the event of a workshop cancellation airline tickets, car rentals and hotel reservations associated with participation in this workshop will not be refunded. We recommend you purchase refundable airline tickets and make refundable car and hotel reservations. We recommend you purchase refundable airline tickets and make refundable car and hotel reservations. We also recommend you carry travel and camera equipment insurance in case your camera is stolen or damaged during the workshop or in case you are physically unable to attend, or transfer to another workshop. Purchasing travel and gear insurance will cover your financial loss in case you are unable to attend, unable to transfer to another workshop or have to purchase new camera gear or repair existing gear.

As there is always an element of risk in any adventure associated with the outdoors, participants must read this form carefully. This liability release will certify that the participant is physically fit and capable of participating in outdoor photography exercises in field locations, and is fully and completely aware of any associated risks created by field locations and weather.

Meeting times, meeting places and itinerary are subject to changes dictated by the weather, the road conditions and other imponderable variables that are part of doing landscape photography. We do not carry cell phones. You are responsible for being at the meeting place at the designated time and have your photographic equipment with you.

By joining this workshop I acknowledge that I have read the above information concerning responsibility and release Beaux Arts Photography, Alain Briot, Natalie Briot, their guides, instructors and any cooperating agent from any liability. Beaux Arts Photography, Alain Briot, and Natalie Briot will assume no liability for injury, illness, or loss of personal property or expenses thereof associated with workshop participation. I also acknowledge that Alain and Natalie Briot have the right to refuse service to anyone at anytime and that workshop policies are subject to change at any time.