A RAFTING & PHOTOGRAPY
ADVENTURE
Looking for Gear Lists? Or the FAQs?
GRAB YOUR SPOT ON THIS EXCLUSIVE UTAH PHOTO TRIP
TRIP PRICING: $3200
JUNE 2024 • TENTATIVE LAUNCH JUNE 1 • Eight Days & Seven Nights
Be one of twelve photographers on this exclusive trip.
DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE
Dec 1 - Dec 31: 20% off at $2560 (plus tax & fees): use “PHOTO20”
Jan 1 - Jan 31: 15% off at $2720 (plus tax & fees): use “PHOTO15”
Feb 1 - Feb 28: 10% off at $2880 (plus tax & fees): use “PHOTO10”
This button will send an email to us for Apakoa River & Andy Batt’s PhotoFloat 2024 Trip — we are updating our purchasing system currently, but please send an email so we can hold your spot.
Our float happens over eight days (seven nights). We float down the wild and scenic Green River, through Desolation and Gray Canyons, in Utah. We start with an incredible dawn flight from the town of Green River, UT, and land at our launch site, 97 river miles away.
The value of this workshop is incredible—nowhere else will you get as much for your money. Small class size, fantastic food, camping under the desert skies, 1:1 guidance from Andy, professional guides, all on-river logistics are taken care of—the average price of any other landscape workshop is $1000 per day. Our eight day trip ends up being only 400$ a day.
“Having a photo critique alongside a river, in the shadows of cliffs photographed just hours earlier was a spectacular experience.
The scenery was stunning, the Apakoa Rivers guides were wonderfully knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and the community of participants made for a trip of a lifetime.”
—Mike Floyd
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With only twelve photographers I’m able to give every one of my customers individualized attention. I can tailor the trip to suit your particular needs and skillset—whether you’re a skilled photographer or a dedicated amateur.
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If you are seriously interested in the craft of photography, it doesn’t matter if you’re an amateur or professional. What matters is that you have an open mind, are willing to shoot a lot of images, and want to get better at being a photographer.
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A good quality DSLR, Mirrorless, or Medium Format digital camera. I always advocate for high-quality lensing: on zooms, a consistent ƒ stop of at least ƒ4; at least one lens that goes to a ƒ 2.8 or better. Plenty of media and plenty of batteries! And a backup camera. I’ll send you a specific recommended gear list after you sign up.
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That depends a lot on you. I’ve seen people create amazing images with their phones. Handled correctly, it’s just another camera. I strongly encourage you to bring a dedicated camera. The immersive experience of good camerawork is such an integral part of photography.
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We travel with a lovely battery-powered digital projector. After dinner, we gather in our “living room” to talk about the what, why, and how of our photography. Once dusk settles in, we either view a selection of fantastic landscape photographers, or look at our own work, reviewing what each of us has been photographing. It’s a supportive, positive feedback environment designed to help you establish goals and evolve ideas.
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I’m going to give you a qualified yes. I’d love to have painters, illustrators, and any other type of artist come down the river with us. The qualifier: an essential part of our trip is our discussions and reviews of making images. If you feel you can contribute to that (and I believe you can), then join us! I ask that you “sketch” with a digital camera so we can see what is inspiring you and seeing work-in-progress snapshots during our image reviews.
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During the day, we’ll photograph from the rafts, working out of waterproof cases. We’ll take side hikes during lunch or leaving from our camp. On our layover days, we head out for a long hike, a dawn hike, or multiple shorter hikes. You’ll see wonderous rock shapes, layered canyon walls, ancient cottonwoods, petroglyphs, hoodoos, wild horses and bighorn sheep (maybe), eagles, ravens, clouds of all shapes and types, staggeringly beautiful sunsets, and perhaps even a sundog or two.
FAQ - Photo
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The Green River between Sandwash Launch and Swasey’s Landing is a perfect river for the beginner, with a series of Class II and III rapids. It’s a fun ride for everyone. Our experienced guides row our 16 and 18-foot oar boats for us, which smooth out the ride.
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It’s the perfect amount of time. Here’s what eight days of being out of contact with the world gets you: plenty of rivertime — an ideal balance of activity and relaxation. We have relatively short days on the river, which brings us into camp each day with plenty of time for photography. We get two layover days — days where we don’t pack up camp in the morning. Those days let us explore the canyon through dawn hikes, visit nearby features and side canyons, play a little beach bocci, and other awesomeness.
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All you need to bring is clothing and personal items. Apakoa provides us all with a sleeping kit, desert tent, sand mat, chairs, kitchen, food, snacks, water, and electrolytes. Apakoa also provides a PFD for everyone, as well as dry bags for you to re-pack into at the launch.
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This run of the Green River has the longest continuous stretch of designated wilderness area of any Scenic and Wild river in the US. For 66 of our 97-mile journey, we are in a wild place. We’ve seen bighorn sheep, herons, eagles, wild horses, ravens, and plenty of other wildlife.
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A raft trip has one foot in backcountry camping and the other in car camping. Our rafts can bring a massive amount of gear with us, so in addition to all our photo gear, we have comfortable chairs, roomy tents, coolers full of fresh food, comfortable sleeping pads, and many other amenities. We are in a true wilderness area, and we have protocols to minimize our impact.
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Many of us sleep under the stars, with a tent set up nearby in case of sudden rain. Each of you get a PACO sleeping pad — a thick and comfy mattress, fitted sheet, and desert weight sleeping bag. This, of course, depends on your comfort level and how hot it is. During especially hot nights, even the best airflow tents (which we have) can feel stuffy. Sarah has been coming down Deso for many years and has never had any problems with “critters” and customers sleeping under the stars.
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For our week in Desolation and Gray Canyons, we are all officially Desert Rats. That means a few things: it’s an arid environment with temperatures from 80° to 110°F on the regular. We drink a lot of water with added electrolytes. We keep in the shade where possible, wear hats all the time, keep covered up, and wear lots of sunscreen. We hide from the midday sun and do a lot in the early mornings and late afternoons. Oh, and we jump in the water all the time. With those shifts, life along the river is doable and fun.
FAQ - FLOAT
“Before the trip I was intimidated with the idea that everyone else was going to be a professional photographer, but everyone was so nice and so willing to answer my questions. The best part was watching everyone’s enthusiasm for their art!”
—Elise Hewitt
“I’m excited you’ve decided to float with us. Or, if you haven’t decided yet, you’re at least seriously considering it since you’re here. This is a brief guide on what to bring and what’s provided for you. Once you sign up, you’ll get more specific details and the ability to ask questions and get personalized help with your pack list.”
—Andy Batt
THE LISTS
PHOTO GEAR
Your Camera Kit
Any interchangeable lens digital camera. DSLR, mirrorless, medium format, or other.
A good lens range. Andy brings a 15-35mm, a 28-70mm, and a 70-200mm. Zooms are great for the desert since they minimize lens changes. He also loves prime lenses that open up to ƒ2.0 to give him a shallow DoF option.
A backup camera body. Ideally, that takes the same lenses. However, this could also be a high-quality fixed lens “pocket” camera. On a perfect trip, nobody needs to use their backup camera, but if you do, you want to ensure it’s one you’ll be happy using.
A week’s worth of camera batteries and/or a way to recharge them.
A week’s worth of media for your camera
A good lens cleaning kit. This should include a ‘squeezer’ air bulb, a lens brush, Panchro cleaning spray, & Kimwipes. Also recommended are individual “zeiss wipes” — useful for quickly cleaning off water spots and smudges.
A lens filter kit. A basic kit would include a polarizer and a 10-stop ND in the filter ring size of your largest lens, with a set of step-down rings to adapt your filters to any other filter ring sizes.
A carbon fiber “backpacker” tripod with a high-quality ballhead. Small footprint and lightweight are what you’re after.
Waterproof Cases
For the boat you’ll want a Small Waterproof Case, like a Pelican, Nanuk, or HPRC. This will ride with you on the raft, allowing you to shoot from the water, and stow your gear for the rapids. Andy uses an top loading HPRC 4100.
Optional: Andy uses an empty case fitted with a Lowepro GearUp gearcube — the cube comes out and can be put into an empty backpack or other case as needed.
Optional: A ‘stuffable’ ultralight backpack that fits in your small waterproof case. Great for side-hikes. Andy uses an Osprey Ultralight Stuff Pack — this fits his gearcube, and has side pockets for two water bottles.
For your extra gear (backup camera, other lenses, etc.) you’ll want a Medium Waterproof Case, like a Pelican 1510.
For a more detailed write-up, go check out my substack post for 2022’s float.
Extras to Consider
A “rain bag” — to put over your camera and let you keep shooting in the rain
A lightning trigger. We usually get a fantastic thunderstorm or two.
A star tracker. We’re in the desert and often under crystal clear night skies.
Solar power + batteries. All that sun gives you a chance to recharge.
Computers & Tablets
This workshop is about working “in front of the camera”, but the urge to process and edit images is strong. You do not need to process—in most cases, we want to review your ‘raw’ files anyway. If you do, consider the following:
A tablet (newer) could provide a lightweight way to use Lightroom and have a lower power footprint.
A laptop: YMMV, but most laptops are pretty power-hungry. You’ll need to support your own power requirements.
Media readers and backup drives. You’ll need to access your media cards and make backups of your files.
PERSONAL GEAR
A sarong. Trust us. This is a key piece of river gear. It provides you with so many options, from shade to a portable changing room.
A good, wide-brimmed hat with a drawstring.
Sunglasses with a strap
Water shoes, hiking shoes, and sandals. You need something to wear in the raft, something to hike in, and something to wear around camp.
Swim trunks, shorts, shirts, hiking socks, and sleeping clothes.
Sunscreen and your personal items kit.
Water bottles. The stainless steel ones from Klean Kanteen, Hydroflask, etc. are great. You’ll want at least a couple of them—around 2 to 3 liters of capacity.
Locking Carabiners. Spend a little more and get a few high-quality carabiners with screw locks—you’ll use these to clip your stuff to other stuff.
Headlamp. Make sure you grab one with a “red light” mode —much kinder on the eyes when it’s dark out.
PROVIDED GEAR
Camping
A high-quality ‘desert’ tent.
A summer weight sleeping bag.
A Paco sleeping pad - 4” thick and very comfy.
A fitted sheet to cover the Paco pad.
A sand mat to go underneath your campsite.
All kitchen and eating-related gear.
Comfy chairs
Rafting
A fitted PFD.
A waterproof dry bag for your personal gear.
A small waterproof dry bag for your “on the boat” needs.
All rafting-related equipment.
Apakoa provides us with high-quality equipment –it’s all waiting for us at the launch site.
“Andy Batt and Apakoa Rivers made this raw, wild, isolated, searing Green River run an endlessly lush, giving, unfurling, and enriching experience. Our Apakoa river guides capably shepherded us down the river. They came equipped with deep pockets of natural and historical knowledge, a good number of secret spots, and perfectly timed moments of fun.
All of this provided the confident ride upon which we could let our creative minds, eyes, and lenses crack the canyon open further. While the guides ferried us along the canyon’s muscle, Andy Batt equally guided us over the canyon’s curves.”
—Sean Stanley
To see some fantastic photos and read testimonials, head to EXPERIENCE. To learn about the first photographer on the Green River, head to HISTORY. For some info on Sarah and Andy, hit up ABOUT US.
To be one of twelve photographers, hit the big orange button.
