Arches National Park Astrophotography Workshop June 2021

Arches National Park is the latest Utah park to be certified as somewhere you can see a truly dark night sky.

According to IDA, an International Dark Sky Park is a land possessing an exceptional and renowned quality of starry nights that provide abundant opportunities for photographing the night sky.

Join us in June and August 2021 from sunset to sunrise under moonless skies in Arches National Park to capture some of the most stunning geologic formations that make this a monumental backdrop for epic night sky photography.

This is a four night in-depth instruction and guidance astrophotography workshop that will teach you how to find your way around in the dark, how to find the best composition using PhotoPills, what exposures to use for night photography and how to focus in the dark.

Arches National Park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, in addition to hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks.

We’ll photograph a few of the more popular landmarks but we’ll also go to lesser known locations.

Some of the more popular locations include: More information

Broken Arch
Delicate Arch
Balance Rock
Double Arch
Turret Arch
North Window
Wilson's Arch

Each night our shooting will begin at sunset and continue for several hours of astrophotography to be able to maximize our time in the park. There will also be an optional opportunity for sunrise shooting on two of our mornings.

Equipment, Equipment, Equipment : Equipment is EVERYTHING in Astrophotography

Required Equipment and Accessories :

Astrophotography requires a professional level camera and lens in order to be successful and get the image results you are looking for.

If you do not have a professional level camera or lens, we would highly recommend purchasing or renting them.

DSLR or mirrorless camera with non-extended, "native" ISO to at least 12,800 and shutter speeds to at least 30 secs
Wide angle lens with a aperture of f/2.8 or larger and a full frame equivalent of 14 - 24 mm
A sturdy tripod (long exposures require it to be very stable)
Shutter release cord (best option), intervalometer or wireless remote
Extra batteries
Headlamp with a RED filter
Small flashlight

If you need to purchase or rent ANY of the required equipment - please, feel free to contact me at 520.732.1440 and I can help you get set up.

Recommended Items:

Warm clothes (as the night gets later it does get cooler)
Gloves and hat
Hiking Boots
Snacks and beverages
Bug Spray
Camping chair or any portable seat. We do a lot of standing.

What You Will Learn:

We only teach in our workshops single exposure wide-field astrophotography, which can be best described as landscape photography in the dark, with an emphasis on capturing brilliant Milky Way images using wide-angle lenses.

Over the years a variety of techniques have been developed but our shooting time will be focused on getting the most out of your equipment with just a single exposure.

This is a great place for the beginner astrophotographer to start their journey or the intermediate photographer to hone their skills before moving on to the more advanced techniques.

The best times to photograph the Milky Way
How to find the best dark sky location
Best equipment to use
How to focus in the dark
How to set exposure and ISO
Rule of 400 / 500 / 600
Identifying other lights in the night sky
Post Processing Images using Lightroom Classic CC

Photo Pills Class:

One afternoon we will teach you all about the PhotoPills App.

Work smarter, not harder using one of the most powerful tools a photographer can keep in their pocket.

We will teach you how to easily calculate the exact date and time to capture the Milky Way, sunsets, moonrises, star points or star trails to create the scene you have imagined.

PhotoPills App ( *Please have this app downloaded on your phone and review before the beginning of the workshop.* )

What You’ll Need For Processing Class:

Digital processing is a crucial step in astrophotography for creating striking images.

We will also spend an afternoon on post-processing techniques that can help you create striking images using Lightroom Classic CC.

Bring your laptop to the class loaded with a couple of images you want to process. Make sure you have the latest version of Lightroom Classic CC loaded. If you don’t already own Lightroom Classic CC - you can download a free 7 day trial here.

Notebook paper and pen for keeping notes.
You will be given a 4 page "cheat sheet" on the things we covered for you to take home.

More Details:

Participants: Limit 6

Experience Level: Who will benefit from this workshop?

This workshop is designed for the beginner to intermediate photographer as defined below:

Beginner I : Someone having a strong knowledge and firm understanding of their camera with "little to no" experience in astrophotography.
Beginner II : Someone having a strong knowledge and firm understanding of their camera and have "tried" their hand at astrophotography.
Intermediate : Someone having a strong knowledge and firm understanding of their camera with "some" experience in astrophotography.

Endurance Level:

Moderate : Light hiking is involved, but nothing too strenuous. We’ll drive to each location then hike to the best position.