Yellowstone At Night 4 Night Beginners Astrophotography Workshop
The Yellowstone National Park is known for big skies, clean air and sunny days that all add up to nighttime skies in the summer that are filled with brilliant stars.
Its geysers, hot springs and steaming pools provide unique foregrounds for the majestic Milky Way.
Yellowstone’s geysers are a show that’s been going off like clockwork for ages. Old Faithful may be the best-known geyser in America’s first national park but it’s only one of 10,000 geothermal features within the park.
Join us in July or September 2021 for a four night in-depth instruction and hands on guidance astrophotography workshop during new moon when skies are at their darkest!
We will teach you how to find your way around in the dark, find the best composition using PhotoPills, what exposures to use for night photography, light painting techniques and how to focus in the dark.
Each area of the park will provide you with remarkably unique night-scape shooting and lighting challenges to better hone your skills.
Within Yellowstone are half the geysers on planet earth. There are over 500 of them, and they erupt, spew, gurgle, gush, and yes even - explode - making them exceptional for reflecting and illuminating the night sky!
- Upper Geyser Basin Old Faithful Area
- Midway Geyser Basin Grand Prismatic Area
- Lower Geyser Basin
- West Thumb Area
- Lewis Lake
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 2 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 719.930.1301 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 best be 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 beginning astrophotographer to start or the intermediate photographer to perfect before moving on to the more technical options.
- 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
- Low level light painting techniques
- Post processing images using Lightroom Classic CC
What You’ll Need For Processing Class:
Digital processing is a crucial step in astrophotography for creating striking images.
We will also spend two afternoons 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. 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
Endurance Level:
Moderate : All age levels are welcomed. Light hiking in is involved, but nothing too strenuous. We’ll drive to each location then hike to the best position.
Workshop I Dates: July 5, 2021 to July 8, 2021
*Departure on July 9th. Click here to reserve your spot for Workshop I.
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Workshop II Dates: September 1, 2021 to September 4, 2021
*Departure on September 5th. Click here to reserve your spot for Workshop II.
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Lodging: Our home base for this workshop is _________located in West Yellowstone, Montana where we have reserved a block of rooms at a reduced rate. To reserve your room, call _____________ and tell them you are with the Mike's Camera Workshop in July or Septembert of 2021. You are free to stay anywhere in the area.
What is Included?
The cost of the workshop DOES include:
- Photo instruction by Craig Wennersten at multiple locations
- Photo editing classroom instruction using Lightroom Classic CC
- Transportation during the workshop
- Park entrance fees and permits
This workshop DOES NOT include:
- Transportation to / from the workshop
- Flights or car rentals
- Lodging or meals
Price: $ 2,295.00
Hope To See You There! ~ Keep Looking Up!
Please feel free to contact Craig if you have any questions or need any help with your gear or equipment requirements. I am happy to help!
