Longwood Gardens is spectacular in any season, but it is transformed into a magical place during the holiday season. With more than 400,000 twinkling lights strung on nearly 40 miles of wire, this is a photographer’s paradise, and it has become an annual photo trek favorite. Join us as we make amazing images worthy of creating your own holiday cards and gifts!

The highlight this year will be the opening of the Longwood Reimagined project-which is the new West Conservatory. The new conservatory addition is surrounded by water and resembles a floating jewel!

We will meet at 4pm to be set up and in place as the sun sets and the magic begins. We will continue photographing during the “Blue Hour”, which allows for more dramatic images. We will photograph the amazing light displays outside throughout the grounds. The majority of this trek will be focused on photographing the lights outside, as the inside is usually unbearably crowded and nearly impossible to do any decent photography. After the workshop, participants are able to stay until the gardens close. Later in the evening, opportunities may arise for you to grab decent hand-held images inside.

This workshop is for beginners and more advanced photo enthusiasts. No special gear is required beyond a DSLR or mirrorless camera, tripod and cable release to trip the shutter. You could also use the self timer if you do not have a cable release. A Star filter and kaleidoscope filter would be helpful for creative effects of the lights (not necessary). A midrange zoom lens, in the range of 18-200 or longer, would be the best choice. Fast Lenses, with apertures such as f/2.8 or 1.8 will be a huge benefit in the conservatory (if you choose to go inside), and to create those beautiful Bokeh light effects.

A pre-trek class will be held via Zoom on Thursday December 5th to go over all the details of the trek. Instruction will be given on shooting in full manual exposure, how to properly meter and photograph in low light-both outdoors and indoors, lens choice and why it matters; creative composition; HDR or High Dynamic Range Photography; and more! A detailed email will be sent prior to the Zoom session detailing everything you need to get ready. A post-trek image review also via Zoom is included in the registration cost.

This event is being scheduled on a week night to avoid the large weekend crowds. You should plan on arriving at least one  hour prior to the workshop start time to allow for traffic and parking. Please plan your schedules accordingly.

Admission to Longwood is NOT included, as most attendees either are-or choose to become members of the gardens. Upon registration you should immediately go online and reserve a timed ticket. It is recommended that you get your ticket for at least an hour prior to the trek. Arrive earlier and explore the conservatory on your own.

A minimum number of participants is needed to run this event. The number of tickets shown on website does not necessarily reflect the number still available, as some participants choose to pay using Venmo or Cash app as opposed to PayPal.

In case of hazardous weather, the trek will take place on Thursday December 12th, 2024 (or mutually agreed upon date. The workshop will take place in light rain or snow, as these are fantastic conditions for photographing holiday lights.

DO NOT WAIT TO GET YOUR TIMED TICKETS!!! Sell out at Longwood is likely-especially with the grand opening of the new conservatory wing. Get them as soon as you register for this event!!!

Please note: the images below were taken over several different years and visits to Longwood. These are all past displays and do not represent what the current displays will look like. Images may be updated after the official opening of the Christmas displays.

Longwood Gardens is located at 1001 Longwood Rd, Kennet Square, PA