Have you ever looked up at the night sky, and wished you could capture stunning images of the stars?

Astro photography is a fascinating and fun photographic venture. But it can also be extremely challenging. Knowing where to go and when, what gear to bring, and being able to see, focus, and change camera settings in the dark can be intimidating and frustrating to a beginner. But, capturing great images of the night skies is easier than you think! You just need a few key pieces of gear, and a good understanding of some basic camera settings, and you are off to discovering a whole new world!

Join us for our Night Skies photography workshop in South Jersey, where we potentially plan on photographing the stars, star trails and Milky Way above 2 different lighthouses and a WW1 military bunker! (plans are subject to change). We will be fully immersed in shooting and editing images from Friday before sunset until Sunday afternoon! (with maybe a little time off to sleep:)

The workshop begins on Friday April September 6th at 3:30pm and runs through Sunday the 8th at noon. There will be a pre-trek class being held via Zoom on Wednesday September 4th at 7pm. During the class we will review everything you need to know to come away with great images, including what gear to bring, what settings to use for a variety of shooting scenarios, where we’ll go, what we’ll see and more!

We can work with whatever gear you have, but, a camera that can be set fully manually (both exposure and focus) and handles noise well, a sturdy tripod and a fast wide angle lens will give the best results. Your camera needs to have the ability to shoot at an ISO as high as 6400 or higher for best results, but 3200 ISO would still work.

There will be hands-on, detailed instruction given throughout the event, but photographer’s should come with a good understanding of how to use their own camera, and be able to change aperture, shutter speeds, ISO and focus without struggle-in the dark. Although we will make as many settings as we can before heading out, the majority of the time you will be operating your gear in the dark(with the help of a faint flashlight, and you should be comfortable doing so. You should also be comfortable with being out -with the group, for up to 4 hours or more in the dark, potentially in chilly weather. This date was chosen to coincide with a New Moon, so the moon’s brightness will not adversely affect the visibility of the stars. Timing was also chosen to capture the Milky Way before it disappears from view until next spring. The Milky Way Core-which is the brightest part of the MW, rises just after 9pm, so it makes for an earlier night for those that are not night owls. 😉

Friday night we will be out photographing as long as the conditions are suitable and the group has energy, then return to our hotel for much needed rest. We will sleep in and rest until lunchtime on Saturday, and are not currently planning on photographing any sunrises-unless we are still out:) We will try our best to capture sunset on both Friday and Saturday night.

Hotel suggestions will be given upon registration. Hotel and meals are not included in the cost of the workshop. We are planning on carpooling together to locations. Passengers should come prepared to share gas expenses with their driver.

We will still be out shooting even if it is cloudy, but will reschedule if high threat of rain.

Space is limited, and will likely sell out. If you are interested in joining us, don’t wait to register! A detailed informational email will be sent upon registration to help you prepare. Meeting/hotel location TBD

If you attended this event last year, contact me direct for discounted rate. Also, if you are unable to make it for both nights and would like to join us for Friday or Saturday, contact me and we can work out details!. I’d like to make this an opportunity for anyone who would like to join us to be able to.

In case of inclement weather, the workshop will be rescheduled to September 27th-29th