3 Nights in Big Bend National Park
Milky Way | Wildflowers | Cactus Blooms | Night Skies
2024 Spring Workshop
April 4th - 7th, 2024
There's a lot happening in West Texas in the springtime.
The core of the Milky Way starts to rise above the horizon.
Bluebonnets are out across the fields of Big Bend in March and April.
The Zodiacal Light can be seen in dark skies after sunset in early Spring.
Join us as we venture in the desert with some of the darkest skies in the lower United States. We will also shoot at sunrise and those amazing West Texas sunsets!
Topics covered in the field:
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Camera settings for night photography
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How to focus at night
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How to photograph star trails
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How (and why) to use an intervalometer
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What is focus stacking and how to focus stack
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Using PhotoPills to plan your Milky Way shot
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Using Augmented Reality to plan your night photographs
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How to shoot panoramic pictures in landscape photography
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How to light paint foreground objects for landscape photography shots
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Exposure and blue hour blending
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How to shoot star trails
Post-Processing Videos Immediately after the Workshop:
Attendees will have access to post-processing videos after the workshop. Videos include:
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Using Lightroom and Photoshop for post-processing night photography pictures
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Lightroom: Upload and organization
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Lightroom: Basic editing for Milky Way images - global and local edits
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Lightroom: Advanced Editing: Luminosity Masking
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Lightroom: Editing batches of pictures for import into stacking software or Photoshop
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Photoshop: import from Lightroom for advanced editing for Milky Way, including masking, dodge and burning, and luminosity masking.
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Photoshop: Layering for Focus Stacking for day or night landscape photography
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Photoshop: Layering for exposure blending
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Photoshop: Import from Lightroom for stacking (layering) for star trails
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Creating and stitching panoramic pictures from Lightroom or Photoshop.
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StarStax: Import from Lightroom for stacking for star trails
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Stacking for Noise Reduction in Starry Landscape Stacker (Mac) or Sequitor (PC)
Example Schedule - schedule will vary based on workshop and time of year.
Thursday
5 pm Meet and Greet
6-9 pm: Location - Discuss night photography settings & focusing
9 - 11pm: Location - Crescent moonlight over Big Bend
11 - 1:30am: Sleep
1:30 to sunrise: Various locations to shoot Milky Way till twilight
Friday:
6pm PhotoPills discussion
6-9pm: Location - Discuss star trails & light painting
9 - 11pm: Location - Crescent moon light over Big Bend landscape, moon sets at 12:35 am
11 - 1:30am: Sleep
1:30 to sunrise: Various locations to shoot Milky Way till twilight
Saturday:
6pm Exposure blending and blue hour blending
6-9 pm: Location - Sunset and star trails
9 - 11pm: Location - Crescent moon light over Big Bend landscape
11 - 1:30am: Sleep
1:30 to sunrise: Various locations to shoot Milky Way till twilight. Workshop ends after sunrise.
Sunday: Plan to sleep or stay an extra day as we will be up most of the nights.
More Details
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Attendees are responsible for park entrance fees, lodging, and meals
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A detailed itinerary will be sent to all attendees one month prior to the workshop (and after the final balance is paid).
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Each workshop is capped at 8 people.
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See the BIG BEND WORKSHOP FAQs pages to get answers to some very common questions.
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Final payment is due one month (30 days) prior to the workshop.
Reserve Your Spot!
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$350 to reserve your spot
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Total workshop cost is $850. Alumni receive %15 off, reflected in final payment.
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Final payment due 60 days prior to the workshop. You will be sent an invoice for your final payment. Attendees are responsible for their travel, lodging, and food.
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By placing a deposit to reserve your spot, you agree to the Cancellation Policy
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You will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours after deposit payment.
