Overlanding Adventure: Cosmos in the Grand Staircase (05/01/24 - 05/05/24)
Traverse the cosmos of Grand Staircase - Escalante, Utah with Jess Santos, Ryan Oswald and Ian Lauer (Deep Space and Nightscape Extraordinaire), May 1st to 5th, 2024 on this Night Photography Workshop. Prepare to be whisked away from the city lights into a realm where darkness reigns supreme. We're talking about a place so alien, even E.T. would be like, "Whoa, dudes!" It's like stepping onto another planet, where slot canyons are intricately carved and arches defy the laws of gravity. Yep, you'll be feeling more like an astronaut than a photographer. 🪐
Deep Space Opportunity:
While we love capturing the beauty of earthly landscapes under the starry night sky, we also believe it's high time to take your camera to infinity and beyond. Our deep space photography session isn't just an ordinary stargazing experience; it's an intergalactic adventure where we'll teach you how to capture the majesty of celestial wonders.
It's more than just pointing your camera at the sky and pressing a button. While most photographers are chasing after starry skies, you'll be discovering the universe with your lens, because as they say, the sky's not the limit - it's just the beginning!
This workshop is a little different...
Every attendee will have their own self-contained room on wheels! We are sourcing overland rigs (or similar) for this adventure. Because of the remote nature of this location, having the freedom to base camp near locations allows more photography time.
Together we will take you on a backcountry journey that will leave you with wild photographs and wild experiences. Many of the photography locations in this workshop are hidden far from pavement and there is no better way to explore than outfitted with your very own overlanding rig.
(Please see adventure inclusions below for more info and/or send us a message)
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We will be including a Post Workshop Group Zoom Editing Session to cover putting it all together in the digital darkroom, this will be screen recorded for you to be able to finish your images at your leisure.
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⛰ All experience levels are welcome.
We are limiting this photography workshop 10 students with 3 Instructors based on vehicle availability, to ensure that everyone receives our attention and to keep compositional possibilities uncluttered.
This workshop is astrophotography based so we have kept the itinerary flexible to be able to pursue the best available clear skies at night and the best light available during the day. If it rains or conditions prove unsafe to venture out we will work on post processing, image critiques and in classroom sessions, there's always so much to learn both in field and in the classroom!
This workshop will require moderate hiking (no more than 6 miles) through rocky or sandy terrain.
Planning your shoots
- Scouting and evaluating conditions
- Composing an image to grab the viewer’s attention
- Composing an image with a person in frame to show scale and tell a story
- How to work with light and how to find the best light for the scene
- Utilizing apps, such as PhotoPills, for more efficient planning
- Choosing the right lens, find your focal length
- How and when to use filters
- How to shoot with a plan or vision for editing
Capturing your image
- Histogram: How to read for perfectly exposed images
- Exposure control: How to use ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed in different scenarios
- Creative ways to use lens distortion
- Focus stacking & Focal Length Blends
- Bracketing and exposure blending
- Focusing at night to capture pin sharp stars and foreground
- Blue Hour Blending: How to capture blue hour & Milky Way
- Stacking for Noise Reduction: how to shoot the proper frames to stack
Bringing the image to life
- Lightroom and Photoshop: Learn our post-processing workflow
- How to blend multiple images together in Photoshop (Blue Hour Blends, Focal Length Blends, Exposure Blends, Composites)
- Luminosity Masks
- Dodging and Burning
- Blue-hour Blends
- Star-stacking: how to edit starry night skies with Starry Landscape Stacker (or Sequator)
- Understanding layers and masks
- Finishing touches using clone stamp and removing distractions
- Creating Orton glows and painting with light
- Sharpening: Creating sharpness in your final image
