7/20 class + 7/27 workshop outing - Capture dramatic night sky photos in a rural location with nice dark skies that’s only 50 minutes away from Allentown! In this special workshop, we’ll help you capture amazing photos that capture the beauty of the Milky Way, stars, galaxies, and more.
We’ll also show you ways to enhance your photos with creative lighting, long exposure techniques, and post-processing. And we'll also share insights into where to go to find darker skies, for further exploration on your own.
In our class: July 20, 1:30pm - 3:00pm
First, we’ll cover photographic concepts to improve your night sky images, including choosing foregrounds, manual camera settings, lens choice, important relevant accessories, locating the milky way and other interesting night sky objects. We’ll show lots of examples and get you familiar with the techniques you’ll be using and the gear you’ll need to bring.
On location at the Lake: July 27, 9:30pm - 12:00 (rain date Aug. 3)
The night of our workshop, we'll meet up at at the lake at Hickory Run (we'll go over driving directions and parking in class). Dan’s instructors will provide you with hands-on instruction to help you create amazing images, capturing the edge of own Milky Way galaxy. Then we’ll get creative painting with light and color, and try out star trail images that turn the stars into lines or arcs across the sky.
Suggested gear for this outing
- Tripod - A sturdy tripod is an absolute necessity for this outing!
- Interchangeable lens camera - most all-in-one cameras don't have the controls necessary for this kind of photography
- Large aperture wide-angle lens (f/2.8 or larger, 24mm or wider) - If you don't have one, consider some of the great options in our Rental Department! Our staff of experts will be happy to help you pick something out that will help you get great results.
- Red headlamp or red filter for your flashlight. Headlamps are preferred to flashlights to keep your hands free.
- Hand warmers to prevent condensation on your camera. Can't find hand warmers anywhere in the summer? We've got some in stock.
- Cable or remote shutter release
About our night sky site
Sand Spring Lake at Hickory Run State Park is a fantastic location for night sky photography. In addition to low levels of light pollution, we'll have the opportunity to capture the stars reflected in the lake. It's going to make for some spectacular shots!
Transportation is not provided for this event, so we'll go over driving directions and parking ahead of time.
The lake is closed to the public after sunset, so we'll have the place to ourselves. We’re not likely to be disturbed by passing headlights. This is going to be a wonderful night of image making, we hope you can join us!
COVID-19 Safety for indoor sessions in our classroom: For the health and safety of all our customers and staff, we encourage wearing a mask that covers your mouth and nose in the classroom.
