Dark Sky Photography with Jon Norris

Enjoy the spectacular night skies of Joshua Tree National Park during this evening workshop, and develop new skills while learning from and shooting alongside an experienced landscape photographer. You’ll learn how to scout and plan interesting astrophotography images, shoot a timelapse to capture star trails, and how to capture the Milky Way best. This dark sky workshop will follow a series of practical lessons but will be a relaxed environment in which you can set your own pace to ensure you get the guidance and encouragement you're looking for. Participants must provide their own photography equipment.

Activity level: EASY

Walking at a slow pace for up to 3 miles along trails that could have uneven terrain, with Slow-paced walking on maintained dirt trails and pathways with your camera gear, up to 2 miles.

Please contact us if you have questions about your ability to participate desertintitute@joshuatree.org

PROGRAM AGENDA

We’ll start with a quick workshop orientation session to review camera gear and settings, go over the itinerary, and answer any questions. Then we’ll spend the early evening/sunset scouting for compositions before taking a quick in-field snack break. As it gets dark, we’ll start our dark sky, star trails, and milky way photography training, when you’ll have plenty of time to ask questions and practice your new learning.

Get to know your instructor:

Jon Norris is a professional landscape photographer and workshop guide, a JTNPA business member, and a Desert Institute volunteer. Jon offers one-to-one and small group workshops, plus photographic adventure tours, in Joshua Tree National Park. He started taking photos at 14 with his trusty Zenit 10, teaching himself the fundamentals of photography via countless rolls of poorly exposed 35 mm film. Born in the UK, Jon spent 25 years working in aerospace engineering (15 years while living in France and Germany). As a recovering engineer, he now divides his time between marketing and photography and lives in Lake Forest, OC.

What's included?

• First aid and emergency supplies for the group

What's not included?

• Admission to Joshua Tree National Park
• Meals, Lodging, or Transportation
• Photography equipment

What to bring:

The essentials for all field courses:

• Water, between 3 and 4 liters per person for a full day outing
• Approprite hiking attire
• Food and snacks, easily packed and eaten in the field (please leave no trace)
• Close-toed athletic shoes or hiking boots; no sandals, not even hiking sandals!
• Sun protection: hat, sunglasses, sunscreen; light-colored long-sleeved shirts are recommended and very effective on hot days
• Warm layers for cooler mornings/evenings (it can be surprisingly cold!)
• Backpack to carry food, water, and any personal items you need for the day

Required for this course:

• Digital camera (DSLR or Mirrorless)
• Wide-angle fast lens with manual focus ability. An f/2.8 (or faster) 14-24mm full frame equivalent focal length is essential for nighttime photography.
• Sturdy tripod
• Remote shutter release intervalometer
• Extra camera batteries (charged)
• Spare memory cards
• Camera/lens cleaning supplies
• Your camera manual. You must know at least the basic functions of your camera. We'll go through what else you need to know during the workshop.
• Small backpack or camera bag
• Headlamp or flashlight (with a red filter if possible)
• PhotoPills App
• Download the PhotoPills app onto your mobile phone prior to arriving at the workshop (there is no cell reception in JTNP). We’ll be using this app extensively to scout and plan Milky Way and Star Trail images. You can download the PhotoPills app for iPhone or Android.
• Lightweight Hiking Chair (Optional), this makes the wait for darkness (after scouting locations during twilight) and star trail time lapses far more comfortable.