Remote Utah Nightscape Workshop

 

Natural Obelisks "Mom, Pop and Henry" in Capitol Reef National Park

The same Cathedral Valley spires photographed, using a Blue Hour blend. These features were first photographed in 1854 by Solomon Carvalho, during a John C. Fremont expedition to the area. The spires have since been largely ignored by modern photographers due to their remote location in the park.

Utah Badlands and Capitol Reef Nightscape Workshop - led by Royce Bair and Robert McKendrick - September 11-15, 2023 - limited to only 6 participants.

Why this remote area of Utah? The "badlands" between Hanksville and Cainesville, and the "Cathedral Valley" area of Capitol Reef National Park are far away from the crowds you see in other popular central and southern Utah locations, yet they have stunning beauty and some of the darkest skies in the world. There may be some days you will not see another person, other than our group!

Why in September? September 11-15 is during a new moon period. The temperatures are more moderate. May and September are the two best months for this area. The Milky Way is more diagonal in May, whereas it is more vertical in September. The core of the MW doesn't rise until about midnight in May, with the best images during 1:00 to 3:00 in the morning (allowing for very little sleep)! In September the MW core is ready for photography by 9:10 PM and stays up for two hours — allowing for both great nightscapes and better sleeping cycles (as well as sunrise photography)!

A November Milky Way "erupting" over Factory Butte, Utah badlands

A November Milky Way over "Thumb Butte" - Utah badlands

Spring panorama over Needle Mountain in Upper Cathedral Valley by R. McKendrick (Note: October Milky Ways do not arch like this, but remain vertical; however, skies are so dark in this area, that very little post-processing is required for either season!)

Why only 6 participants? Robert and I want your experience to feel very personal and not crowded. Our attention will be on you and your needs. We will only use our cameras when it necessary for instructive examples.

Will we be doing any daytime photography? Absolutely! Because of the October night cycles, we will be able to do photography before and during the sunset periods; and we'll have several sunrise opportunities for photography. If you have a drone, you may wish to bring it, as there will be several opportunities to fly and photograph with it.

Factory Butte at dawn by R. McKendrick (yes, this sky is real!)

Skyline Overlook (Utah badlands) by R. McKendrick

Temple of the Moon and Sun, Capitol Reef National Park by R. McKendrick. This is a drone photo. Note that truck in bottom right corner is just outside park boundaries.

Drone aerial abstract of bentonite hills near Mars Research Station by R. Bair

North Cainesville Mesa by R. McKendrick

Upper Cathedral Valley sunrise by R. McKendrick

What is the physical exertion level for this workshop? Moderate. Most photography locations will be within 1/4 mile of your car or less.

Will transportation be provided? No. We suggest that each workshop attendee bring or rent a high-clearance vehicle. 4-wheel drive is usually not necessary, but preferred. Much of our daily workshop travel will be on gravel or dirt roads. Your airline flights can be into Grand Junction, CO (2.5 hours/159 miles to Hanksville), Salt Lake City (3.5 hours/231 miles to Hanksville) or Las Vegas (6 hours/370 miles to Hanksville).

Will lodging be provided? No. You will need to arrange lodging in Hanksville, Utah (our base). We suggest you book at least 5 nights (September 11-15, checking out on Sept. 16). We recommend Duke's Luxury Cabins (about $169/night) or the Whispering Sands Motel (about $149/night, with a 10% discount for AAA or AARP/seniors).

Will meals be provided? No. There is at least one good restaurant in Hanksville, a fast food burger spot, a grocery store (The Bull Market), a pizza spot (inside the grocery store)  and a couple of convenience stores. We will be providing snacks and bottled water.

Daytime post-processing sessions will be included for those who want this instruction.

The cost of this workshop is $1995 per person, with a deposit of $900 to hold your spot. Full payment is due at least 30 days before the workshop. You may cancel by July 10th and receive a full refund. You may cancel by August 10th and receive a 50% refund. There are no refunds after August 10, 2023.

To REGISTER for the workshop, eMAIL ME and I will send you an invoice for $900 to secure your workshop spot. You can use this same email to ask any questions. 

Sample Pages from my New eBook

 Here are six (6) random sample pages from my new Milky Way NightScapes Version 2.0 eBook:

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MORE SAMPLE PAGES: Here are eight (8) more sample pages from the eBook (double-click on each PDF to view).

Update 2.0 covers the NEW ADVANCES in:

• Astro-modification to Camera Sensors
• Filters to increase nebulosity (giving that "deep space" look)
• New Tracking options
• Stacking for noise reduction & reduced star movement
• Software for Noise Reduction
• Deepscapes (a new nightscape genre)
• Low Level Lighting techniques & equipment
• Mixing Moonlight with the Milky Way
• Twilight Blends vs. Starlight Blends
• Obtaining High Quality Single Exposure NightScapes

TWO WAYS to GET my NEW eBOOK: You can do a one-time PURCHASE and download for $39.99 (act now for a limited-time $5 off), or you can become a supporting PATREON for as little as $3/month and get my eBook as one of your benefits of support.

Camera Sensor Astro Modification and Conversion Recommendations

A Full Spectrum conversion done by Spencer's Camera to the Canon R6 (I also bought the Irix 15mm lens from Spencer's).

Here's a list of recommendations for camera sensor "astro modification" and conversion:

I recommend Spencer's Camera & Photo. You can watch a video on how Clarence does his conversions, the various types of conversions, how they differ, including his personal recommendations. Here is a list of other nightscapers who recommend Clarence:

• Paul Wilson - New Zealand 
• Dan Zafra (@capturetheatlas) 
• Larryn (@shadowandshadenz) - New Zealand 
• Brandt Ryder 
• MaryBeth Kiczenski (@shelbydiamondstar) 
• @blntpencild - Australia 

Here's a list of recommendations from my "nightscape" friends:

Benjamin Barakat recommends Markus Meel in Germany. Benjamin also gives some great camera and lens recommendations in this Milky Way Photography Gear Guide.

Ralf Rohner recommends Richard Galli in France. ""Richard works with high quality Astrodon replacement filters. That's why his modifications are a bit more pricy. He modifies [various] brands. Another excellent and cheaper alternative for Canon only is Germany based Markus Meel."

(Please return for updates, as other global recommendations are added.)

Winter Milky Way by Ralf Rohner

 

Winter Milky Way at a "Secret Beach" on the Oregon Coast © Ralf Rohner (click to enlarge) 

Nightscape photographers in the Northern Hemisphere often talk about the "Milky Way season", and bemoan that the season is "over" when winter comes. Actually, this is a misnomer. The Milky Way is always with us—summer or winter, as you can see in Ralf Rohner's beautiful panoramic view of the winter night sky.

What some less informed photographers are referring to is the absence of the "core" or galactic center of the Milky Way during the winter months. A better term might be: The "Milky Way core season" is over during the winter months. (The opposite is true in the Southern Hemisphere, when the core disappears below the horizon during some of their summer months).

"The Astrophotographer's Yin and Yang" at Mobius Arch © Ralf Rohner (click to enlarge)

This panoramic photo blend is a wonderful example of how our view of the Milky Way changes during the seasons. The photo is a blend of both Milky Way seasons, taken from the same location (Mobius Arch, in the Alabama Hills of eastern California). Ralf had this to say about the image:

Do you prefer winter or summer? Cold or warm? Dark or bright? Yin or Yang?

Yin is the dark side of our Milky Way, dominated by Orion, the hunter. As northern hemisphere dwellers, we associate this dimmer part of our galaxy with long, cold nights, but it also contains some of the most beautiful gems in the night sky, as the light fights its way back in the form of stunning red hydrogen emission nebulae, dotting the whole Milky Way band.

 For bright Yang, you have to look for Sagittarius, the steaming teapot, which points towards the galactic center, the brightest part of the Milky Way. In the northern hemisphere, this is associated with warmer but shorter spring and summer nights. Adjacent to the Milky Way core, in the border area of Scorpius and Ophiuchi, lies one of the most colorful parts of the night sky, the Rho Ophichui region. Despite all this light, one can not ignore the looming dark cloud of the Great Rift, blocking the starlight and colors in the constellations Serpens, Aquila and part of Cygnus. Ironically, this seemingly star-eating molecular cloud is home to some of the most active regions of star formation. The light once again gains the upper hand in the bright hydrogen emission nebulae of Cygnus, around the stars Sadr and Deneb.

 Thereafter, we enter the transition zone between the bright and the dark side, which is ruled by King Cepheus and his vain wife Cassiopeia.

 During a short period in spring and autumn, it is possible to see both sides in a single night. I had the privilege to be able to capture this at Mobius Arch in California.

The Yin-panorama was captured after nightfall, facing westward, and showing the winter Milky Way with setting Orion. The east facing Yang-panorama shows the rising galactic core and Cygnus, shortly before dawn. Both were merged to create this 'Yin-Yang' image, showing the entire Milky Way visible from mid northern latitudes. [The bright area in the sky, just to the right of the arch is Zodiacal Light.]

Ralf's technical information for the top photo of the "Secret Beach" will give you an idea of how he creates his nightscape panoramas:

• Camera: Canon EOS-R, astro-modified 
• Lens: Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8
• Narrowband filter: IDAS NBZ filter
• Tracker: iOptron SkyTracker Pro 
• Sky: 6 panel panorama, each a stack of 6x 60s @ ISO1600 & 3 x 150s @ ISO6400 
• Foreground: 6 panel panorama of 5s @ ISO400 during blue hour

Check out Ralf's informative blog on how to do landscape astrophotography.

Private Night Photography Workshops by Royce Bair

A single exposure with Low-Level-Lighting at an arch in southern Utah

Private Night Photography Lessons in the Field. For years I've done up to 10 group workshops a year. These 5-day group workshops typically cost about $1,995 (or about $400 a day). In 2019, I went into semi-retirement, doing only one group workshop a year (my group workshops often fill up in 48 hours or less). For the rest of the year, I only do private workshops. Private instruction allows greater flexibility for teaching and offers many additional opportunities for my clients! We can sometimes do as much photography in two or three nights than you can do in a group situation during four or five nights. Of course, we can also do as much daytime photography as you want (depending on how much sleep you require).

One of the biggest advantage of a private workshop is that my time is shared only with you and the friend(s) you choose to attend with you (I cannot tell you how many times I have seen one "bad apple" in a group workshop try to monopolize my time at the expense of others in the group).

Private instruction is only a little more expensive than a group workshop, but it can actually be equal to or less expensive, when you invite a friend or two to share the costs. A maximum of three photographers are allowed in a private group (you and up to two of your friends). Let me illustrate...

Day rate: I charge $1,200 for the first day of instruction and $950 for each additional day (some photographers book just one day). "Weather" days are $500. Here's a typical fee cost EXAMPLE for two or three photographers:

  First Day/night ................... $1,200.00
  Second Day/night (a Weather day)...    500.00
  Third Day/night ...................    950.00

                                      ---------

    Total fee cost .................. $2,650.00

    Cost per photographer (when 2)... $1,325.00

    (Cost per photographer, when 3).. $  883.33       

Definitions: A "Day/night" of photography includes up to 8 hours of my time in guiding and teaching. At least two (2) of those hours will be doing starry night photography. The daytime instruction can be in the field or in the classroom (i.e. image post processing). A tag-along spouse or friend, without a camera, is not considered a "photographer".

Weather Days: In virtually every group workshop I've ever conducted, there are nights where we have so much cloud cover that few stars can be seen or photographed. Although we always try to make good use of the night with "Blue Hour" photography and demonstrating light painting techniques, this is probably not what you signed up for. When this happens in my private workshops, we just call it a night and rest up for better nights. If I cannot give you at least 30 minutes of starry night photography, I will charge you a flat $500 fee to cover my expenses for that day. Note: This "weather day" discount does not apply to the first day. The "weather day" discount is also NOT something I offer in my group workshops.

Travel Expenses: You will cover your own travel expenses for transportation, lodging and meals.

Locations for private workshop lessons can be any place in the world! Any workshop location within 350 miles of my residence includes my travel expenses in the first day rate fee. Examples of workshops that are within this 350-mile radius: Arches National Park, Grand Teton N.P., Yellowstone N.P., Zion N.P., Bryce Canyon N.P., Capitol Reef N.P., Canyonlands N.P. and Grand Staircase-Escalante N.M.

You will also cover my travel expenses for any workshop that is greater than 350 miles from my residence in Salt Lake City, Utah. I will cover my own lodging and meals. For distances greater than 350 miles, you will be charged the following travel expenses, in addition to my day rates:

   351-800 miles (car travel one way): $0.95 per mile*
   Over 800 miles: Actual airfare charges + actual
         car rental fees (we can share this vehicle).
   

*Example: One of my favorite places in eastern California are the Alabama Hills, near Lone Pine. From this area, you can also visit Mono Lake and the ancient Bristlecone Pines. Google says it's 582 miles from Salt Lake City to Lone Pine —that's 232 miles over my free base distance of 350 miles. At 95 cents per mile, that would be a travel expense of $220. As for your own travel expenses, you would want to fly into Las Vegas and rent a car for driving to Lone Pine (232 miles).

Reserving your date: I charge a $300 deposit to reserve a date. You can reserve up to a six days at a time. There is a deposit fee of $300 for each day you wish to reserve. This one deposit covers all the photographers in your group. I am happy to help you with your travel arrangements and hotel recommendations.

CALL: 801-558-2701 to make your reservations, or EMAIL me at royce.bair[AT]gmail[DOT]com (to prevent spam email, I ask you to substitute the "[AT]" with the "@" symbol and the "[DOT]" with the "." character).

Final payment: I request the balance of my fees (and any travel expenses) 90 days prior to the starting day of your private workshop.

Cancellations and Refunds: You can cancel and receive a full refund (less credit card fees), up to 90 days prior to the event. If you cancel between 60 and 89 days prior to the event, I will refund all but $100.00 of the fees you have paid. If you cancel between 30 and 59 days prior to the event, I will refund 50% of your fees, unless we can find a replacement attendee to take your place. If you cancel less than 30 days prior to the event, none of your fees will refunded, unless we can find a replacement attendee to take your place. The workshop participant acknowledges that if Royce Bair cancels this event, all fees paid will be refunded. Other than this refund, no guarantee or warranty is given or implied.

Eliminating days from your scheduled event: If, after completing at least two of your reserved workshop days, it is decided that you no longer need one or more of your additional reserved days, you will be refunded up to $450.00 for each of those unused days (less credit card processing fees). Travel expenses cannot be refunded.

Extending your workshop: If we are less than two weeks away from your workshop, and you wish to extend the length of the workshop (and I can make arrangements to do so), you will pay my first day rate ($1,200/day) for each additional day. You may also be required to pay my lodging expenses for any extra days (as last-minute lodging costs are often at a higher rate).

Recommendations: Read what others have said about my workshops.

1-Night Workshops in the Kanab Area

"Zion's Little Tree" is only about 35 miles from Kanab, Utah. Photo by Royce Bair

NOTICE: Even though the NightScaper Conference has been postponed to 2023, we plan to continue our Kanab area workshops! Instead of just one-nighters, you will also be able to book a 5-day/night workshop; however, we will limit attendance now to just six (6) people, instead of 8/night.

March 18 update: this workshop is now full. However, you may eMail to get on our waiting list.

We had originally planned our workshops of 1-nighters around the 2022 NightScaper Conference (April 26-29). Robert McKendrick and I will now be conducting a full 5-day/night (April 25-29) workshop and also offering several 1-night workshops in the Kanab, Utah area. Each workshop includes a daytime outing(s) with two hours of classroom style instruction. Each day, we will go to one or more of the following locations (eMail me below for our planned itinerary):

A large chamber, about 80 minutes from Kanab. Photo by Robert McKendrick

Zion's "The Watchman" and Virgin River. Photo by Robert McKendrick

Toadstool Hoodoos - about 45 miles from Kanab. Photo by Royce Bair

More hoodoos, about an hour from Kanab. Photo by Robert McKendrick

"The Fortress" by Royce Bair

Alstrom Point - Lake Powell is 82 miles from Kanab. Photo by Robert McKendrick

Sunrise on Pardue Bay / Lake Powell. Photo by Robert McKendrick

Photo by Royce Bair

Each 1-day/night workshop costs $425/person. The full 5-day/night workshop is $1995. For more information, or to reserve your spot, eMail Me.

Get my eBook for only $3

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The eBook that has taught thousands how to photograph Milky Way nightscapes. "Your eBook is the 'Bible' of NightScape photography!" - Ralf Rohner 

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