Overview:
Imagine working your way up a rise, and as you crest the top, you have entered the land of Dr. Seuss, a scenery complete with piles of loosely fit rounded rocks and what appear to be soft, fuzzy trees. If you arrived in such a place, with balanced stones or ones that look just like a face, you have made it to Joshua Tree National Park. What is a dream place for a photographer's working compositions is also an International Dark Sky location ideal for working Milky Way images.
Itinerary:
Joshua Tree National Park is particularly known for its International Dark Sky designation and is popular with night sky photographers for its diverse foreground scenery. The park has myriad locations where one can visualize an ideal nighttime composition. We will position ourselves each day before sunset at specific locations and refine our compositions in anticipation of the upcoming evening show. Those who know the park are familiar with such locations as Qual Springs, Hidden Valley, and Cap Rock. We will visit these locations and work the Milky Way scene at each. Conditions will dictate the specific order of our visits as they unfold each workshop day.
Scheduled to coincide with the New Moon, our Joshua Tree National Park Milky Way Workshop is an ideal time for optimal viewing and photography of this astrological feature. The Milky Way is visible this time of year around 10:00 p.m., meaning that we don't have to wait until the early morning hours to get our images. At this time of year, the Milky Way is visible as a horizontal band in the sky, offering enhanced compositions and perspectives. Each night, we will work on the composition at a new location, including the Milky Way in our images. For those more adventurous souls, we will stay out longer and work on star trail captures.
Generally speaking, each day will allow for sleeping in to compensate for the late evening the night before. We will begin at midday, discussing various concerns for the late afternoon/evening shoot, followed by either a composition discussion or a processing lesson on low-light and Milky Way images.
Instructor/Guide Fee:
A $1,795.00 instructor/guide fee will be associated with this workshop. This fee is due one week before the commencement of the workshop. Each workshop participant will be provided with instructions as to how to remit payment for this fee.
Equipment:
Shooting the Milky Way and low-light photography generally requires a little more equipment than your typical "pick-up and go" photoshoot. First and foremost, you want to have a camera that you can operate in Manual Mode. Knowing how to operate your camera in Aperture Preferred Mode can be helpful. However, fine-tuning your shots and dialing in that exact long exposure combination is typically best done in Manual Mode. From an exposure consideration perspective, it would be invaluable if you understood and could easily navigate the exposure triangle. Don't worry if these modes and exposure terminology make you nervous, help is available to get you situated with your exposures. At the same time, a little upfront research can take you giant leaps forward. ONE THING WORTH NOTING: Since your instructor may not be familiar with the operation of every camera model, please bring the instruction manual for your camera (ideally as a PDF file on your phone, but at the very least in print).
Lastly, your chosen camera should be capable of interchangeable lenses. While there is nothing wrong with fixed-lens camera systems, you are assumed to want to try different perspectives for your compositions while shooting at the workshop, and interchangeable lenses are essential to that outcome.
Lenses
While we offer general lens recommendations for all of our workshops based on the potential scenes we might encounter, we are a little more specific about lens characteristics for our Milky Way workshops. In low-light photography, selecting lenses with the most light-gathering potential is often beneficial.
By and large, two attributes are ideal in a lens for Milky Way photography:
- A wider field of view is helpful; a focal length of 20mm or even 14mm is ideal.
- A wider aperture will allow for more light-gathering potential, thus faster shutter speeds and/or lower ISOs. Lenses that provide an aperture of f/1.8, f/1.4, or even f/1.2 are great for Milky Way photography. Granted, not every photographer is going to possess lenses in that range; at a minimum, an aperture of f/2.8 should be considered the smallest lens aperture you would utilize.
Here's the good news if you are thinking about getting into Milky Way photography: Rokinon makes both a 14mm and 20mm lens with wide apertures in a variety of contemporary lens mounts. While not autofocus or even "chip" assisted focusing models, these lenses are considered ideal for entry-level Milky Way imaging. At a price point of $300 to $450, depending upon model and lens mount, these lenses are a great addition to the aspiring Milky Way photographer's gear bag.
Don't be discouraged if you don't want to or can not acquire one of these lenses. Many Milky Way photographers capture great images with the traditional 24mm-70mm f/2.8 lens format available from almost all of the leading OEMs and third-party manufacturers.
There is a balancing point worth considering here: as the widest aperture of the lens you are using becomes smaller, the capture time becomes greater. Once you have exceeded a specific length of exposure time, you will start to see movement in your resulting Milky Way image. While a lot of implied movement is what you are looking for in a "Star Trail" image, it is not what most Milky Way photographers are after in their results.
Camera Support:
A good, sturdy tripod is essential to successful Milk Way photography. There is a wide range of options to pick from in today's Tripod marketplace, so it is easy to find one in a palatable price range. Here are the attributes to look for when selecting your tripod of choice:
- Sturdy legs that don't bend or deflect easily. You should be able to put a little downward force on your tripod when it is set up and see little to no bending in the legs under that pressure. Spindly, skinny tripod legs can lead to instability in your camera support and movement of your camera in longer exposures or windy conditions.
- Ease of adjustment is critical. Not only should your tripod be quick and easy to set up, but it is also essential that adjustments to your tripod, once deployed, are quick and seamless. It is common to hear inexperienced photographers say, "I hate using a tripod," or "Using a tripod is too much work." This sentiment is understandable when you fight with your tripod to make it do what you want.
- Consider the weight of your tripod. Back in the day, tripods were clunky metal contraptions made of bulky materials and fittings. Recently, aluminum components and carbon fiber legs have made tripods much lighter assemblies. Do yourself a favor and remember you have to lug this beast around; reductions in weight are always welcome!
Triggering Your Camera:
There are multiple ways to take pictures with your camera, ranging from the shutter release to a self-timer, a cable release, and an intervalometer. Each option has its upsides and downsides, some more beneficial than others. Ultimately, a remote intervalometer offers the most freedom in operating your camera, albeit with a slight learning curve. Investing a small amount of money here and dedicating some time to learning can pay off nicely in both the field and the results. Here is a list of camera triggering approaches and some thoughts on each:
- The camera's shutter release button is about as simple as it gets. The upside of this approach is that it's built into the camera, and you don't need to carry anything else to take pictures. The downside is that it is a horrible way to take long-exposure images. The vibration of touching the camera is a killer of image sharpness, and almost no camera on the market today allows timed exposures over 30 seconds. The shutter release button should be the last resort if you forget to bring some alternate form of shutter release.
- A camera-based built-in self-timer can be handy in a pinch. These self-timers have a built-in countdown until they release the shutter, thus isolating the camera from hand vibration during the capture. Again, this does not circumvent most cameras' typical 30-second exposure limitation.
- Mirror-up delay
- A cable release provides several advantages in Milky Way photography. First and foremost, it provides vibration isolation, as you no longer need to press the shutter release on the camera. You need to ensure that the cable is not swinging around in the wind or that you don't drop the release mechanism during the exposure. If the cable release that you choose features a "latch" feature, allowing the camera's shutter to be held "open" as long as the release is "latched," you can then operate the camera in "Bulb" mode, which means that you can now exceed the standard 30-second exposure limitation and accomplish much longer exposures.
- An intervalometer typically offers the most significant number of long exposure features of any remote release for your camera. Offering programmable timed exposures for your camera's "Bulb" mode, interval shooting for creating time-lapse and stitched sequences, and countdown shooting, the intervalometer is your camera's best friend for advanced and low-light imaging.
It is worth noting that newer cameras now offer intervalometer-like features built into their software. It is worth checking to see what features your particular camera has built-in. Regardless of the triggering approach you choose to take, a little practice ahead of time is much better than fumbling in the dark.
Headlamp
A personal headlamp is essential for Milky Way photography, and here are some recommendations for what features it should have:
- A hands-free device would be best, allowing you to use both hands to carry your gear and/or adjust your equipment as needed. Most low-light photographers prefer headlamps with a headband that uses an adjustable elastic strap to affix the light to their heads.
- A headlamp with adjustable intensity allowing the lamp's brightness to be significantly reduced when needed.
- A headlamp that supports switching from white light to red light upon demand is essential for preserving your night vision and minimizing the impact on your fellow photographers. Red light is the least impactful on your eyes and the eyes of those around you.
- Last but not least, consider the runtime or battery life of the headlamp you are considering. A headlamp that charges quickly and/or uses commonly available batteries will likely serve you best.
Physical Requirements:
Participants in the workshop should be comfortable hiking with their gear for distances of approximately 1/2 a mile. We might do some light bouldering (think in terms of climbing up a small step ladder) with our gear. For the protection of your gear, please store your equipment in a padded backpack until we arrive at our designated shooting location. If you have any concerns or questions about your physical readiness, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Clothing:
First-time visitors to the desert are often surprised by the range of temperatures experienced in a 24-hour period of time. Mid-afternoon can be extremely warm, while the nighttime can become very cold. It is altogether possible to see a total swing in temperatures of 50 degrees Fahrenheit or more in a one-day period. Given that fact, here are some clothing recommendations that will have you well-prepared for the weather you will encounter:
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Inner Wear:
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Wear layers that are considered breathable and can be easily shed or added to throughout the day. Many seasoned Southwest hikers utilize fast-drying base layers and have insulated layers that can be quickly added or removed. Long-sleeve shirts are considered good protection from the sun, and hiking pants with convertible (zip-off) legs can transition from cool shorts to warmer full-leg trousers with ease.
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Outer Wear:
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Evening winds can be cold and biting and seemingly come out of nowhere. The cooling landscape creates currents and winds that can quickly drop the ambient temperature to an uncomfortable level. A good outer shell that effectively cuts the wind from reaching your core is an excellent defense against this shift in temperatures.
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Head Protection:
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Studies show that 75% of your body heat is lost through your head. A good hat not only reduces this heat loss but can also be an invaluable sunblock during the heat of the day. As hairlines recede and hair thins, remember, a sunburned scalp is no fun.
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Hand Protection:
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It's tough to operate your camera with numb and cold fingers. It's worth considering throwing a pair of mid-weight, wind-stopping gloves into your camera bag.
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Foot Wear:
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Last but not least, don't forget your feet, as they are subjected to not only shifts in temperature, but you will be using them to hike through sand and scramble over a rock or two. A sturdy hiking shoe is highly beneficial in the conditions you will encounter, protecting you from the potentially twisted ankle while also keeping your feet warm during extended periods outside. In the warmer desert climate, you will want to favor breathability over waterproof footwear.
Suggested Airport
Joshua Tree National Park is best reached by flying into Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) in Palm Springs, CA. Serviced by American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines (among others), the airport offers numerous choices for getting in and out of the region. You can pick from all the major national brands for your rental car needs at the airport.
Please make your travel arrangements so that you arrive at the hotel in Indio, CA, before our initial group dinner at 5:00 p.m. on June 19.
Transportation
You are responsible for your transportation to and from the workshop, as well as your local transportation while you are there. Most workshop participants will opt to rent a vehicle at the airport and use it during the workshop. Closer to the workshop, participant information will be shared (unless you choose otherwise), and you may carpool with one another if you so desire. Please note that, for insurance reasons, the workshop guide is unable to offer carpooling to any of the workshop participants.
Lodging
We have reserved a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Indio, CA. The hotel address is 42261 Spectrum Street, Indio, CA, 92203. Single-occupant rooms have been booked from June 19 to June 24, 2025. Check-in time is 3:00 p.m. on June 19, and check-out time is 11:00 a.m. on June 24. You are responsible for your room charges during the workshop and must secure the room with your credit card or other payment acceptable to the lodging establishment. You are not required to stay at the hotel chosen for the workshop and may feel free to make alternate arrangements. If you decide to make alternative arrangements, please notify us at least 4 days before the workshop and be prepared to meet us at the designated meeting times and locations.
Meals:
Dining expenses are the responsibility of the workshop participant. We will plan group meals throughout the workshop, which are, of course, optional for each participant. While we encourage the group dining experience so that we can all share our knowledge and experience, we certainly understand if you choose to dine at a different location than our chosen dining establishments.
More Questions?:
Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns you might have. Thank you!
