Los Angeles Milky Way
Night Photography Workshop
Thousand Oaks, California
August 18-21, 2022
Three Day / Three Night Workshop
$1195
8 Participants Max
Workshop Highlights
Photograph the Milky Way right next to Los Angeles!
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area has surprisingly dark skies considering its proximity to Los Angeles, California; dark enough to easily see and photograph the Milky Way. You might recognize some of Mike’s nightscape images from the Santa Monicas, for example, the Milky Way over Mt. Boney in the Santa Monicas (above) - appearing in National Park Service public materials, including promotions at the Los Angeles International Airport.
Now, for the third season, you can access the night skies of the Santa Monicas with professional nightscape guiding from Mike under the ONLY night photography permit authorized by the US National Park Service!
Here is your opportunity to experience and photograph the glorious summer Milky Way in the Santa Monicas - and then go home and sleep in your own bed (that is, if you live in Southern California!).
New to night photography? This workshop is perfect for you! You’ll learn everything you need to know to set up your camera and practice using it to capture stunning images of the Milky Way, stars, Moon and much more.
Got a star tracker and want to learn how to use it? You’ll have ample opportunity to do so; in fact, the Milky Way image over Mt. Boney was created with a star tracker system.
Finally, you’ll see how to enhance your images into trophies you’ll be excited to share with your family and friends.
Dr. Mike Shaw will be your workshop instructor and guide. He helped develop the popular annual Star Parties in SAMO/SMMNRA, and has been a frequent, invited guest speaker. He teaches Astronomy and Astrophotography Outreach to the US National Park Service. He is the author of the best-selling night photography books “The Complete Guide to Landscape Astrophotography” and “Creative Nightscapes and Time-Lapses.” He is also the co-creator of the video tutorials in the Planit Pro app. He is a former resident of Thousand Oaks and is intimately familiar with all your SAMO/SMMNRA workshop locations.
Workshop highlights include:
Guided access to stunning wilderness settings with dark skies (Bortle 4 - 5), all within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SAMO/SMMNRA)
Three nights of expert night photography instruction
Your choice of shooting the Summer Milky Way, star trails, constellations, panoramas, time-lapses, deep-sky objects - or all the above!
Three days of indoor sessions in our private meeting room:
Night photography fundamentals - camera gear, settings, focusing & composing
Astronomy 101 - what’s in the night sky; when and how to find your targets
Your Night Photography Plan - template included
Night photography field techniques - hard-earned lessons from years of experience
Basic and advanced image enhancement methods and practice with Lightroom, Photoshop, and specialty night photography software
Night sky time-lapse video production using LRTimelapse and Premiere Pro
Workshop Itinerary
Night 1 (Thursday, August 18) 6 pm - Workshop commences. We meet and greet one another during our orientation meeting at the Hampton Inn and Suites, Thousand Oaks, California (map below). Mike will give a workshop overview and rough agenda. We’ll discuss your goals for the workshop, and the camera systems you’re using.
Night 1 (Thursday, August 18) Following the Meet & Greet orientation, we will drive to a beautiful dark location within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SAMO/SMMNRA). Here, you will receive personal instruction on how to properly focus your camera in the dark, compose in the dark, and what are the best camera and exposure settings for night photography. You can also explore the effects of different lens focal lengths and lens filters for the best composition and depth of field. We’ll return after a productive session of capturing images of the Milky Way, star trails, panorama, and time-lapses.
Day 1 (Friday, August 19) You will spend time working on your images and time-lapse projects in our private meeting room at the Hampton Inn and Suites. You’ll also learn more about the basics of night photography, including the fundamentals of astronomy that are the most useful. You’ll use this knowledge to create a custom Night Photography Plan for a successful night of nightscape photography during the next two nights. There will be plenty of time to have all your questions answered in a friendly, supportive environment.
Night 2 (Friday, August 19) We will drive to a new location within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to take the best advantage of the weather and the interests of the group. You will continue to develop your newly acquired skills as you enjoy a wonderful evening capturing breathtaking images before returning home, tired but satisfied.
Day 2 (Saturday, August 20) We return to the classroom to continue working on your image enhancement and time-lapse projects. You will also learn more about specific night photography topics of interest - your Welcome Packet includes a questionnaire for you to provide us with the subjects you are the most interested in learning about. We will review the basic of star trackers, including when and why they are useful.
Night 3 (Saturday, August 20) Tonight we reap the benefit of our experience during the past two nights. We select the best new spots to visit, or perhaps some favorites to return to, and fill out our repertoire of nightscape images. You might choose to create a Santa Monica Mountains Milky Way masterpiece, a stunning day-to-night time-lapse, a spectacular star trails image, starry sky panorama or other project of particular interest to you.
Day 3 (Sunday, August 21) On our last day in our meeting room, you’ll complete your nightscape image and time-lapse projects from the workshop, and tie up any remaining loose ends regarding night photography technique.
Day 3 (Sunday, August 21) 5:00 pm - Workshop concludes. We pile in our vehicles, head home and sleep!
Workshop Structure
We’ll first meet at 6 pm on Thursday, August 18, 2022 in the lobby of the Hampton Inn and Suites, Thousand Oaks, California (See map). We will depart for your first session of night photography after this meeting.
You should arrive in your own vehicle for transportation throughout the workshop, or carpool with a friend. There are no significant hikes as part of this workshop, and you will have easy access to your vehicle.
Food is not included in this workshop. You are free to bring your own food, as well as visit any of the nearby restaurants or shops.
Be sure to bring warm clothes, warm boots or shoes, a raincoat, a warm hat and gloves. It can get surprisingly cold late at night! Hand warmers are often welcome.
Workshop Venue & Accommodations
Our workshop is based at the Hampton Inn and Suites, Thousand Oaks, California (see map).
For your convenience, we have arranged for a block of rooms with either two queen beds or a single king bed at a special rate of $159 per night. Call 805-375-0376 to reserve your room and mention Mike Shaw Photography Workshop to receive this special rate. Reservations must be confirmed prior to August 4, 2022.
We will meet in The Oaks Meeting Room at the Hampton Inn and Suites, Thousand Oaks, during the day on Friday, August 19 - Sunday, August 21. Here, we will review and enhance your images, work on time-lapse videos and learn basic & advanced nightscape photography techniques.
Pricing
$1195/Person
Workshop Includes:
Three nights of night photography guiding and instruction within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
Three days of indoor classes / image processing in our private meeting room
The original Night Shooting Plan, and instructions for use
Welcome Packet with a complete gear list and other useful information
Workshop Does Not Include:
Hotel accommodations, if needed. You can select a room at the Hampton Inn and Suites, Thousand Oaks, California from a block reserved for our workshop, details above. There are also many other hotel options nearby. Please contact us if you need assistance
Transportation to/from your home to the workshop meeting locations
Meals, beverages & snacks
As you complete your registration and payment process, you will be given the choice of either paying the full workshop amount or a 50% deposit. If you pay the deposit, the balance payment is due no later than 90 days prior to arrival.
Recommended Gear Lists
(You will receive a detailed gear list in the Welcome Packet when you register)
Camera Gear - the Essentials:
DSLR or mirrorless camera with the ability to manually focus and manual set the exposure (ISO, f-stop & shutter speed)
Lens. An 18-55 mm kit lens works just fine. Also great are a wide-angle lens (in the 14 - 24 mm range) or a mid-range lens (in the 24 - 70 mm range)
Tripod / ballhead - the sturdier the better
Headlamp with a red bulb
Extra batteries
Extra memory cards
Lens/camera cleaning kit
Camera & other operating manuals
Camera Gear - Nice to Have:
Loupe for focusing
Cable release
Tiffen Double Fog 3 lens filter
External intervalometer
Extra flashlight
Personal Gear:
Snacks
Water
Portable chair
Hand warmers
Laptop for downloading & editing your images during the class sessions
Warm clothes in layers
Warm boots, hat & gloves
Warm jacket & raincoat
