Join us for our Canadian Rockies Dark Sky Photography Workshop
Join us as we explore the Jasper Dark Sky Preserve and its stunning location in the Canadian Rockies during the annual Dark Sky Festival. Jasper is the world’s second largest Dark Sky Preserve and home to some of the best stargazing you will ever encounter. The stunning scenery and easy-to-access locations make it the ideal location to hone your skills – whether you’re just starting out or if you’re a seasoned night-sky photographer.
Jeff spent five years living in Jasper and there aren't many people with better knowledge of its many landscapes. This will be my 8th year in a row attending the Jasper Dark Sky Festival, so being out under the stars in Jasper feels like being at a second home. My work from Jasper has been featured by National Geographic, NASA, the LA Times, and many other outlets.
Two Unique Experiences
This year, we're excited to offer two unique workshop experiences. Each workshop will consist of consist of 2 online sessions and one night shooting in the field with focuses on different astrophotography skills each night. In addition to both nights focusing on different skill sets, we'll also be planning to visit unique shooting locations as well.
Night 1 - Wide & Telephoto Astrophotography
Location:
On the first night of our workshops, we'll plan on creating unique images by utilizing both wide angle lenses and, when it comes to astro, lesser used telephoto focal lengths. In addition to cover the technical skills required to take incredible photos of the night sky, we'll also be teaching different ways to think when approaching your compositions. Whether its a lesser shot location or one of the iconic Jasper highlights, changing your process can result in an image that is uniquely yours and will stand out from the rest.
Night 2 - Impact Images: Using scale, depth of field, and the human element
Location:
While using traditional astrophotography techniques, it can be difficult to convey the sense of wonder and grandeur that we feel standing out under the stars. On this night, our locations and approach will focus on techniques that Jeff and I have spent our careers working on to help create impactful and memorable images.
2 Online Sessions: Before & After In-Field Sessions
Session 1 - Before we head in to the field, we'll have our first session online to cover all of the need to know information to take photos of the stars. The session will cover gear, astro planning, camera settings, and some helpful astronomy information that will help further your images.
Session 2 - Everything post processing. We'll use images that we captured during our in-field workshop sessions and walk you through our approach to editing the image from star to finish. While we do our best to capture everything as perfectly in camera as possible, our time in the digital dark room is where images really come to life once the finishes touches are applied.
During each workshop, we’ll work together to create some truly spectacular images, while covering in-depth tutorials for photographing a number of unique astro techniques. We'll cover everything from single still images, star trails, capturing the Milky Way or northern lights and then follow up with our own post processing techniques. Jeff Bartlett and I have combined experience leading workshops across North and South America, Europe and Africa! This will be our third workshop in Alberta and I couldn't be more thrilled to have it line up with one of my favorite events of the year.
A Workshop For All Levels
Our Canadian Rockies Dark Sky Photoraphy Workshop is designed to maximize one-on-one learning. We'll have a low student to instructor ratio so we can tailor learning objectives and instructions to each photographer’s unique needs. We’re also adamant that it’s important to not just learn how to capture more compelling images but also how to edit them, so we’ll spend afternoon sessions covering beginner to advanced post-processing practices. If there are specific photography skills you want to learn or improve, we are there to help. Typically, we say our workshops are for everyone; however, this workshop has a few exceptions because we’re focusing strictly on the dark sky. Participants need to come prepared with requisite equipment. We hope everyone will come prepared to capture the night sky, meaning they’ll have at least one fast aperture lens, a sturdy tripod, a cable release, and be ready to stay out late!
While we do have our locations picked out, our experience allows us to quickly adapt to changing conditions in different locations.
If you're unsure of your gear or need advice on what bring/rent, please feel free to reach out! I'm more than happy to help you select what you will need.
Jasper Geminids: NASA APOD
What's Included?
Trip Info:
Dates:
Difficulty: Easy
Cost:
Meet the Instructors
Itinerary Outline
Saturday, October 20, 2019
Welcome to Jasper and the Canadian Rockies Dark Sky Photography Workshop!
Arriving in Jasper is easy from both the Calgary (YYC) and Edmonton (YEG) international airports. It’s up to our participants to book their flights and airport shuttle to Jasper.
From the Calgary International Airport, Sundog Tours runs a daily shuttle at 11:30 AM with stops in Banff and Lake Louise. You’ll arrive in Jasper at 5:30 PM, after traveling the spectacular Icefields Parkway. From the Edmonton International Airport, Sundog’s daily shuttle departs at 3:00 PM and arrives to Jasper at 8:30 PM.
We don’t have any activities planned on Saturday; however, we encourage everyone arrive, so they’re rested and ready to shoot beginning on Sunday! We’ll make sure to drop in and say hello to each participant and get them oriented in Jasper.
Sunday, October 20th, to Thursday, October 24th, 2019
The workshop truly kicks into gear beginning Sunday and we’ll spend the entire week photographing the stunning landscapes in Jasper National Park.
- Nightly dark-sky shoots throughout Jasper National Park.
- Visits to our favourite landscapes, including Pyramid Lake, Athabasca Falls, Goats and Glaciers, and Maligne Lake.
- Daily photography and editing tutorials
- Scheduled talks: Dark-sky photography post processing, general photography workflow, and business of photography
- One-on-one portfolio review or image critique
After burning the midnight oil Sunday through Thursday, we encourage everyone to enjoy the Dark Sky Festival on at the end of the week.
There are many free events that both Jeff and I will be attending and hope to see all of our workshop participants there, too! An absolute favorite is the Stargazing at Lake Annette.
Free shuttles run to and from this event, so participants will be free to enjoy the event and return on their own schedules.
Return shuttles to YEG or YYC depart early and participants will be required to book their return trip on their own.
Canadian Rockies Dark Sky Workshop Details
Our entire workshop is based in Jasper, Alberta, so we’ll be spending the entire week based out of a single hotel.
We’ll minimize travel time to maximize our photography opportunities!
What to bring:
Camera, wide-angle lens, and plenty of batteries and memory cards
Tripod – more than any other workshop, this is a necessity.
Appropriate outdoor clothing, including warm footwear, jackets, hat and mitts.
Laptop with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
Valid travel and medical insurance
What’s included:
Transportation throughout Jasper National Park
Welcome Dinner
One-on-One Sessions
Photography and post-processing instruction
What’s Not Included
Airfare to and from Calgary or Edmonton
Airport Transfers to and from Jasper
Hotel or Lodging While in Jasper*
Alcoholic Beverages
Travel and Medical insurance Photography equipment insurance
* Although our workshop does not include accommodation, we will be based out of The Crimson hotel in Jasper. We will host daily post-processing sessions at the hotel and use it as a meeting point for our nightly photography excursions. We also have a group rate available, so it’s the easiest place to stay during the workshop; however, participants are free to make other arrangements provided they’re able to provide their own transportation to and from The Crimson.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the instructors familiar with Jasper National Park?
Yes. I lived in Jasper for six years and continue to visit regularly. Jack Fusco can’t keep track of how many trips he’s made, but it’s fair to say he’s been to more Dark Sky Festivals than just about anyone. Ivan hasn’t been to Jasper yet, but he’ll be spending a few weeks leading up to the workshop photographing the Canadian Rockies, so he’ll know his way around before we kick things off in October!
How is payment handled?
We keep payment easy. When you are prepared to register, please follow the links below and you can sign up through Event Brite. If you have any issues, let us know and you can also pay with PayPal!
What skill levels do you teach?
All our workshops are designed for beginners and advanced photographers. It is easy to accommodate all skill levels. Since we have three instructors and only ten participants, you can expect plenty of one-on-one instruction.
How do I get there?
Flights to either the Calgary or Edmonton International Airport are not included. Both airports are well connected throughout North America, but please make sure your flights arrive in time for the daily airport transfers to Jasper. From the Calgary International Airport, Sundog’s daily shuttle leaves at 11:30 AM with stops in Banff and Lake Louise. You’ll arrive in Jasper at 5:30 PM. From the Edmonton International Airport, Sundog’s shuttle departs at 3:00 PM and arrives in Jasper at 8:30 PM.
What if the weather is bad?
We’ll cross our fingers and hope for clear skies. We might encounter cloudy conditions that won’t allow for successful night sky opportunities, so we’re prepared to improvise. In place of night sky opportunities, we’ll focus on sunrise and sunset opportunities.
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