Big Bend
Astrophotography Workshop
 Alpine, Texas
August 8-9, 2024

The International Dark Sky Association ranked the Texas Big Bend region at #4 on their list of the 7 best spots on Earth for stargazing. The total lack of light pollution in this part of Texas allows you to bring out the faintest details of the Milky Way. This is the premiere stargazing spot in the United States.

We will be photographing the Milky Way from land overlooking the vast landscape of Big Bend. We have been hosting workshops in the Big Bend region since 2014. Course shooting is not held within the confines of Big Bend National Park. None of the images on this page were created inside of any U.S. National or State Park.

We will spend much of the night hours shooting from some of the most stellar views of the night sky. There will also be editing classes during the afternoons and evenings that will help you get the exact shot you are looking for.

Lodging

The cost of lodging is not included. We will depart for shooting each night from the Holiday Inn Express in Alpine

Holiday Inn Express and Suites Alpine Southeast
2004 East Hwy 90, Alpine, TX 79830

Workshop Schedule

Night One
5:00pm - Meet and Greet at Holiday Inn Alpine
6:00pm - Night Photography 101 Refresher
7:00pm - Dinner Break
8:00pm - Depart to Shoot Big Bend Landscapes
9:00pm - Shooting for Timelapse, Star Trails, and Stacks Demo
3:00am - Shooting Ends
Night Two
6:00pm -Editing Astrophotography in Photoshop Class
5:00pm - Dinner Break
8:30am - Depart for Shooting - Light Painting Foregrounds
2:30am - Workshop Ends

You will leave this workshop with a thorough understanding of what it takes to create breathtaking images of the Milky Way and the night sky. Jason will teach you everything you need to know, from planning your shoots, to successfully capturing your images, and how to bring the images to life with post processing software. 

The astrophotography workshop will give you the foundation you need to go out, setup a camera, and take dramatic pictures of the heavens above. We will then build on that knowledge and teach you some of the finer nuances of night sky photography. You will learn years of knowledge in a matter of days. 

THE ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP WILL HELP YOU

• Understand the night sky

• Plan out your shots by utilizing star charts and light pollution maps

• Learn how to properly setup for shooting the night sky

• Learn how to focus your lens in total darkness.

• Learn how to shoot the Milky Way

• Learn how to add interest with characters

• Learn how to use an intervalometer to shoot timelapse and star trails

• Learn how to light your foreground with a Speedlight

• Learn how to reduce noise in your images

• Learn how to paint with light

• Learn how to properly edit a night time image

• Learn how to bring out faint details in your raw files

"I had really high hopes and expectations going in to your Big Bend Astrophotography workshop, and it exceeded every one of them.
This was truly a “workshop" versus a “photo tour” in that Jason gave us tutorials on his digital workflow which was extremely helpful to me. Jason also helped us all by getting us in the best position to shoot the Milky Way, and by suggesting starting points for our exposure settings.
The photos I came home with just blew me away. I shared my favorites on Facebook and the reaction from my friends and their friends was overwhelming - I even sold a few prints! Thanks Jason."

HERE IS A LIST OF RECOMMENDED ITEMS

• A sturdy tripod

• A DSLR or mirrorless camera with capability to shoot at least ISO 1000 with moderate to little noise.

• At least 2 batteries for your camera and a charger

• A wide angle lens of at least 24mm with an aperture of f/4.0 or less.

• Memory cards totaling at least 64 gigabytes

• Camera bag that can be easily carried

• Laptop with access to Adobe Creative Cloud (7 day free trial at Adobe.com)

• Card Reader and/or USB cable

• An intervalometer

• Flashlight (recommend a Maglite or similar with high luminescence)

• Snacks

• Folding chair

*Please no red lights or red headlamps

GOT A QUESTION? USE THIS FORM FOR A PROMPT RESPONSE FROM JASON WEINGART.

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