Nightscapes and Startrails Astrophotography Workshop

Do you stand outside at night, look up at the stars and dream of capturing the awe-inspiring beauty of the Milky Way? If you’re in possession of a DSLR camera, a tripod, warm clothes, and a sense of adventure, then your dream can come true!

Join expert astrophotographer and tutor, Joe Cali, with his more than 40 years’ experience in astronomy and astrophotography for this hands-on workshop focusing on creating nightscapes. Together with fellow astro-enthusiasts, you’ll learn how to compose and capture after-dark landscapes and skyscapes, explore practical aspects of night shoots, such as scouting locations, forecasting clear skies and staying comfortable during long shoots, and experiment with capturing striking stills, star trails and panoramas. During long exposures, you’ll no doubt also have lots of opportunity to discuss the wonder of the galaxy.

The workshop comprises three 1.5 hour zoom briefing sessions covering many preparatory aspects and skills prior to a Saturday night field trip (1 1/4 hour drive each way) in the region around Boorowa. The field trip is scheduled for Saturday 7 September, but please note that it’s always possible that the weather may spoil our plans and we may need to shift the date. We’ll only be able to give you 24-48 hours’ notice if it’s re-scheduled due to weather so stay flexible. Shoots in partly cloudy skies are possible, clouds can add atmosphere to an image. Joe will also describe the techniques used to photograph comets in preparation for the apparition of comet Tsuchinan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3), a potentially bright naked eye comet four weeks after the course. He will also describe techniques for photography of aurora displays during the current solar maximum such as the spectacular display that occurred on May 11th 2024.

Arrive in Boorowa before dark. We encourage you to book and check in to some accommodation in Boorowa (not included) so you are not driving home tired after the session. Meet at a local café and have some dinner with your tutor and other participants and then we head out for a shoot around the area. Be prepared for hours outside at low temperatures. The climate in Boorowa is milder than Canberra, over night minimum temperatures range from 0C to 6C in early September. Be warned, spending substantial time outside at night requires much warmer clothing than a quick dash from a house to the car. Bring a lot more warm clothing than you think you will need. For this workshop, you need basic to intermediate photography skills, including a good working knowledge of your camera controls and any associated equipment. The workshop will cover camera controls specific to nightscape photography but does not cover basic camera skills. If you’re not sure about your skill level or whether your camera equipment is suitable, please contact us in advance of booking to discuss.

Astrophotography is dependent on clear skies and, unfortunately, controlling the weather is beyond our capability. The workshop field trip is scheduled for Saturday, 7 September, but in the event of cloud, we may need to postpone this session. We’ll give you 24-48 hours’ notice if the field trip needs to be rescheduled to an alternate date.

What to bring

You’ll need to bring:

a DSLR camera, with charged batteries and memory card/s;
a solid tripod;
a cable release, intervalometer* or app to remotely control your shutter;
a red torch** (not a head torch or mobile phone).
Really warm clothes
* We recommend that you purchase an intervalometer, which costs less than $30 on Ebay (https://tinyurl.com/mkfmkxbx). Please make sure to purchase the cable adaptor/connector appropriate to your brand and model of camera.

** Red cellophane held over a white torch by elastic bands works fine.

You’ll be shooting outside in late winter, so you’ll need to dress very warmly! You may also be working alongside country roads at night, so a Hi-Vis outer layer is recommended. There will be some Hi-Vis vests available for loan.

What will be provided

For the classroom session, you will need a computer and connection capable of running zoom. Comprehensive notes in PDF format can be downloaded from Joe’s website. You will be given the URL & password after registration prior to the first class.

Date & Time

Nightscapes and Startrails Astrophotography Workshop will run over five sessions:

Thursday, 15 August, 7:30 – 9 pm on Zoom

Tuesday, 22 August, 7:30 – 9 pm on Zoom

Wednesday, 29 August, 7 – 9 pm on Zoom

Saturday-Sunday, 7 September (Field Trip) (dependant on weather)

Wednesday, 12 September, 7 – 9 pm on Zoom

Expert astrophotographer and tutor, Joe Cali, with more than 40 years’ experience in astronomy and astrophotography, ran this hands-on workshop focusing on creating nightscapes. Together with fellow astro-enthusiasts, participants learned how to compose and capture after-dark landscapes and skyscapes, explored practical aspects of night shoots, such as scouting locations, forecasting clear skies and staying comfortable during long shoots, and experimenting with capturing striking stills, star trails and panoramas. During long exposures, participants no doubt also had lots of opportunities to discuss the wonder of the galaxy.