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Night Photography Workshop – May 3-5, 2024

Join me for a captivating night photography workshop hosted in Regina, Saskatchewan. Scheduled for the beginning of the 2024 Milky Way season, this 3-day experience promises to immerse you in the wonders of the night sky. We’ll focus on the mesmerizing Milky Way and, if conditions permit, photograph aurora borealis. Alongside capturing the night sky, we’ll also explore local landscapes, including the clay canyons pictured above in class 1 dark skies south of Regina.

Having extensively explored and photographed Saskatchewan’s diverse terrain, I am deeply connected with the province’s hidden gems. The workshop, designed with small group sizes, offers personalized instruction tailored to help you achieve your photographic aspirations and realize your creative vision for night photography.

Dates

May 3rd – May 5th, 2024

Group Size

4 Participant Maximum

Investment

$975 CAD Double Occupancy*

$1,140 CAD Single Occupancy

 

+ processing fee (e-transfer to rscottaspinall.com can void this fee)

Difficulty

Easy/Intermediate (some hiking required. See details below)

Check out more details below or reserve your spot here for this Night Photography Workshop!

*Double occupancy can only be accommodated should another photographer request this option. Consider registering with a friend.

WHAT’S INCLUDED …

This night photography workshop is designed to maximize the photographic potential of some of Canada’s darkest night skies in some unique geology while we get to stay in the comfort and convenience of a city hotel. We’ll stay together at The Atlas Hotel in Regina, Saskatchewan. There is an opportunity here for single and double occupancy.* 

You’ll receive classroom instruction on getting comfortable in manual mode with your camera, and how to compose and photograph the night sky. While on-site you will receive personalized instruction on maximizing each location’s potential. 

A post-processing session on our last day will provide time to learn techniques that are vital to creating clean and emotionally compelling imagery. You will be provided with a reference video covering my entire night photography workflow after the workshop to ensure you have everything you need to move your own workflow forward.

Instruction, accommodation, park passes, transportation to shoot locations, and commercial licenses are included. All you need to do is get yourself to Regina sometime before 2 PM on May 3rd. Food, drink, and transportation during your personal time are on you while you’re here. Any travel expenses and/or medical insurance (highly recommended) and visa fees are up to you as well. 

*Double occupancy can only be accommodated should another photographer request this option. Consider registering with a friend.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN …

Composition

Leave strict composition rules behind, focusing on combining elements of your scenes in a way that brings the viewer in.

The Night Sky

Understand its seasons, moon cycles, different objects and phenomenon, and Aurora Borealis.

The Technical

How the pillars of the exposure triangle (shutter speed, aperture, and ISO) work together. Learn how to use them to make creative choices and the considerations for each pillar. This understanding, combined with in field coaching, will help you to find the settings needed to capture the night sky.

Exposure

Learn to trust your histogram, and how to combat high dynamic range scenes during the day and overcome low-light challenges in complete darkness.

Focus

Understand where to focus in your scene and practice focus stacking to overcome limitations with most lenses. Master the ability to focus at night.

Astrophotography

We will discuss and/or practice many different approaches to photographing the night sky. We’ll cover singles, stacking, panoramas, telephoto or “deep space” photography, tracking, star trails, and different foreground approaches to achieve your creative vision. If you own a portable star tracker (ie. the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer) please bring it, we can spend some time optimizing your approach to tracking the night sky.

Post Processing

It is a high priority of the workshop but will be arranged around our field time. The majority of the processing time will take place on the final day of the workshop.  During these hours you will learn important techniques that help you add emotion or mood to your photograph. You will learn about global vs. local adjustments in Photoshop and Lightroom; blending; various tools for masking; enhancing light; dodging and burning; focus stacking; stacking for noise reduction and so much more!

Planning Tools

Planning is a big part of the night photography process. We will cover my favourite planning approaches and include a list of applications and programs to make your planning quick, easy, and effective.

 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED …

Photography equipment

You’ll need a DSLR or Mirrorless camera that can function in Manual Mode (M), charged camera batteries and your charger, memory cards (multiple), remote shutter release or intervalometer, and a sturdy tripod.

Lenses

A wide-angle lens (11-35mm) with an aperture of at least f2.8 is recommended (the aperture is important for astrophotography). Bring along a telephoto lens (100mm+) for more intimate photos of the landscape and a mid-range as well (35-100mm). You can borrow lenses from your local camera store or www.lenslenders.ca if needed (please contact me for questions regarding your gear and what images you can expect to get with it). For reference, my bag consists of a 15-30mm f2.8, 20mm f1.4, 50mm f1.8, and 70-200mm f2.8.

Light

A headlamp that has a red light mode. Red light is a must for astrophotography. Other light ‘colour’ destroys night vision and will ruin the experience of other participants. 

Proper Clothing

Early May can be quite variable on the prairies with daytime highs ranging from +15C to +20C to overnight lows well below zero Celcius so layers are recommended. Spring has just started and we could experience plenty of rain or even snow. Because of this, a water-resistant/waterproof jacket is recommended. 

Food and Drink

Mealtimes will revolve around our shooting schedule so don’t expect to maintain a “normal” eating schedule. Also, please bring snacks for the long nights as we will be spending a lot of time under the night sky. Bring a water bottle and whatever other drinks you may want, these will not be provided. Regina has lots of options for food/drink if you prefer to purchase while you’re there.

Other Tech

You will need a laptop, with a charger, for our post-processing session. I teach post-processing strictly in Lightroom and Photoshop so it is important to have a copy of each (Photoshop with Camera Raw as an alternative) installed on your laptop before arriving. You can download a 7-day free trial of Photoshop here.

Transportation

Transportation and all associated transportation costs to and from Regina around the workshop dates are your responsibility. If you are flying in, Regina International Airport is closest. You can rent a car there or get an Uber/Taxi to the hotel. While on the workshop, I have space in a 7-seater vehicle for myself and four other people with camera bags. Luggage will need to stay at the hotel when we travel to shoot locations.

Payment Schedule

Cost: $975 CAD for Double Occupancy or $1,140 CAD for Single Occupancy + GST and processing fees (if applicable)

Please note, that double occupancy can only be accommodated if another photographer requests this option. Consider registering with a friend.

Payment Options: Full payment or a $350 non-refundable deposit guarantees your spot. The remaining balance due by March 3rd, 2024 confirms your spot.

Note: Failure to pay by the due dates means forfeiting your deposit, and the spot will be freed up and potentially sold to another interested participant (see more about the cancellation policy in our terms and conditions below).

If unforeseen circumstances arise, guests are welcome to transfer/sell their space to other interested guests. In such cases, guests are responsible for handling payment for the transfer.

 

What happens during inclement weather?

Ultimately weather is out of our control. When conditions aren’t favourable for a specific genre of photography (ie. 100% cloud cover during a night photography session), we will embrace them, change our thinking, and make the best of them. However, sometimes conditions can prohibit us from being outdoors (ie. thick wildfire smoke) and in these situations, we will supplement with processing instruction, image/portfolio critique, alternate nearby locations (if possible), or rest. Be prepared for a variety of weather conditions. Information regarding weather preparation specific to your workshop will be provided with workshop materials prior to the start of the workshop.

Do you provide transportation, lodging, food, and beverages?

This workshop includes in-field instruction, location guidance, a recorded video of the provided processing instruction, lodging, some meals included in the scope of accommodations (ie. if a hotel includes a free breakfast in their accommodation fee, that is included). Flights, rental cars, meals, snacks, and beverages are not included. Transportation to and from shooting locations and our hotel is included but transportation from the airport to our first hotel is not. Transportation is in my 7 seater SUV. There will be one guest in the passenger seat and three in the second row, camera bags in the back. If it makes you more comfortable, you can choose to drive your own vehicle or carpool with other participants during the workshop. If this is the case, please reach out to me.

Breaks for lunchtime will be provided. It is highly advised that you eat breakfast before the daily meet-up time and carry snacks with you. We prioritize photographing these amazing locations and maximizing our shooting opportunities, and in some cases, we could be a significant distance away from amenities.

Can I bring a guest?

Yes, your significant other IS allowed to come! There are a few conditions though. There is a fee that varies per workshop that covers things like insurance, lodging, etc. I do have a vehicle (possible two, depending on demand) for our workshop that is set to fit only the workshop participants in, so they will need their own vehicle to follow along (the exception is during a storm chase. Due to safety concerns, I only allow drivers with Saskatchewan backroad experience on chases. If there is room inside a vehicle with an approved driver, your significant other can join us). Secondly, workshop accommodations are set up for double occupancy, so if your significant other does join, they will be responsible for the single room supplement fee (varies per workshop). I want your partner to enjoy their trip, but they must understand that they are on our time, which means we will not leave a shoot early for them. Lastly, the biggie, there is to be no use of any other camera besides a cell phone or point-and-shoot and they must understand that they will receive no personalized instruction.

Where will we stay during this workshop?

Each night we will return to our hotel in Regina, Saskatchewan.

What are the dangers of a workshop?

I do my best to keep your safety as a number one priority. No shot is worth risking your life. There will be times, though, where you will be in situations where conditions need to be closely monitored. The biggest safety issue in a workshop is not knowing your limitations. Each workshop varies on the amount of physical fitness required, so please read up before you sign up!

Our safety will always come first and there is no shot worth losing your life over, but we are not in control, Mother Nature is. Although I’ve never been injured during my years of photographing, there have been some close calls. Part of nature photography is accepting the risk that any given shoot could result in serious injury or even death. Some of that risk can be negated by a clear safety plan, but there is always some level of risk that must be accepted while photographing in wild areas in Saskatchewan, especially at night. 

How much shooting do we do?

The short answer is “quite a bit”. This means we will shoot sunset, and night photography all in the course of one day. Even during conditions that are unfavourable for most, we will be out. Although we will shoot a lot, there will still be downtime to catch some rest and edit.

How much driving can I expect?

Each day will include approximately 2 hours of driving to get to and from our shoot location.

What are the physical requirements for this workshop?

Most of the locations have parking close by. The longest hike on our itinerary is approximately 5km with ~200m of elevation gain. The terrain in badlands can be uneven and steep at times. To get the most out of this workshop, you will need to be okay with some hiking along flat or gently sloped terrain, and some shorter pieces of hiking that resemble scrambling up/down through clay formations. Keep in mind, that Saskatchewan is not home to mountainous terrain, the hiking is rated as moderate.

See you there!

Not convinced yet? Hear from just a handful of satisfied alumni by visiting the Workshop Page .

the small print
Terms and Conditions, Cancellation, and COVID-19
  • Please see this page for more information. Registration confirms your acceptance of everything in the terms and conditions document.
Class Size
  • There is a minimum class size of 2. If we do not reach our class a minimum 28 days before the workshop date, I hold the option to cancel the workshop. In this case, a 100% refund of your payment will be issued. Flights and other costs incurred will not be reimbursed.
Weather
  • Ultimately, I have no control over the weather. After running photography workshops for the past five years I have decided that a two-night workshop is best. This affords you a good opportunity to get out and photograph the stars at least once. However, I can’t guarantee we will have favourable conditions; we may encounter overcast conditions during your stay. But, I promise you will still come away with beautiful images, and the capabilities to capture the night sky.
Other Requirements
  • You will receive the itinerary, Leave No Trace Principles, and liability waiver after I have received full payment. This is when you are considered confirmed. The liability waiver MUST be signed and submitted at least 48 hours before the workshop or you will forfeit your spot.