1-Night Milky Way Photography Workshops

Description

This 1-Night Milky Way photography workshops in Switzerland will take place in one of the many beautiful locations that are offered in this country. Most of these locations are a bit remote and need some hiking in order to be reached. Besides, some of these locations are not close to a hut and camping outdoors might be necessary. Several parameters such as the Milky Way Core season, the moon phase, the forecast, the cloudiness need to be taken into account to choose the right spot at the right time. Obviously, some of those parameters change quickly and we will need to adjust our itinerary accordingly. Therefore, the final location as well as the potential availability of a hut will be decided a few days before the event. You should expect 1 to 2 hours of hiking before reaching the final spot but we will try to adjust to participant preferences.

Milky Way Core season starts in March in the Northern Hemisphere and last till October. In the first months of the season, the Milky Way will be flatter and the core visible before dawn. During the next months, you will be able to see the Milky Way Core the entire night, rising around South-East and setting around South-West. Towards the end of the season, it appears more vertical and it is mostly visible after dusk.

Workshops

Workshops will start around May/June in order to avoid light-polluted locations caused by leftover snow. During May to July, Milky Way arch panoramic photography will be possible as it sits flatter to the horizon. Besides, there are other interesting events that can happen during the season (Perseid meteor shower in August, Neowise Comet in Summer 2020, etc)

This workshop will not cover the basics of photography. Each participant needs to bring and to know its equipment and be confident outside of the AUTO mode. We will however go over various techniques such as Panorama, Focus Stacking (if applicable), Long Exposure, Foreground blending, Noise Reduction, Scouting and Composition.

Planning

Meeting point: To be decided few days before the workshop when final location is chosen. You should however expect a public transport bus stop or train station. We will meet early enough in the afternoon to have enough time to hike to the final location and arrive before sunset.

After reaching out to our location, we will set up the tent or check in the dorms. Then we will start our shooting adventure:

• Sunset
• Blue hour to capture foreground
• Milky Way
• Time lapse or star trails (rest of the night)
• Sunrise

After sunrise, we will pack our stuff and head back to the starting point.

Potential Locations

• Alpstein
• Lobhornhutte
• Bachalpsee
• Crestasee
• Gastlosen
• Stellisee
• Grindjisee
• Diavolezza
• Many more depending on Milky Way orientation and weather forecast