Arches Astrophotography Workshop

A Red Rock Wonderland Under Moonless Skies

Arches National Park is one of Utah National parks to be certified as somewhere you can see a truly dark night sky. According to IDA, an International Dark Sky Park is a land possessing an exceptional and renowned quality of starry nights that provide abundant opportunities for photographing the night sky.

Join us in August 2025 under moonless skies in Arches National Park to capture some of the most stunning geologic formations that make this a monumental backdrop for epic night sky photography.

This is a Four night in-depth instruction and guidance astrophotography workshop that will teach you how to find your way around in the dark, how to find the best composition using PhotoPills, what exposures to use for night photography and how to focus in the dark. We'll also learn how to capture stunning star trail images.

Arches National Park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, in addition to hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks.

Some of the more popular locations include:

• Balance Rock
• Double Arch
• Turret Arch
• North Window
• South Window
• Park Avenue
• Fin Rock
• The Three Gossips

Because we are early in the "Milky Way Season" our Milky Way shooting window is in the early morning hours allowing us to begin our night shooting sunset, followed by several hours of star trail photography and then capture the Milky Way before returning to the hotel.

There is no place like the Arches for photographing the night sky!‍

Required Equipment and Accessories:

Astrophotography requires a professional level camera and lens in order to be successful and get the image results you are looking for.

-DSLR or mirrorless camera with ISO range to at least 12,800 and shutter speeds to at least 30 secs

-Wide angle lens with a aperture of f/4 or larger and a full frame equivalent of 14 - 35 mm

-A sturdy tripod

-Intervalometer, wireless remote or shutter release cord

-Extra batteries

-Headlamp with a red filter

-Small flashlight

NOTE: If you need to purchase or rent any of the required equipment - please, feel free to contact Craig at 520-732-1440 and he will give you suggestions on what to purchase or Rent from Mike's Camera.‍

Recommended Items:

Warm clothes (as the night gets later it does get colder)

Gloves and hat

Hiking Boots

Snacks and beverages

Bug spray

Camping chair or any portable seat. We do a lot of standing.‍

What You Will Learn:

We only teach in our workshops single exposure wide-field astrophotography, which can be best described as landscape photography in the dark, with an emphasis on capturing brilliant Milky Way images using wide-angle lenses. Over the years a variety of techniques have been developed but our shooting time will be focused on getting the most out of your equipment with just a single exposure. This is a great place for the beginner astrophotographer to start their journey or the intermediate photographer to hone their skills before moving on to the more advanced techniques.

-The best times to photograph the Milky Way

-How to find the best dark sky location

-Best equipment to use

-How to focus in the dark

-How to set exposure and ISO

-Rule of 400 / 500 / 600

-Identifying other lights in the night sky

-Post Processing Images using Lightroom Classic CC‍

-How to shoot Star Trails

-Processing Star Trail images using StarStaX

What You’ll Need For Processing Class:

Digital processing is a crucial step in astrophotography for creating striking images.

-Laptop computer

-Notebook paper and pen for keeping notes.

-You will be given a 4 page "cheat sheet" on the things we covered for you to take home. Make sure you have the latest version of Lightroom Classic CC loaded.

You should also have StarStaX on your computer. It is free software that is available for Mac and PC.

More Details:

Participants: Limit 8

Experience Level: Who will benefit from this workshop?

Beginner I : Someone having a strong knowledge and firm understanding of their camera with "little to no" experience in astrophotography.

Beginner II : Someone having a strong knowledge and firm understanding of their camera and have "tried" their hand at astrophotography.

Intermediate : Someone having a strong knowledge and firm understanding of their camera with "some" experience in astrophotography.

Endurance Level: Moderate - All age levels are welcomed. Light hiking is involved, but nothing too strenuous. We’ll drive to each location then hike to the best position. ‍‍

Lodging:

Our home base for this workshop will be the Fairfeld Inn - Moab, 1863 N. Hwy 191, Moab, Utah where we have reserved a block of rooms at a reduced rate, this includes the night of August 23, 2025 if you need to arrive early to be ready by noon on August 23, 2025.

To reserve your room call (435) 259-5350 and tell them you are with Craig Wennersten and the Mike's Camera astrophotography workshop group.

However, you are free to stay anywhere in the area.

What is Included? ‍

This workshop DOES include:

-Milky way Photo instruction by Craig Wennersten at multiple locations

-Introduction to star trail photography and in field instruction

-Photo editing classroom instruction using Lightroom Classic CC

-Classroom Editing session using StarStaX

-Welcome reception on our first night

-Dinner in Moab on our second night

-Park entrance fees and permits‍

-4 Nights single occupancy lodging in Moab

-All transportation from hotel to shooting locations

-Unlimited Milky Way Bars to Enjoy!

This workshop DOES NOT include:

-Meals not listed above

-Flights or car rentals

-Gratuities for resort staff and instructors

-Alcoholic Beverages

Tuition: $ 3,795.00 - You are welcome to register in store to avoid the Eventbrite fees.

For Non-Photographer Guest- $495

You are able to make a deposit today of $300 and we will send you an invoice for the remaining balance owed.

Hope To See You There! ~ Keep Looking Up! Please feel free to contact Craig if you have any questions or need any help with your gear or equipment requirements.