Up Next: National Parks at Night on YouTube

If you’re reading this, then you’re familiar with our blog and all the different kinds of information and instruction we try to offer every week of the year. It’s part of our mission—to spread knowledge of night photography and of the beautiful places in our national parks to practice it.

That mission doesn’t stop at this blog. We of course offer that same sort of information on our workshops, in our CreativeLive course and at our speaking engagements.

But there’s yet another place where we talk about these topics. On our YouTube channel!

We’ve so far produced and uploaded almost 30 videos. The topics include how-to guides for working in the field and in the digital darkroom, slide shows of our workshop students’ photography, information about the places we travel to, tips for journeying to dark landscapes, equipment reviews, night time-lapses and more.

Although we’ve been producing such content for nearly the entire time National Parks at Night has existed, we’re barely out of our video infancy. We have plans to grow in this area, to provide more and more educational and informational offerings in the months and years to come.

In the meantime, we invite you to check out below what we’re offering so far.

What do we do?

We made a short video explaining why we do what we do, why we love doing it in national parks, and what to expect on a workshop.

Education

Deep dives into specific topics on night photography, before and after pressing the shutter release.

Student Slideshows

The final slideshows from all of our wonderful workshop students. What an amazing body of work.

In-Depth Gear Reviews

We can’t make photos at night without gear! So we make videos about things we find particularly useful or helpful.

Fun Vignettes

Night photography is about more than just learning. It’s also about fun!

Events & Lectures (playlist)

We do a lot of public speaking at shows, events and local camera clubs. Here is a fantastic playlist chock full of unique presentations crafted just for you.

Want to see playlists featuring a particular National Parks at Night instructor? The links below include videos from other channels on YouTube (such as B&H) where you’ll find even more free ways to learn from us. 

Gabriel Biderman

Chris Nicholson

Tim Cooper

Matt Hill

Lance Keimig

What else?

What’s on your YouTube watchlist? How-to videos? Your next dream park? Adorable cats? We work hard to bring you quality video content in addition to what we write here on the blog. So why not drop by our National Parks at Night YouTube channel and see what we have to offer? 

If you like what you see we’d really appreciate if you:

• Subscribe

• Like

• Comment

• Share

By doing the above, you’ll get first notice on new video content, and also give us more info about what you like or what questions you have. (Thanks!)

We love making videos. But what do you want to see that we haven’t made yet? Drop us a line here and let us know what interests you.

Thanks for watching! We’ll see you on YouTube, or at a park or event near you.

Matt Hill is a partner and workshop leader with National Parks at Night. See more about his photography, art, workshops and writing at MattHillArt.com. Follow Matt on Twitter Instagram Facebook.

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT

A Day of Night: Talking Stars and Light Painting at the B&H Event Space

A few days ago Matt Hill and I were hosted by the B&H Event Space, one of our very favorite places to present. The people who run the space are fantastic to work with—always warm, welcoming, helpful and professional in every degree imaginable. Moreover, the Event Space attracts an impressive array of audience members—from beginners to expert pastimers to consummate professionals—who come armed with infectious enthusiasm and a passionate curiosity to better their craft.

(Attendees also included a few of our former workshop participants; it’s always great to see and to catch up with them.)

Matt and I demonstrating why we love Coast flashlights above all other options. Photo courtesy of B&H Photo.

It was “A Day of Night at the Event Space,” comprising two presentations, which were livestreamed to a combined audience of over 25,000 viewers (thank you to everyone who tuned in!). Both talks included some of the topics we teach on our workshops, along with over 75 photographs that we’ve made during our adventures under the dark skies of America’s national parks.

We wanted to share what we talked about with you, the readers of our blog.

‘Shooting Stars: How to Photograph Night Skies’

Me talking about starry skies while surrounded by National Parks at Night logos. Photo courtesy of Klaus-Peter Statz.

In the first presentation of the afternoon, I talked about how to get started photographing stars. Some of the topics covered were:

• gear

• white balance

• exposure

• the 400 Rule

• composition

• star trails

• star stacking

• lens condensation during long exposures

• software options

• and more

You can view the recorded version of the livestream here  (jump to 4:56 for the beginning of the presentation):

‘Illuminating the Night: Everything You Want to Know About Light Painting’

Matt and I demonstrating the right and wrong way to paint with light. Photo courtesy of Klaus-Peter Statz.

In the second presentation, Matt and I teamed to talk about one of our favorite topics and one of the favorite techniques on our workshops: light painting! Topics covered were:

• building a light painting toolkit

• light painting vs. light writing

• determining a base exposure

• the three kinds of light

• direct vs. diffused vs. reflected light

• angles of illumination

• color and color temperature

• low-level landscape lighting

• collaboration

• and more

You can view the recorded version of the livestream here(jump to 1:20 for the beginning of the presentation):

Come see us!

We hope you enjoy watching these presentations, and that you can take away a nugget or two of knowledge that help as you venture into the night with your cameras.

Between the five of us here at National Parks at Night, we talk pretty regularly at the B&H Event Space, as well as at conferences, trade shows, camera clubs, podcasts, etc. If you’re interested in attending any of the events where we lecture, see our Speaking Engagements page for a schedule of where we’ll be next.

And if you want several days’ worth of this kind of information and instruction, be sure to sign up for any of our upcoming Workshops. ;-)

Chris Nicholson is a partner and workshop leader with National Parks at Night, and author of Photographing National Parks (Sidelight Books, 2015). Learn more about national parks as photography destinations, subscribe to Chris' free e-newsletter, and more at www.PhotographingNationalParks.com.

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT

Conferences, Clubs and Excursions, Oh My! Come Join Us for an Event This Fall

One of our favorite parts of doing what we do is getting out into the photography community to meet and talk with like-minded photographers. It gives us a chance to share what we know, to learn from the experiences of others, and to swap stories about working in the dark and working in the parks.

We do this all year round, but autumn seems to be the time when some of the biggest opportunities fall into a line of quick succession. It’s kind of like the “Conference District” of our collective schedule.

With that in mind, we wanted to share some of the events we’ll be participating in this fall. We hope you can join us at some of these amazing gatherings!

Out of Acadia Photography Conference

Bar Harbor, Maine

This one actually just ended, and was the first landscape photography conference organized by the Out of Chicago group. They’ve been running tours, workshops and walks in their home city since 2011, and conferences since 2016. Gabe and I were honored to speak and lead walks at their Out of New York Photography Conference last year, and last week I did the same at their conference in Maine’s Acadia National Park.

I taught a class on photographing the night sky, and delivered the conference’s closing session, “From Acadia to Zion: 59 Parks to Inspire Your Photography.” In addition to the myriad classes and presentations by the instructors and leaders, the conference had a very shooting-friendly format. Each morning, afternoon and night featured scores of photo walks and excursions, to places like Monument Cove, Boulder Beach, Cadillac Mountain, Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, Schoodic Peninsula and many, many more.

Me, during an Out of Acadia photo excursion up to North Bubble. Great photo courtesy of conference attendee and new friend Ron Johnson.

Out of Acadia was a dynamic event that left the attendees, instructors and organization exhausted (in a good way) and creatively fulfilled. If you were there, you’re probably still sorting through images. If you weren’t there, you can look into attending their next landscape event: the Out of Moab Photography Conference, to be held in October 2018. I’ll be there too!

PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo

New York City, New York

It’s one of the kings of the photo-conference world, held in New York City at the famous Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. And we’ll be speaking there on the final morning, for the third successive year. This time, we’re sponsored by one of the biggest supporters of the National Parks at Night workshop program: NIKON.

On Saturday, October 28, from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Matt, Gabe and I will deliver a two-hour presentation titled “Seize the Night—Taking your Night Photography to the Next Level.” From the session description:

“The National Parks at Night Team is excited to share their expertise and nocturnal visions with you. Go behind the scenes of some of their most challenging shots and see how they prevailed or failed. Take a look at the many aspects of night photography: astro-landscape, light painting, urban and Milky Way. Have your work reviewed and get valuable feedback on how you can elevate your night photography. You'll learn about essential gear, post-production tips, light painting, star trails, star points and urban night photography.”

If you’re not yet registered for PhotoPlus and would like to do so at 15 percent off, feel free to use our speakers’ link.

Lance Keimig will also be at PhotoPlus, delivering two presentations at the Irix booth during the day (at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.), and leading a night photo walk on the famed High Line (from 6 to 8 p.m.). For more information, see the event page on Facebook.

The Great Smoky Mountains Photography Summit

Townsend, Tennessee

From November 1-5, I’ll be on the road again, this time to Tennessee and North Carolina, where I’ll be speaking at this singular event held at one of the jewels of the park system, Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Clouds in the valleys of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. © 2013 Chris Nicholson.

I’ll be one of 12 instructors delivering presentations, offering image critiques and leading field sessions in the park. I’ll be talking about light painting and national park photography, and others will be discussing topics as diverse as metering, creativity, master field techniques and more. There’s also a print competition, with a grand prize of a Fuji X-E3 kit.

If you’ve never been to or photographed the Smoky Mountains, this is an excellent opportunity. See the Great Smoky Mountains Photography Summit website for more information about how to register.

Camera Clubs, etc.

After mid-fall, things slow down for us a bit in terms of speaking at conferences. But that doesn’t mean we won’t be out and talking about photography whenever we get the chance. We’re currently booked to speak at camera clubs in four states between now and mid-winter, including the Churchville Photography Club in Pennsylvania, the New Haven Camera Club in Connecticut, the Englewood Camera Club in Florida and the Greater Lynn Photographic Association in Massachusetts.

Last year we partnered with the New York Adventure Club, sponsored by by B&H photo and Hudson Mercantile, to host a light painting class on a secret rooftop in Manhattan.

And we’ll happily add more to the schedule! If you belong to a club that might like to hear about night photography and/or national parks, etc., feel free to contact us. There are numerous topics we’re prepared to talk about. We’re also eager to speak and/or lead photo walks for podcasts, trade shows, outdoors groups, night sky festivals, arts councils, museums, educational institutions and … well, probably for anyone interested in participating in engaging discussion about the topics we are crazy-passionate about! :-)

To keep updated about where and when we’ll be presenting at any given time, reference our Speaking Engagements webpage, or sign up for our event notification emails.

We look forward to meeting you all out in the photography community at some point soon. Until then, seize the night!

Chris Nicholson is a partner and workshop leader with National Parks at Night, and author of Photographing National Parks (Sidelight Books, 2015). Learn more about national parks as photography destinations, subscribe to Chris' free e-newsletter, and more at www.PhotographingNationalParks.com.

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT

Happy Birthday to NPAN. Thank You for an Amazing First Year!

All five of us from National Parks at Night say, "Thank you." It's been only one year since this beautiful dream started, and we're so grateful for those who believe in us.

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A PEEK ON THE INSIDE

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You may not know it from the surface, but NPAN (the acronym we use to refer to our business on the inside), is not just a workshop program. It's a living, blossoming dream that the five of us nurture and grow.

Seriously. 

We really love education, and night photography, and amazing national parks. But what we're really reaching to do is build amazing experiences for people centered around this quiet, nocturnal craft. 

I cannot count the number of times we've had passionate discussions about our workshop attendees, what would make them happy, and leveling up those ideas through spirited debate, critique and a lot of asking, "What if?"

It's all couched in mutual respect and a really egalitarian approach where we all take responsibility for growing this program together. More simply stated, we're all very involved in the business, as well as running our own workshops. There is no coasting for any of us; no passing of any bucks. We all are in this program to make something extraordinary happen every time.

And we know it sets us apart. Not from other workshop programs (we have many friends who also run their own programs and love them!), but from many businesses. We eschew hierarchy in favor of cooperation and respectful discourse. We trust each other and hold each other responsible to be true to those who choose to take an adventure with us. We know the real product is for our customers (who really become our friends) to have a positive and meaningful experience.

Why mention any of this to you? Well, because I am just so proud that these other four people chose to sign on to create National Parks at Night. And that they continue to be passionate about it, day after day, week after week, and month after month.

OH, THE PLACES, WE'VE BEEN

In our first year, individually and as a team we presented at PhotoPlus Expo, B&H and Lindblad Expeditions' OPTIC Imaging Conference, the new and exciting Out of New York Conference, numerous local camera clubs, Photoville, PSA, Maine Media Workshops, NECCC, RMSP, the New York Adventure Club, the B&H Event Space, the Photographic Resource Center in Boston, the Sierra Club, Photo Field Trip, local Meetup Groups and more. We love participating in local community events and hope to see you soon in your area during our second year.  

GRATITUDE FOR OUR SPONSORS

We have the trust and support of some amazing companies that dig night photography and superior customer service as much as we do. Thank you to them for partnering up with us. Here is a little about each of them: 

Gear is essential to the practice of night photography, and we choose our sponsor/partners with great care. It's a relationship that is valuable to the instructors, the workshop attendees and the brands. Everyone has to find value in it. 

Thanks to our sponsors, we can also offer our customers some great opportunities, many of which you discover during a workshop.

IF YOU CAN'T COME ALONG, JOIN US ONLINE:

And last, but not least, the crazy/amazing experience that was Night Photography Week on CreativeLive was bonkers in a very positive way. Special thanks to Kathy, Chelsea and Arlene for crafting a week-long experience that brings the night to a worldwide audience. 

LOOKING AT YEAR TWO

Here we are, one year later, seeing our dreams realized. All the 2016 workshops were enjoyed at full capacity. And the recently announced 2017 workshops are nearly full, too. The overwhelming support from our true believers makes us try even harder. So, we're talking about some other cool things that you'll know about soon if you're on our mailing list (hint, hint!).

Expect new ideas and offerings from NPAN in the coming year. We're growing our dreams, expanding our horizons.

This is really just getting started. We're both literally and figuratively exploring new ideas as you read this. Thanks again for supporting us, and for coming along on this dream to make beautiful nighttime photography in national parks in a community of like-minded people.

Matt

p.s. — I also want to express direct thanks to Gabe, Chris, Lance and Tim for being amazing human beings. It's a real pleasure to make this journey with you. You inspire me!

See more about Matt's photography, art, workshops and writing at MattHillArt.com. Follow Matt on Twitter Instagram Facebook.

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT

Night Photography Week Recap: Our Adventures With CreativeLive

Last week we had the most amazing experience. Well, more accurately, the experience lasted the entire summer.

A few months ago CreativeLive brought the entire National Parks at Night team on board to design a series of video courses about night photography—a long, challenging and rewarding project that culminated with "Night Photography Week" on September 12-16.

I can speak for all of us in saying that the experience of working with CreativeLive was remarkable. Their team is so professional, talented and capable that we all felt an immediate sense of ease—from Day 1 we could sense that the process would be smooth, and that we could focus on producing the best content we could imagine to deliver to our followers and theirs.

The production teams were true collaborators, offering an honest listen-and-feedback loop that everyone involved thrived on. And while their plans were honed to a T, they were adept at quickly adapting to avert or make the best of obstacles. (Let's just say that only two of the five of us did not have to deal with rain or fog during scheduled night-sky shoots.)

We had a lot of fun during the project as well, including a rooftop night portrait shoot with a great view of the Space Needle, camping at the coast of Olympic National Park during the Perseid meteor shower, and catching sight of an amazing fireball streaming across the skies of the Eastern Sierra.

What's next?

Now that our CreativeLive course is grown up and living its own life, we're not just sitting back and watching. We're ready to get back into the field with our fall workshops in Death Valley and Arches national parks, and with our 2017 itinerary that we announced last week.

If you haven't signed up for our Night Photography CreativeLive course yet, we encourage you to join the over 51,000 photographers who already have.

The course features:

• 82 segments that total nearly 18 hours of instruction and discussion.
• Bonus materials that include information on camera and light-painting gear, lists of apps to help with location scouting and night photography, and articles about topics such as camera settings and the 400 Rule.
• And a photo challenge that will be wrapped up with a live-streamed critique on CreativeLive on October 25! Send your very best night-photography images to www.creativelive.com/courses/night-photography-critique for a chance to receive feedback in this free live broadcast.

If you have any questions or feedback about the course, we'd love to hear from you, either in the Comments section below, via email or on our Facebook page.

Once again, thank you for all of your collective support, and for your mutual interest in this dynamic niche of photography. Seize the night!

Chris Nicholson is the author of Photographing National Parks (Sidelight Books, 2015). Learn more about national parks as photography destinations, subscribe to Chris' free e-newsletter, and more at www.PhotographingNationalParks.com.

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT