Learn how to photograph the night sky in northern Minnesota. During the Night Skies of the Gunflint Trail we’ll explore some of the darkest locations in Cook County. Cook County is one of the darkest areas east of a line that runs from North Dakota to Texas. It offers some of the darkest skies in the world. According to the Dark Sky Finder, a small section of the county reaches Bortle Level 1, which is the darkest the sky can get on earth. Most of the county is shown as a level 2 or 3 by the Dark Sky Finder. Combine the dark sky with the numerous lakes, twisted pines, cedar and spruce trees and we have some of the best foregrounds to combine with the night sky.

Dates: August 20-24, 2025

Cost: $899 ($450 nonrefundable deposit due on registration. The remainder is due 90 days before the workshop.)

This event is in cooperation with and under a Special Use Permit from  U.S.  Forest Service, Gunflint Ranger District.

What You Will Learn

This night photography workshop concentrates on the following teaching topics:

• Predicting where the Milky Way will be
• The changing positions and angles of the Milky Way
• Finding the galactic core
• Planning photo shoots based on the Milky Way and the moon and twilight
• Finding dark skies
• Computer programs and smartphone applications for planning photo shoots
• Camera settings for night photography
• The 600 rule vs. 500 rule vs. 400 rule
• How to focus at night
• Composition for effective night photos
• Adding people to your shots the right way
• Using Adobe Lightroom to process your Milky Way photos

This workshop includes a FREE copy of my Adobe Lightroom Night Sky Presets. I use these presets to process my own Milky Way photos. The workshop also includes a pdf of the classroom presentation. It will be provided on a USB drive during the classroom session, so bring a laptop. You can copy the presentation and presets to your laptop from the USB drive.

Note: If we have clouds, we will still be outside learning techniques for low level landscape lighting to subtly light the landscape to enhance your Milky Way foregrounds — this is not light painting. If we have a thunderstorm, we will attempt to capture lightning.

Itinerary

The schedule is tentative and may change based on conditions. The start times may vary based on sunset time.

Day 1: 6pm to 2am depending on conditions

The night sky photography workshop officially begins at six with a slideshow and lecture covering some of the teaching topics. After the slideshow, we’ll head out to photograph the night sky and make sure that everyone understands how to make an image. We will spend the night photographing the night sky.

Day 2: 7pm to 3am or so

We start in the classroom. I’ll also demonstrate how to process Milky Way images using Lightroom and my night sky presets. I designed the presets so that you can fine tune your images and maximize the potential in 30 seconds or less. You’ll receive a free copy of the presets and the presets manual. Most likely this will be the night we travel furthest up the trail to several of my favorite night sky destinations that offer great views of the Milky Way and the northern sky. We’ll try to photograph 3 to 5 different locations depending on the pace of the group. Two of the locations will have views of the northern sky over water.

Day 3 to 4: start at 6pm or 9pm

We start early and we’ll attempt to capture the twilight after sunset. After that, we’ll head out to photograph the night sky.

Day 5: 6pm or 9pm

Image review starts at 6pm. For the field work, we start before sunset and shoot until midnight.

Additional Information

Workshop type: This is a Minnesota photography workshop. It has classroom time, outdoor field time, and an image review session during the workshop dates. Learn more about workshop types.

Maximum number of participants: 10

Experience Level: This workshop is for all levels of photographers and works best for photographers using digital cameras.

Activity level: Expect most of the destination to be near the cars. The longest hike may be up to one mile depending on the parking situation. We will be out late most nights.

What’s included in the workshop fee: Instruction fee and guiding.

What’s not included in the workshop fee: Transportation. Carpooling is required. We will use an application to help coordinate carpools before the workshop. Lodging. Meals. Trip insurance. Park entrance fees.

Lodging partner: After you register, I’ll send you information on how you can register for the room block. The hotel is in Grand Marais, MN

Workshop Dates: August 20-24, 2025

Check-in date: August 20

Check-out date: August 25

Getting there: Grand Marais, Minnesota is 110 miles north of Duluth, Minnesota on Highway 61. Duluth boasts a small international airport. It’s 260 miles north of Minneapolis, Minnesota, which has an international airport that also acts as a regional hub. Grand Marais is 128 kilometers south of Thunder Bay, Ontario on Highway 61. Thunder Bay has a small airport. Car rentals are available at the airports.

Weather: The average temps for 54°F for lows and 71°F for highs. You should expect colder temps inland. Temps in the 40s are not unusual.

Equipment list: After registration, you will receive a full equipment list and participant package. The package will discuss equipment options, photography techniques and more.

Filters: No filters are needed, but Singh-Ray makes the Astro Vision Filter which reduces light pollution. It’s not needed for the workshop, but it might be helpful if you photograph an area with more light pollution. More information is in the participant package.  You get a discount when buying direct and using the code “hansel10”.

Registration and Cancellation Policies

Please, read the Registration and Cancellation Policies at the link. There are no exceptions to the policy.