Cook County, Minnesota on the north shore of Lake Superior is 92% public and undeveloped land. With a summer population of about 10,000 people mainly living near the shore of Lake Superior, there isn’t much in the way of night pollution. On the Bortle night sky darkness scale Cook County’s skies rank 2 to 3 (with 1 being the darkest and 9 the brightest). Parts of the county even reach a Bortle rank of 1. When it’s dark out, the stars fill the sky, the Milky Way is bright and because of our proximity to the magnetic north pole, we get northern lights more often than other areas at the same latitude. July generally has clear nights or nights with lightning and thunderstorms, and this night photography workshop takes advantage of those clear summer nights. For five days, we’ll work on capturing night images and learning how to process them.

Dates: July 20-24, 2025

Cost: $899 ($450 nonrefundable deposit due on registration. Final payment 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
• Low level lighting

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 presentations.

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 Night Photography Workshop on Lake Superior is based around a waning crescent moon in one of the darkest locations in the lower 48. We’ll spend lots of time photographing the Milky Way, learning how to shoot star trails and if the northern lights come out, we’ll concentrate on those. If we’re luckily a lightning storm will roll through town and over Lake Superior. If that happens, we’ll photograph lightning over the big lake. You’ll also have an opportunity to learn how to photograph tents, use low level lighting and how to add yourself or another person to a photo to increase its impact.

The schedule is tentative and may change based on conditions.

Day 1: 7pm to 1am or so

The night sky photography workshop officially begins at seven with a slideshow and lecture about camera control, composition and general night photography principles for capturing nightscape images. After the slideshow, we’ll head out to photograph the night sky and make sure that everyone understands how to make an image. Most likely this will be a Lake Superior night unless the northern lights are out. If the aurora show up, we’ll head inland.

Day 2: 7pm to 2am or so

We start in the classroom with a slideshow and demonstration on how to process night sky 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. After the presentation and classroom session, we head out into the field to photograph the night sky. We’ll try to hit two to three different locations for a variety of foregrounds and image types. Most likely this will be an inland night at several of my favorite night sky destinations that offer great views of the Milky Way and the northern sky.

Day 3: 6pm to 2am or so

We start in the classroom by sharing two to three images that you’ve taken and processed during the workshop. You’ll receive constructive feedback that will help improve your photography over the following nights. We’ll also have a slideshow about how to shoot star trails. Then we’ll head out into the field to photograph the night sky. The plan is to create one or more star trail images.

Day 4: 6pm to 1am

We start in the classroom with an optional two-hour processing session. Alternatively, based on interest, we’ll head out to shoot the sunset instead of spending time in the classroom. If we do the classroom session, you’ll have time to process your images, ask questions and get ready for the night. After the classroom, we’ll head out to different locations than those in the previous nights.

Day 5: 6pm to Midnight

For people that want to stay for the last night, we’ll have a final session of night photography. Image review begins at 6pm.

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: July 20-24, 2025

Check-in date: July 20

Check-out date: July 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 52°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.