Night Sky Panoramas 3-Night Workshop
with instructor Aaron Priest (aaronpriestphoto.com)
Accommodation at Acadia Images’ facility included
May 2017 18-21st
$1500 | 6 participant max.
Capture the full spectacle of the heavens by learning how to shoot panoramas of the night sky. Learn everything from the basics to the complex of night sky panorama photography in this post-processing intense 3-day workshop. If you have never tried a pano, have tried but had problematic results, or want to learn how to perfect the technique this is the workshop for you. Please bring whatever pano gear you have and if you want to try out panos for the first time there are two Really Right Stuff multi-row panning heads to experiment with. Post processing will be a major focus of this workshop and you will need to bring a laptop with Photoshop 6 (or newer), Lightroom CC or newer and PTGui.
This comprehensive workshop will feature 12 hours of shooting (weather dependant) and 12 hours of post-processing.
Workshop Schedule (weather dependant):
May 1st day: Plan to arrive by 1pm and be ready for an intro class session 2pm – 6pm. We’ll head out shooting at 10:30pm-2:45am
May 2nd day: Get a good sleep and be ready to dive into post-processing from 2pm-6pm. Once again shooting from 10:30pm-2:45am
May 3rd day: Post-processing 2pm-6pm, shooting 10:30pm-2:45am
May 4th day: Wrap-up of post-processing by 1pm
This workshop covers:
- Camera settings for panorama
- Setting for capturing the night sky
- No-parallax-point identification
- Use of panning heads
- Single row panos
- Multi-row panos
- Image post-processing for the night sky
- Image processing for panoramas
- Stitching and blending
- Projections and distortion
At a minimum you will need a camera*, lens*, a sturdy tripod is a must, as is remote switch (wired or wireless). An intervalometer or Promote Control are a step up. Bring your own laptop with Photoshop CS 6 or newer. If you have other equipment such as a panning clamp and rail (which is necessary to eliminate parallax) you will have more compositional options and better blending. If multi-row or spherical panos are your endgame then you’ll want to have a multi-row panning head such as the ones from Really Right Stuff or Nodal Ninja. We have two Really Right Stuff panning heads available for use during the workshop.
*Equipment is paramount for advanced shooting techniques and you will want to have (or rent) good gear. You should have a camera that performs well at ISO 3200, full frame is preferable, most newer Nikon and Canons, and the Sony a7S are good choices (see list below). The other basic gear you’ll need is a fast and wide lens. f/2.8 is preferred and at least 16mm or wider (see list below). For multi-row panos we recommend the Sigma 24mm Art and 35mm Art f/1.4 lenses.
Cameras: Full-frame highly recommended
Nikon: D700, D750, D800, D810, Dx, or similar
Canon: 5D MkIII, 6D, 1Dx, or similar
Sony: a7S
Lenses:
Nikon: 14-24mm f/2.8
Tamron: 15-30mm f/2.8
Canon: 16-35mm f/2.8
Canon: 11-24mm f/4
Rokinon: 14mm f/2.8
For crop sensor cameras:
Rokinon 10mm
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
Panoramas get big fast, especially with 24 and 36 megapixel cameras. You’ll need plenty of available storage, both in camera and on your computer, bring a external drive to backup your images on. While out in the field it’s best to take notes, either on paper or on your phone, about the sequence you shoot.
Night Sky Panorama 3-day Workshop May 18 -21, 2017 | $1500