Night Sky Photography Workshop at Fort Griffin, Texas
Workshop Date: Saturday, October 2, 2021
Location: Fort Griffin State Historic Site, Albany Texas
Join for a fun night-time photography workshop with National Geographic photographer Andy Coleman. Fort Griffin State Historic Site, about 3 hours west of Dallas, has some of the darkest skies in Texas, affording great opportunities to photograph the night sky. The lack of light pollution and some historic ruins are the perfect backdrop to learn about photographing stars and the Milky Way, as well as light painting. The area is also home to the official longhorn herd of Texas, and we might get a chance to photograph these beautiful animals. Click here for some photos of this beautiful place.
Workshop Focus: We will cover all the elements of photographing in the dark, including night time focus, creating interesting foregrounds, light painting, camera settings and more.
Schedule: We will meet in the afternoon to explore the site by day before the sun sets at 7:15 PM. We will have 3 or 4 main sites where we will focus our efforts. If we get a clear sky, the Milky Way will be visible from 8:30-11:30.
Logistics: Though we may continue photographing through the night, depending on conditions, the main focus of the workshop will be complete by midnight. Participants can choose to drive back to Dallas or stay in the area overnight. There is a campground right next to the Fort. Several of the sites have full RV hookup with electricity, and some are tent only. There are toilet and shower facilities on site in the campground. There are also basic motels in Albany and Abilene.
Participants will be responsible for transportation to Fort Griffin. We will drive over to the Fort from the campground in small groups.
Class size will be limited to 8 people.
Cost: $180. Includes instruction and admission to the site. Does not include lodging/camping or food/drinks.
Equipment: There are several essential camera accessories you will need to photograph at night:
(1) A DSLR camera
(2) A wide angle lens - wider is better here, preferably something that goes as wide as 14mm or 16mm. Anything more than that will have too much foreground and cut out the night sky. Also, the aperture should be f2.8 (or f1.8 or 1.2 if you have it). If you don't have this type of lens, you can rent one locally at a shop like Competitive Camera or online at BorrowLenses.com.
(3) A sturdy tripod
(4) Some sort of remote shutter release, or an understanding of how to do shutter delay on your camera
(5) A headlamp to get around in the dark.
For additional information and to book your spot, please contact Andy Coleman at andycolemanphotography@gmail.com.
DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, October 2, 2021
Time: Starting in the afternoon to explore the site by day before the sun sets at 7:15 PM
Location: Fort Griffin State Historic Site, Albany Texas
Cost: $180.00
Register: Email andycolemanphotography@gmail.com