Wow. Just wow.
The Nightscaper Photo Conference was a stellar gathering of like-minded night photographers like never before! Over 225 people converged on Kanab, Utah, for four days of inspiration, camaraderie and photography under the dark skies of the high desert. It was a safe place for new and experienced night photographers to gain more confidence, to borrow some pretty cool gear and to create some epic images.
Gratitude
Thank you to all who attended. We felt such a buzz from your excitement bouncing from track to track, planning your night adventures at the message board, and interacting with all the other speakers, sponsors and attendees.
Thank you to all 26 speakers for sharing your night visions. We had such a variety of topics that took us on a journey across the universe, from making photos in our backyard to epic locations all over the world, and successfully capturing and understanding the endless cosmos that surround us. Technical classes helped us level up our processing, social media, phone, video and color theory applications.
And a huge shout out to our 27 sponsors who made our vendor hall so bustling, loaned gear for attendees to try out and led free night walks! They also offered over 50 giveaways that attendees could win on our popular Wheel of Stars!
First-time vendors Canon, Nikon, Sigma and Sony brought their latest cameras and lenses, and loaned out gear for attendees to test their performance under the night sky conditions. ZWO brought telescopes, trackers and all the deep space astro tech to assist attendees in reaching for the stars. They also worked with Stellar Vista Observatory to throw the absolute best star party we’ve ever attended!
For the second straight year Bay Photo Lab created the coolest conference badge ever. Printed on aluminum, attendees were posting their badges and announcing their arrival to Nightscaper on social media throughout the week. Beautiful Bay Photo 40x80 Xpozer prints helped provide streamlined signage that helped direct people around the Kanab Center.
BenQ and Calibrite offered a color calibration experience, and attendees could plug into 99 percent Adobe RGB BenQ SW monitors as well as calibrate their laptops as they prepared their images for print.
Canon and Red River collaborated in the popular free 18x24 print that every attendee took advantage of, including us at National Parks at Night! We think that Red River’s Polar White Metallic paper perfectly displays our night images.
Shimoda was incredibly popular sizing up people’s gear and outfitting them with one of their incredibly comfortable bags.
Speaking of sizing up: B&H Photo, Benro and Novoflex showcased a forest of tripods for people to try out and see which one fit their needs the best. B&H was probably the busiest booth, as they loaned out Luxli LED lights for Low-level Landscape Lighting out in the field at night.
Clarence from Spencer’s Camera inspired us to shoot sharper and cleaner in his class on how to get the most from astro-modified cameras. Nomatic displayed their latest bags, from compact slings to large backpacks that could easily fit all your astro needs. ProGrade showcased their full line of professional cards and readers from SD to CFExpress type A & B.
Recap
The four-day conference schedule (September 26 to 29) included two tracks and over 35 classes for nightscapers to choose from. Determining which class to sit in on was a challenge at times, but knowing that all the sessions were being recorded for streaming replays allowed us not to suffer too much from the fear of missing out.
Half of the attendees were new to the Nightscaper Conference. It was so amazing to see the night community come together and share so much information, images and stories in the hallways between sessions, over the many meals we shared and of course in between selfies with speakers!
New this year was our popular Shoot for the Stars Message Board that helped attendees organize multiple nights shoots to nearby Bryce Canyon, Zion and the Toadstools, and even to more unknown dark skies in the Grand Staircase-Escalante region.
The end of the first day featured the popular “Tales of the Night,” where the audience had their images projected on the big screen while they took the mic and shared their story behind the shot. This made everyone feel right at home under the same night skies we have all experienced.
After the first night’s welcome dinner, a truly magical experience commenced. The Kanab Center turned off all their lights and we walked out back to the epic star party that ZWO and Stellar Vista had set up. Attendees could peer into the universe with over half a dozen ZWO Seestar S50 smart telescopes aimed at constellations and nebulae. With one, we could capture and transfer images of the Veil Nebula straight to our phones!
Other telescopes provided an incredible viewing experience as they brought planets, stars and constellations closer to us. Some attendees brought their own telescopes or rigs, and experts helped calibrate and get on track for seizing the stars.
Earlier this year we lost one of the brightest stars in the night photography world, Alyn Wallace. Alyn was scheduled to speak at the conference this year. We were all heartbroken about this unexpected loss to our universe. We dedicated a morning session to honoring Alyn and his work, and shared a moment of silence.
Alyn’s impact on the night photography community was undeniable. We know he is smiling down on us, especially when we find ourselves under those dark night skies.
The Nightscaper Morning Add-On Sessions were incredibly popular and allowed for small classroom educational experiences on topics such as processing and time-lapse techniques, pano stitching in PTGui, social media tune-ups, portfolio reviews and Photopills one-on-ones.
What really stepped up the overall experience was the organized night shoots from Canon, Nikon, Sony and Spencer’s to Bryce Canyon, Cliff Dwellers, Coral Pink Sand Dunes and South Kanab, respectively. Everyone had the opportunity to explore the night skies with speakers and their fellow attendees.
The Nightscaper Conference is much more than learning about astronomy and night photography. It’s also about getting to know each other, sharing our stories, and going out and safely exploring the night skies. We were reminded that we are not alone in the universe—we are night-minded and have a common passion. The overall theme was that while some of us might be new to this and others might be more experienced, we know that together we are going to seize the night!
Until Next Time!
Whether or not you attended the Nightscaper Conference this year, we are all connected. There is a comfort knowing we are not the only ones who have a passion for staying up all hours of the night. We invite you to join the conversation either in the comments below or by tagging #nightscaperconference socially when you share your images and stories.
If you are interested in watching any of the sessions from Nightscaper 2024, you can still purchase a Replays Ticket here. The replays will be ready to watch within the next week or two, and they’ll be available for streaming for one year after the conference ended.
Lastly, save the date—our next Nightscaper Photo Conference family reunion will be May 14-17, 2026.
Stay tuned to this blog for more!
