Take Five: Announcing the Fifth Annual Night Photo Summit

We are “over the Frost Moon” to announce the event you have all been waiting for: the 2025 Night Photo Summit!

We’ll be kicking off our fifth annual virtual conference this January 24-26, 2025.

We have gathered many of the top night photographers and creators from all over the world—some familiar faces and some new—to inspire you for three days and nights.

All in all, we’ll have over 35 speakers and 45 hours of education for you to “seize”—not only for the weekend of January 24th, because your ticket will also get you unlimited access to recordings of all the classes for a full year after the conference!

Beyond the education there will be virtual breakout rooms to confab with speakers after their classes, or to just meet up with like-minded folks. We also have some pretty fun virtual parties as well as many as 75 giveaways that could total over $15,000!

So join the inspiration and education, the camaraderie and fun, known to the universe as the Night Photo Summit. If you love the night, you’ll want to be here!

The Amazing Speakers

We have felt immensely blessed to be able to work with so many top-notch speakers for the summit, and this year is no different. In addition to a several returning presenters, attendees will get to learn from and interact with at least 13 inspiring new voices.

The 2025 speakers include Autumn Schrock, Brennen Nichole, Cathrin Machin, Chris Nicholson, Cody S. York, Dan Zafra, Forest Chaput de Saintonge, Gabriel Biderman, Glenn Randall, Isabella Tabacchi, Jason Weingart, Jennifer B. Bodine, Jessica Rojas, Joshua Snow, Jürgen Lobert, Katrina Brown, Ken Lee, Kevin Adams, Lance Keimig, Marybeth Kiczenski, Monika Deviat, Matt Hill, Nate Luebbe, Patrick Joust, Peter Mauney, Prince Berkoh, Sadeq Hayati, Sarah Mathews, Susan Magnano, Tim Cooper, Tim Little, Tyler Nordgren and Vincent Ledvina, with more to be announced in the next couple of weeks.

View fullsize

Sessions

Astronomers, artists, authors and photographers will all share their night visions on astro-modification, astrophysics, auroras, backcountry, drone lightning, light painting, lunar eclipses, lunar streaks, Milky Way, mobile night, maps, night portraits, panos, PixInsight, PTGui, stars, trackers, selling your art, weather apps, timelapses, and plenty of processing classes to help you level up your learning!

How to Join Us

If you’re into night photography, or if you want to get into it, this is an event you absolutely do not want to miss.

View fullsize

Tickets are $399, and include:

• three days, more than 35 instructors, over 45 hours of inspiration, instruction and fun

• a Fundamentals series of video classes for newbies or anyone who wants a refresher

• one year of access to re-watch all of the courses

• live image reviews

• exclusive glow-in-the-dark summit T-shirt

• personal access to product experts from manufacturers and developers sponsoring the event

• giveaways throughout the duration of the summit

• an unparalleled opportunity to connect with like-minded photographers passionate about the night

Moreover, if you purchase your ticket by January 1 at 2 p.m. EST, you’ll get your shirt and a swag bag before the summit!

(Note: Shirts and swag bags will be mailed only to attendees with U.S. addresses, but we may be able to help those from other countries too. We’ll be in touch with more info after you register.)

Registration is available now, so sign up today and mark your calendars to join National Parks at Night for the world’s fifth online Night Photo Summit!

JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

As if all of that is not enough, we’ll be releasing plenty more information over the next few weeks. To stay tuned in to it all, we invite you to follow the summit social media accounts on:

• Instagram: @nightphotosummit

• Facebook: @nightphotosummit

• X: @nightsummit

We are very much looking forward to seeing you online next month. In the meantime, feel free to ask us any questions via the social media accounts above, in the comments below, or through the Night Photo Summit webpage.

Seize the night … online!

Gabriel Biderman is a partner and workshop leader with National Parks at Night. He is a Brooklyn-based fine art and travel photographer, and author of Night Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots (Peachpit, 2014). During the daytime hours you'll often find Gabe at one of many photo events around the world working for B&H Photo’s road marketing team. See his portfolio and workshop lineup at www.ruinism.com.

---

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT

Simply Stellar: Wrapping Up the 2024 Nightscaper Conference

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.

View fullsize

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.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

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.

View fullsize

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.

View fullsize

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.

View fullsize

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!

View fullsize

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.

View fullsize

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.

View fullsize

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!

Gabriel Biderman is a partner and workshop leader with National Parks at Night. He is a Brooklyn-based fine art and travel photographer, and author of Night Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots (Peachpit, 2014). During the daytime hours you'll often find Gabe at one of many photo events around the world working for B&H Photo’s road marketing team. See his portfolio and workshop lineup at www.ruinism.com.

---

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT

Shoot for the Stars with us in Kanab: Announcing the 2024 Nightscaper Conference

We’re heading back to Kanab! To one of the premier places in the United States for dark skies and spectacular, surreal landscapes.

This week we officially launched the 2024 Nightscaper Photo Conference, and we invite you to come shoot for the stars with us.

About Nightscaper

If you’re making plans for your 2024 fall Milky Way season, then include Nightscaper in your schedule and level up your astro-landscape night photography skills. This year’s conference will be held in the nights leading up to the new moon, providing perfect darkness to photograph the setting Milky Way in the earlier hours of the night.

You’ll join other passionate photographers, scientists and inspirational speakers in Kanab. The daytime conference leaves plenty of room for going out at night with speakers, as well as with friends new and old. Speakers will also be offering local workshops before and after the conference, so you can put together a pretty awesome night photography experience in one of the best places in the world for doing so.

The Nightscaper conference goes on for four days, starting each day in late morning to accommodate those who were out shooting the night before. Daily lunches are included, as well as one dinner.

Tickets

Tickets for the 2024 conference went on sale this past week. We are offering Conference + Replays tickets for those who can travel or Replays-only for those who cannot travel but still want all that education and inspiration.

• $549 ($200 off the full price) for in-person tickets: use code “EarlyBird”

• $349 ($50 off full price) for replays-only tickets: use code “EarlyBirdReplay”

Early Bird tickets will be available only through March 31, so grab yours at a discounted rate while you can!

Speakers

We are very excited to announce speakers for 2024 conference. Several from last year are returning: Kristine Richer, Mike Shaw, Jess Santos, Bryony Richards, Gabriel Biderman, Matt Hill and Chris Nicholson.

In addition, we will be welcoming:

• Alyn Wallace, 2021 speaker and author of Photographing the Night Sky

• Alyssa Pagan, science visuals developer for the James Webb Space Telescope

• Katrina Brown, a master of creative light painting and time-lapse

• Michael Frye, renowned landscape photographer and author of five books, including Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters and and The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite

• Rafael Pons, the bard of PhotoPills

• Tim Cooper and Lance Keimig of National Parks at Night

• and the original nightscaper, conference founder Royce Bair!

View fullsize

For more information, visit our About the Speakers page.

And keep checking back, because that won't be the last of the names you’ll see. We'll be adding a few more speakers, and we’ll keep you posted.

Follow Us for News

We’ll be rolling out event more information throughout the spring and summer, including:

• more sponsor and speaker announcements

• morning add-on post-production classes

• speaker workshops

• lodging info

• and more!

Stay tuned in to our conference news by following the Nightscaper social media accounts:

• Instagram

• Facebook

• Twitter

Also, be sure to sign up for the Nightscaper email list to receive all conference updates right in your inbox.

Finally, join the Facebook group to share your night photos and to chat all things night photography.

View fullsize

Chris Nicholson is a partner and director of content with National Parks at Night, and author of Photographing National Parks (Sidelight Books, 2015) and Photographing Lighthouses (Sidelight Books, 2024). Learn more about national parks as photography destinations, subscribe to Chris' free e-newsletter, and more at www.PhotographingNationalParks.com.

---

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT

Ready for a Virtual Adventure? Announcing the 2024 Night Photo Summit!

We are thrilled to announce the 2024 Night Photo Summit!

This fourth annual virtual conference spans 3 days and highlights what’s new and exciting in the intersecting worlds of night photography, national parks and dark skies.

Since 2021 the summit has evolved and grown to gather photographers, artists, authors and astronomers from around the globe to share their passion for all things nocturnal.

The Night Photo Summit is here to scratch your itch, and promises education, inspiration and just plain fun. The nights may be cold now, and the Milky Way core might be hiding below the horizon, but with that comes the promise of a not-too-distant spring and the promise of new opportunities to get back out there and make stellar images.

Until then, we’re here with a cadre of new speakers and new topics to whet your appetite and to sow new ideas for the coming year. The summit is also a great way to connect with old friends and to make new ones, with multiple opportunities to network and socialize with both speakers and attendees.

Join us February 2-4, 2024, to experience 3 days of dynamic presentations from more than 35 luminaries who will light up your nights and your imagination.

SPEAKERS

We have felt immensely blessed to be able to work with so many top-notch speakers for the summit, and this year is no different. In addition to a few returning presenters, attendees will get to learn from and interact with 19 inspiring new voices.

The 2024 speakers include Sean Bagshaw, Royce Bair, Benjamin Barakat, Yuri Beletsky, Gabriel Biderman, Forest Chaput de Saintonge, Tim Cooper, Joshua Cripps, Alan Dyer, Daniel Freeman, Michael Frye, Kim Henry, Kerry-Ann Lecky Hepburn, Matt Hill, Melissa Kaelin, Marybeth Kiczenski, Lance Keimig, Tim Little, Pete Mauney, Andrew McCarthy, Brandon Nesbitt, Chris Nicholson, Eric Pare, Jessica Rojas, Jess Santos, Mike Shaw, Anthony Sleiman, Chris Smith, Babak Tafreshi, Adam Woodworth and Dan Zafra, with more to be announced in the next couple of weeks.

View fullsize

SESSIONS

This year’s summit features sessions on planning extraordinary images, shooting with drones at night, using weather apps and exploring urban night photography, as well as (of course) techniques including image capture, different ways of working with moonlight and star trails, black and white at night, post-processing and more.

There are classes for all levels, including a series of five pre-recorded presentations that cover all the fundamentals of night photography.

There are intermediate and advanced level courses, as well as instructive, inspirational and informative sessions covering a wide range of topics. All in all, the programming totals over 45 hours of learning and virtual adventure.

Sponsors & Giveaways

We are thrilled to announce that several sponsors are already on board! B&H Photo, Nightscaper Photo Conference, Sigma, Spencer’s Camera, Calibrite, Novoflex, Acratech, Chimani and Focus on Stars are raring to go, soon to be joined by more!

Each and every sponsor is offering giveaways to be randomly awarded at the summit’s final party. More info on that to come!

How to Join Us

If you’re into night photography, or if you want to get into it, this is an event you absolutely do not want to miss.

View fullsize

Tickets are $399, and include:

• 3 days, more than 35 instructors, over 45 hours of inspiration, instruction and fun

• a Fundamentals series of video classes for newbies or anyone who wants a refresher

• 1 year of access to re-watch all of the courses

• a live image review session

• exclusive glow-in-the-dark summit T-shirt

• personal access to product experts from manufacturers and developers sponsoring the event

• giveaways throughout the duration of the summit

• an unprecedented opportunity to connect with like-minded photographers passionate about the night

Moreover, if you purchase your ticket by January 13 at 2 p.m. EST, you’ll get your shirt and a swag bag before the summit!

(Note: shirts and swag bags will be mailed only to attendees with U.S. addresses, but we may be able to help those from other countries too. We’ll be in touch with more info after you register.)

Registration is available now, so sign up today and mark your calendars to join National Parks at Night for the world’s fourth online Night Photo Summit!

JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

As if all of that is not enough, we’ll be releasing plenty more information over the next few weeks. To stay tuned in to it all, we invite you to follow the summit social media accounts on:

• Instagram: @nightphotosummit

• Facebook: @nightphotosummit

• X: @nightsummit

We are very much looking forward to seeing you online next month. In the meantime, feel free to ask us any questions via the social media accounts above, in the comments below, or through the Night Photo Summit webpage.

Seize the night … online!

Lance Keimig is a partner and workshop leader with National Parks at Night. He has been photographing at night for 30 years, and is the author of Night Photography and Light Painting: Finding Your Way in the Dark (Focal Press, 2015). Learn more about his images and workshops at www.thenightskye.com.

---

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT

Expand Your Universe: Two Night Photography Conferences Coming Your Way in 2024

At the end of this past week, fall faded and winter began.

Well, that happened in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway. In the Southern, tans are starting. But regardless of your orientation to the equator, we’re all soon heading into a new year. With that new year will come a fresh slate of night photography experiences, including opportunities to interact with like-minded photographers.

For exactly that purpose, we run two annual events: the Night Photo Summit and the Nightscaper Photo Conference. Each are unique in the ways you can be inspired and engaged, and we’ll soon be officially launching both of their 2024 iterations.

For now, as the year wanes, we want to give you a sneak peak about what’s coming up.

The 2024 Night Photo Summit

The Night Photo Summit is an engaging winter conference run completely online, dedicated to inspiration, education and fun, highlighted by about 30 speakers from the U.S. and around the world.

The summit features over 40 presentations and panel discussions showcasing all aspects of night photography, dark skies and national parks. You can network with the speakers and fellow viewers in the classroom, as well as in the popular break-out sessions and virtual parties. You won’t want to miss our closing party that features over 75 giveaways—many prizes are worth more than the conference ticket! And don't forget, you can rewatch or catch the classes you missed—over 45 hours of content—for a full year.

View fullsize

This year’s Night Photo Summit will run from Friday, February 2 through Sunday, February 4. On January 6 we’ll announce all the details, including the names of the speakers—some returning from past years and some brand new to the event.

If you subscribe to this blog, you’ll receive that announcement. But if you want more news and info about the Night Photo Summit, be sure to subscribe to the conference email list. Throughout January we’ll send a weekly newsletter with updates and news about everything going on with the summit.

(Note that if you attended last year, you still have access to the replays for another few weeks. So if you want to review Royce Bair teaching starlight blends, or Rachel Jones Ross discussing auroras, or Alyn Wallace talking about wonders of the night sky—now’s the time!)

Night Photo Summit In Review

• Dates: February 2-4, 2024

• Tickets on sale: January 6, 2024

• Social accounts: Facebook · Instagram

• More info: nightphotosummit.com

The 2024 Nightscaper Photo Conference

The Nightscaper Photo Conference is held in-person in Kanab, Utah—this year in the fall! It features a speaker mix of night photographers and astronomers, with topics that focus on dark-sky, Milky Way and deep space photography, as well as astronomy and the science behind the night skies we photograph. The nights are filled with people shooting together, as well as dark-sky walks and star parties.

The 2024 Nightscaper Conference will run from September 26 through September 29, hosted at the Kanab Center. We couldn’t be more excited about the lineup of speakers we’ve been honored to put together. Confirmed so far are Katrina Brown, Michael Frye, Alyssa Pagan, Kristine Rose, Bryony Richards, Jess Santos, Mike Shaw, Alyn Wallace, Royce Bair and Jack Fusco, as well as all five National Parks at Night instructors. And we’ll be announcing more soon!

View fullsize

Like with its sister event, Nightscaper attendees will receive professionally produced video recordings of all the conference presentations. If you can’t attend in person but know you can’t miss out on everything that happens, you will also be able to watch the presentation videos with a Replays Only ticket.

(Reminder to 2023 attendees: You still have a few months to watch those replays! Your access will expire on May 27. If you did not attend the 2023 conference, you can still purchase a Replays Only ticket to access recordings of all the amazing presentations from this year—presentations such as “Photographing Aurora Borealis” by Dr. Kah-Wai Lin, “Tracked Milky Way Panoramas” by Dan Zafra and “Color Theory for Night Photographers” by Jess Santos.)

Tickets for Nightscaper 2024 will go on sale February 29, starting with a special early-bird deal. Everything you need to know will be announced then, so keep your eye on this blog. We also suggest subscribing to the Nightscaper email list, as we’ll send periodic newsletter updates throughout the spring and summer.

Nightscaper Photo Conference In Review

• Dates: September 26-29, 2024

• Tickets on sale: February 29, 2024

• Social accounts: Facebook · Instagram

• More info: nightscaper.com

Seizing the Night—Together

We hope you can join us at Night Photo Summit or Nightscaper Conference—or both! We’ve learned so much from so many of the speakers and attendees at these events. And bonus: We’ve also made a ton of new friends who share our passion for seizing the night.

Stay tuned over the coming weeks for more information about all of this and more. We’re delighted and excited, elated and enthused, to share this love of the night with so many wonderful photographers just like you.

Chris Nicholson is a partner and director of content with National Parks at Night, and author of Photographing National Parks (Sidelight Books, 2015) and Photographing Lighthouses (Sidelight Books, 2023). Learn more about national parks as photography destinations, subscribe to Chris' free e-newsletter, and more at www.PhotographingNationalParks.com.

---

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS FROM NATIONAL PARKS AT NIGHT