Night photography workshop: Creativity, camaraderie in Nelson Ghost Town!

Interested in spending three nights in an amazing, weird and fun location filled with old cars, trucks, buses and buildings? Join me and host Tim Little as we explore this small Nevada town under moonlight!

We are teaching a night photography workshop in the amazing Nelson ghost town near Las Vegas, Nevada. The workshop will cover the basics of night photography, composition, creativity, tips, techniques, star trails and more.

This is THE workshop for anyone who wants limitless photography opportunities with the safety of a group environment while learning a lot along the way!

Nelson ghost town workshop, May 4-6 2023. Photo by Tim Little.

What is Nelson Ghost Town?

Nelson is easily one of my favorite places to photograph. Whether it’s vintage cars, gas pumps, old Western buildings, soda machines, creepy dolls, a spectacular airplane “wreck” or phone booths, enormous post-apocalyptic “Mad Max”-style vehicles, vintage signs and more, you will have no shortage of fascinating subjects to photograph. This is, in short, a night photographer’s paradise.

Given its proximity to Las Vegas, it’s also quite accessible. The area is frequently used for movies, TV shows, music videos, commercials, wedding ceremonies and much more. However, we’ll have it all to ourselves.

What will you learn?

Quite a bit if you wish. You may learn various light painting techniques, night photography, composition, creative and practical techniques, star trails, light painting techniques and more, presented in a very accessible manner in a fascinating space.

You’ll also be among numerous creative photographers, giving you the opportunity to make friends, work together on photos, and share in the experience in a safe environment.

Furthermore, this isn’t one of those workshops where the instructors are inaccessible in the field. Both of us will be available throughout the evening to help if you need to. We will issue small 2-way radios for ease of communication, whether asking for help or coordinating with others.

Timothy Little

Timothy Little is a gifted nighttime landscape artist based on Cape Cod. Since 2006, he has used his moonlit and starlit photographic art to connect the natural beauty of “the Cape” with the inherent solitude of night. His portfolio is exclusive to night photography making him the only area artist specializing in this genre. He also specializes in photographing abandoned scenes in the southwest United States.

His work has been featured on Space.com, the Cape Cod Times, Cape Cod Life, Visit Massachusetts and several other New England based publications.

In addition to creating art, he shares his knowledge through group workshops and guided night tours.

Ken Lee

I am devoted to teaching night photography, light painting, star trails and Milky Way photography. Whether that has been through the Night Photo Summit, my own workshops, or writing here at Photofocus, I hope to help you on your journey through night photography.

My photos have been featured in National Geographic Books, Omni Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Westways Magazine, and numerous other publications.

When is the night photography workshop?

Nelson ghost town workshop, May 4-6 2023. Photo by Tim Little.

The Nelson night photography workshop will be three nights: May 4-6 2023 under the beautiful Nevada desert moonlight. We will be staying in nearby Boulder City.

Find out more about our Nelson Ghost Town workshop here.

VISIT ME, VISIT ME!

BOOKS AND PRINTS:
Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure prints and more.  My books are available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review, thanks!

NIGHTAXIANS VIDEO YOUTUBE PODCAST:

Night photographers Tim Little, Mike Cooper and I all use Pentax gear. We discuss this, gear, adventures, light painting, lenses, night photography, creativity, and more in this ongoing YouTube podcast. Subscribe and watch to the Nightaxians today!

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Ken Lee Photography Facebook Page (poke your head in, say hi, and “like” the page if you would, uh, like)
Instagram

PODCAST:
Behind the Shot video podcast – interview February 2020

VIDEO PRESENTATION:

How We Got the Shots: Five Photographers, Five Stories – Night Photo Summit 2022

VIDEO INTERVIEW:

Ken Lee’s Abandoned Trains Planes and Automobiles with Tim Little of Cape Nights Photography
Conversation about night photography and my book with Lance Keimig of National Park At Night

ARTICLES:
A Photographer Captures Haunting Nighttime Images of Abandoned Buildings, Planes, and Cars in the American Southwest – Business Insider by Erin McDowell
A Photographer Explores Southern California’s Desert Ruins – Los Angeles Magazine article by Chris Nichols

 

Advertisement

Surrealistic Art in the Nevada Night Sky

Saluting The Night Sky (6871)

The Car Forest is an art installation outside Goldfield, Nevada. I drove up from Beatty to photograph here on a gorgeous evening, surrounded by braying and sometimes galloping burros. Many of these cars were repainted since my last visit, some for the better, and some by idiots.
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This is a real night photo. I illuminated the exterior and interior with a hand-held ProtoMachines LED2 flashlight while the shutter was open on my tripod-mounted camera. This is not a post-processing creation. No pixels were harmed during the creation of this photo. 😀
~~
Nikon D610/14-24mm f/2.8 lens. The long exposure photo is 21 minutes total “stacking” three photos, each 7 minutes f/8 ISO 200 on 2017-06-11 00:03.
~~
#kenlee #kenleephotography #slowshutter #amazing_longexpo #longexphunter #longexpoelite #longexposure_shots #nightscaper #supreme_nightshots #ig_astrophotography #super_photolongexpo #long_exposure #nightscaper #nightphotography #longexposure #startrails #lightpainting #nevada #carforest

Long Exposure Night Photo with Light Painting

VISIT ME, VISIT ME!

MY WEBSITE:
Head on over to the Ken Lee Photography website to purchase books or look at night photography and long exposure photos.  My latest book, “Abandoned Southern California: The Slowing of Time” is available there and Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Booktopia, Books A Million, IBS, and Aladin. If you enjoy the book, please leave a nice review.

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Ken Lee Photography Facebook Page (poke your head in, say hi, and “like” the page if you would, uh, like)
Instagram

PODCAST:
Behind the Shot video podcast – interview February 2020

ARTICLES:
A Photographer Captures Haunting Nighttime Images of Abandoned Buildings, Planes, and Cars in the American Southwest – Business Insider by Erin McDowell
A Photographer Explores Southern Caoifornia’s Desert Ruins – Los Angeles Magazine article by Chris Nichols

 

Carrara Goggles – Ghost Towns of Nevada At Night!

Carrara Goggles (1604)
When I first saw this from the inside, they reminded me of goggles. How long this will remain standing, I’m not sure. Carrara is a failed cement plant down the mountain from where marble was discovered near Beatty, Nevada. This was photographed on a windy night, and surprisingly cold for June.

This is a real night photo. I illuminated the interior with a red light from several angles as well as the building in the back with a hand-held ProtoMachines LED2 flashlight while the shutter was open on my tripod-mounted camera. This is not a post-processing creation. No pixels were harmed during the creation of this photo. 😀 Initially unbeknownst to me, night photographer Kevin Balluff photographed this beautifully from a similar vantage point earlier than I did, and also with red light, so this is another variation for your enjoyment. 🙂
~~
IG: @kenleephotography
FB: facebook.com/kenleephotography
500px: 500px.com/kenleephotography
~~
Nikon D7000/Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. The long exposure photo is 333 seconds at f/8 ISO 200 on 2017-06-12 01:13.

#kenlee #kenleephotography #slowshutter #amazing_longexpo #longexphunter #longexpoelite #longexposure_shots #nightscaper #supreme_nightshots #ig_astrophotography #super_photolongexpo #long_exposure #nightscaper #nightphotography #longexposure #startrails #lightpainting #nevada #carrara #beatty

Long Exposure Night Photo with Light Painting

VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
You can see more of these photos here  on my Ken Lee Photography Facebook Page (poke your head in, say hi, and “like” the page if you would, uh, like), on 500px, or my Ken Lee Google+ Page. We discuss long exposure, night sky, star trails, and coastal long exposure photography, as well as lots of other things, so I hope you can join us!

And you can go to the Ken Lee Photography website, which has more photos from Ken Lee.  Thank you very much for visiting!

 

Photo: Land of the Black Church, Iceland

 

Land Of The Black Church (2016-06-14 16:55 01)

An ant’s eye view of the Black Church. For the first part of the trip, I traveled toward the west part of Iceland with a photographic group led by Lance Keimig.  We stopped at the Black Church near Raudisandur, or Red Sand Beach. The church is a typical Lutheran style for this region. This is probably one of the few days we had really clear skies on the whole trip, as it was overcast and cloudy most of the time. The black church is one of 3 black churches in Iceland. They are black because the exterior wood is painted with pitch, just like the hull of a boat to protect it from the harsh Icelandic elements.

Nikon D610/Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 1/400s f/8 ISO 200.

#iceland   #‎exploreiceland‬‪#‎adventureiceland‬ ‪#‎iloveiceland‬ ‪#‎tourismiceland‬ ‪#‎wildiceland‬‪ #‎beautifuliceland‬ ‪#‎traveliceland‬ ‪#‎blogiceland‬ ‪#‎instagramiceland‬ #kenleephotography #kenlee #awesomeearth #awesomeglobe #beautifuldestinations #shutterbugpix #westfjords #nikon #blackchurch #iglesianegra #feisol #MyRRS

VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
You can see more of these photos here  on my Ken Lee Photography Facebook Page (poke your head in, say hi, and “like” the page if you would, uh, like), on 500px, or my Ken Lee Google+ Page. We discuss long exposure, night sky, star trails, and coastal long exposure photography, as well as lots of other things, so I hope you can join us!

And you can go to the Ken Lee Photography website, which has more photos from Ken Lee.  Thank you very much for visiting!

 

Photo: Great Western Headframe Star Trails (ghost town star trails photo)

I stacked 10 photos to create this star trails image. I used Triggertrap on my smartphone to control my camera. This is one of the headframes in Gold Point ghost town, a former mining town in Nevada.

Title: Great Western Headframe Star Trails (8330)
Photo: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D7000, Tokina 11-16mm lens at 16mm, Triggertrap. I stacked 10 photos to create this image. Each individual image was 4 minutes, f/8, ISO 200. The total exposure was 40 minutes. Begun 2014-07-12 21:59. I used an LED flashlight for light painting.
Location: Gold Point Ghost Town, NV, USA
~~
Apilé 10 fotos para crear esta imagen. Utilicé Triggertrap para controlar la cámara usando mi smartphone. Equipos de minero en Gold Point, un antiguo pueblo minero en Nevada, y ahora un pueblo fantasma.

Título: Great Western Headframe Star Trails (8330)
Foto: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D7000, Tokina lente 11-16mm a 16mm, Triggertrap. Apilé 10 fotos para crear esta imagen. Cada imagen individual fue de 4 minutos, f / 8, ISO 200. La exposición total fue de 40 minutos. Begun 07/12/2014 21:59. Utilicé una linterna LED para la pintura de luz.
Ubicación: Gold Point Ghost Town, NV, EE.UU.

#night #nikon #kenlee #goldpoint #lightpainting #nightskyphotography #desert #nevada #ghosttown #miningtown #headframe #startrails #longexposure #triggertrap #largaexposicion #fotografianocturna #esteledeestrellas #estrellas #nature

VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
You can see more of these photos here  on my Ken Lee Photography Facebook Page (poke your head in, say hi, and “like” the page if you would, uh, like), on 500px, or my Ken Lee Google+ Page. We discuss long exposure, night sky, star trails, and coastal long exposure photography, as well as lots of other things, so I hope you can join us!

And you can go to the Ken Lee Photography website, which has more photos from Ken Lee.  Thank you very much for visiting!

Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona, Arizona – Night Photo

Chapel of the Holy Cross at night, Sedona, AZ USA.

Title: Chapel of the Holy Cross (6841)
Photo: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S at 28mm. 30s f/2.8 ISO 400. 2015-07-02 23:44. Light painting with a Protomachines LED2. All illumination and color work was done during the exposure, and is not a Photoshop creation.
Location: Sedona, Arizona USA
~~
Chapel of the Holy Cross en Sedona en la noche, AZ EE. UU.

Título: Chapel of the Holy Cross (6841)
Foto: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR AF-S lente a 28mm. 30s f/2.8 ISO 400. 2015-07-02 23:44. Pintura de luz con un Protomachines LED2. Toda la iluminación y el color se trabajó durante la exposición, y no es una creación de Photoshop.
Ubicación: Sedona, Arizona, EE.UU.

#sedona #chapel #chapeloftheholycross #kenleephotography #arizona #night #lightpainting #pinturadeluz

 

VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
You can see more of these photos here  on my Ken Lee Photography Facebook Page (poke your head in, say hi, and “like” the page if you would, uh, like), on 500px, or my Ken Lee Google+ Page. We discuss long exposure, night sky, star trails, and coastal long exposure photography, as well as lots of other things, so I hope you can join us!

And you can go to the Ken Lee Photography website, which has more photos from Ken Lee.  Thank you very much for visiting!

 

Riders On The Storm (Grand Canyon)

 

 

I actually take photos during the bright light of day! No long exposure, no light painting here!

These are seemingly the only three people at the Grand Canyon to not be busting out selfie sticks. 😀 The incredible incoming storm was sufficiently enthralling.

Title: Riders on the Storm
Photo: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens. F/4.5, 1/320s, ISO 800. 2015-06-29 19:38.

VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
You can see more of these photos here  on my Ken Lee Photography Facebook Page (poke your head in, say hi, and “like” the page if you would, uh, like), on 500px, or my Ken Lee Google+ Page. We discuss long exposure, night sky, star trails, and coastal long exposure photography, as well as lots of other things, so I hope you can join us!

And you can go to the Ken Lee Photography website, which has more photos from Ken Lee.  Thank you very much for visiting!

 

Wilmaaaaaaa!!!!! Light Painting in Bedrock City!!!!!

Willllllllmaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!

Flintstones, meet the Flintstones! Bedrock City is a roadside attraction on the way to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Roadside attractions were built as “tourist traps” with gift shops and things to do for kids, a place where a family could rest after a long drive on the way to somewhere. Built in 1972, Bedrock City was modeled after “The Flintstones” cartoon from the 1960s. And Bedrock City still survives. For now. Owner Linda Speckels is selling it for $2 million to someone who will keep Bedrock City operating. Bedrock City has a Fredmobile train ride looping through Mt. St. Wilma (a volcano). The Bedrock Theater plays Flintstones cartoons with the audio broadcast over loudspeakers. There’s a campsite, diner, convenience store, and a large gift shop. And of course, there is Bedrock City, built to resemble the stone age town of Bedrock from the cartoon “The Flintstones”. Will it be here in a year? Who knows.

With a nod of gratitude to Troy Paiva and Lance Keimig, pioneers of this sort of light painting photography.

Title: Wilmaaaaaaa!!!!! (6739)
Photo: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens at 14mm, 225 second exposure, f/8, ISO 200 3850K. 2015-07-01 00:57. Light painting with a Protomachines LED2. All illumination and color work was done during the exposure, and is not a Photoshop creation.
Location: Bedrock City, Arizona USA
~~~
Flintstones, meet the Flintstones! Bedrock City es una atracción en carretera en el camino hacia el Gran Cañón en Arizona. Atracciónes en carretera fueron construidos como “trampas para turistas”, con tiendas de regalos y cosas que hacer para los niños, un lugar donde una familia podría descansar después de un largo viaje en el camino a algún lugar. Construido en 1972, Bedrock City fue modelado después el dibujos animados “The Flintstones” (1960s). Y Bedrock City aún sobrevive. Por ahora. Propietario Linda Speckels está vendiendo Bedrock City por $2 millones a alguien que va a mantener a Bedrock City operativo. Bedrock City dispone de un viaje en tren Fredmobile recorriendo Mt. St.Wilma (un volcán). El Teatro Bedrock juega dibujos animados de Flintstones con la transmisión de audio por los altavoces. Hay un camping, restaurante, tienda de conveniencia, y una gran tienda de regalos. Y, por supuesto, hay Bedrock City, construido para parecerse a la edad de piedra de la ciudad de Bedrock de los dibujos animados “The Flintstones”.

Con un gesto de gratitud a Troy Paiva y Lance Keimig, pioneros de este tipo de fotografía con pintura de luz.

Título: Wilmaaaaaaa!!!!! (6739)
Foto: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lente a 14 mm, 225 segundos de exposición, f/8, ISO 200 3850K. 2015-07-01 00:57. Pintura de luz con un Protomachines LED2. Toda la iluminación y el color se trabajó durante la exposición, y no es una creación de Photoshop.
Ubicación: Bedrock City, Arizona, EE.UU.

#bedrockcity #lightpainting #pinturadeluz #protomachines #arizona #kenleephotography #startrails #nightskyphotography #theflintstones #bedrock #wilmaflintstone

VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
You can see more of these photos here  on my Ken Lee Photography Facebook Page (poke your head in, say hi, and “like” the page if you would, uh, like), on 500px, or my Ken Lee Google+ Page. We discuss long exposure, night sky, star trails, and coastal long exposure photography, as well as lots of other things, so I hope you can join us!

And you can go to the Ken Lee Photography website, which has more photos from Ken Lee.  Thank you very much for visiting!

 

The Storm Of Lights

I arrived at the Grand Canyon hoping to take some night sky photos, star trails, who knows. But there were only clouds, no stars.. At first, I was disappointed.

But with the clouds came the storms. Wow.

Title: The Storm of Lights (6460)
Photo: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens at 14mm. Foreground: 52 second exposure, f/3.5, ISO 200 3850K. 2015-06-29 21:36. Sky: 30 second exposure f/4 ISO 500 3850K. The Canyon was illuminated by an almost full moon.
Location: Grand Canyon, Arizona USA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Llegué en el Grand Canyon con la esperanza de tomar algunas fotos del cielo nocturno, la estrella de esteles, quién sabe. Pero sólo había nubes, no hay estrellas. Al principio, me decepcionó.

Pero con las nubes vinieron las tormentas. Guauu.

Título: The Storm of Lights (La Tormenta de las Luces) – 6460
Foto: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lente a 14 mm. El primer plano: 52 segundos de exposición, f/3.5, ISO 200 3850K. 2015-06-29 21:36. La atmósfera: 30 segundos de exposición f/4 ISO 500 3850K. El cañón estaba iluminada por una luna casi llena.
Ubicación: Grand Canyon, Arizona USA, EE.UU.

Thanks!

#grandcanyon #lightningstorm #storm #thunderstorm#nature #kenleephotography #arizona#longexposurephotography

VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
You can see more of these photos here  on my Ken Lee Photography Facebook Page (poke your head in, say hi, and “like” the page if you would, uh, like), on 500px, or my Ken Lee Google+ Page. We discuss long exposure, night sky, star trails, and coastal long exposure photography, as well as lots of other things, so I hope you can join us!

And you can go to the Ken Lee Photography website, which has more photos from Ken Lee.  Thank you very much for visiting!

 

Flashback: Big Blue Bus Burrowing Bottomward (light painting at night!)

Please click on the photo to view it larger and more clearly!  Thanks!

How this bus stays up, I’m not sure. I came up here Thursday evening. There were two photographers, Matt and Justin, already here, but they left shortly afterwards for Bodie ghost town in California. I immediately began shooting, a bit dissatisfied with the shots I had taken the previous night, as the moon was blotted out by huge thunder clouds, and everything was very dark, not so conducive for this sort of light painting photography. Tonight was much better!

Outside the historic mining town of Goldfield, NV, in a desert dotted by Joshua Trees, you can see a field of old cars that are wildly painted and jammed into the ground at unlikely angles. This is the International Car Forest of the Last Church, created by Michael “Mark” Rippie and painted by Chad Sorg. In July 2014, I stayed in Goldfield and created night photos with light painting to enhance the bold colors of the painted cars even more. Light painting photos of this nature are often best done near a full moon, and during this evening, the clouds mostly cooperated!

With a nod of gratitude to Troy Paiva and Lance Keimig, who largely pioneered this sort of light painting photography. I don’t do this sort of light painting often, but their two books definitely had an influence on this photo.

Title: Big Blue Bus Burrowing Bottomward (3163)
Photo: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens at 14mm, 146 seconds, f/8, ISO 400. 2014-07-11 00:20. Light painted with LED flashlight and SB-600 with gels. All colored light work was done during the exposure, and is not a Photoshop creation.
Location: International Car Forest of the Last Church, Goldfield, NV, USA

Título: Big Blue Bus Burrowing Bottomward
Foto: Ken Lee Photography
Info:. Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED en 14mm, 146 segundos, f / 8, ISO 400 11/07/2014 a 00:20. Luz pintada con la linterna del LED y el SB-600 con geles. Todo el trabajo ligero de color se hizo durante la exposición, y no es una creación de Photoshop.
Ubicación: International Car Forest of the Last Church (Bosques de Coches Internacional de la última Iglesia), Goldfield, NV, EE.UU.

#night #carforest #nikon #kenlee #goldfield #lightpainting #nightskyphotography #desert #nevada #bigbluebus #artinstallation

Equipment:  Nikon D610, Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens, Feisol tripod.

VISIT ME, VISIT ME!
You can see more of these photos here  on my Ken Lee Photography Facebook Page (poke your head in, say hi, and “like” the page if you would, uh, like), on 500px, or my Ken Lee Google+ Page. We discuss long exposure, night sky, star trails, and coastal long exposure photography, as well as lots of other things, so I hope you can join us!

And you can go to the Ken Lee Photography website, which has more photos from Ken Lee.  Thank you very much for visiting!