Announcing the 2023 Nightscaper Conference!

National Parks at Night has just announced the 2023 Nightscaper Conference. It’s perfect timing for the 2023 Milky Way season! Here’s all the information!

Capitol Reef National Park at night.

About the Nightscaper Conference

Nightscaper Conference 2023

Royce Bair created this community some years ago. National Parks at night began collaborating with him in early 2021. The first conference was held in 2019. The conference became a popular in-person event devoted to astro-landscape photographers, scientists, artists and activists who wish to enjoy and preserve the night skies. 

Arches National Park at night.

The conference features Milky Way photographers, scientists, conservation groups and more. It attracts about 300 enthusiasts of all sorts. Beginning and seasoned photographers alike will be interested in this.

Due to health concerns, the Nightscaper Conference was postponed to May 2023.

Where is the Nightscaper Conference?

The conference will be live and in-person in Kanab, UT, near Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It’s also in reasonably close proximity to Bryce, Capitol Reef and Grand Canyon National Parks and other amazing public lands.

When is the Nightscaper Conference?

Save Our Stars – activism at Nightscaper Conference

The 2023 conference will be held in the heart of the new moon week, May 18-21 2023.

The daytime conference leaves plenty of room for going out at night with speakers, as well as with friends new and old. Several speakers will also be offering local workshops before and after the conference as well! You can immerse yourself in this experience in one of the best dark sky areas to photograph in the world.

The Nightscaper conference lasts for four days. Each day’s activities begin in the late morning to accommodate those who were out shooting the night before. Daily lunches are included, as well as one dinner.

Who are the presenters?

The presenters will of course include Royce Bair. Also, there will be Jess Santos, MaryBeth Kiczenski, Matt Hill, Bryony Richards, Joshua Snow, Tim Cooper, Mike Shaw, Gabriel Biderman, Dr. Kah-Wai Lin, Paul Ziska, Lance Keimig, Chris Nicholson, and many more.

Where is the Nightscaper Conference?

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument at night.

The conference will be live and in-person in Kanab, UT, near Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It’s also in reasonably close proximity to Bryce, Capitol Reef and Grand Canyon National Parks and other amazing public lands.

Tickets for the Nightscaper Conference

Tickets are on sale now. Nightscaper Conference is offering Conference (in-person) + Replays tickets for those who can travel or Replays-only for those who cannot travel but still want all that education and inspiration. These are offered as limited-time Early Bird tickets. Click here to register for the conference.

Goblin Valley at night.

What is National Parks at Night?

National Parks at Night hold night photography workshops that provide top-shelf education both in the classroom and in the field, and are arguably the best in the world at doing so. Also, they have an extremely informative blog. And they also have held two Night Photo Summit virtual conferences. I am honored to have been a presenter for one of them.

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

 

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How I got the photo: Organizing 40 night photographers with flashlights

What would you do if you hiked up to Delicate Arch at night, only to find 40 photographers waving flashlights around? I decided to organize everyone, creating order from chaos. Here’s how I attempted this in June 2014.

Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch is iconic, so much so that it appears on the Utah license plate. Rightfully so. It’s one of the most unusual geologic features on the face of the planet. It’s a free-standing 52-foot tall arch on the rim of a large rocky bowl. If that’s not spectacular, I’m not sure what is.

The hike to Delicate Arch

A friend had warned me that even though the hike was only 1.5 miles each way, part of the path became narrow. Worse, it had a steep drop-off of several hundred feet. He was concerned about me hiking back that way at night. Consequently, I prepared to stay the night up at Delicate Arch if necessary. I took ample food, over two gallons of water, a sleeping bag, a light jacket, and much more, along with my camera equipment.

A rock concert

Some of the crowd at Delicate Arch after sunset.

To my utter dismay, there were approximately 150 people there when I arrived shortly before sunset. It was chaos. They were seated around the lip of the bowl as if watching a rock concert. Many were hanging around the arch. 50 people remained long after dark to photograph the Milky Way. They waved flashlights around. They wandered around Delicate Arch with flashlights. Some pointed blindingly bright lights up at the arch from directly below.

Creating something original

Delicate Arch has been photographed many times. To set my photo apart, I had thought I would try a different composition that I had never seen before. I would frame the Milky Way through the arch while looking up at it. Using Google Earth and the Photographer’s Ephemeris, I determined that I could do this after 11:30 p.m.

However, I would not be able to create a good photo if there were 40 people waving flashlights around randomly and wandering around the arch.

Hanging around the arch after sunset.

Creating order from chaos

By 11:30 p.m., the crowd had thinned slightly. There were probably 40 photographers who remained. And yes, they were still waving flashlights around. 

I decided to coordinate our efforts. 

I spoke to get their attention, telling them that I wanted to take a photo from below. And I mentioned that I could illuminate Delicate Arch for everyone if we coordinated our times. There were murmurs of agreement. “Sounds great to us!” Fantastic. I was now coordinating the efforts of over 30 photographers. 

But there was one more thing to overcome.

Now came the frightening part

The ledge where I wanted to photograph from looked somewhat easy to get to when there was light. But now, it was completely dark. The ledge underneath Delicate Arch was all there was. After that, it was nothing but a steep drop hundreds of feet to the bottom of the bowl below.

Could I safely get to the vantage point needed to take a photo like this? 

I carefully climbed down there. And while I felt reasonably safe, I also felt terrified. Climbing down in the dark made it exponentially worse.

Furthermore, to illuminate the arch, I would have to climb back up, illuminate it, and then carefully climb back down. 

I decided I would only do this once. I kept the camera clicking away while I climbed back up and illuminated it numerous times, changing the angle to make certain something looked decent. Then I went back down to turn off the camera and get out of there. Whew! 

Gratitude

I felt grateful that I hadn’t even slipped. I had been on solid footing the whole time. And my camera had remained rock solid, not plummeting to the rocky bottom below.

Several photographers walked up to me and thanked me. They said that they really liked my light painting of the arch and that they were very happy with their images. 

I created the photo I wanted and helped many people in the process. Win-win.

I will say, however, that I will never do that again.

My photo

Delicate Arch with the Milky Way.

This is the photo that I planned, which I’ve called “Door to Infinity.” As you can see, I achieved my vision. This is an image looking up, the arch framing the magnificent Milky Way.

For this photo, I “light painted” the arch with a small Streamlight 88040 ProTac Professional Handheld Flashlight. This was done to keep it from becoming a silhouette. To do this, I had to walk back and forth from the scary ledge to higher ground. 

Please note that I photographed this on 25 June 2014 at 12:37 a.m. Since then, Arches National Park has banned “light painting” at night. This was photographed with a Nikon D610 and a Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens at 14mm. For a single exposure, I used a 20-second exposure at f/2.8 with an ISO of 4000.

I should also mention that I was able to safely hike back down to the car at night. The narrower footpath was approximately six feet wide and didn’t feel treacherous. I went on to photograph numerous other locations, staying out until the sun rose.

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

 

The 101 Best Night Sky Photos of 2015 – space.com

 

My photo is featured on “The 101 Best Night Sky Photos of 2015” on space.com!

Mi foto es en “Las 101 Mejores Cielo Nocturno Fotos de 2015” en space.com!

Link to space.com

One of the most ambitious “selfies” I’ve ever done as well. 😀

May you have a beautiful, creative, happy, healthy 2016.

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: Our New World (Milky Way Photo in Arches National Park, Utah)

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

Feeling like an explorer on a new world in Arches National Park, Utah, watching the Milky Way drift toward the south as night progresses. The odd rocky formations in the distance are the rocks near the Windows Arches and Turret Arch. You can see the headlight trail of a car leaving this area. As you can see, the archway is enormous, extending up approximately 104 feet (31 m), with a span of 148 feet (45 m).

Title: Our New World
Photo: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens at 14mm, 20 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 4000, 2014-06-23 11:48 pm; blended with an earlier photo with me standing in the front 13 seconds, ISO 400, f/4, taken 9:26 pm that same day. Light painted with Dorcy LED flashlight and Energizer head lamp.
Location: Arches National Park, Utah, USA

Título: Our New World
Foto: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED en 14 mm, de 20 segundos, f/2.8, ISO 4000,23/06/2014 23:48; mezclado con una foto con conmigo de pie en la parte delantera, 13 segundos, ISO 400, f / 4, tomada a 21:26 del mismo día.. Luz pintada con Dorcy linterna y lámpara de cabeza Energizer LED.
Lugar: Arches National Park, Utah, EE.UU.

‪#‎archesnationalpark‬ ‪#‎milkyway‬ ‪#‎stars‬ ‪#‎night‬ ‪#‎nature‬ ‪#‎astrophotography‬ ‪#‎arches‬ ‪#‎nikon‬ ‪#‎d610‬ ‪#‎lightpainting‬ #14-24mm ‪#‎longexposure‬ ‪#‎kenlee‬ ‪#‎nationalgeographic‬ ‪#‎smithsonian‬ ‪#‎doublearch‬

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!

 

Arches National Park Milky Way: The Courthouse At Night

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

Not all the places in Arches National Park that are beautiful are arches, such as The Courthouse here, as seen with the Milky Way arching overhead.Utah

UtahEquipment:  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!

 

Sunrise, Tower of Babel, Arches National Park, Utah

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A warm beautiful morning wish to you, wherever you are.

Sunrise, Tower of Babel, Arches National Park, Utah. Taken on the way back to finally sleep after photographing the Milky Way around the park all night.
Info: Nikon D610 and Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens.
Photo: Ken Lee Photography

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!

 

The Red Planet – Milky Way Photo from Arches National Park

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

Arches National Park in Utah can look like another world, especially if given a little push with some light painting using red gels. This is Double Arch, facing south, looking straight at the amazing Milky Way.

Title: View From The Red Planet
Photo: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens at 14mm, 20 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 4000, 2014-06-25 11:19 am. Light painted with a Dorcy flashlight and red gel. Photoshop CS4.
Location: Arches National Park, Utah, USA
~~~
Arches National Park en Utah puede mirar como otro mundo, sobre todo si se les da un pequeño empujón con alguna pintura de luz con geles rojos. Se trata de Double Arch (Arco Doble), orientación sur, mirando directamente a la increíble Vía Láctea.

Título: Vista desde el Planeta Rojo
Foto: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lente a 14 mm, 20 segundos, f/2.8, ISO 4000, 25/06/2014 11:19 am. Pintura de luz con una linterna Dorcy y gel rojo. Photoshop CS4.
Lugar: Parque Nacional Arches, Utah, EE.UU.

#archesnationalpark #milkyway #stars #night #nature  #astrophotography  #arches #nikon  #d610  #lightpainting #14-24mm #longexposure  #kenlee

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!

 

Stargate – Milky Way Over Delicate Arch, Utah

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A man from the Gujurat region of India by way of the Bay Area contemplates Delicate Arch underneath the amazing Milky Way, rising from the southeast and drifting right toward the south. If you stay still enough, I swear you can actually perceive the stars drifting, a special stillness that we don’t often have opportunity to experience. The glow beneath the arch is a light dome, but from where, I’m not certain, but I believe the camera is facing more or less southeast.

Title: Stargate to Gujurat
Photo: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens at 14mm, 20 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 4000, 2014-06-24 11:26 pm. Light painted with Streamlight LED flashlight.
Location: Arches National Park, Utah, USATítulo: Stargate a Gujurat
Foto: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED en 14 mm, de 20 segundos, f/2.8, ISO 4000, 24/06/2014 23:26. Luz pintada con Streamlight linterna LED.
Lugar: Arches National Park, Utah, EE.UU.

#archesnationalpark #milkyway #stars #night #nature #astrophotography#arches #nikon #d610 #lightpainting #1424mm #longexposure #kenlee#nationalgeographic #smithsonian #delicatearch #utah

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!

 

Night Road To Double Arch – Milky Way, Arches National Park

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

The enormous – and rather unusual – Double Arch made a brief apperance in an Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movie. The larger opening has a span of 148 feet (45 m) and a height of 104 feet (32 m). This is a wide angle view looking over and through the larger of the two spans toward the Milky Way to the south. You can see the headlight trail of a car leaving the nearby Windows Arch area. I light painted the giant Double Arch with a Dorcy LED flashlight.

Title: Night Road to Double Arch
Photo: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens at 14mm, 20 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 4000, 2014-06-25 11:26 pm. Light painted with Dorcy LED flashlight.

Location: Arches National Park, Utah, USA

Título: Night Road to Double Arch (Camino de la noche a Double Arch)

Foto: Ken Lee Photography

Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED en 14 mm, de 20 segundos, f/2.8, ISO 4000, 25/06/2014 23:26. Luz pintada con Dorcy linterna LED.

Lugar: Parque Nacional Arches, Utah, EE.UU.

#archesnationalpark #milkyway #stars #night #nature  #astrophotography  #arches #nikon  #d610  #lightpainting #14-24mm #longexposure  #kenlee  #nationalgeographic  #smithsonian  #doublearchNig

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!

 

Our New World – Milky Way Through Double Arch, Utah

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

Feeling like an explorer on a new world in Arches National Park, Utah, watching the Milky Way drift toward the south as night progresses. The odd rocky formations in the distance are the rocks near the Windows Arches and Turret Arch. You can see the headlight trail of a car leaving this area. As you can see, the archway is enormous, extending up approximately 104 feet (31 m), with a span of 148 feet (45 m).

Title: Our New World
Photo: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED lens at 14mm, 20 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 4000, 2014-06-23 11:48 pm; blended with an earlier photo with me standing in the front 13 seconds, ISO 400, f/4, taken 9:26 pm that same day. Light painted with Dorcy LED flashlight and Energizer head lamp.
Location: Arches National Park, Utah, USA

Título: Our New World
Foto: Ken Lee Photography
Info: Nikon D610, AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED en 14 mm, de 20 segundos, f/2.8, ISO 4000,23/06/2014 23:48; mezclado con una foto con conmigo de pie en la parte delantera, 13 segundos, ISO 400, f / 4, tomada a 21:26 del mismo día.. Luz pintada con Dorcy linterna y lámpara de cabeza Energizer LED.
Lugar: Arches National Park, Utah, EE.UU.

#archesnationalpark #milkyway #stars #night #nature  #astrophotography #arches #nikon  #d610  #lightpainting #14-24mm #longexposure  #kenlee #nationalgeographic  #smithsonian  #doublearch

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!