Landscape Astrophotography Workshop
The Starlight Reserve of La Palma is home to some of the darkest skies found in Europe. Often at times the little light pollution that is present on the island is blanketed by a layer of cloud that sits below the mountain peaks. As far as astrophotography goes, this place is heaven! You can’t beat waking up in the morning to rain, only to shrug it off and drive above the clouds.
Being 3000m up on a tiny island situated in the North Atlantic you may find conditions a bit unfriendly at times. The cold winds can be relentless and with the lack of light pollution it is an incredibly dark and dangerous environment to work in. As such, this workshop is not suitable for beginners and is only for those who have some experience in shooting astro and working in the dark.
The group size is small to give the group more freedom of movement and more space per person in the locations. It will also enable Alyn to offer more of his time to each person. All in all, you will be enjoying 4 solid nights of hardcore astrophotography and at the end of it, you’ll struggle to believe it wasn’t a dream.
Price
£625
Date
4th-8th June 2019
GROUP SIZE
3-4
SKILL LEVEL
Intermediate to Advanced
FITNESS
Moderate fitness required. One or two short steep hikes expected
Included:
- 4-nights accommodation
- Airport transfers
- All transport during the week
- Professional photography tuition
- Guidance to the best locations
Not Included:
- Flights
- Personal accident, equipment, and travel insurance
- Food and drinks
As we reach June in the UK the summer nights become so short that we don’t actually reach peak darkness, the evening and morning periods of astronomical twilight are merged. However, at the southern latitudes of La Palma, we will be able to enjoy 7 hours of night time darkness. Although the moon will be present in the evening skies during our trip, this only gives us an opportunity to play with moonscapes and kill time before the Milky Way rises.
Topics covered:
Milky Way panoramas
Stacking for noise reduction
Exposure blending
Moonscapes
Use of star trackers
What’s in the night sky for the trip
Moon
Milky Way
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus
Zodiacal Light
Meteors
Where are we staying?
We will be staying in the capital city, Santa Cruz de la Palma. This beautifully picturesque city is lined with historical architecture and cobbled streets. It stretches along the shore and is built up onto the luscious green hills behind. Each guest will have their own private single bed room with en-suite toilet and shower.
The city is full of small tapas bars and cafes, perfect for breakfast and lunch. Daytimes will be spent re-fueling, resting and post-processing. As there is an hours drive to the top of the caldera where we will mainly be shooting, and the fact that there’s nothing up there in terms of food or restaurants, it is advised for delegates to bring a few dry-meals which we can cook and eat above the clouds (Alyn will offer his advice on selections and will also be bringing portable stoves so as to boil water and reheat the meals). This way we can enjoy a long session shooting sunset, twilight and then the night sky into the early hours of the morning.
How to get there?
If you are arriving from the UK there are direct flights from London Gatwick to Aeropuerto de La Palma every Tuesday and Saturday with Easyjet. The other option is to fly to Tenerife which has far more frequent flights and then to either get a short flight or ferry over to La Palma. This could be a way for you to extend your trip if you wish.
what do you need?
- Camera, lenses, SD card, batteries and tripod
- Sun-screen, glasses and hat (for the sunny days)
- Thermal layers and insulated jackets (for the cold nights)
- Headtorch with red-light (and a backup is advised)
- Hiking boots. There will be 1-3 hour hikes on rough and rocky terrain.
- Personal accident, injury, and travel insurance.
- Laptop (not essential but beneficial for any post-processing tutorials)
How do You book?
Please fill in the form below and Alyn Wallace will get back to you with the full terms and conditions and a booking form. A deposit of £150 will be required to confirm your place with the full amount payable 90 days prior to workshop start date