Astrophotography Workshop
Learn how to produce stunning photos under the dark skies at McDonald Observatory. This workshop is intended for beginners in astrophotography or photography in general. The daytime portion of the program will consist of discussions on the basics of astrophotography, types of cameras, lenses, focusing, setup, processing images, basic star trackers, and daytime practice. After sunset, you will use these tools under the dark skies of McDonald Observatory.
Attendees will have the option of staying on site at the Astronomers Lodge (details to follow after registration) or at an offsite location in the area.
Upcoming Workshops
- January 29-30, 2025
- March 26-27, 2025
Required for Participation
- Digital single lens reflex or mirrorless camera with an interchangeable lens. Point-and-shoot and smart phone cameras are not suitable for astrophotography in this form.
- Detailed manual for your camera, either printed or electronic.
- Sturdy tripod and the hardware to attach your camera(s) to the tripod.
- Laptop with which to process images, including (if applicable) a card reader for transferring images to a laptop.
Optional But Useful
- External intervalometer (if your camera does not have a built-in intervalometer).
- Remote shutter release.
- Star tracker (we will be doing a demo of the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer star tracker).
We will use Adobe Lightroom (Classic) for image processing during the workshop. If you have or can obtain a license, that would be optimal. If not, a free 7-day trial license is available (please do not download more than a few days before our workshop so that you will have access to Lightroom while you're here). In either case, please ensure that Adobe Lightroom will run on the laptop that you plan to bring.
