The workshop this month was attended by ten people. Some drove from Chicago and Detroit for the workshop, others were from far away places and included the workshop as part of their larger itinerary (e.g. from Nevada), and others were from the Keweenaw but wanted to learn how to use their camera better. 
We are in the time of year when the core of the Milky Way is more visible in this region, the primary focus was planned to be about shooting the Milky Way. However, conditions for possible Aurora activity were predicted earlier in the day. So, each of those topics were discussed during the class portion of the workshop. All-in-all, the workshop lasted around two and a half hours, during which time several tips for taking night sky photos were discussed.
The class portion was active and engaging for all the participants. The sky was clear and the group decided to shoot the Milky Way from Bete Grise Beach.
Once we arrived all the participants set up quickly and all started getting great shots right away.
Although it was not visible from the location selected for Milky Way photos, on my way home following the workshop I did notice that the Northern Lights were visible, so I stopped at one of my favorite locations in the Keweenaw to take Aurora photos and was able to take a nice shot of Ursa Major (The Big Dipper), highlighted with the northern lights. The shooting star, likely from the Perseid Meteor shower (which is building in intensity until August 13th of this year), was a lucky bonus in the picture.
It’s nice to know that people can walk away from the Photo Workshops at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge with the added confidence and technique to capture beautiful images of the night sky, whenever they happen to come upon them.
Since I was a child, nature, wildlife, and the outdoors have always been my deepest fascination – the intrinsic force which drives me. Those interests led me through, both, my career (in wildlife ecology/management and science education) and my preferred forms of recreation (hiking, backpacking, canoeing and kayaking, photography, hunting and fishing, and birding). Although, I was born and raised in the UP, these pursuits also provided me the opportunity to live overseas (in Europe and Asia) for 15 years, which greatly expanded my experience with the outdoors and outdoor recreation in different cultures. So, if you’re interested in anything related to the outdoors, stop by the Lodge (or catch me anywhere you may see me on the grounds) to chat about or get set up for your next outdoor adventure.