The September 1, 2024 Northern Lights Photo Workshop was the eighth night sky photo workshop of the year. It was a beautiful late-summer evening with temperatures in the low sixties. It was Labor Day weekend.
One of the focuses of the Lodge is education so we were excited to see if guests would be interested in the workshop during their vacation over a holiday weekend in the Keweenaw. They had multiple activities available to them throughout the weekend, including the photo workshop.
The workshop started at 8:00pm, with guests arriving up to a half an hour before to prepare for the night’s activities. We routinely check the parking lot every few minutes for the arrival of the instructor, Nate Bett. This time Nate was running late. He lives about 40 minutes away and he had to circle back to a gas station to fill his tank. On the Keweenaw Peninsula there are only so many gas stations and at night only a few of those are open.
To get things going on time, I introduced myself and prepared the attendees about what to expect for the night. There were 12 attendees – 11 lodging guests, 1 non-lodging guest. To help the group prepare, I went through the types of visible light in the sky, which is an important aspect to understand for our dark sky park. Then Nate arrived to start the core content of the workshop on photography – emphasizing how it is important to be prepared in the Keweenaw, including having fuel in one’s vehicle.
Nate has a diverse background in photography including attaining an MFA from Parsons The New School For Design in 2012, working for Canon cameras at trade shows and teaching photo classes at NMU. For this workshop he covers a wide spectrum of information including the science behind the aurora (northern lights), which Apps to use, suggested camera gear and recommended settings. He’s also recently added a section about how to take better night sky images on your cell phone.
The Night Sky Photo Workshops at the Lodge includes two segments: an inside presentation and an outside, hands-on portion (we emphasize experiential learning in our educational practices). The inside portion is held in the Class Room while the outside portion is held in the Nature Room – outside on the Lodge property, which has been designated as the Keweenaw Dark Sky Park.
If the sky is cloudy the night of the workshop, we do not venture outside with the attendees, however tonight was a beautifully clear night. Two of the guests were eager to try out what they learned. Nate headed out with them along one of the Dark Sky Walking Paths to Hole 8. The Milky Way was perfectly framed between the trees that aligned the fairway. One of the guests set up his camera on a traditional tripod while another guest set up her phone on a borrowed phone-tripod. Nate took his time and worked with each one of them to help with their camera techniques.
Lodging guest and workshop participant, Ankita Todrwal (and her family), were focused on enjoying the night sky as a major part of their trip. They were out each night enjoying stargazing and taking images on her phone. The following images were taken with an iPhone 15 Pro during her stay. The first two were taken during the workshop and the third image was taken the night before when the Northern Lights could be seen above the cabins on the Lodge property.
Our next photo workshop will be held during Lights Out on October 2, 2024
Chris Guibert: I have a strong passion for all things outdoors and have worked as a tour guide and professional photographer for the last twenty five years. As the Lead of Outdoor Activities at the Mountain Lodge I want make sure you and your family have a great experience while staying and playing. Please feel free to ask me any questions about the trails, regional activities and local secrets.