DAY 1

WELCOME & ORIENTATION

Evening, Welcome and introductions. Presentation with night photography inspiration, course overview, and introduction into night photography practices. You will also practice your new skills from Roosevelt Arch, learning how to balance ambient light from town with the stars.

DAY 2

Daytime – Explore the park or relax on your own.

Late Afternoon – Presentation: Night photography practices, techniques, and execution.

Evening/Night – Head south to photograph the Mammoth Terraces.

DAY 3

Daytime – Explore the park or relax on your own.

Late Afternoon – Image review and how-to editing nighttime photography.

Evening – Photograph thermals and geysers in the upper geyser basin.

DAY 4

Morning, Sleep in!

Mid-Morning, Wrap up session.

Dates & Times: The program begins at 7:00 PM on Friday, August 15, 2025, and goes through 5:00 PM on Monday, August 18, 2025.

Meals: This course is not catered. Participants will need to bring their own food; lunch should be able to travel in the field.

ACTIVITY LEVEL 2

• Be prepared to hike up to 3 miles per day, comfortably, with elevation gains up to 600 feet. Some off-trail hiking possible.
• For more information about our activity levels, please visit our Activity Level webpage here.
• Most activities will take place at elevations between 7,200 to 8,000 feet. Participants residing at lower elevations may want to arrive a day early to adjust to the altitude.
• To learn more about how specific medical conditions can be affected by Yellowstone’s environment and our activities, please visit our site page on health information.
• All field activities will be conducted as a group. If members of the group cannot participate in the day’s activities, they need to let the educator know in advance.
• To participate in this program, each participant must fill out and sign a health questionnaire and assumption of risk waiver. These forms must be completed and returned at least 30 days prior to the program start date.

EQUIPMENT SPECIFIC TO THIS COURSE:

Suggested Packing List located in General Information document under the ‘Whom to Contact’ tab.

• Required:
  • DSLR or mirrorless interchange lens camera, with the capability to do manual exposure settings. ‘Full frame’ 35mm sensor cameras do well at night, but ‘APC-C’ or ‘crop’ sensor cameras with manual settings are acceptable. For this course, we do not recommend ‘superzooms,’ ‘prosumer’ or ‘bridge’ type cameras. Don’t forget to bring extra memory cards and batteries and charger.
  • Your camera’s manual. We may not have reliable access to the internet, so please bring your camera manual to answer any settings questions that the instructor is unable to help with.
  • Sturdy Tripod, and mounting plate that attaches to your camera body, plus a compact hex wrench set, often sold at bike shops, is a great tool to have in your bag to tighten and adjust tripods and mounting hardware.
  • Headlamp, and extra batteries. I highly recommend headlamps that feature a dim red light that is particularly useful for illuminating your area without negatively impacting your night vision.
  • ‘Fast’ wide angle lens with manual focus. Any lens with manual focus ability will work for night photography, but a ‘fast’ wide-angle lens will work the best. The speed of a lens refers to the aperture, and a fast lens would be anything with an aperture of f/2.8 or larger (the smaller the number, the larger the aperture). f/2.8, f/1.8, f/1.4 are all great night lenses! Wide angle lenses 10mm to 24mm are ideal.
• Suggested, but optional:
  • A laptop with a card reader with photo editing software for editing photos during downtime as well as for asking questions related to editing. I personally use Lightroom CC Classic and will be doing demonstrations with it.
  • A remote shutter trigger with timer, connects either wirelessly or via a wire to your camera. Your camera should have a ‘bulb mode’ which allows you to use an external shutter release trigger. I recommend remote triggers with a digital timer feature for programming long-exposures. I find this type of device to be an easy way to operate your camera’s exposure settings at night while minimizing disturbance to the camera during long exposures. Look on Amazon for ‘Newer’ or ‘JJC’ brands for your specific camera model – you should be able to find a wired model for around $30. Your camera’s manufacturer should also offer one, but at a higher price.
  • PhotoPills smart phone app, ($10.99 one-time fee, iOS or Android) is an amazing tool for planning and pre-visualizing where and when the Milky Way or other night sky features will appear in the sky. Other helpful tools include the ability to calculate what your shutter speed should be for pinpoint stars based on your specific camera body, lens and f-stop setting. I will go through how to use the app during the course.

Whom to Contact: For any questions, concerns, or additional information please contact the following:

Program itinerary, health forms, payment, and general program questions please contact Yellowstone Forever at [email protected] or 406-848-2400 extension 3

Road updates, park conditions, and general park information please contact Yellowstone National Park Service at https://www.nps.gov/yell/contacts.htm

If running late for a program, please contact 406-641-2185.

General Information: For general information about the facilities, preparation for classes, what to expect, cancellation policies, and more, please see the Gardiner-Based Field Seminars – General Information document.

Cancellation Policy: Review our Cancellation & Refund Policies here.