Sequoia Parks Conservancy Dark Sky Festival
Explore Landscapes #53
Join me and the Sequoia Parks Conservancy and explore the night sky of Sequoia National Park. Kick off the Dark Sky Festival with this evening workshop on September 6th.
Milky Way over Wolverton Picnic Area | © 2024 Jon Norris
I know I’ve mentioned it a few times already (and probably will again), but I’m super excited to be leading an astrophotography workshop at the Sequoia Parks Conservancy Dark Sky Festival on Friday, September 6th.
Any proceeds from this event will go towards Sequoia Parks Conservancy's Dark Sky Festival Fund, allowing them to keep the Dark Sky Festival free. I’m leading the workshop as a volunteer via the NPS Volunteers-in-Parks (VIP) program, as I do for some of the Desert Institute classes in Joshua Tree National Park.
Our venue for the Astrophotography Workshop | © 2024 Jon Norris
During my trip to Sequoia last week, in between all the hiking and backpacking (see post below), we also scouted multiple (I think seven in total) potential locations for the workshop.
As soon as I saw the deck at the Wolverton Picnic Area, I knew it was the right spot for the workshop. It has a nice clear view of the sky, lots of lovely trees to give a silhouette in the foreground, and an easily accessible platform (about 50 yards from the parking lot, with a ramp) for a dozen photographers plus partners.
(L) Milky Way over Wolverton Picnic Area, August 5th | (R) PhotoPills telling me where the Milky Way is going to be on September 6th | © 2024 Jon Norris
Sydney, Barry, and I came well-prepared for our scouting trip. After planning where and when the Milky Way would be, we settled down on our camp chairs for a delightful buffet of assorted snacks (see note below) while we waited for the end of astronomical twilight and nighttime to officially start.
[FYI: Trader Joe's Sweetened Dried Orange Slices pair extremely well with their Belgian Dark Chocolate Bars while you wait for celestial bodies to maneuver in time and space].
(L) and (R) Syndey and Barry Williams putting their cameras through their paces and doing some Astrophotography | © 2024 Jon Norris
This is a great location to shoot the Milky Way, and I can’t wait to lead the workshop next month. I hope we get a good turnout, and I would be so pleased if we got the full dozen photographers.
Milky Way over the Wolverton VIP Service Camp | © 2024 Jon Norris
I’ll leave you with another Milky Way image shot last week from right above my truck camper in the Wolverton Service Camp. This is one frame from a 1,200-frame timelapse that I shot that evening - which I’m yet to edit.
