L A K E   S U P E R I O R |  N O R T H  S H O R E , MN

 


 

AURORA HUNTING | MILKY WAY |  WATERFALLS

JUNE 2nd  - 6th, 2024

CLASS LIMIT :  7

INVESTMENT: $1,700.00/ $1,360.00 (ALUMNI)

 

 

ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP

Minnesota's North Shore is a magical place that I feel is often overlooked by many photographers. It boasts stunning shorelines along Lake superior with interesting rock formations and waterfalls along the way. The skies are really dark up here which make this a perfect place for night sky photography.  During our time here we be on alert for northern lights every night while capturing some of the best night sky scenes this area has to offer. We will cover the entire shoreline from Grand Portage to Duluth. We will also incorporate the golden glow from sunset and sunrise into some of these locations. Although seeing the northern lights are not a given, this is an excellent place to be to view them in the US. Some locations nearby report seeing them over 200 days a year, I have seen them on all of my 4 night and 5 night trips here since 2018. Get ready to have an amazing time along the shores of Lake Superior! 

 

 

Some locations in Cook County are Bortle 1, although many show bortle 2 & 3 conditions. It is some of the darkest skies you find in the world which makes this an amazing locations for night sky viewing. Also being so close to the US / Canadian Border, we have those northern lights gracing the skies most weeks. Those two things can make for one out of the world experience as you can see!

 


 


I am beyond excited to explore these areas with you, and help you learn to master the art of night sky photography.   Like all of our workshops here, much research is taken into consideration, this has had great potential in the past for many amazing photo opportunities and it has become one of Jeff Berkes Photography's staple locations for workshops because of that. Even though this is a night sky workshop, we will have some time to take a few walks to visit other interesting places with waterfalls, rock formations and other stunning scenery, especially if we encounter some poor weather one night. Most days we will meet up before sunset and photograph sunset and work well into the night. During the day we will have time to rest and recharge our inner batteries and our camera batteries! I am looking forward to making it another great workshop experience in 2024!

 

BAR OF PILARS | LAKE SUPERIORBAR OF PILARS | LAKE SUPERIOR LAKE SUPERIOR AT NIGHTLAKE SUPERIOR AT NIGHT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NORTH SHORE | MINNESTOANORTH SHORE | MINNESTOA

NORTHERN LIGHTS | MINNESOTANORTHERN LIGHTS | MINNESOTA

 

Most of the shooting will be done along the lakeshore,  which has plenty of interesting areas for night sky photography. Not only will we learn how to capture the milky way, star trails, panoramas, time-Lapse video, and meteor showers, we will also have plenty of time to cover the post processing workflow and techniques used to finalize your images along the way.

 

 

One of the most important things to think about is how you will process your images after you create them. Processing your images is a very important part of photography. We will have time to work on our editing and the video tutorials supplied will help you with editing beyond our time together here alone the North Shore.


This workshop will leave you with a better understanding of the night sky, your camera, your computer and yourself, not to mention making some new friends along the way. I look forward to experiencing the endless possibilities of night sky photography along the north shore.


 

WORKSHOP INCLUDES / WHAT YOU WILL LEARN


- Milky Way and Aurora Hunting every night  (weather permitting) 
- Light painting techniques and demonstrations
- Time-lapse photography / star trail photography
- How to add impact to your imagery
- How to create compelling compositions during the day and at night
- Learn about the milky way, night sky, eclipses, meteor showers, northern lights and more
- Multiple shooting locations
- Commercial permits
- Online video tutorials on how to process your images, star trails, time lapse and panoramas
- How many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie roll, tootsie pop
- PDF packets on camera settings and tips on Night Sky Photography

 


 

WEATHER

Weather this time of year is usually comfortable and only 2 weeks away from the official start of summer! A weather outlook will be sent out within 1 week from our start date. 

 

 

LODGING

We will be spending our entire time along the North Shore.  Lodging is not included in this workshop.

 

 

CAMERA GEAR

A full list of camera gear will be supplied to upon registering, the basics are a DSLR camera , wide/fast angle lens, a tripod and a cable release. Most gear that is used can be found on the workshop overview page. 

 

 

ABOUT THE NORTHERN LIGHTS

The Sun is approaching solar maximum which means it is becoming very active increasing probability of seeing auroras. Between 2022 and 2026, we can expect lots of activity from the Sun.There is only one way to find out, and that is to go and see what is in store for us, to me that is the best part, not knowing what to expect and being greeted by  unreal "found situations" in nature. I will say that all 5 workshops that I have done up here have resulted in northern lights on each trip. We hope for more of the same in 2023 and beyond. Northern lights a can be seen up here over 200 nights a year, so I would say the chances look decent.

 


 

ABOUT THE MILKY WAY

Ahhhhhh, the summer milky way!   That means no waiting around for us once the Sun sets. This time of year the sun set is late and takes darkness to settle in some. From June to November the milky way is rising, or already visible after sunset. Most nights we will end shooting by 2:00am or 3am (depending on weather), but if we are having a great time and / or  the auroras are dancing away, that is something that we shouldn't be walk away from!

 

 

AUTUMN AURORASAUTUMN AURORAS

ABOUT THE MOON

The moon phase will be at, and near the “New Moon” phase.  The moon will have no impacts on our shooting locations.

 

COMET NEOWISE 2020 | LEGEND OF THE PHOENIXCOMET NEOWISE 2020 | LEGEND OF THE PHOENIXComet NEOWISE over Assateague Island National Seashore. In Ancient Greek folklore, a phoenix is a long-lived bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. The striations in the clouds resemble "the phoenix".

DURING THE DAY

During the day we will have time to recharge our inner batteries as well as our camera batteries. We will have time to edit our images and scout our locations, relax and even take a couple hikes. The weather will dictate our schedule, so we may do more day shooting one day if we encounter a cloudy night or poor weather. Day hikes are drives are also in the schedule.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Jeff Berkes Photography reserves the right to make changes to the schedule, dates if need be. We are not responsible for bad weather, delays or cancellations. We are also not responsible for lost or stolen items, injuries, sickness, death or damages to personal equipment and lost of personal travel expense. Failure to comply to park rules, regulations and will result in you being ejected from the workshop.

This workshop does not include travel to, from, or during the workshop.

 

 

This workshop does not include travel to, from and during the workshop, meals or overnight accommodations.

 

 

HOLLOW ROCK NIGHTGLOWHOLLOW ROCK NIGHTGLOW STOCKTON ISLAND| APOSTLE ISLANDSSTOCKTON ISLAND| APOSTLE ISLANDS

 

MAKE YOUR DEPOSIT OR FULL PAYMENT BELOW. SEE YOU THERE!

June 2024 Lake Superior Night Sky
 

 

For more information or to register please contacts us here at [email protected]