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 | FALL COLORS
AUGUST 17th - 22nd, 2025
6 NIGHTS / 7 DAYS
CLASS LIMIT: 7
INVESTMENT: $3,299.00/ $2,650.00 (ALUMNI)
ABOUT THIS ADVENTURE
Celebrating my 10th year running these workshops full time, only means that 2025 needs to be a little bigger, and a little better. This workshop will be a full week, 6 days, 7 days!!! We will spend 3 nights covering the southern shores and then 3 nights up north near Grand Marias / Grand Portage. 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, Bortle 1 locations are observed here and the northern lights are out over 200 days a year! 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. The September 2025 fall equinox will sync up with the peak of Solar Max and we will be in the right spot at the right time to see some northern lights! We will explore the entire shoreline from Duluth to the Canadian border while capturing waterfalls, fall colors exploding in areas, wildlife, the night sky, and a few lighthouses along the way. We will also incorporate the golden glow from sunset and sunrise into some of these locations as well. Each night we will be out to search for the northern lights! Bald eagles, osprey, Peregrine falcons, and other wildlife can be seen here on a daily basis so bring your long lens and be prepared for tons of photo ops. I know of an eagle's nest as well and we can get fairly close to it too. We will take that short drive from Two Harbors one day to see what we can find!
SEPTEMBER 2023
Although seeing the northern lights are not a given here or anywhere really, this is an excellent place to view them from within the USA. Some locations nearby report seeing them over 200 nights a year, I have seen them on all of my trips here since 2018, that would be 6 years in a row. Last year we had them out 3 out of 4 nights with a super show (G3 / Kp7) on the last night! In June 2024, we had them 2 of the 4 nights, the other 2 nights rained, but they were out! Get ready to have an amazing time along the shores of Lake Superior! During this workshop we will also observe and photograph the Milky Way, Meteors, waterfalls, Lighthouses and other scenic areas along Minnesota's North Shore. We will also have an entire day dedicated to image reviews and editing at my cabin on the shores of Lake Superior. At the cabin, we can go through your images, select the best ones, and editing them with Lake Superior views through the windows.
NORTH SHORE CAMPINGSEPTEMBER 2023
MINNESOTA | JUNE 6TH, 2024
Some locations in Cook County are Bortle 1, although many show Bortle 2 & 3 conditions. Here you will find some of the darkest skies you find in the world which makes this an amazing location for night sky viewing. Also being so close to the US / Canadian Border, we have those northern lights gracing the horizon most nights of the year. We will also have a entire day dedicated towards the end of the workshop to review and edit images in my cabin on the shores of Lake Superior. As weather permits, a firepit will keep us entertained as the stars begin top reveal themselves.
SEPTEMBER 2022
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 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 2025!
NORTH SHORE | MINNESTOA
MINNESOTA | SEPTEMBER 2024Northern Lights Display in the Minnesota Northwoods in September 2024.
PILLARS OF LIGHT
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, but we will also experience the changing of seasons with fall colors starting to explode in the far north.
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.
GUARDIAN ANGEL | MINNESOTA
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
- Best lenses for night sky and northern lights photography and videography
- How to add impact to your imagery by creating compelling compositions during the day and at night
- Learn about the milky way, night sky, eclipses, meteor showers, northern lights and more
- Full day image review and editing towards the end of the workshop at my cabin on Lake Superior!
- Commercial permits / Minnesota State Parks Pass for the week
- Online video tutorials on how to process your images, star trails, time lapse and panoramas
- 1 Breakfast in Two Harbors, MN
- 2 Dinners
- PDF packets on camera settings and tips for Milky Way and Northern Lights photography
- Video Tutorials on images taken during this workshop.
SUNSET AURORAS | USA | SEPTEMBER 2024
WEATHER
Weather this time of year is typically in the low 70's or even 80s during the day, and 40s or 50s at night. 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. Recommendations will be given out to all registered photographers. This cabin (below) will be our basecamp for the 2nd leg of our adventure, with stunning views in all directions, I have found this to be the perfect location for many reasons. We will enjoy the outdoor firepit here at night while we capture stunning views of the night sky and the dramatic shoreline's.
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 "found situations" in nature. I will say that all 6 workshops that I have done up here have resulted in northern lights on each trip. We hope for more of the same in 2024. Northern lights can be seen up here over 200 nights a year, so I would say the chances look decent, but never given since weather conditions here on Earth, and in Space play a vital role in the odds of viewing them. From my experience, we have a great chance as
NORTHERN LIGHTS LAKE | MINNESOTA
FIREBALL AND NORTHERN LIGHTS | MINNESOTA | 2024
ABOUT THE MILKY WAY
The Milky Way will begin to set shortly after sunset which will give us some time to capture it from a few locations on our adventure. The northern section of the milky way begins to appear over the lake closer to midnight which gives us some other great photographic opportunities during the week. Most nights we will wrap up shooting by 3:00am. The schedule may shift around slightly to maximize our photographic potential which means we may stay up even later if clouds were lurking around earlier in the night.
AUTUMN AURORAS
ABOUT THE MOON
The moon will rise around midnight, and then after midnight for the remaining nights. This allows us ample time to capture milky way shots, and any northern lights activity that is going on then.
MINNESOTA | SEPTEMBER 2024Northern Lights Display in the Minnesota Northwoods in September 2024.
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 one weather. Day hikes are drives are also in the schedule, although not every day.
BALD EAGLE | MINNESOTA
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. Trip insurance is recommended to protect your trip.
This workshop does not include travel to, from, or during the workshop. Carpooling with others is also encouraged while we are there.
This workshop does not include travel to, from and during the workshop, meals, or overnight accommodations.
STOCKTON ISLAND| APOSTLE ISLANDS
MAKE YOUR DEPOSIT OR FULL PAYMENT BELOW. SEE YOU THERE!
| 2025 Lake Superior Northern Lights |
If you have any questions, would like to be added to the wait list, or would like more information about this workshop or any workshop email me at [email protected]
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