Star Trails, Astro & Light Painting Photography: Capturing the Night Sky

Intro to Astrophotography with Josh Baker

Unlock the secrets of photographing the night sky and learn how to create breathtaking images after dark. Astrophotography combines creativity, technical skill, and a little bit of patience—and this beginner-friendly workshop will give you the confidence to start capturing stars, star trails, the Milky Way, and unique light-painted images.

Whether you’ve always wanted to photograph the night sky but didn’t know where to begin, or you’re looking to take your camera skills beyond daylight photography, this class will walk you through the essential techniques needed to plan, capture, and process stunning nighttime images.

Join Josh for an engaging, hands-on introduction to astrophotography where you’ll learn how to prepare for a successful night shoot, choose the right settings, and overcome the challenges of shooting in low-light environments.

What You’ll Learn

• How to plan your astrophotography sessions using moon phases, weather conditions, and light pollution maps
• Recommended camera gear and accessories for successful night photography
• Essential camera settings for capturing the Milky Way and creating dramatic star trail images
• How to achieve sharp focus in complete darkness and techniques for finding the perfect focus point
• Understanding exposure, shutter speed, ISO, and aperture for nighttime shooting
• Introduction to star stacking techniques and using free software such as StarStaX to enhance your results
• Basic post-processing workflows to bring out detail, color, and impact in your final images
• Creative approaches to combining stars, landscapes, and light painting for unique compositions

Hands-On Experience

This interactive workshop is designed to take the mystery out of night photography. Josh will share real-world examples, explain his shooting process, and help students better understand how to prepare their own equipment for successful astrophotography sessions.

You’ll leave with the knowledge to confidently plan your next nighttime adventure and the skills needed to capture incredible images of the stars—whether from your backyard or a remote dark-sky location.

What You’ll Need

• DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual exposure controls
• Tripod (required)
• Remote shutter release or intervalometer (recommended, but not required)
• Basic understanding of manual camera settings is helpful, but beginners are welcome