Updated ''Milky Way NightScape'' eBook Version 2.0

 

My NEW updated eBook coming out the end of 2023

PRE-ORDER for end of year eBook Delivery - Get Weekly Updates NOW. Only $10.08 via my PATREON support membership (annual - cancel at any time). Why wait until the end of 2023 to get my new, updated eBook? I'm publishing weekly updates of my new Version 2.0 eBook right now via my PATREON account. My supporting members at the NightScaper Advance Patreon level are receiving these updates every week, and at the end of the year, they'll receive the completely compiled and edited Version 2.0 eBook.

It's a pre-order, but with a weekly preview of upcoming chapters. It's known as "serialization" — where a book is written and released in small pieces over a period of time. It also keeps me on schedule to finish the book by the end of the year!

WHAT'S BEING UPDATED? Over 100 new pages (200+ in all). Over 300 new images/illustrations (600 in all). Why? There have been many new advances in technology and techniques since I wrote the original eBook. To make Version 2.0 more interesting and authoritative, I'm featuring "Guest Artists" or experts throughout the book, in addition to my own writings and tutorials. Most of these pages will have links to additional resources and tutorials outside my eBook, where the reader can get step-by-step instruction on these new advances.

SAMPLE UPDATES. HERE are six (6) sample pages from my new eBook and a typical weekly update (these come to you as PDF downloads).

Sample pages - Click to view individually

This new version is expected to be about 50% larger than the original 1.1 version (which was 140 pages). That is because it covers many new techniques that were not available in the original version. ORDER your 2.0 Updates Now by becoming a NightScaper Advance Patron for only $1/month or $10.08 annually (cancel at any time).

 *** Don't like the Patreon "subscription" payment model? PRE-ORDER Version 2.0 HERE from my Etsy shop for a one-time cost of $19.99 *** 

Support me at $10.08 annually and save 16%

When you support me at the NightScaper Advance Patreon level ($1/month or $10.08 for one year), you are not only "preordering" the new eBook, but you get weekly updates, page by page! It's like having your cake and eating it too. Cancel your support at any time. Patreon is super quick about cancellations. However, I personally guarantee that anyone who has paid for one year of support will get a completed copy of my Version 2.0 eBook sent to them. Those who wait until the end of the year to order my new eBook will be paying the full price of $19.99 — almost twice the pre-order price though my Patreon support!

My original Version 1.1 eBook

The ORIGINAL eBook is still available HERE for $19.99. Thousands have purchased my original Version 1.1 "Milky Way NightScape" eBook and consider it the most thorough book ever written on astro landscape photography (140 pages, over 33,000 words of text, with over 490 illustrative images). Even though this book is several years old, it is still an excellent guide for jump starting your nightscape photography!

You can also ORDER both versions HERE via PATREON. If you don't already have my original eBook, you can become a NightScaper Supporting Patron for $3/month (or $30.24 for one year) and get both the original Version 1.1 eBook and weekly updates of Version 2.0, with the final compiled and edit eBook at the end of this year. As a bonus, you'll also receive a supporter gift of four video tutorials from the 2021 NightScaper Conference.

*** Don't like the Patreon "subscription" payment model? ORDER BOTH the Original Version 1.1 and Version 2.0 HERE from my Etsy shop for a one-time cost of $34.98 ***

Support me at $30.24 annually and save 16%

CANCELING your PATREON support: Some people don't want to get hooked into a subscription that's hard to cancel; however, the Patreon people are very honest and easy to deal with. You can cancel at any time and they are quick about it. Here's my suggestion: Do the 1-year support for the discounted price of $10.08 (that's about 1/2 of what the $19.99 price will be when the new eBook comes out). That subscription won't be set for renewal until at least April 1, 2024. All the eBook updates will happen in 2023, and the final updated, edited and compiled Version 2.0 will be out by the end of the year or end of January 2024 at the latest. Once you get it, you can cancel your Patreon support and you'll have your eBook for only $10.08!

When I finish editing and publishing my eBook, I will switch to other projects like YouTube tutorials which will be included in the $3/month support level, so you can continue supporting me at that level, if you wish. It's your decision.

Sample Pages from my New eBook

 Here are six (6) random sample pages from my new Milky Way NightScapes Version 2.0 eBook:

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HERE is what a typical weekly update looks like (a 4-page PDF).  This update is about using moonlight in your nightscapes, and features "Guest Artist" Brad Goldpaint. Be sure to check out the NightScaper Conference video link on this sample update for even more "how-to" learning. The weekly PDF versions of the above sample pages will often have hot links to many outside learning resources.

Update 2.0 will cover the NEW ADVANCES in:

• Astro-modification to Camera Sensors
• Filters to increase nebulosity (giving that "deep space" look)
• New Tracking options
• Stacking for noise reduction & reduced star movement
• Software for Noise Reduction
• Deepscapes (a new nightscape genre)
• Low Level Lighting techniques & equipment
• Mixing Moonlight with the Milky Way
• Twilight Blends vs. Starlight Blends
• Obtaining High Quality Single Exposure NightScapes

PRE-ORDER my NEW Milk Way NightScapes Version 2.0 HERE.

(You can also get my original eBook from that page, if you don't already have it. It is a great way to jump start your nightscape photography.)

Winter Milky Way by Ralf Rohner

 

Winter Milky Way at a "Secret Beach" on the Oregon Coast © Ralf Rohner (click to enlarge) 

Nightscape photographers in the Northern Hemisphere often talk about the "Milky Way season", and bemoan that the season is "over" when winter comes. Actually, this is a misnomer. The Milky Way is always with us—summer or winter, as you can see in Ralf Rohner's beautiful panoramic view of the winter night sky.

What some less informed photographers are referring to is the absence of the "core" or galactic center of the Milky Way during the winter months. A better term might be: The "Milky Way core season" is over during the winter months. (The opposite is true in the Southern Hemisphere, when the core disappears below the horizon during some of their summer months).

"The Astrophotographer's Yin and Yang" at Mobius Arch © Ralf Rohner (click to enlarge)

This panoramic photo blend is a wonderful example of how our view of the Milky Way changes during the seasons. The photo is a blend of both Milky Way seasons, taken from the same location (Mobius Arch, in the Alabama Hills of eastern California). Ralf had this to say about the image:

Do you prefer winter or summer? Cold or warm? Dark or bright? Yin or Yang?

Yin is the dark side of our Milky Way, dominated by Orion, the hunter. As northern hemisphere dwellers, we associate this dimmer part of our galaxy with long, cold nights, but it also contains some of the most beautiful gems in the night sky, as the light fights its way back in the form of stunning red hydrogen emission nebulae, dotting the whole Milky Way band.

 For bright Yang, you have to look for Sagittarius, the steaming teapot, which points towards the galactic center, the brightest part of the Milky Way. In the northern hemisphere, this is associated with warmer but shorter spring and summer nights. Adjacent to the Milky Way core, in the border area of Scorpius and Ophiuchi, lies one of the most colorful parts of the night sky, the Rho Ophichui region. Despite all this light, one can not ignore the looming dark cloud of the Great Rift, blocking the starlight and colors in the constellations Serpens, Aquila and part of Cygnus. Ironically, this seemingly star-eating molecular cloud is home to some of the most active regions of star formation. The light once again gains the upper hand in the bright hydrogen emission nebulae of Cygnus, around the stars Sadr and Deneb.

 Thereafter, we enter the transition zone between the bright and the dark side, which is ruled by King Cepheus and his vain wife Cassiopeia.

 During a short period in spring and autumn, it is possible to see both sides in a single night. I had the privilege to be able to capture this at Mobius Arch in California.

The Yin-panorama was captured after nightfall, facing westward, and showing the winter Milky Way with setting Orion. The east facing Yang-panorama shows the rising galactic core and Cygnus, shortly before dawn. Both were merged to create this 'Yin-Yang' image, showing the entire Milky Way visible from mid northern latitudes. [The bright area in the sky, just to the right of the arch is Zodiacal Light.]

Ralf's technical information for the top photo of the "Secret Beach" will give you an idea of how he creates his nightscape panoramas:

• Camera: Canon EOS-R, astro-modified 
• Lens: Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8
• Narrowband filter: IDAS NBZ filter
• Tracker: iOptron SkyTracker Pro 
• Sky: 6 panel panorama, each a stack of 6x 60s @ ISO1600 & 3 x 150s @ ISO6400 
• Foreground: 6 panel panorama of 5s @ ISO400 during blue hour

Check out Ralf's informative blog on how to do landscape astrophotography.

Private Night Photography Workshops by Royce Bair

A single exposure with Low-Level-Lighting at an arch in southern Utah

Private Night Photography Lessons in the Field. For years I've done up to 10 group workshops a year. These 5-day group workshops typically cost about $1,995 (or about $400 a day). In 2019, I went into semi-retirement, doing only one group workshop a year (my group workshops often fill up in 48 hours or less). For the rest of the year, I only do private workshops. Private instruction allows greater flexibility for teaching and offers many additional opportunities for my clients! We can sometimes do as much photography in two or three nights than you can do in a group situation during four or five nights. Of course, we can also do as much daytime photography as you want (depending on how much sleep you require).

One of the biggest advantage of a private workshop is that my time is shared only with you and the friend(s) you choose to attend with you (I cannot tell you how many times I have seen one "bad apple" in a group workshop try to monopolize my time at the expense of others in the group).

Private instruction is only a little more expensive than a group workshop, but it can actually be equal to or less expensive, when you invite a friend or two to share the costs. A maximum of three photographers are allowed in a private group (you and up to two of your friends). Let me illustrate...

Day rate: I charge $1,200 for the first day of instruction and $950 for each additional day (some photographers book just one day). "Weather" days are $500. Here's a typical fee cost EXAMPLE for two or three photographers:

  First Day/night ................... $1,200.00
  Second Day/night (a Weather day)...    500.00
  Third Day/night ...................    950.00

                                      ---------

    Total fee cost .................. $2,650.00

    Cost per photographer (when 2)... $1,325.00

    (Cost per photographer, when 3).. $  883.33       

Definitions: A "Day/night" of photography includes up to 8 hours of my time in guiding and teaching. At least two (2) of those hours will be doing starry night photography. The daytime instruction can be in the field or in the classroom (i.e. image post processing). A tag-along spouse or friend, without a camera, is not considered a "photographer".

Weather Days: In virtually every group workshop I've ever conducted, there are nights where we have so much cloud cover that few stars can be seen or photographed. Although we always try to make good use of the night with "Blue Hour" photography and demonstrating light painting techniques, this is probably not what you signed up for. When this happens in my private workshops, we just call it a night and rest up for better nights. If I cannot give you at least 30 minutes of starry night photography, I will charge you a flat $500 fee to cover my expenses for that day. Note: This "weather day" discount does not apply to the first day. The "weather day" discount is also NOT something I offer in my group workshops.

Travel Expenses: You will cover your own travel expenses for transportation, lodging and meals.

Locations for private workshop lessons can be any place in the world! Any workshop location within 350 miles of my residence includes my travel expenses in the first day rate fee. Examples of workshops that are within this 350-mile radius: Arches National Park, Grand Teton N.P., Yellowstone N.P., Zion N.P., Bryce Canyon N.P., Capitol Reef N.P., Canyonlands N.P. and Grand Staircase-Escalante N.M.

You will also cover my travel expenses for any workshop that is greater than 350 miles from my residence in Salt Lake City, Utah. I will cover my own lodging and meals. For distances greater than 350 miles, you will be charged the following travel expenses, in addition to my day rates:

   351-800 miles (car travel one way): $0.95 per mile*
   Over 800 miles: Actual airfare charges + actual
         car rental fees (we can share this vehicle).
   

*Example: One of my favorite places in eastern California are the Alabama Hills, near Lone Pine. From this area, you can also visit Mono Lake and the ancient Bristlecone Pines. Google says it's 582 miles from Salt Lake City to Lone Pine —that's 232 miles over my free base distance of 350 miles. At 95 cents per mile, that would be a travel expense of $220. As for your own travel expenses, you would want to fly into Las Vegas and rent a car for driving to Lone Pine (232 miles).

Reserving your date: I charge a $300 deposit to reserve a date. You can reserve up to a six days at a time. There is a deposit fee of $300 for each day you wish to reserve. This one deposit covers all the photographers in your group. I am happy to help you with your travel arrangements and hotel recommendations.

CALL: 801-558-2701 to make your reservations, or EMAIL me at royce.bair[AT]gmail[DOT]com (to prevent spam email, I ask you to substitute the "[AT]" with the "@" symbol and the "[DOT]" with the "." character).

Final payment: I request the balance of my fees (and any travel expenses) 90 days prior to the starting day of your private workshop.

Cancellations and Refunds: You can cancel and receive a full refund (less credit card fees), up to 90 days prior to the event. If you cancel between 60 and 89 days prior to the event, I will refund all but $100.00 of the fees you have paid. If you cancel between 30 and 59 days prior to the event, I will refund 50% of your fees, unless we can find a replacement attendee to take your place. If you cancel less than 30 days prior to the event, none of your fees will refunded, unless we can find a replacement attendee to take your place. The workshop participant acknowledges that if Royce Bair cancels this event, all fees paid will be refunded. Other than this refund, no guarantee or warranty is given or implied.

Eliminating days from your scheduled event: If, after completing at least two of your reserved workshop days, it is decided that you no longer need one or more of your additional reserved days, you will be refunded up to $450.00 for each of those unused days (less credit card processing fees). Travel expenses cannot be refunded.

Extending your workshop: If we are less than two weeks away from your workshop, and you wish to extend the length of the workshop (and I can make arrangements to do so), you will pay my first day rate ($1,200/day) for each additional day. You may also be required to pay my lodging expenses for any extra days (as last-minute lodging costs are often at a higher rate).

Recommendations: Read what others have said about my workshops.

1-Night Workshops in the Kanab Area

"Zion's Little Tree" is only about 35 miles from Kanab, Utah. Photo by Royce Bair

NOTICE: Even though the NightScaper Conference has been postponed to 2023, we plan to continue our Kanab area workshops! Instead of just one-nighters, you will also be able to book a 5-day/night workshop; however, we will limit attendance now to just six (6) people, instead of 8/night.

March 18 update: this workshop is now full. However, you may eMail to get on our waiting list.

We had originally planned our workshops of 1-nighters around the 2022 NightScaper Conference (April 26-29). Robert McKendrick and I will now be conducting a full 5-day/night (April 25-29) workshop and also offering several 1-night workshops in the Kanab, Utah area. Each workshop includes a daytime outing(s) with two hours of classroom style instruction. Each day, we will go to one or more of the following locations (eMail me below for our planned itinerary):

A large chamber, about 80 minutes from Kanab. Photo by Robert McKendrick

Zion's "The Watchman" and Virgin River. Photo by Robert McKendrick

Toadstool Hoodoos - about 45 miles from Kanab. Photo by Royce Bair

More hoodoos, about an hour from Kanab. Photo by Robert McKendrick

"The Fortress" by Royce Bair

Alstrom Point - Lake Powell is 82 miles from Kanab. Photo by Robert McKendrick

Sunrise on Pardue Bay / Lake Powell. Photo by Robert McKendrick

Photo by Royce Bair

Each 1-day/night workshop costs $425/person. The full 5-day/night workshop is $1995. For more information, or to reserve your spot, eMail Me.

Get my eBook for only $3

Limited Time Offer: Get my $19.99 Milky Way NightScapes eBook for only $3.00* by becoming a Patreon NightScaper Supporting Member!

The eBook that has taught thousands how to photograph Milky Way nightscapes. "Your eBook is the 'Bible' of NightScape photography!" - Ralf Rohner 

*Although this a monthly patron membership subscription, you can cancel at anytime. But, I don't think you'll want to because of these added patron BENEFITS:

• 

  "Finding Your Photo Vision" Video

  
  Access to the 49-minute "Finding Your Photo Vision" presentation I gave at the 2021 NightScaper Conference (the content in this video has helped to redirected and change many photographer's lives).
• Access to the 29-minute "6 Ways to Improve Your Nightscapes" presentation (also from the conference).
• Access to 2 other NightScaper Conference videos of YOUR choice (choose from 65 other video tutorials).
• Exclusive chapter updates: Each week I reveal new pages to my NEW 2.0 eBook version, that is coming out the end of this year (2023). HERE's a SAMPLE of what those updates look like.
• When the version 2.0 eBook is finished, my dedicated patron supporters will receive the edited and compiled edition for FREE.
• Even if you already have my original (version 1.1) eBook, you can be a hero by gifting it to a friend, and retain the above benefits for yourself!
• You'll be supporting my efforts to showcase the some of the world's best nightscape photographs and photographers on my 480,000 Instagram following, and our 97,000 member NightScaper Facebook group — both of which strive to teach good how-to techniques.

Become a NightScaper Supporting Patron Member

for only $3/month - JOIN NOW!

...and I'll send you a download for my eBook

and a link to the "Finding Your Photo Vision" video.

Receive a 16% discount from Patreon when you join for 1-year ($30.24 annual).

- - -

$5.00 DISCOUNT. If you don't like subscription memberships (even with all the added benefits listed above), and you just want to pay a one-time $14.99 price for my eBook, then click the banner below and place your order for an immediate download of my eBook. Use the Promo Code TWAN at checkout to reduce your final cost from the regular $19.99 price to $14.99:

Video Access to the 2021 NightScaper Conference

 

Defining Nightscapes. When you combine landscape photography with the cosmos, you get astro-landscapes or nightcapes — one of the newest and most exciting genres of landscape photography! Imagine the challenge and satisfaction of bringing together a starry night sky and an interesting foreground into a single landscape composition! The above image was taken in a single exposure, with a 15mm lens on a Canon 5D Mark III, using Low Level Landscape Lighting (photo by Royce Bair in the White Pocket area of northern Arizona).

38 Hours of Nightscape instruction. The 2nd annual NightScaper Conference brought together 40 legendary nightscape speakers from nine nations. These photography experts gave 69 program presentations for every skill level, from beginner to advanced. All this was recorded; over 38 hours of video content. 

SAMPLE videos: Here's a video program example from our 2019 conference and a similar program example from an earlier conference. Many video programs are similar to entertaining learning tutorials, presented to a live audience, with Q&A's at the end.

Get access to the recorded conference videos for as little as $14/month — Read on...

Scenes from the 2021 NightScaper Conference
Photos by Bethany Blair & Saunders Clark

Program Examples. You'll receive instruction on such things as "Making Panoramic Images of the Milky Way" by Yuri Beletsky. "The Importance of Planning" by Alyn Wallace. "Editing Techniques for Blue Hour Blends" by Jess Santos. "Photographing the Milky Way with Moonlight" by Brad Goldpaint. "Low Level Landscape Lighting by Wayne Pinkston.

ORDER ACCESS TO ALL THE VIDEOS: Those who attended the 2021 NightScaper Conference paid $599 for an in person ticket (or $399 for a virtual ticket). You can ORDER access to the conference videos for $14 per month (cancel at any time).

Hear what others are saying about the conference and the video programs.

Get access to the recorded conference videos for as little as $14/month — Read on...

Our PATREON Access to the Conference Videos

GET VIDEO ACCESS via my Royce Bair PATREON account: Instead of paying $399 upfront to get access to all the program videos at once, you can select either my $14/month or $19/month membership. 

NOTE: You can cancel your membership at any time, and still RETAIN ACCESS to ALL the VIDEOS your membership originally allowed you to view!

FREE eBook Gift. With either level of Royce Bair "NightScaper" PATREON membership, you get free access to my Milky Way NightScapes eBook (a $19.99 value.)

The $14/month membership gives you access to up to 33 videos of your choice (see the list below). The $19/month membership gives you access to all 69 video programs. JOIN my PATREON now, and select your membership level.

A Quick Topic List of the video programs:

• The Colors of the Night Sky by Yuri Beletsky
• Mastering panoramic images of the Milky Way by Yuri Beletsky
• More than the Milky Way by Alyn Wallace (here's a similar video on Alyn's YT channel)
• The Importance and Joy of Planning by Alyn Wallace
• Perceiving and Portraying Reality by Derek Sturman
• Know Your Cosmos! by Aaron King
• Astrophotography in our National Parks by Matt Dieterich (here's a preview of his program)
• Astronomy 101 for Nightscapers ("Navigating the Night Sky") ~ Block I by Mike Shaw (here's a pre-conference interview with Mike)
• The Wonders of all Things Mobile by Russell Preston Brown
• Photographing the Milky Way with Moonlight by Brad Goldpaint (here's a preview of his program)
• Illusion of Lights: A Journey Into the Unseen (time-lapse) by Brad Goldpaint
• How to capture more detail using Single Exposure Imaging by Amir Shahcheraghian
• Tracking Mounts - Block I by Eric Benedetti (here's a preview of his program)
• Saving Dark Skies Locally by Joyce Harman
• 9 Ways to Improve Your Astro Photography with Timelapse by Ron Risman (here's a sample of his timelapse work)
• Tracking Mounts - Block II ~ Dispelling the Myth by Eric Benedetti
• Humans in Night Photos – Yourself or Others by Ben Canales
• Ancient Skies by Marc Toso
• Nightscapes and Science: what stories are your photos hiding? by Bryony Richards (here's a preview of her program)
• The Southern Australian Milky Way by blntpencil
• Round Table Discussion - Women in Astro
• Low Level Lighting - Step-by-Step by Wayne Pinkston (here's a preview of his program)
• DEEPSCAPES ~ Deepscape Photography: What, Why, and How? by Paul Schmit
• DEEPSCAPES ~ Landscape Astrophotography Going Deep by Ralf Rohner
• DEEPSCAPES ~ final session by Dheera Venkatraman - with Q&A's
• Natural colors in the night sky by Roger Clark
• Post processing to preserve star and nebula colors by Roger Clark
• A revolution is coming to photography by Roger Clark
• New England Night Photography by Mike Taylor
• Astronomy 101 for Nightscapers ~ Block II - "Mastering the Moon" by Mike Shaw
• 6 Ways to Improve Your NightScapes by Royce Bair (here's a preview of Royce's program)
• Planning Night Photography in an Easy Way ~ Block I by Wenjie Qiao
• Adding the Moon to Milky Way Photos ~ Block II by Wenjie Qiao
• How to Plan Your Nightscapes in Seconds by Rafael Pons
• Creating Extraordinary Night Panoramics by David Swindler
• Save the Stars by Bettymaya Foott
• Milky way Panoramas! by Aaron King
• Being Creative With Your Nightscapes - Forget The Milky Way by Gavin Hardcastle
• Meet Our Youth Scholarship Winners
• Photography, the Perfect Side Hustle by Ryan Smith (here's a preview of his program)
• Moonscapes by Manish Mamtani
• Telling Stories Using Composition by Jess Santos (here's a preview of her program)
• Editing techniques for blue hour blends by Jess Santos
• Maximizing & pushing the limits with GoPro cameras by Shreeni Manievannan
• Chasing the Northern Lights by Alan Dyer
• Diving into Deep-Sky Photography by Alan Dyer
• Introduction to Making Milky Way Portraits by Ken Childress
• Round Table Discussion - What Makes a Good Nightscape Location?
• The Art of Chasing the Shot by Jack Fusco
• Capturing vs. Creating by Jack Fusco
• Nightscaping on Tour by Stefan Liebermann
• Know Your Cosmos & Milky Way Panos - Extended with Q&A's by Aaron King
• Finding Variety in Night Sky Photography by Miles Morgan
• Twilight Photography and Photoshop Techniques by Miles Morgan
• Light Painting with Tubes by Jaime Amaya
• Understanding Exposure for the Moon Time-lapse ~ Block III by Wenjie Qiao
• Come Along on a Virtual Nightscaper Adventure by Christine Kenyon
• The Night Sky Variety Show by Christine Kenyon (here's a preview of her program)
• Capturing Starscapes on a Budget by Shreeni Manievannan
• Photographer or Artist? by Ryan Smith
• Photography Life is a journey, not a competition by Ryan Smith
• Blending Blue Hour Photos with Night Sky Images by David Soldano
• Deepscapes: Discovering Deep Sky Nightscapes - Block III by Mike Shaw
• Leaving the Herd and Finding Your Photo Vision by Royce Bair
• Heavens on Earth (time-lapse) by Vikas Chander
• Art in Nightscape by Mohammad S. Hayati
• Round Table Discussion - Popular Location Shooting Etiquette

ORDER ACCESS TO THE ABOVE VIDEOS: You can ORDER immediate access to the conference videos for $14 per month (cancel at any time) through your Royce Bair PATREON membership.

Check out the 2023 NightScaper Conference (May 18-21): Nightscaper.com