Race Point After Dark
August 2025 (TBA)
Limited to 7 participants.
Three Hour Field Shoot.
Two Hours of Instructional Videos.
Dune transportation included.
All skill levels welcome.
Physical activity : Moderate (Walking on sand.)
Workshop Type: Milky Way / Dark Week
$285 per person.
It's The End of the Cape!
Race Point Light is at the very tip of Cape Cod and provides abundant opportunities for photographers. Between the light house tower, the main building, the whistle house and the nearby shoreline, the compositions are endless. Unfortunately, so feels the walk out to the property without the help of a four wheel drive vehicle.
But fret not, I've got you covered. If you've ever wanted to visit this lighthouse for a night photography shoot without the hassle, this event is for you. The group will meet at the Race Point Beach parking lot and be driven to the lighthouse via a dune van service. After the shoot, we will be picked up and returned to the parking lot. This is your chance to visit a location that might have been out of reach for you, until now.
Ideally, we will shoot starry skies during the peak of Milky Way season. Alignments will compliment the lighthouse and other buildings nearby along with the beach. And if that weren't enough, there are dunes in every direction should you'd like focus on the natural beauty of the area. If the clouds roll in, we will make the best of it anyway!
During this workshop presentation, you'll learn this and more:
1) The ideal camera settings for high ISO photography.
2) Light painting - Using light to allow for single exposure shooting in dark conditions.
3) Basic astronomy, the seasonality of the night sky and how to incorporate the night sky into your composition.
4) Focusing in the dark.
5) Tracking vs. stacking and noise reduction techniques and ideas.
6) The best cameras and lenses for astro-landscape photography.
7) Post production tips and ideas to think about as you create your shots.
8) Understanding how atmospheric conditions can affect your shoot, even on what looks like a clear night.
9) Recording aurora and meteor events.
Gear Considerations
Workshop Gear Requirements
1) A DSLR or Mirrorless camera that has the ability to shoot at ISO settings of 3200 and higher.
2) A shutter release cable with intervalometer capability for longer exposures and star trails.
3) A very sturdy tripod. VERY STURDY. Chain store tripods, amateur video tripods and cheap kit tripods are not permitted in this workshop.
4) A wide angle lens (near the 12mm-24mm range) with a required aperture ability of at least f/2.8.
5) One or more flashlights. Preferably, one with a very low power setting for seeing the back of your camera and a brighter one for walking.
6) Two fully charged batteries.
7) Two memory cards.
8) Bug spray. Should you need to rent a lens or camera, I recommend Borrow Lenses.
Who Can Take This Workshop?
While all skill levels are welcome, this workshop is for attendees who are completely comfortable adjusting their camera's settings - specifically your manual mode and ISO, aperture, time and white balance. It's okay to not know why to change those settings prior to our event, just how. A night photography workshop is not the best time to just be learning to navigate your camera and will not result in the best experience for you or other attendees. For this reason, camera-specific hardware tutoring is not offered at this event.
Accessing the shoot locations will require walking on sand and nature paths for up to ten minutes with photography gear. You should be in reasonably good physical health.
This event is limited to 7 participants.
Interested? Get on the notification list for when registrations go live!
Hi, I'm Tim! I love photographing Cape Cod at night and have made it my business to know how to do it and where the best locations are at the right time of the year. I've hosted over 120 group workshops and 500 private tours. My book Cape Cod Nights : A Photographic Exploration of the Cape and Islands After Dark was released in 2013 and is available to order at your favorite book store.
I offer these events so you can have a unique and memorable experience and learn something along the way while getting great images! You'll meet some like-minded people in a safe and fun environment.
Hope to see you out there, after dark!