Finding Our Parks: How We Participated in National Parks Week

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In late April, we hit the road NPAN style. We chose to celebrate the National Parks Service's free entrance days for National Park Week by taking a whirlwind tour of Southern Utah.

Gabe, Matt and Chris were joined by our friend Sean in Las Vegas and we hit the road in a car and on two motorcycles. Our trip led us through three national parks (including Zion, which wasn't a destination, but how could we not at least drive through?) and two national monuments. It was epic, and awe-inspiring.

Our routine was great! Eat a substantial breakfast, hit the road, drive through some amazing landscapes, grab some food and head out into the park to go shooting for the late afternoon and evening (often until 2 or 3 a.m.).

Here are individual highlights from the adventurers:

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Bryce Canyon National Park - by Matt Hill

“Love them hoodoos.”

— Matt

My first impression was a gasp when I viewed Bryce Canyon under a full moon. A massive canyon filled with hoodoos and trees. And gorgeous shadows. It was brutally cold, even for late April, and we withstood the wind on the canyon rim to enjoy the view and make some images.

Upon descending into the canyon, the wind died, as well as my hopes for avoiding aerobic exercise for the day. ;-) What goes down, must come up! That canyon is deeeeeep and steeeeeep. Nonetheless, we hiked into the hoodoo field and I spent a lot of time playing with the relationship between eroded sandstone rock and living wood. What a gorgeous juxtaposition of colors, textures and shapes.

We're fortunate the skies cooperated in a big way. Very happy with our experience there, despite hiking back up the canyon with 30+ lbs. in my backpack at altitude.

Visit the Bryce Canyon Official NPS Website to plan your visit! 

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Capitol Reef National Park - by Chris Nicholson

“Capitol Reef simply shines in the dark!”

— Chris

Capitol Reef has been on my bucket list for a couple of years, so I was thrilled we were including it on our road trip.

But to get there, first we drove through the big shocker of the trip: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. None of us knew much about it, other than that it exists. And it's beautiful! We stopped about four or five times, mesmerized by both its size and its amazing landscapes. We didn't have time to linger, but we will be back there someday for sure.

We arrived at Capitol Reef with just enough time to scout some locations in daylight, which is important in a place with such dark night skies. (Capitol Reef is one of only three national parks designated as Gold Tier by the International Dark-Sky Association.) Checking our Photo Pills app, we knew we would have one hour of utter darkness before the moon rose, so we planned to start our evening photographing star trails at Chimney Rock.

From there we went to the orchards in Fruita, a remnant of the vibrant agricultural community in that area more than a century ago. The orchard proved difficult to photograph, primarily because it’s the one spot we did not scout well; instead of shooting right away, we spent 45 minutes walking around in the dark trying to imagine some compositions.

We ended the night near Panorama Point. We’d scouted a nice location with a road S-curving in front of a distant mountain. We each set up a composition, and Gabe manned our intervalometers while Matt drove the car and I held a Pixelstick out the sunroof, creating light trails along the road. The creativity was fun, but the wind was brutal and cold, so as soon as we felt we nailed the shot, we packed things in for the night.

On our second night in Capitol Reef, we were joined by our friend Steve Ryan, a sports photographer from New York City. He was very gracious in agreeing to drive us out to Cathedral Valley, an area filled with wonderfully photogenic rock formations accessible only by primitive roads. Unfortunately, a quick storm a few hours before departure made those roads impassable.

So instead we night-hiked to The Tanks, a series of natural water holes a short (but steep) climb up from Capitol Gorge. It was a gorgeous hike (ha! see what I did there?), a challenging (but fun) shoot, followed by a photograph-slowed hike back out of the gorge.

We are all eager to run a night-photography workshop in Capitol Reef some year soon. Stay tuned!

Visit the Capitol Reef Official NPS Website to plan your visit! 

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Natural Bridges National Monument - by Gabriel Biderman

“Bridges that lead you to the darkest of skies.”

— Gabe

Our quest for the darkest skies leads us to some very remote locations. But the opportunity to work with no light pollution and crystal-clear skies with thousands of stars is an experience no one will forget.

Natural Bridges National Monument is one of those special places. Located 40 miles from the nearest town in Southeast Utah, Natural Bridges is the oldest National Park Service site in Utah (1908) and was the first “Dark Sky Park” to be certified by the International Dark-Sky Association.

We arrived a few hours before sunset and had the most amazing conversation with Ranger Ted Hodson as he shared his stories, photographs and advice for how we could make the most of our one evening. Imagine three bridges that lie at the bottom of a deep canyon, formed from an ancient river over 260 million years ago.

You can do the 8-mile loop drive (in 20 minutes) and get little peeks of two of the three bridges, but the real adventure lies when you walk down the canyon and see the bridges act like windows to the stars.

So that’s what we did. With overcast weather looming we chose the path to Owachoma—probably the most photographed of the three bridges. We had seen the images at the visitor center and were focused on looking for new angles. I put myself right under the bridge and Matt and Chris found an oblique angle to start brushing light under the bridge. The three of us worked together on a few more angles and group light painting until the clouds enveloped the stars.

They say you can see 15,000 stars on a clear night at Natural Bridges. I stopped counting after 500.

Visit the Natural Bridges Official NPS Website to plan your visit! 

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Thanks for reading. Tell us if you participated, and how, in National Park Week. Did you #findyourpark? We'd love to hear more!

Job well done.

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Upcoming workshops from National Parks at Night

NPAN to Lecture at B&H OPTIC Conference June 5-8 in NYC

We are honored to join B&H on-stage for the second annual OPTIC Imaging Conference and Tradeshow about Travel, Outdoor & Wildlife Photography.

On June 6 (Day Two) at 3:45pm, all five of our instructors will be presenting:

Night Visions of National Parks

Description: Ever wanted to come away from an experience in a National Park with outstanding and unique images? The NPAN teams takes to the OPTIC stage at once; Gabriel Biderman, Tim Cooper, Matt Hill, Lance Keimig, and Chris Nicholson, all diverse night photographers and educators, as they explore options for finding your clearest and most creative voice in America's natural wilderness–at night.

So please RSVP (it's free!) and join us live and in person, or from anywhere in the world via the LiveStream.

You can also visit us at a table during the open trade show hours to chat about night photography & national parks or to browse the books our educators have to offer. Drop by for a free NPAN sticker and tell us you read about it here.

And don't forget to RSVP and attend the Nikon-sponsored Dinner Party and Cocktail reception on the evening of June 5th. Details here.

See more about Matt's photography, art, workshops and writing at MattHillArt.com. Follow Matt on Twitter Instagram Facebook.

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Upcoming workshops from National Parks at Night

Capture or Create: How Are You Approaching Your Photography?

To capture or create, that is the question.

We live in a world where every moment is precious and must be constantly captured. Some of us need to document to remember. These reasons are important and should not be overlooked. Silly selfies, family photos and pictures of our loved ones unify us. Look at your Facebook page. What are the most liked pictures? Are they your best shots or are they sentimental moments of good times?

Now let’s flip the coin. If you consider yourself a photographer, then you need to have a photographic vision. You can experiment and try different styles, but once you truly sync your eye to your camera, a whole new creative world is open to you.

I consider myself an artist and an educator, so I’m always pushing to look beyond the beauty of what is in front of us. I don’t want the same picture of the same place. I want to create something new, something that has my personal stamp.

This can be a difficult yet rewarding exercise. And when you are in the awe of an amazing location, such as Yosemite National Park, you are going to photograph El Capitan. But are you going to capture or create?

I advise to live in the awe of the moment and definitely capture a few of those staple shots. But keep looking, keep pressing on and see if you can create something special. Look for unique opportunities when the color, light or a new angle will yield inspiration.

That’s one of the main reasons I have chosen night photography as an artistic outlet. Typically my images are not something that you can see in-person with the naked eye. When we play with time and extend our exposures past a fraction of a second, we are opening a whole new door of possibilities. In my most successful shots, your eyes should wander with a sense of wonderment.

So let’s take a look at three shots where I pushed past the norm and explored more.

 

Devil’s Tower National Monument

When Matt Hill and I taught this three-night workshop last year, the main challenge was how to get a different interpretation of the tower each night. We scouted and found many different vantage points that would offer a great canvas to creativity. We kept getting closer and closer to the tower each night until on the last night it literally towered above us. I was inspired by watching a student light-paint and noticed the silhouette that could be formed quite easily. Adding the human element gave the image more of a sense of scale and wonderment.

 

Joshua Tree National Park

Sometimes it’s a piece of gear that helps fuel the imagination. On a recent trip to Joshua Tree, a friend brought his Pixelstick, and we each took turns picking a pattern and painting the light. This was my “interpretation” of the scene. I’m excited to continue to use a Pixelstick in my night work. The options are endless with what you can construct with this tool. But with many options comes the challenge to continue to forge something that shakes you out of your comfort zone.

 

Central Park, New York City

Finding the right time. This was shot with fellow NPAN teacher Chris Nicholson right after our 2016 NYC blizzard. The San Remo is an oft-photographed scene and the winter scenario definitely makes it a little more special. But what really makes you go “wow” on this image is the picture-perfect movement of the clouds. This was a two-minute exposure and the clouds were moving pretty quickly. If my exposure was 4 to 6 minutes, it would have smeared the whole sky. It is those breaks in the clouds that make the shot. I waited to pull the trigger until they cleared the tower lights. We get to play with time a lot at night. Learn to react quickly to the many movements and your night visions will flourish!

So I invite you to challenge yourself next time you are out shooting. Capture the moment but try to produce something special. It won’t always work, but at least you’ll be flexing those creative muscles and it will better prepare you for the next time.

Gabriel Biderman is a Brooklyn-based fine art and travel photographer, and author of Night Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots (Peachpit, 2014). During the daytime hours you'll often find Gabe at one of many photo events around the world working for B&H Photo’s road marketing team. See his portfolio and workshop lineup at www.ruinism.com.

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Upcoming workshops from National Parks at Night

Eight Reasons Night Photographers are Awesome

Time for a little fun. Let's count down what makes night photographers so darn special.

1) You use more of your waking hours for creativity

Unless you are a very productive (and not just a relaxed, like hanging out ... which is also totally awesome) night owl, making photographs at night is a very practical way to use your creative energies. Use those creative energies more and they treat you better. And heck, you're very efficient for maxing out on creativity.

2) You are more observant of the present

Since you are restricted from taking many photos rapidly, you are more likely to slow down and actually SEE what is in front of you. If you brought a buddy or a group, you may strike up a conversation that otherwise may never have happened about things you may never have talked about. And if you are lucky and smart, you will take that time to enjoy the scene in front of you. Chances are, even without light you will see things that you could have been in too much of a hurry to see before.

3) You know that less is more

We don't need 64 GB of memory cards. In fact, we're happy when an extremely productive evening yields up to 50 exposures. That's a metric sh*t-ton of night photography. And since we make less, we value our time and choices more.

4) You get intimate with infinity

We're quite insignificant when compared to the vast infinite reaches of space. Right? Facing this, evening after evening, we have time to consider our meaning on this earth. Perhaps we make better choices after seeing marvelous things that the huge majority of the world sleeps through. Or perhaps we keep this as our little secret with ourselves and smile knowingly when others ask us why we do that "night photography" stuff.

5) You seek complexity

Let's just agree that night photography is not for someone who likes to phone it in. It's full of details. It's done in the dark. You have to do math. You have to use a tripod (do I have to carry that?). But nonetheless, you persevere. Which leads us to ...

6) You are tenacious

If you're lucky, the weather may comply with your sincere wishes. Otherwise, you're left holding the proverbial bag and have to troubleshoot your way to great looking photos—or pack up and go home. Which we never do, right? We go out with an attitude that we can overcome whatever mother nature throws at us and make at least one "banger"—maybe three!

7) You are patient

Kinda goes without saying, eh?

8) You are good looking

Everyone looks great at night! Especially me.

OK, so some of these are obviously tongue-in-cheek. But we night photographers tend to have a lot of fun doing what we do. Otherwise, why do it? Thank you for being you.

#seizethenight !

See more about Matt's photography, art, workshops and writing at MattHillArt.com. Follow Matt on Twitter Instagram Facebook.

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Upcoming workshops from National Parks at Night

International Dark Sky Week Highlights A Precious Commodity

Last week was International Dark Sky Week. Did you get out and enjoy the stars?

I did. In fact, I even got to enjoy a night in South Carolina’s Congaree National Park. Congaree is only half an hour outside the state capital of Columbia, but getting even just that far away from a city can make a big difference in how we see the night sky. In fact, it makes all the difference in the world.

And getting even further away? That can make all the difference in the universe.

Congaree National Park, © 2016 Chris Nicholson

I grew up in southern Connecticut, part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. We weren’t in the city, but kind of in night-sky limbo—far enough away from NYC to see a decent sky, but not far enough to see the best. So in my nightly experience, I knew the sky had stars, but not quite how many.

I also did a lot of camping as a kid—with my dad, with my family, with Boy Scouts. We even did some camping in the national parks, especially in Great Smoky Mountains. I’m sure during those experiences I looked up at night, but the first time I vividly remember “seeing” how magnificent a starry sky truly can be, the first time I had that "supernova" moment, was in upstate New York on August 7, 1993. On a night stroll, I came to a clearing in the trees, gazed skyward and had this profound realization that I could see—actually see—the Milky Way.

I once heard astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson tell a similarly themed story about when he was a kid, growing up in the Bronx, very near the bright lights of Manhattan, thinking that there were only a handful of stars in the sky. When he learned how many were really there, that’s when his love of the universe began to dawn.

You could probably get any astronomer to relay such an experience, but another that I find particularly interesting is Tyler Nordgren, who we interviewed for the NPAN blog back in February. (See “Astronomer Tyler Nordgren Discusses Night Skies of the National Parks.”)

I’ve been reading Tyler’s book Stars Above, Earth Below: A Guide to Astronomy in the National Parks. In the introduction he writes about how the parks are famed for preserving wild animals, beautiful landscapes, grand forests, amazing rock formations, and so on. But another preserved feature that many people don’t think about in those terms is the night sky.

And it’s absolutely true. So much of the civilized world is so lit up that in most inhabited places we can’t see the sky the way that our ancestors did for 200,000 years. But in many national parks, we can. Those dark skies are there for us, preserved very close to their natural, dazzling, awe-inspiring state.

As I mentioned before, Congaree has some wonderful night skies. So does Olympic, Everglades, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Great Smoky Mountains, Joshua Tree. … The list goes on and on, perhaps right to 59 parks long.

Death Valley National Park, © 2016 Chris Nicholson

Moreover, Death Valley, Big Bend and Capitol Reef are designated as Gold Tier dark sky parks by the International Dark-Sky Association. Additionally, Canyonlands and Black Canyon of the Gunnison are also certified as dark sky parks by the IDA. That’s right, five of the U.S. national parks are considered among the very best in the world at preserving pristine night skies.

With all these great places to see and photograph under the gentle light of the universe, how does anyone sleep at night?

Chris Nicholson is the author of Photographing National Parks (Sidelight Books, 2015). Learn more about national parks as photography destinations, subscribe to Chris' free e-newsletter, and more at www.PhotographingNationalParks.com.

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Upcoming workshops from National Parks at Night