Keweenaw Peninsula
It's time you heard about Keweenah. The crown jewel of all the peninsulas in the Great Lakes, this 60-mile finger of land in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has remained relatively unchanged since the great copper boom of the 1800s. While plenty of rust and ruinism from the old mines will guide our adventure, we’ll also photograph the lighthouses of the tiny harbor towns, the waterfalls, a ghost town and many historic buildings that stretch into Lake Superior. It’s a secret place that bridges old and new and has a rich history worth exploring day and night.
Workshop Details
September 17-22, 2027
This is a 5-night, 6-day workshop. Your adventure begins on the morning of September 17, and ends after a final slideshow on the afternoon of September 22.
$3,150 + applicable taxes.
Skill level
Intermediate+. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals.
Group size
12, with 2 instructors — 6:1 ratio
NPS Website
Keweenaw National Historic Park
Workshop Leaders
Registration
| • Deposit of $TK is required to reserve your spot at the workshop. |
| • Balance of $TK is due on TK. —> Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is TK (see cancellation and refund policy). |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • The workshop fee does not include lodging, food, airfare, entrance fees, or transportation to or during the workshop. |
The Keweenaw Peninsula Experience
A time warp happens when you cross the gateway bridge that leads you to the “Copper Island” known as the Keweenaw Peninsula. Twenty-three heritage sites unite the 65-mile island and we’ll photograph many of them. It is history that you can truly experience, day and night, thanks to the Keweenaw National Historic Park.
We’ll kick things off at the gateway sister towns of Houghton and Hancock. They are united by one of the prettiest bridges, and the surrounding waterfront offers plenty of panoramic views.
Included in the ticket price are tours to four totally different Copper Mines that we’ll explore both below and above:
Delaware Mine
The smallest and oldest mine located deep in the Keweenah. The Delaware showcases primitive mining experience dating back thousands of years. The ruins of the old mine buildings, antique engines and old equipment scatter the surface. An easy 100 steps guide us to where 8 million pounds of copper was dug up from 1847 to 1887.
Painsdale Mine and Shaft
More about the exterior buildings and the now-small village that surrounds the mine. The dominating feature is the Champion #4 Shafthouse. It is the oldest surviving structure of its kind in Keweenaw, and we’ll be able to explore the upper levels of this wooden shaft-rockhouse, where copper ore was hoisted, crushed and sorted.
Adventure Mine
This mine was left exactly as it was when it shuttered in the 1920s. It has been used as movie sets for action scenes where dwarves and trolls are needed. Guided by our headlamps, we’ll be able to experience and photograph a historic old copper mine.
Quincy Mine
The last of the mines to close, in 1945, and known affectionately as Old Reliable. Quincy reached 9,000 feet into the earth, produced 1 billion pounds of copper and revolutionized the mining industry. We’ll ride a cog-rail train to the mine opening and get a deeper understanding of what it was like to work at this historic place.
We’ll continue along the copper trail as it takes us through the historic towns of Calumet, Laurium, Eagle Harbor, Copper Harbor and Ontonagon. Two ghost towns are also on the docket, as well as at least five lighthouses.
We planned this workshop to run under a waning gibbous moon to help light up the hulking copper structures and to balance with the streetlights in the small towns. However, while on the peninsula, we’ll be staying in WPA-era wilderness cabins in the middle of a Dark Sky Park!
Oh, and we’ll have easy access to northern views, so we can quickly pivot to any aurora activity on the 47th parallel.
What You Should Know
This workshop caters to knowledgeable night photographers with an intermediate or higher skill set. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals. We will be happy to offer advice and answer questions about both day and night photography, but the focus of the formal education will be on photographing with moonlight in urban areas and rural harbor towns.
If you would like to join us on this trip but are unsure whether you have adequate night photography skills, we can offer pre-event tutoring to get you ready for your adventure with us. Additionally, a few of us have written books that may be productive pre-trip reads.
What You Will Learn
You’ll photograph a variety of different buildings, mines, ghost towns, lighthouses and maritime locations under waning gibbous moonlight and perhaps some fog. We’ll challenge you to capture a different interpretations of each of these historic places at night.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
moonlight tips and techniques
scouting and planning at locations
urban night photography, including light painting and star trails
lighthouse tips and techniques at night
fog-tography
how to use neutral density filters during the day and night for creative effect
and more …
This workshop will have both field and classroom instruction, but more of the former, as we will have more-casual travel days in between stops. Each participant will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with Gabe and Chris in the field.
Night Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Travel
The Keweenaw Peninsula is pretty remote—that’s part of its charm. And the drive to get there can be full of beauty and adventuresome side trips. You can certainly make a road trip to get there, and attendees from Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan will find it an easy one-day car ride. Otherwise you’ll want to fly into one of the small airports in the Upper Peninsula.
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own transportation.
Nearby Airports:
Houghton (CMX) — 20 minutes from our hotel
Marquette (MQT) — 2 hours
Iron Mountain (IMT) — 2 hours
Rental Car
You will need a rental car to get to the workshop and to the shoot locations.
There is no need for four-wheel-drive.
If you are interested in carpooling or sharing a rental car, let us know and we will try to connect you with another attendee looking for the same.
Lodging & Food
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own meals and accommodations.
Lodging
We will stay at two or three different hotels on this workshop as we work our way around the Upper Peninsula.
You are not required to stay at the official workshop lodging, though doing so does make it easier to meet with the group each day.
Info and group codes will be sent when our lodging partners are ready to begin taking reservations.
If you are interested in sharing a room, we can try to connect you with someone like-minded in the group.
Food
We will organize several no-host group dinners for us to gather and eat together.
Our stops in Michigan have abundant food options, including the iconic U.P. pastie.
Houghton/Hancock is the epicenter for authentic Finnish and Finnish-American cuisine.
When on the night shoots, you may wish to bring snack food or a sandwich and plenty of water.
Weather
Expect daytime highs in the 70s F, and nighttime lows in the 40s.
Recommended Attire
Pants and short-sleeve shirts for daytime, add a sweatshirt and coat for night.
Layers are highly recommended.
Be sure to bring rain/water/wind protection for your shoes and coats.
Comfortable and protective shoes are recommended for getting around and quality trail shoes or hiking boots would be optimal for the many uneven surfaces we’ll be walking on.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this workshop is Easy. (See more about our classifications.)
No vigorous activity will be required during the workshop, but please consider your physical abilities prior to registering. There won’t be any long hikes, but you should be comfortable carrying your own equipment over uneven ground in the dark.
Considerations
IMPORTANT: We encourage reading our FAQs page for more information about skill and gear requirements, and other information that pertains to all our workshops.
If you have questions, please contact us—we're happy to talk it over with you.
Expect the Unexpected …
“What is this hulk of rust and ruinism? What were they digging for?”
I had heard that the Upper Peninsula was a wild and wonderful place when I began making annual September trips to Michigan. The further you go up in the U.P., the better it gets, and you can’t go any further than the Keweenaw Peninsula.
I first crossed into the Keweenaw in 2025. The mission was to photograph one of the prettiest lighthouses in Michigan, Eagle Harbor Light. This lighthouse was located at what the locals proudly call “the end of the world.” While the drive didn’t take as long as The Odyssey, my journey was fraught with so many other photographic distractions! The first was as we crossed the Portage Canal, there, up on the hilltop, was a massive mine structure jutting out for all the world to see.
What is this hulk of rust and ruinism?
What were they digging for?
I didn’t hear the call from the copper sirens yet, but my neck kept craning to the left and the right as we drove by quaint towns, copper curiosities, jam pots and tunnels of tall trees. It was like I had entered another dimension. I had certainly not prepared for this. I had only planned a couple of days to see a few lighthouses. Right now the lighthouses were the least of my interests!
I annoyingly stayed the course, but on the way out I found some time to stop by Keweenaw National Historic Park in Calumet. I was immediately inspired to learn of the many heritage sites in the area. I asked for a Junior Ranger program and vowed to return with more time and a wider vision.
I spent the year researching and getting excited for my next visit. It’s a tricky place to get to, almost like you need to make the jump on the right day, at the right time, when all the worlds align.
With reservations booked at several of the mines and a game plan intact, I felt ready to conquer Keweenaw. On our first night, we were hoping to get a glimpse of auroras with the Quincy Mine as the backdrop. But then the fog rolled in. Instead of chasing the northern lights, we were entranced by an otherworldly light show from the Quincy “fog” lights. Dramatic beams of light bounced all over the building and kept us clicking for hours.
The next evening the fog returned and consumed the lantern-lined streets of Calumet. Streetlights created high-contrast cinematic visions of a town time forgot. We bumped into a few kids who were walking the streets and they asked us if we were filming a movie. We said no, but agreed that the town looked like a set of a horror film. We didn’t get spooked and instead chased the light and shadows mingling in this historic town.
Something new was discovered in the shadows of the Keweenah. And therein lies the beauty of this place at the end of the world. It is a land surrounded by water that you will need to cross. You can prepare for your journey, but expect the unexpected. You’ll come for one thing and leave with a deeper understanding of much more.
