Dr. Mike Shaw is an award-winning astrophotographer, author, speaker and teacher based in St. Paul, Minnesota.
His book (2018), “Composite Nightscapes and Time-lapses,” Routledge/Focal Press, explains everything you need to know to make state-of-the-art multi-image photography and time-lapse projects using photographs made from a fixed tripod position.
His first book (2017), “The Complete Guide to Landscape Astrophotography – Understanding, Planning, Creating and Processing Nightscape Images,” Routledge/Focal Press, integrates astronomy, photography and planning methods to allow you to be at the right place, at the right time, with the right equipment and knowledge to get your shot right the first time.
Mike’s field workshops take him and his students around the globe in search of the darkest, clearest skies. He teaches online courses in the Bryan Peterson School of Photography on night photography and time-lapses. He also offers a popular series of night photography themed classes at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, voted the top North American botanical garden in the 2019 USA Today’s Reader’s Choice Awards. His images and video footage can be licensed for commercial use from Science Photo Library (London); or purchased for private use from this website. He recently completed a residency at the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum to “Explore immersive visualizations & experiences that showcase the night sky & light pollution in Minnesota.” Finally, you can join his live, weekly show, “Nightscapes,” on Slooh.com, where he explains “How to enjoy the 3D space experience from the viewing port of your personal spaceship - planet Earth!”
Mike has traveled with his camera to remote wilderness areas around the world. He is known for his friendly, down-to-earth teaching style and enjoys collaborating with others. His work has appeared on CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, Washington Post, KSTP, Space.com, Sky News, NASA, Minnesota Monthly, Lake Superior Magazine, Destination Duluth, Minnesota Star Tribune, The World At Night (TWAN), PlanIt Pro, PhotoPills, the Bryan Peterson School of Photography and in the US National Park Service. He is the host and co-founder of The Aurora Summit annual conference (theaurorasummit.com).
He holds a Ph.D in Materials Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, an M.S. in Ceramic Engineering from the Ohio State University and a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He spent two years as a post-doctoral research scientist at Cambridge University, England. Before his photography career took off, he was a physics and astronomy professor; and an applied physics research scientist before that.
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