Wine Country Nightscapes
Day & Night Photography Workshop
Solvang, California
May 14 - 18, 2025
Meet & Greet 7 - 8 pm, Wednesday, May 14 in the lobby of Svendsgaard’s Danish Lodge, Solvang, California
Just 3 Spots Remaining!
Four Day / Four Night Workshop
$2,295
8 Participants Max
Workshop Highlights
Indulge yourself in this day and night photography experience deep in the heart of sunny California’s gorgeous Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country!
Dozens of world-class wineries adorn the beautiful, picturesque hillsides surrounding the small towns of Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Solvang, and Los Alamos in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County. They offer not only some of the finest wines available but incredible photography opportunities as well.
Join a small group of enthusiastic photographers to experience “California’s Rhône Zone” - the best the Santa Ynez Valley wine country has to offer. You will spend four full days and four nights in this unique day and night photography workshop.
New to night photography? This workshop is perfect for you! You’ll learn everything you need to know to set up your camera and practice using it to capture stunning images of the Milky Way, stars, Moon and much more - all within a comfortable driving distance from your hotel room.
Mike lived in Santa Barbara County for five years and neighboring Ventura County cities for an additional fifteen years. He has visited your shooting locations on foot, by bicycle and car countless times and they are among his favorite places on the planet.
He is the co-creator of Planit Pro’s video tutorials and the author of three night photography books, “The Beginner’s Guide to Astrophotography”, “The Complete Guide to Landscape Astrophotography,” and “Creative Nightscapes and Time-Lapses.”
Workshop highlights include:
Four days of guided access to incredible photography locations throughout the Santa Ynez Valley region
Four nights of night photography from Bortle 2 - 3 sites
Daytime landscapes and closeups of vineyards stretching across rolling hills to the horizon
Expert, personal instruction for designing stunning nightscape and astrophotography images and time-lapses with Planit Pro’s powerful virtual camera and 23 Ephemeris tools (Milky Way Seeker, Sun/Moon Finder, Star and Star Trails, and MUCH more)
Practical tips and techniques for astronomical observing; and photography
Professional post-processing tips and techniques for editing daytime and night photography images and time-lapses with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
Opportunities to visit delightful Santa Ynez Valley winery wine-tasting rooms to taste and purchase limited-run wines only available locally
Options to visit beautiful Pacific Ocean beaches and Santa Barbara’s downtown
All in the good company of others with the same interests as YOU!
Workshop Structure & Itinerary
Day and Night Photography Field Sessions:
This workshop offers both daytime and nightscape photography instruction. You are free to participate in all or some of the sessions, as you wish.
You should arrive in your own vehicle for transportation throughout the workshop, or carpool with a friend. Be sure to bring warm, windproof clothes, warm shoes, a hat and light gloves (you never know!).
Sunset: 7:56 pm
Dark night: 9:35 pm - 4:19 am
Sunrise: 5:57 am
NOTE: The following itinerary is flexible and will likely be adjusted to account for changes in weather, local conditions and the specific goals of the group. The details provided below are meant to convey the range of possiblilities along with the brisk pace of the workshop!
MEET & GREET / NIGHT ONE - Wednesday, May 14
7 - 8 pm Meet & Greet meeting in the lobby of Svensgaard’s Lodge, Solvang, California. Meet your workshop colleague, review the workshop structure and agenda. Share information about your goals for the workshop and the camera systems you’re using.
8 pm - 1 am Drive to a nearby location for your first night of astrophotography. You will receive personal instruction on how to properly focus your camera in the dark, compose in the dark, and what are the best camera and exposure settings for night photography. You can also explore the effects of different lens focal lengths and lens filters for the best composition and depth of field. You will have the opportunity to capture wide and/or telephoto nightscape images. Tonight, and throughout the workshop, you will have ample time to have all your questions answered in a friendly, supportive environment.
DAY ONE / NIGHT TWO - Thursday, May 15
9 am - 2 pm Meet for breakfast, depart for a morning of photography amongst the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley hills, vineyards and wineries. Return around 1 pm for a group lunch and midday break - we will use this time to obtain picnic supplies for the following day’s breakfast on the road.
4:30 pm - 10 pm Drive to a nearby location for sunset over gorgeous Santa Ynez Valley scenery followed by another wonderful night of photography. Cloudy skies will find us exploring local harbors and towns. In case of truly inclement weather, we will conduct indoor practice sessions on planning with Stellarium, Planit, PhotoPills and The Photographer’s Ephemeris.
DAY TWO/ NIGHT THREE - Friday, May 16
4 am - 2 pm We awaken early to photograph our first Santa Ynez Valley sunrise with a picnic breakfast on the road. We then continue to explore the fantastic Santa Ynez Valley environs.
4:30 pm - 9 pm Drive to a new location for another sunset and blue hour over gorgeous Santa Ynez Valley scenery. Tonight, we retire early in anticipation of the following morning’s early start!
DAY THREE / NIGHT FOUR - Saturday, May 17
2 am - 8 am Milky Way shoot! We will rise early to hunt the Milky Way’s finest treasures - the Rho Ophiuchus Molecular Cloud complex, the Lagoon, Trifid, Eagle and Swan Nebulae near the Milky Way’s galactic core, the North American Nebula and the gamma-Sadr emission region, the Helix Nebula and more. Wide-angle targets will include broad swaths of the Milky Way’s central band. Also, today’s date is PERFECT for capturing the iconic Milky Way arch with a panoramic set of images - always a fan favorite!
11 am - 3 pm Daytime explorations of wineries, vineyards, harbors and towns. What’s not to love!
5 pm - 1 am We head out for our sunset shoot followed by a night of photography. Depending on our experience so far, we may elect to retire early for another morning Milky Way session.
DAY FOUR - Sunday, May 18
? am - 9 am Sunrise session (along with a possible early morning Milky Way shoot). We will spend the rest of the morning and afternoon editing images for a group final sharing session. Mike will spend time with you guiding your editing processes and tie up any loose ends regarding techniques. Hard to believe the past four days and nights have passed so quickly!
5:00 pm - Workshop concludes. We pile in our vehicles, head home and sleep!
Workshop Accommodations & Venue
Our workshop is based at Svendsgaard’s Danish Lodge in Solvang, California (see map). We have reserved a block of rooms with either a single or double queen beds at a special rate. Simply call Svendsgaard’s and tell them you want one of the rooms from the set of rooms reserved by Mike Shaw on June 14, 2024. They will then transfer the reservation to your name / credit card.
Svendsgaard’s Danish Lodge
1711 Mission Dr
Solvang, CA 93463
(805) 688-3277
You are also free to stay at other nearby hotels in the Solvang/Buellton/Santa Ynez region if you wish. Please contact us if you require assistance with accommodations.
Pricing
$2,295/Person
Workshop Includes:
Four days and four nights of professional guiding and photography instruction in the Santa Ynez Valley region of Central California
Five days of professional nature & landscape photography guiding and instruction, as above
Detailed learning sessions with the Planit Pro app
Options to experiment with astrophotography specialty accessories - filters, focusing aides, trackers, panorama heads, and more
Mike Shaw’s original Night Shooting Plan and instructions for use
Workshop Guide with a complete gear list and other useful information
Workshop Does Not Include:
Hotel accommodations. You can select a room at the workshop hotel from a block reserved for our workshop. There are also many other options nearby. Please contact us if you need assistance
Transportation to/from your home to the workshop meeting locations
Meals, beverages & snacks
Workshop Registration, Payment, and Next Steps
To Register for This Workshop:
Click the “BOOK NOW” button above to register and pay for the workshop. You will be asked to provide your name and contact details, along with the option of either a Full Payment or a 50% Deposit Payment. You will also be asked to electronically sign the standard release waiver during checkout. You can review the waiver HERE.
Within 24 hours, you will receive a confirmation email stating that your registration information & payment has been received, and that your spot in the workshop is secure - welcome aboard!
Next Steps:
You will receive your Workshop Guide once your Full Payment is received. The Workshop Guide has the complete workshop itinerary, venue, gear & software lists, maps, and other important details. Please review it carefully and contact us right away with any questions.
Balance Payment - Your Balance Payment is due no later than 90 days before the workshop begins if you made a Deposit Payment during your initial registration. If you initially made a Full Payment then you’re all set!
Hotel room - You should make your room reservation at the venue hotel as soon as possible. You can stay anywhere else in the Solvang/Buellton/Santa Ynez area you choose, of course.
Airfare / rental vehicle - You will want to make these reservations at your convenience.
Practice - Now is a great time to start practicing with your camera, especially in the dark. See “Know Your Camera” in the “How to Prepare” section below.
Finally - please contact me right away with any questions. I am here to help!
Cancellation Policy
Recommended Gear Lists
(You will receive a detailed gear list in the Workshop Guide when you register)
Camera Gear - the Essentials:
DSLR or mirrorless camera with the ability to manually focus and manual set the exposure (ISO, f-stop & shutter speed)
Lens(es). An 18-55 mm kit lens works just fine. Also great are a wide-angle lens (in the 14 - 24 mm range) or a mid-range lens (in the 24 - 70 mm range)
Tripod / ballhead - the sturdier the better
Attachment plate for your camera/ballhead
Optional - Star tracker and associated hardware / power supplies - contact Mike with questions
Optional - A second camera / tripod will be useful for capturing star trails and time-lapses freeing up your first camera for a variety of other projects
Programmable cable shutter release for long (several minute) exposures. I don’t recommend “wireless” shutter release devices since they often don’t work in the field
Headlamp with a red bulb
Extra batteries
Extra memory cards
Lens/sensor cleaning kits
Camera & other operating manuals
Allen key and other tools for making adjustments
Camera/gear backpack
Camera Gear - Nice to Have:
Loupe for focusing
Tiffen Double Fog 3 lens filter
FLW filter for sunsets/sunrises
External intervalometer
Extra flashlight
Apps (Recommended)
Planit Pro (basic version - $9.99) and PhotoPills installed on a smart phone or tablet.
Gaia and Google Maps
Stellarium
Personal Gear:
Water
Snacks
Portable chair - definitely worth its weight at night!
Hand warmers (optional)
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Insect repellent (you never know!)
Laptop for downloading & editing your images during the class sessions
External hard drive for image storage
Warm clothes in layers
Warm boots, hat & gloves
Warm jacket & raincoat
How to Prepare
Physical Fitness:
This workshop involves short hikes from our vehicles to the shooting locations. In many cases we will be near our vehicles for easy access. Please let us know if you have any concerns at all in this regard.
Know Your Camera:
Knowing how to operate your camera before your workshop allows you to enjoy your time in the field creating images. Time spent practicing at home will yield major returns when you’re in the field. For example, you would be able to spend more time on your astrophotography if you already knew how to:
Set the ISO, aperture and. shutter speed in manual mode (M)
Set your focus mode from autofocus to manual focus, and back again
Display the image histogram on the LCD screen
Display the image histogram in image review
(For DSLR cameras) Enable live view on the LCD screen
Magnify the live view shown on the LCD screen
The level of preparation needed is different for everyone, so if there is anything you’re unsure of, please just ask.
Gear:
A little time at home preparing your gear and electronics will give you peace of mind once you’re in the field and potentially away from reliable internet access.
Review the gear list in your Workshop Guide (provided when you register)
Clean your camera lenses and sensors
Charge your batteries
Download and update all the software you expect to use; again, see the Workshop Guide. You definitely don’t want to waste valuable workshop time on these tasks!
Confirm you have all the necessary charging cords needed for your electronics
Set your camera so that it will only function with a memory card installed
