It's Milky Way Season Again!
Freezing under the stars
It’s Milky Way season again! I went out a couple nights ago to capture the Milky Way rising during early astronomical twilight over snow covered ocean cliffs on the coast of Maine.
The highlights in the snow on the cliffs are from many Canadian scallop fishing boats. They were miles away but their very bright lights lit up the cliffs like car headlights. At one point I counted 18 lights in the distance that I could see, probably more beyond the horizon.
The sky is blue, with not as much detail in the Milky Way, because this was taken during astronomical twilight, about 80 minutes before sunrise.
Nikon Z8 with NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8 lens.
Sky: Star stack of 19 exposures each at f/1.8, 5 seconds, ISO 6400. Combined in Starry Landscape Stacker (macOS) for pinpoint stars and low noise. For Windows you can use Sequator.
Foreground: Single exposure at f/5.6, ISO 1600, 5 minutes. I used f/5.6 for greater depth of field with the 35mm lens.
Both shots were then combined in Photoshop to get low noise and sharp focus from the foreground to the stars. I used StarNet2 to remove the stars from the sky so that I could edit the colors and contrast in the sky without blowing out the stars, then added the original stars back. StarNet2 is free and generates both a starless image and an image that is just the stars. I used the starless image for all sky edits and blending with the foreground, and at the very end I added the stars back by using the “just the stars” image as a top layer in Photoshop set to the Screen blending mode.
Check out my book or my free Milky Way Crash Course webinar to learn all about star stacking and separate foreground exposures. Or join me in person on my 2026 Maine Milky Way workshops. Learn about my editing techniques in my Milky Way Master Class.
2026 Maine Milky Way Workshops — Only 5 Spots Left!
Join me under the stars on my 2026 Maine Milky Way workshops! These are all held in Lubec, Maine, 2 hours east of Acadia National Park.
Jul 14-17 (3 nights) — 2 Spots open
Aug 11-14 (3 nights) — Sold out (waitlist)
Sep 8-11 (3 nights) — 3 Spots open
Come explore the Bold Coast of Maine! These workshops focus on Milky Way photography but we will also capture dramatic sunsets with rugged coastline, lighthouses, and lobster boats as our foreground. There are also opportunities to photograph wildlife including bald eagles, seals, porpoise, and whales.
You’ll get 10% off lodging as part of the workshop.
2026 Newfoundland Iceberg Workshops!
I only have one spot left on each of my May 2026 Newfoundland workshops!
Join me for the adventure of a lifetime on the Canadian island of Newfoundland during peak iceberg season. Each spring icebergs from Greenland and Labrador show up along the northern coast of Newfoundland after making the two year journey. We’ll also photograph dramatic landscapes, iconic fishing villages, puffins, and more.
I have two different workshops scheduled:
Twillingate - Fogo Island - Bonavista
May 25 - June 1, 2026 (7 nights, 8 days)
5 spots total, 1 spot remaining
This workshop will start in Twillingate, one of the regular hot spots for icebergs in Newfoundland. We’ll then spend a couple nights on Fogo Island capturing more icebergs and iconic red fishing sheds, then head over to Bonavista for a lighthouse, icebergs, and puffins that can be photographed from land!
Learn more here!
Iceberg Chaser RV Trip
May 11 - 18, 2026 (7 nights, 8 days)
2 spots total, 1 spots remaining
For the truly adventurous, follow me around in your own RV or rent one! We’ll have an open schedule and go wherever the best icebergs are and catch some amazing landscapes. We will likely visit the Great Northern Peninsula, Gros Morne National Park, and probably Twillingate or other spots on the north coast. Maybe we’ll even head over to Labrador for a night or visit the massive gannet colony in Cape St. Mary’s!
Learn more here!
2026 Fall Colors in Cape Breton Workshop
2026 Cape Breton Fall Colors Photography Workshop
October 18 - 23 — 6 days, 5 nights
Max 5 students — 4 spots currently available
Join me for a photography adventure in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada during peak fall colors! Cape Breton is a magical place in the fall, with foliage covered mountains meeting the ocean, valleys of orange and red leaves, and beautiful waterfalls. We will tour the famous Cabot Trail along the coast and through the mountains of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Night Sky Photography Book
My book Night Sky Photography: From First Principles to Professional Results is an Amazon best-seller and has almost 500 ratings! Thanks everyone!
Free Milky Way Crash Course Webinar
My free Milky Way Crash Course webinar is back up for viewing! Many of you have seen this already, but if you haven’t it can get you up and running with Milky Way photography pretty quickly. It covers camera gear, camera settings, shooting with stacking and exposure blending in mind, and planning basics.
Milky Way Master Class Video Tutorials
In my Milky Way Master Class videos I show you how to create stunning Milky Way photos with pinpoint stars and low noise, in focus from the foreground to the stars.
Step by step videos will guide you through the entire editing process, from star stacking, to exposure blending, to creative edits. Plus there are bonus modules for Milky Way Panoramas and Planning with PhotoPills.