Twilight Milky Way and Sea Stack

Capturing the Milky Way during twilight over a dramatic coastline

The Milky Way during twilight over a giant sea stack on the coast of Newfoundland.

I love twilight Milky Way photography, it gives you a very different color palette to work with because in twilight the sky and light hitting the foreground is a deep blue.

Another nice thing about twilight is that it can be used to “hide” light pollution issues. For example at this spot there is light pollution right behind the Milky Way and all along the horizon, which would have shown up very prominently (and ugly) in true darkness, but during twilight the light pollution is much less visible. I’ve used this “trick” of capturing twilight Milky Way photos before in areas where the night sky is just an ugly orange/brown glow of light pollution, but in twilight it is a lovely blue and you can still see detail in the Milky Way.

And yet another nice thing about twilight is that you can capture your foreground shots with less noise and optionally a deeper depth of field by using a higher f-stop without the exposure taking all night long, because there is quite a bit more light on the foreground during twilight.

Nikon Z 6 with NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S lens @ 24mm.

Sky: Star stack of 20 exposures for low noise and spot stars, 6 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 6400 for all shots. Star stacked with Starry Landscape Stacker.

Foreground: Single exposure at 4 minutes, f/2.8, ISO 100.

Sky and foreground exposures blended in Photoshop for a single image with low noise and detail in the foreground and sky. All shots in the same spot on the same night.

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.

2026 Maine Milky Way Workshops

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)
Aug 11-14 (3 nights)
Sep 8-11 (3 nights)

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 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.

2026 Newfoundland Iceberg Workshops

I only have one spot left on my May 2026 Newfoundland workshop!

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.

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!

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.

Join me LIVE at the 2026 Night Photo Summit Feb 13-15!

This is the premier virtual conference dedicated to all things night photography, back for its sixth year! Produced by National Parks at Night, it will be held February 13-15 and features presentations from dozens of photographers.

My talk will feature a number of my 50mm Milky Way landscape photos along with how I got each shot, technical details, lens considerations, planning, and more! I’ll be speaking on Sunday, February 15, at 11:30am. You can watch the recording if you can’t make it live.