A Beginner’s Guide to Photographing the Milky Way

Ever tried to photograph the Milky Way and have little success?  I know my first attempt at photographing the Milky Way was a total loss.  I was on my deck in the middle of October and said, “Oh look, stars, I wonder if I can photograph the Milky Way?”  Let’s just say that shot was terrible and almost made me never want to try photographing the Milky Way ever again.

Over the last several years, I am happy to report that I have had many successful Milky Way outings and in reality, the Milky Way is relatively simple to photograph.  The key is knowing when and where to look for it! Photographing the Milky Way is similar to photographing a long exposure of a sunset.

Many of the same composition rules apply, but the difference is that sunset happens every evening.  The Milky Way, however, has a few very specific parameters that must be met in order for you to view it and photograph it.   Luckily you don’t have to go searching all over the internet or spending thousands of dollars on Milky Way workshops, because I am about to give away all of the industries best-kept secrets for photographing the Milky Way.

The Milky Way Course in a Nutshell:

1. Twelve unique video tutorials (with four bonus critique videos)
2. 192 minutes of education in total
3. 95 follow-along pdf’s
4. 3 High-Resolution Milky Way Practice RAW  files
5. 10 Ps Actions for Milky Way Processing

In Blake’s Milky Way Course, you will learn:

How to Prepare for Photographing the Milky Way
How to use Apps to make your Milky Way chasing a breeze
What gear you will need to ensure you get the shot
What camera settings and variables you may face when photographing in the dark
My best Raw processing secrets for Milky Way exposures
What I do in Photoshop to make epic Milky Way images

BONUS 4 Milky Way critique sessions from the f.64 Archives

*This course uses Photoshop CC 2019.  It is strongly recommended that you use the same version to follow along.  Photoshop CC is not included in the class.

Modules

Milky Way Beginner

Lessons

• Lesson 1 – Introduction To Milky Way Photography
• Lesson 2 – Preparation and Planning
• Lesson 3 – The Dark Sky Map
• Lesson 4 – Google Earth Pro
• Lesson 5 – Sun Surveyor
• Lesson 6 – Photo Pills
• Lesson 7 – Gear for Milky Way Images
• Lesson 8 Camera Settings for Milky Way
• Lesson 9 Photography in the dark
• Lesson 10 Raw Processing Milky Way Photos
• Lesson 11 Photoshop Processing
• Lesson 12 Milky Way Conclusion
• Bonus Milky Way Critiques