Night Photography Tours
Starting at $399/Person
Quick Summary
Learn how to capture the full grandeur of the night sky and incorporate foreground with both natural and carefully planned low-level lighting. Most of the areas visited on our night photography tours are rated Moderate for physical intensity.
Highlights
- Learn how to capture the full grandeur of the night sky and incorporate foreground with both natural and carefully planned low-level lighting.
- Professional photo instruction and critique included on all trips to help you get the highest quality night images.
- Small group size capped at 5 people to ensure personalized instruction and individualized attention.
- Maximize your photography time by using our expert local guides. We'll take you to the best night photography spots for the time of year you visit.
- We have permits to guide in Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Zion, White Pocket, Grand Staircase Escalante, Capitol Reef, and more. There's no shortage of places we can go!
- Post-Processing Sessions can be scheduled after you return home to help maximize your images' potential.
How It Works
- Please complete the Night Photography Booking Request Form. We need to know your preferences and when you are coming to plan the perfect outing!
- If you want to photograph the Milky Way, plan your visit during the months of March-Oct. To see the Milky Way, we need a night with less than 20% moon illumination.
- During the early spring months, the Milky Way is visible in the early morning hours (3-5AM). During the summer months, it is visible most of the night. And during the autumn months, it's visible earlier in the evening (10PM-Midnight).
- Since we can't control the weather, the exact schedule of the tour will be kept flexible. We want you to walk away with great photos no matter what the weather does. We may include a sunset or sunrise shoot as part of a night tour depending on the weather and time of year.
- If it's too cloudy to shoot at night, we'll focus on sunset and sunrise. We are still happy to teach you our night photography techniques out in the field even if we can't take any actual night photos.
- Night tours can be arranged as either overnight camping excursions or as hotel-based trips out of Kanab, UT. If you want to do night photography at a remote location like White Pocket, we would need to do the overnight camping option.
- Where we go to photograph will depend on current conditions and the time of year you visit. If you have a specific area you want to shoot, please let us know in the booking form.
- We advise you to have some flexibility in your schedule when booking a night tour. That will allow us to leave a little earlier or later depending on what the weather decides to do (see trip examples below).
Trip Details
- Pricing: Night tours are $599/person and include a sunset or sunrise outing along with night photography. If weather prevents us from doing night photography, you will get both a sunset and sunrise outing or the equivalent of 2 day tours.
- Overnight Camping: Camping is our recommendation if you want to photograph a remote location and maximize your photography. Places like Toroweap, Alstrom Point, White Pocket, Grand Staircase Escalante, and the Grand Canyon are excellent choices. Camping trips can be organized March - Oct. We do not recommend the winter months due to possible cold temperatures. It's an extra $49/person for your camping gear and meals.
- What to Wear: You should check the weather forecast prior to coming on the trip. It’s best to assume that it will be colder than expected, especially since we’ll be standing around at night. Make sure you bring some warm layers, long pants, hat, and gloves. If rain or snow is in the forecast, bring a rain jacket. We recommend wearing sturdy, closed-toe footwear.
- Food: With the exception of overnight camping trips, we don't include food on our outings. Clients need to bring their own food and we'll have coolers where you can store it.
- Group Size: Our groups will never exceed 5 people per guide. We like to keep our photo tours small so we can give adequate individual attention.
- Instructors: Due to scheduling complexities, we often don't know which instructor will accompany your group until a day or two prior. If you want a specific instructor, then please Contact Us to make your request. Although we'll do our best to make it happen, please note there are no guarantees.
- Safety: Our guides are trained in CPR/First-Aid. All 4WD vehicles are equipped with extraction equipment and a first-aid kit. We carry a satellite beacon with us in case of emergencies outside of cell range.
Trip Examples
- Spring Trip with Good Weather: With clear skies in the forecast, we skip shooting sunset so we can get to bed early. We wake up at 1AM and drive to our night shooting location. We photograph the brilliant Milky Way until it starts to get light at 5AM. After a quick break to get some coffee and a bite to eat, we shoot sunrise and then head back to town.
- Spring Trip with Bad Weather: Since skies are not expected to be clear, we start early afternoon and run out to remote destination like White Pocket. The photographic opportunities are fantastic with the cloudy and dramatic skies. We return to town late, get a few hours of sleep, and then head out for a sunrise shoot at first light. The trip will conclude before lunch the next day.
- Camping Trip: Camping overnight is the best way to maximize your photography at a remote location. For overnight camping, we recommend going to the Grand Canyon, White Pocket, Alstrom Point, and or the Grand Staircase Escalante. We depart mid-afternoon and photograph for several hours up through sunset. After eating a warm dinner, we go back out and shoot night skies for several hours. We return to our tents and get a few hours of much needed sleep. Whether or not we shoot sunrise will depend on how tired the group is and how long we stayed out the night before. We will return to town before noon the following day.
- Fall Trip with Good Weather: We leave town mid-afternoon en-route to our night shooting location. We photograph for several hours up through sunset, take a quick break for dinner, and then start photographing the night skies once it's completely dark. We stay out shooting until midnight and then start our drive back to Kanab.
- Fall Trip with Bad Weather: With cloudy skies in the forecast, we skip the night photography and do 2 different trips - a sunset trip to White Pocket and then a sunrise trip the following day in Zion.
- Winter Trips: Night photography can be fantastic during the winter months. The only downside is that we can't see the galactic core of the Milky Way. During winter, we like to photograph star trails and or moonscapes.
Need more information?
Please see our Frequently Asked Questions
Camera Gear
- Camera Gear: All participants will need a sturdy tripod. Full-frame camera bodies work best for night photography. If you are using a crop-sensor body, you will get a lot more noise. A fast wide-angle lens is needed that f/2.8 or faster. Make sure you have a remote cord or intervalometer for your camera. It's a good idea to practice using your camera in the dark before you come. Don’t forget to bring a headlight!
- Gear Rental: We have full-frame camera bodies and f/2.8 wide angle lenses available for rent for $70. This includes tripod, backpack, batteries, and intervalometer. Clients will need to supply their own SD card.
- Cancellation/Re-Scheduling: Please see our Terms and Conditions.
