Want to photograph portraits that don't look like deer caught in headlights or someone telling campfire ghost stories? While we might obsess over the Milky Way, the stars, or even light painting, most photographers don't figure out how to take fantastic portraits of people in their night or astro-landscape photos—something that looks polished, dramatic, and intentional.
Night photography along the coast: it's evocative, eternal, calming—and surprisingly easy. While many of us enjoy hiking miles into the wilderness, you can create alluring night photos just steps from the car, right at the water's edge. Lighthouses, moonlit water washing over tide pools, and historic piers: the coast offers more night photography subjects than you might expect.
The JOYROOM PODIX 140W 5-Port Desktop GaN Charger is designed to eliminate your desktop's cable spaghetti. This compact cube offers five charging ports, including two built-in retractable USB-C cables, a 140 W total output, and a live LCD display showing real-time power draw per port.
The Perseid meteor shower is often the most spectacular meteor shower in the Northern Hemisphere due to frequency as well as its appearance in summer. 2026 is special because the peak occurs during the darkest possible skies. Here's how to photograph it!
If you shoot long exposures at night, you know the frustration — your intervalometer dangling from your camera, swinging in the breeze, pulling on the cable. Not good. The Ruggard RTC-10 Timer-Remote Case (Standard) fixes that with a padded holder that straps directly to your tripod leg. It works great, with one Velcro gripe we'll get to shortly.
Speeding down Highway 371, I received a call. The two photographers who knew the way around Bisti Badlands weren't going to show tonight. This was a problem. I had never been there, and it was basically Mother Nature's escape room.
The humble "Nifty Fifty." Many of us own a fast 50mm. However, for some reason, we almost always reach for the ultra-wide angle lens for night photography. And for good reason. They capture much of the night sky. But there are strong reasons why you should consider the "Nifty Fifty" instead, and it could improve your photography!
You'd love to purchase a quality camera, lens, and even a tripod. But photography is expensive! Is it possible to purchase these for as low as $500? Let's have a look!
I set out to photograph and light paint a mysterious, dilapidated homestead cabin in the Mojave Desert under moonlight. With nothing more than a flashlight and a single long exposure, I turned it into a glowing, cinematic scene. Here's exactly how I did it, and how you can too.
Chargers are the gear no one thinks about — at least until there is a need. Anker sent their Anker Prime Charging Station (8-in-1, 240W), a smart charger with app control. Who might benefit from this? And why might they need app control?
Want to reclaim your desk space and maybe even reduce the pain in your neck by optimizing your viewing angle? Consider a monitor arm. Here, we take a look at the HUANUO FlowLift™ Single Monitor Mount (formerly SS6, but still model HNSS6). I also discuss the HUANUO Universal VESA Mount Adapter Kit (Model HNMUA4), which was needed for my particular monitor. How well did they work?
Take a peek behind the scenes at how I created several enormous, detailed night panoramas in Joshua Tree National Park. The surreal landscapes are perfect for this sort of work. Below, I'll walk through the process, gear, and a few discoveries that make panoramas better.
If I told you that there was a free app that allows you to navigate flawlessly without needing a cell signal, you'd be interested, wouldn't you? Given that I am a night photographer who frequently navigates in the dark, this is particularly useful. I wanted to share this in case it helps you as much as it has helped me.
Film photography, vinyl records, analog synthesizers covered in knobs, cassettes, and other once-obsolete formats have enjoyed a sustained revival. Why is that? Boomers often dismiss this resurgence as a “hipster” trend. But when a trend has been growing, evolving, and attracting new participants for more than 25 years, it’s clear that something deeper is going on.
Most night photographers use ultra-wide angle lenses when night falls. And for good reason. If they are photographing the Milky Way, it arcs over a wide expanse of sky. But night photographers shouldn’t sleep on these three lens categories, which can crank up your creativity.
The WANDRD PRVKE 21 L has been a popular camera bag, typically nailing its Kickstarter campaign goals just minutes after launching. V4 of this bag has just been released. This is a review of the 21 L Zip, with this model dispensing with the roll-top. I'll go over what I like and what I didn't like.
I wanted to photograph and light paint a super-long exposure of a vintage tow truck with long star trails, but I also needed to do this quickly so I could continue teaching workshop participants. How did I do this? I’ll take you behind the scenes of my desert ghost town long-exposure photo.
One of the joys of discovering Joshua Tree National Park is learning how to photograph the night sky through night photography workshops and classes. "Half the Park is After Dark" is a National Park Service campaign slogan, after all. But this may be coming to an end.
As night photographers, we sometimes have different needs than a lot of everyday photographers out there. I thought I’d make a gift guide that has us night photographers squarely in mind.
Under $25 Powerpax Slimline AAA Battery Storage CaddyAvailable via Amazon
Most night photographers never seem to have this one accessory with them. But they should. We're talking small gear, huge impact. I'll go over nine great uses for this accessory too. And one reason may have saved someone's life!
Choosing a tripod can be agonizing. The good news? You don’t need to empty your wallet to get one. As a night photographer, I'll reveal four great tripods for photography that nail the sweet spot for stability, functionality, weight—and yes, price. After all, if a tripod can survive a night photographer’s abuse, it’ll be more than good enough for you.
“Why does that dog look green?” From that startling comment, my parents discovered that I was red-green colorblind. But is it possible to be a colorblind photographer? We examine this interesting dilemma.
Pentax released Star AF in the United States recently. Of course, I had to kick the tires on it. And yeah, it's good. Really good. I describe my “real-world” experience with it during two night photography trips to Joshua Tree National Park in California to photograph the Milky Way.
What Is Star AF?
Think about the most important photo you want to create. Is it a great wedding photo of celebrities? Maybe documenting a historic event? I've had photos published in National Geographic, had museum exhibitions, and won awards. But it turns out the most important (and romantic) photo I've made was a simple night photo created with a flashlight!
"That's not real, that's AI!" If you post night photos on social media, you've most likely received comments like this before. It's the new way of saying, "You Photoshopped that!" Why do so many people think night photos are fake?
Ten or twelve years ago, I didn't get very many people commenting that my night photos were fake. So what changed?
How do you go about photographing and "light painting" a 350-foot-long dragon serpent? There were also some problems to solve. I'll reveal all the behind-the-scenes secrets and more of how I captured this giant dragon under the stars.
Here are five podcasts you should be listening to right now. Hit play, grab your coffee, and get inspired. When I am walking or driving, I’ve got five that I always snare in my podcast catcher. You’ll love them no matter what kind of photography you do.
How good is a $40 flash? We kick the tires on the Powerextra DF-400, a budget hot-shoe flash intended for DSLR and mirrorless shooters who want more power and flexibility than a built-in flash without breaking the bank. It offers only manual control plus a couple of simple wireless trigger modes.
The Thought Behind Reviewing Something Absurdly Inexpensive
I set out to photograph and light paint a collapsing market in Desert Center, California. Here’s how I pulled it off. I'll take you behind the scenes of my desert ghost town night photography safari.
Want to walk through your own night photo while remaining invisible? It'd be a great superpower for light painting. It turns out night photographers do it all the time. And it’s not Photoshop magic. It’s a simple trick for light painting that works with long exposure night photography that will take your night photography to the next level.
The Superpower of Invisibility
Do you wish your camera could autofocus on stars—without reframing? Good news. The venerable Pentax K-1 DSLR now has Star AF available in the U.S. Autofocusing on pinpoint stars just got a whole lot easier—and you can forget endless pixel-peeping.
If you want to find out about six essential apps for night (and day) photography, you've come to the right place. Whether you have iOS or Android, these apps will greatly enhance your photography. The sixth one is surely one that doesn't make it on many photography app lists!
Clear OutsideFree: Android or iOS
Auto White Balance (AWB) works for some scenarios. Night photography is not one of them. Here are five solid reasons to ditch AWB—and how doing so can instantly improve your night photography game.
Yes, there's really a rock in the shape of a heart in Joshua Tree National Park! This is the story behind this night photo, including how I went about lighting it.
What Is Light Painting?
We take you behind the scenes to reveal how you can use handheld light to create photos such as this mysterious abandoned modern house in the Mojave Desert.
