Photography Tours & Sightseeing Tours
Colorado has numerous designated dark sky areas, where light pollution is minimized. The San Juan Mountains are located in one such designated area, providing a prime location for night photography. By taking advantage of Colorado’s dark skies, nightscape photographers can capture stunning images of the Milky Way, constellations, and other celestial objects with minimal interference from light pollution. So, whether you’re an experienced astrophotographer or just starting out, the San Juan Mountains offer the perfect opportunity to capture the beauty of the night sky.
Photographing the Milky Way
When the moon is down and the sky is clear, it’s time to turn our focus to capturing the beauty of the Milky Way. The San Juan Mountains’ high altitude and clear skies make it an ideal location to capture stunning images of the Milky Way. With majestic mountain peaks as a backdrop, the Milky Way rises and falls, creating breathtaking images. Long exposures capture the Milky Way’s movement and provide a sense of motion and depth that is difficult to capture in any other way.
San Juan Mountains by Moonlight
If the moon is up, nightscape photography takes on a new dimension. Capturing mountain peaks, canyons, and lakes under the moon’s light creates stunning images. With the San Juan Mountains’ rugged landscape, the moon’s light casts shadows, revealing textures and contours that are otherwise unseen. Imagine capturing the reflection of the moon overhead on a placid lake or the silhouette of a Bristlecone Pine back-dropped by a Rocky Mountain valley bathed in moonlight. These are the kinds of images that make nightscape photography a unique experience. Plan your trip to the moon phase using this Moon Phase Calendar.
Overcast Skies
While clear skies provide the best conditions for nightscape photography, overcast skies can provide a unique opportunity to experiment with light painting techniques. Light painting involves using a flashlight or other light source to illuminate the foreground, creating interesting and unique images. The San Juan Mountains provide a perfect backdrop for this type of photography, with its rugged terrain and unique flora.
Other Destinations
If the San Juan Mountains are not your preferred location, we can integrate night photography into these other tour destinations: Arches / Canyonland , Black Canyon, San Juan Mountains and Great Sand Dunes.
