Mount Rainier Adventure — 2 Nights (Sunrise & Subalpine Lakes)
Two alpine evenings at the roof of the Cascades: we’ll work the sculpted ridgelines and wildflower basins around Sunrise as golden light fades, then settle at a mirror-still subalpine lake (e.g., the Tipsoo Lake area at Chinook Pass) for blue-hour foreground plates and, weather permitting, the Milky Way lifting over Rainier’s icy crown. Expect crisp mountain air, lingering snow patches early season, and night skies that feel close enough to touch—perfect for reflections, clean stackable skies, and a natural blue-hour-plus-astro blend.

Two late-summer nights on the Snake River plain beneath the Teton ramparts, timed to the waning-crescent → new-moon window (new moon ~Aug 12–13) for dark skies and clean, stackable star fields. We’ll work Schwabacher Landing and Oxbow Bend for mirror-still reflections at golden/blue hour, scout Mormon Row/Antelope Flats for minimalist barns-vs-peaks silhouettes, and climb to Signal Mountain or Snake River Overlook for layered tele-landscapes. August brings stable evenings, cool nights, and the Galactic Core arcing through the south after midnight—perfect for foreground-first storytelling with alpine dawns to follow.

Two late-summer nights in hydrothermal country timed for the new-moon window (Aug 12–13) and the Perseids peak—dark, crisp skies with occasional meteor streaks over rivers, geyser basins, and lodgepole silhouettes. Evenings begin with warm alpenglow on the Madison and Gibbon river corridors, then blue hour at safe, boardwalk-accessible features where steam catches twilight color. After astronomical dark, we’ll work sky plates over clean foregrounds—travertine terraces, dead-snag “cathedrals,” and reflective pools—then finish at first light with mist on the Firehole and grand scenery from Hayden/Yellowstone Lake. Nights are cool, air is typically stable, and wildlife activity is high—expect mood and texture.

Two midsummer evenings on the wild edge of Olympic National Park: we’ll work the sculpted driftwood and tidepools of Kalaloch at golden hour, then settle near the iconic Tree of Life beaches as twilight deepens and (weather permitting) the Milky Way lifts over a restless Pacific. Expect mood—sea mist, low surf haze, and glowing horizons—perfect for blue-hour foreground plates, long-exposure water texture, and clean, stackable night skies when the marine layer breaks. We’ll time our sessions to favorable tides for safe access and graphic leading lines, with sunrise options for coastal fog and shorebird silhouettes. Field-first, small-group, and zero fluff—just unforgettable coast light and a repeatable night workflow you can take anywhere.

Two late-spring nights in the darkest bowl of the Mojave, timed to the new moon on May 16 for maximum star contrast and clean, stackable skies. We’ll work Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes for S-curve compositions at golden hour, then push into blue hour → astro with tracked and untracked Milky Way plates. Sunrise options include Badwater Basin’s polygon salt crust, the ochres of Zabriskie Point, and elevated twilight from Dante’s View. May brings warm tones, steady air, and the Galactic Core arcing low enough for foreground-first storytelling—expect graphic silhouettes, rim-lit grasses, long-exposure dune textures, and pinpoint star fields over minimal light domes.