{"id":107763,"date":"2024-12-02T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=107763"},"modified":"2024-12-02T09:37:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T14:37:21","slug":"the-most-picturesque-night-adventures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/the-most-picturesque-night-adventures\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Book Explores the Most Picturesque Night Adventures in the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From powerful meteor showers to eye-popping northern lights, 2024 was a dream for astrophotographers who love picturesque night adventures\u2014and the fun is far from over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My new National Geographic book is entitled, “100 Nights of a Lifetime: The World\u2019s Ultimate Adventures After Dark.”<\/a> Available on December 3, it highlights dozens upon dozens of enchanting and picturesque night adventures that deserve space on your memory cards<\/a>. Photographers will especially find the book handy because of the National Geographic imagery. There’s a photo that accompanies each experience, providing inspiration on how to bring these night scenes to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book stems from my own personal fascination with the night sky<\/a>. It’s a passion that\u2019s sent me around the world reporting on after-dark awe, from camping on the Greenland Ice Sheet and stargazing in Chile\u2019s remote Atacama Desert to aurora hunting in Iceland and joining twilight safaris in the Brazilian Pantanal. The project is some three years in the making, and it couldn\u2019t come at a better time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CREDIT: National Geographic\u2019s 100 Nights of a Lifetime<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Interest in astrophotography has soared<\/a> since the pandemic, and innovations in low-light gear, particularly mirrorless cameras, are making it easier than ever to capture the world after dark. Consider 100 Nights of a Lifetime your bucket list for photographing lots of picturesque night adventures. Let this quick sneak peek at five experiences and images from the book spark your creativity\u2014and wanderlust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CREDIT: Daniel Vi\u00f1e Garcia\/ Cavan Images | National Geographic\u2019s 100 Nights of a Lifetime<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sahara Desert Stargazing, Morocco<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Up to one-third of the world\u2019s population can\u2019t see the Milky Way due to light pollution. That\u2019s why far-flung escapes like the Sahara Desert are a stargazer\u2019s, and astrophotographer\u2019s, dream. Here, countless stars bejewel pristine obsidian skies, and photographers have all sorts of marvels to capture: planets and deep space objects, wide shots with the full Milky Way, soaring meteors, and jaw-dropping golden hours that bookend the picturesque night adventures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the book, you\u2019ll learn how, where, and when to camp in Morocco\u2019s dreamy swath of the 3.6-million-square-mile desert\u2014an adventure that makes astrophotography like the starry scene from this image in the book attainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CREDIT: Jim Brandenburg\/Minden Pictures | National Geographic\u2019s 100 Nights of a Lifetime<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Great Lakes Aurora Hunting, Minnesota<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been a lucky year for northern lights<\/a> chasers, and an even luckier year for contiguous U.S. aurora photographers. With the sun at its 11-year peak of activity, the northern lights are the strongest they\u2019ve been in the past decade\u2014so much so that they\u2019re producing displays as far south as Texas and Florida. While these deep-south sightings are still rare, there is one lower 48 region that sees relatively frequent lights displays during the sun\u2019s activity spike: the Great
Lakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The region\u2019s far-north locale is well aligned with earth\u2019s geomagnetic pole, which means it\u2019s
arguably the best-positioned region for catching auroras in the lower 48 states. It also has
myriad aurora perches to choose from. My favorite: inky forests or scenic lakes in DarkSky
International-certified places like Voyageurs National Park and Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Wilderness in Minnesota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CREDIT: Blue Planet Archive SKO\/Alamy Stock Photo | National Geographic\u2019s 100 Nights of a Lifetime<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Blackwater Diving, Florida<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every night, around 11 billion tons of sparkly sea creatures journey from the ocean\u2019s dim twilight zone (roughly 650 to 3,280 feet deep) to the water\u2019s surface for feasting. It\u2019s the world\u2019s largest animal migration, not to mention one of its most photogenic. Divers can partake in blackwater drift dives to admire and photograph the shimmery migrators, which include small fish, jellies, shrimp, and sometimes the rare lantern fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes the night particularly picturesque: bioluminescence, which helps many of these sea creatures glow. Florida\u2019s Atlantic Coast is among the contiguous Unites States\u2019 best spots to see creatures like this shimmery flying fish, pictured above. (Head here for more tips on underwater photography)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CREDIT: Glen Butler<\/a> | National Geographic\u2019s 100 Nights of a Lifetime<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve, New Zealand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Craving stellar stars? Journey to New Zealand, a country that\u2019s so dedicated to protecting its nightscapes. Also, it’s vying to become one of the first DarkSky International-certified Dark Sky Nations. You can admire a treasure trove of space sights throughout the country, but one of the most exciting sky-watching spots is the 1,415-square-mile Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This getaway, located near Wellington, is one of the newest DarkSky-certified destinations in New Zealand. Its protected skies are pristine enough to see deep-space objects like the Tarantula Nebula \u2014 best viewed through a telescope<\/a> \u2014 or the dynamic Milky Way, as this dazzling Wairarapa Moana Wetlands image from the book shows. To learn how to create a similar star shot, check out our guide to Milky Way panorama photography<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CREDIT: Babak Tafreshi\/National Geographic Image Collection | National Geographic\u2019s 100 Nights of a Lifetime<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Atacama Desert Stargazing, Chile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s one place astrophotographers should have on their bucket list, it\u2019s Chile\u2019s remote Atacama Desert\u2014and this image from the book proves why. The arid Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert on the planet, and it sees near-constant clear skies. That\u2019s why it\u2019s home to many of the world\u2019s most powerful telescopes, including the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array, better known as ALMA, which studies how the universe and planets first formed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Come dusk, most Atacama travelers join guided tours for narration and telescope peeks at the night sky. Traveling for photography? Hire astrophotographer and guide Mauro Cuevas, founder of 3K Private Tours<\/a>. On my trip to the Atacama, Cuevas took my husband and me deep into the desert\u2019s Martian landscapes for a surreal night of photography, stargazing, and hot tea and snacks. Since Cuevas<\/a> himself is an astrophotographer, he knows the best stops for nightscape compositions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Must-Have Night Photography Gear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With today\u2019s innovative smartphones, you don\u2019t need much to snap a nice night photo. That
said, investing in high-quality cameras, lenses, and gear can drastically elevate your
astrophotography. Here are some must-haves if you\u2019re serious about photographing after dark:<\/p>\n\n\n\n