Photo workshop set at state park

Astronomy fans can learn how to take photographs of the night sky this weekend at Fort Griffin State Historic Site.

The site will host a Milky Way photography workshop Friday-Saturday, April 5-6.

Lynn Cromer will instruct participants on how to best take photos of the night sky and the Milky Way.

Eric Abercrombie, assistant site manager at Fort Griffin, said the program will cover topics such as the kind of equipment needed for this kind of photography as well as proper camera settings. Cromer will also offer instruction on how to edit the photos.

Admission to attend the workshop is $20 per person, which includes night sessions. Reservations arerequiredandmay be made by calling the site at 325-762-3592. Camping reservations are also available in the campground and the astronomy area near the visitor center.

Abercrombie said participants need to be prepared to stay up late.

“TheMilkyWayinApril usually rises later at night, well after midnight,” he said. “In June and July, the Milky Way is visible all night.”

In addition to the nighttime photography, attendees will also have the opportunity to learn how to best photograph the solar eclipse that will occur Monday,April 8. While Shackelford County is outside the zone of totality, parts of Texas will experience a total eclipse.

“The workshop will be just a few days before, so sometimeduringtheworkshop, Lynn plans to give some instruction on how to effectively photograph the eclipse,” Abercrombie said. “I’m curious to see what he suggests on how tomakethoseimagescome out good.”