How to Plan a National Park Photography Trip

Before you book a place to stay for your next park trip, think about the photo you’d most like to come home with. If it’s sunrise from a particular overlook, that gives you a few things to figure out right away. When will the light hit? Will the road be open? How early will you need to leave to get there?

In National Parks: A Photographer’s Guide to Planning Any Park, Erik Kuna shares how he works through those decisions before a trip. He shows how he uses PhotoPills to plan where the sun, moon, or Milky Way will appear from a specific spot, and how he picks a backup location if the weather changes. You can try the same approach at a state park or somewhere close to home.

Enjoy a free lesson, then check out the full course.