Crete Island
2024 Astrophotography Workshop
4-7 July
4 SPOTS LEFT
In a nutshell
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Group
10 people
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Duration
4 days
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Price
€690
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Fitness
Low
Experience astro from one of the darkest places in Greece
Intro
We team up with some of the best astrophotographers worldwide to provide a unique and complete astrophotography experience. Southern Crete is known for its Bortle 1 skies which give us an unparalleled view of our Cosmos. We travel to Crete with Tomas Slovinsky to capture the night sky under some of the best skies in Greece.
The workshop will be run in both English and Greek (and Slovak, if necessary).
Itinerary - daily schedule
ARRIVAL: All participants should arrived and be picked up from the CHQ airport or Chania city until 2pm on 4/7. If you can't find a suitable flight in the morning, please contact us or book a flight the previous day.
DEPARTURE: We will return back to Chania CHQ airport at 12pm in on 7/7, so please book Your flight at least 2-3 hours later that day.
We will embark on a journey to Crete, landing at Chania airport, located on the northwest side of the island. Upon arrival, we will meet with other participants and start our trip. Our accommodation is Xasteria Rooms, a newly established facility near Elafonisi.
Upon check-in at our hotel, we will take care of our belongings and then gather as a group for a team lunch at a nearby restaurant. Our accommodation is exclusively reserved for our group, which is a nice touch. In the evening, we will witness the sunset at the beach where we will also spend the following nights. After the sunset, we can capture early night shots before returning to our accommodation. We can then relax and enjoy drinks or local wine.
Starting the next day, we will begin our theoretical lessons on photography and image processing. Until noon, participants will have free time to spend at the beach, participate in summer activities, or simply enjoy the beautiful views.
In the afternoon, we will begin our theoretical lectures which will be conducted in Greek and English (and Slovak, if necessary). Each day, the lessons will last approximately 3 hours, after which we will prepare our equipment for night shooting and have individual consultations. We will enjoy a traditional early evening meal or fresh seafood.
As the sun sets, we will head to the beach to take in the beautiful views, swim in the crystal clear waters, and search for the perfect composition for our photographs. Before the astronomical night, we will receive on-field lessons on how to set up our equipment and take photographs with the best settings for our setups. Once everyone is equipped with the necessary knowledge, we will have the opportunity to take as many photographs as desired, with our hosts always available to ensure that we create beautiful and accurate images.
We plan to spend every night on the beach, taking photographs, enjoying food and swimming in paradise-like waters, along with the night sky. We will also bring sleeping pads and bags to ensure we get enough rest. After the astronomical night, we will return to our accommodation for a good night's sleep. On the last day, we’ll return to Chania and fly back home with full SD cards filled with great photographs and unforgettable experiences.
Meet the workshop leaders
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Constantine Themelis
Astrophotographer, Photo tour guide
Born and raised in the beautiful country of Greece, Constantine developed a passion for photography at a young age. Inspired by the works of Carl Sagan and the magical world of science fiction, he embarked on a journey to capture the beauty of the night sky. After studying Computer Engineering and earning his Bachelor's and Master's degrees, Constantine joined Canon as a content creator in 2018. He has since honed his skills as an astrophotographer, using his technical knowledge and artistic vision to create stunning images of the Cosmos. In 2020, Constantine was selected as a Pathfinder ambassador for F-stop gear, an honour that recognizes his expertise and contributions to the field of landscape photography. Dedicated to sharing his knowledge and passion for the night sky, Constantine regularly leads workshops, webinars, and talks to educate others about the beauty and mysteries of astrophotography. Join him on his journey as he explores the universe and captures its wonders through the lens of his camera.
Published
PhotoPills, TWAN, European Space Agency
Acknowledgements:
Winner in Milky Way Photographer of the Year 2021
1st place International Dark Sky Association Competition in 2023
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Tomas Slovinsky
Astrophotographer, Astronomy popularizer, Writer, Planetarium co-owner, Lecturer
Tomas was born in 1994 in Kosice. In his childhood, he was fascinated by the night sky. He was still interested in space secrets and observing interesting events like eclipses or meteor showers. He was amazed when he first pointed the lens of the old camera toward the night sky and found out how many objects the camera had captured compared to the naked eye. This brought him into the world of astrophotography. His biggest passion is photographing the night sky with nature's beauty. Nine of his photographs were honoured by NASA’s Astronomy Picture Of the Day and thirteen images as the Earth science Picture Of the Day. You can notice his images also in the magazine of BBC Sky At Night, the worldwide gallery The World At Night, International Meteor Organization magazine, and in Finnish astronomical magazine Tähdet ja avaruus. So his photographs are all around the world. He publishes photographs in the scientific and technical magazine Quark, and he is co-owner and associate director in a school-education project with the inflatable planetarium. He is also involved in creating programs and lectures at schools.
Equipment to bring
Photography
Tripod
Any DSLR/mirrorless camera
Wide-angle light lens f/2.8 and faster (we recommend focal lengths such as 14mm, 24mm to 35mm, best with f/1.4 if possible)
2x spare battery, memory SD card
Intervalometer for time-lapses (if your camera hasn’t an internal one)
Star tracker - optional
Headlamp – ideally with white and red colours. At night, we ONLY use the red light while taking photos. It is important (we will explain why) and at the same time, you’re respectful to the other members of the tour.
Miscellaneous
Laptop
Powerbank for your phone or camera
Sleeping bag
Choose your workshop!
*Past participants will have 50€ off their ticket price (valid until 18/04/2024)*
Gear and equipment, modified cameras
Night sky orientation
Setting up the best exposures, choosing your composition
Stacking methods
Polar alignment & tracked shots
360 panoramas, tracked panoramas
Please read our terms-cancellations before buying your ticket.
Basic tier + Editing webinar valued at 300€ (pre-recorded in English), available to watch it up to 2 months after the workshop. If you want to buy it forever, you have to contact us first.
Single shots editing in Lr/Camera RAW
Colour balance, curves settings, noise reduction, stacking
Tracked image blending
Levels, Curves, Adjustments
Luminosity masks
3rd party software (Sequator, Topaz etc.)
Stitching panoramas with PT Gui
Reprocessing in PTGui to various projections
Virtual tours / 360-degree panoramas
Editing panoramas in Photoshop
Meteor Showers
Useful astronomy plugins
Exporting files, useful tips about formats, colour spaces etc.
Please read our terms-cancellations before buying your ticket.
What’s included
3-night accommodation in Crete. Shared space with double and triple beds with private bathroom.
Cars (with insurance), fuel
Photography workshop by Tomas and Constantine
What’s not included
Travel/Health/Accident insurance
Your plane tickets to/from Crete
Breakfast. Meals.
Private rooms. If you don’t agree to stay in shared rooms you have to take care of your personal accommodation. Some administrative fees will be withheld. Contact us before booking to let you know the final price.
Personal expenses, gifts, etc., and anything that is not mentioned in the “What’s included” list.
Important notes
Before booking please read the terms/conditions/cancellations at the end of the page.
If you need a B2B invoice, contact us before booking.
FAQ
I don’t want to stay in shared rooms. Can you arrange something to fit my needs?
We are not a travel company, if sharing a room is too difficult for you, you can arrange a different accommodation. A part of your accommodation expenses will be held as administrative fees.
I want to bring a friend/relative with me, but he/she isn’t a photographer. Should he pay?
Everyone who is attending is a part of our group, so yes, the full ticket must be paid.
Can I participate in only a part of the trip?
This is not possible due to logistics, booking accommodations and cars. Subsequently, the full ticket must be paid.
Is there a difference between a workshop and a tour?
Yes, workshops are designed for people who also want to learn some fundamental and expand their knowledge in astrophotography. Tours are suitable for people who have already a good grasp on astro and just want to visit beautiful places to photograph. For that reason, workshops tend to be more expensive.
Are we alone in the universe?
We sincerely hope not.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
The participant must be at least 18 years old.
The participant must bring with him all the mandatory equipment listed on the tour page.
The participant has the full responsibility to judge whether he/she can participate in the tour without compromising his/her health, as well as to ensure that he/she will not endanger his/her physical integrity or that of the other participants. For this reason, the hosts are not responsible for the cancellation of the trip or change of planning for this reason. Also in case, the participant is in danger of either injury, loss of body part, or life itself, the responsibility of the organizer is limited to the correct preparation and correct decision/choice/change of design, and the provision of instructions to ensure as much as possible physical integrity and mental and spiritual health of the participants.
The participant is responsible and accountable for the honest statement of his health status, acknowledges and accepts that the hosts are not responsible for injuries or health problems that existed before, as well as for any burden that may be suffered by his/her health condition, from his/her participation in the activity. In case the participant due to a false or insufficient declaration of health status or unavailability (due to his/her fault) of the equipment required so that he/she can not cope with the planning of the trip/activity, the hosts have the right to remove the participant from the activity, with the sole obligation to ensure a safe return and to call for rescue assistance, if and when needed. The cost of the rescue is paid solely by the participant. In case he/she puts the whole team or another member at risk due to false or inadequate health status or problems, he/she has the sole responsibility for any financial claim or any legal decision taken by the other members.
The organizers reserve the right to modify the program unilaterally.
If any activities or expenses, that are off this schedule, occur, the participants will share the amount to be paid.
The invoice/receipt will be issued after the end of the tour.
The remaining amount should be paid at least 41 days before the workshop. If the participants does not pay or contact the organizers after that time, the deposit will be held and not returned.
Important Notice to Participants:
Please be informed that any form of recording, including audio, video, or screen capturing, during this webinar is strictly prohibited. Such actions infringe upon the rights of Constantine Themelis Photography and are not permitted. We kindly request all participants to respect this policy and refrain from making any recordings during the session.
CANCELLATIONS
Any change/update by the hosts will be done at info@constantinethemelis.com or the group chat.
Cancellations must be required formally via email only. You should expect to get a validation email from us to consider your cancellation complete. Any refunds or charges will be applied after that.
41 DAYS & MORE BEFORE THE TOUR: full refund, minus payment processing fees
31-40 DAYS BEFORE THE TOUR: 50% refund of the whole ticket's cost, minus payment processing fees
30 DAYS OR LESS BEFORE THE TOUR: If someone else takes your spot, you can get your funds back, minus payment processing fees. Otherwise, there is no refund.
The tour will take place if the minimum number of people (8) is met. If cancelled, the full amount will be refunded.
In case of cancellation due to extenuating circumstances within the last 48 hours, the right to withhold reasonable expenses (fees that cannot be refunded) is reserved. In any case, an attempt will be made to postpone the trip to a later date.
In case of cancellation by the participant, the invoice will be sent after the tour for the amount that may have been withheld.
People’s experience from our previous trips
