Intro
We join our forces with Tomas Slovinsky and create a complete astrophotography experience. Apart from travelling to Verliga, any participant can choose our post-processing webinar, which along with Tomas we'll help take your results to a whole new level.
Description
We are in the middle of the galactic core season. Verliga Dragonlake is one of the darkest and most beautiful mountain destinations at 2050m. We'll be able to see the imposing constellations and the "spine" of our galaxy that "splits" the sky in two.
In this overnight workshop, we will be able to enjoy the beauties of the night sky and learn many things about landscape astrophotography, share experiences and get familiar with advanced astrophotography techniques.
Price (VAT included)
€300
Team
15 people (mininum number of people 10)
Experience level
Amateurs and pros
The date
25 - 26 June 2022
Itinerary
Saturday 25/6
We will meet in the village of Haliki at 12.30 where we will talk about the schedule. At 1:00 pm we will board the 4x4 bus which will take us to the plateau of Verliga.
Once we reach the plateau, we will set up our tents, prepare dinner and rest until sunset. There will be a mountain guide for anyone who needs help. After our rest, we will talk about the theoretical part of astrophotography that is necessary for the night to come.
As soon as it gets dark we will put on our warm clothes and prepare our equipment. At this point, we should state that the headlamp is necessary (bonus if it has a red light so as not to spoil the eye adjustment in the dark.
For anyone interested, we will do an introductory lesson on the use of the star tracker and photographing targets with a focal length of over 100mm. In this way, we isolate points in the sky and highlight more details in star clusters and nebulae. Throughout the night we will be close to each participant to make sure that you have assimilated all the necessary knowledge and secrets so that you can continue to take wonderful astrophotographs in the future.
Our goal is to wander in the landscape (as quietly as possible so as not to disturb other visitors), orient ourselves in the starry sky and photograph some of the most imposing targets (galactic core, Ro Ophiuchus, Cygnus region).
Sunday 26/6
After our breakfast and the sunrise photoshoot, we will board the vehicles that will drive us to the village of Haliki. There we will renew our rendesvous for the next trip.
Location
Chaliki village is located 460km from Athens. Be extremely careful and avoid Google maps' suggestions for off-roads.
Transportation
We only take care of your transportation from Chaliki village to Dragonlake Verliga and back. No transportation is provided by us to reach the village in the first place.
Food
Each participant should bring his/her own food and water. If they want some extra supplies, they can buy them from the village.
Accomodation
We'll camp at the plateau, so you must bring your tent (3 seasons) and a warm sleeping bag. Our mountain guide will provide any further assistance.
Terms & Conditions
- The participant must be at least 18 years old.
- The participant must bring with him all the mandatory equipment listed at the top of the page.
- The participant has the full responsibility to judge whether he/she can participate in the workshop 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. He/She recognizes and accepts that the weather phenomena in the mountain are changeable and unpredictable. 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.
- Τhe invoice will be issued after the end of the workshop.
Cancellations
We take the responsibility to fully comply with all health requirements regarding the protection of the population and the prevention of transmission of the COVID-19 virus. There may be modifications of dates or schedules, about which we will inform you in time.
- In case of extreme weather conditions or snow-blocked roads, there is an option to re-schedule the workshop at Helmos National Observatory. The basic ticket price for this workshop will be 190€. Any client that has already paid for the Verliga ticket and will participate in the Helmos Observatory workshop, will get the respective refund. Any client that does not want to participate in the re-scheduled workshop, will get a full refund.
- Any change/cancellation/update by the participants will be done at info@constantinethemelis.com or Discord channel.
- For cancellations up to 30 days before the activity, there is the right to a 100% refund, minus the cost of banking transactions for booking and refunds.
- For cancellations in the period from 30 to 10 days before the workshop, there is a right to a 50% refund of the ticket's cost minus the cost of banking transactions for booking and refunds.
- For cancellations up to 10 days before the date of the workshop, no refund is returned.
- The workshop will take place only if the minimum number of people is reached (10). In case the minimum number of participants is not completed, the date will be changed and will be announced in the future.
- In case of cancellation by the hosts due to the non-completion of the required number of people, 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 is reserved. In any case, an attempt will be made to postpone the trip to a later date. (Cancellation term 1)
- The organizers reserve the right to modify the program unilaterally.
- In case of cancellation by the participant, the invoice will be sent after the workshop for the amount that may have been withheld.
Constantine Themelis
Astrophotographer, Photo tour guide
Constantine is a self-taught photographer based in Greece. He studied Computer Engineering back in 2010 and got his BSc in 2015 and an MSc in 2018. His astro journey started back in 2013. Inspired by Carl Sagan and science fiction movies, he bought my first DSLR and started experimenting with astrophotography and amateur astronomy.
The big change came in 2018 when the Canon department in Greece approached him. Since then, he works closely with Canon, delivering content and testing new equipment. In 2020, he started working with F-stop gear, a company that creates top-class outdoor camera bags and joined their Pathfinder Ambassador program. His main passion is to travel the world, capture the starscapes and run workshops to educate people about astrophotography.
Featured in: Milky Way Photographer Of The Year 2021, The World at Night, Photopills
For more information about the trip, contact Constantine Themelis info@constantinethemelis.com/+306984258076.