SELF-PACED ONLINE COURSE WITH MATT SUESS

Capture Jaw-Dropping Milky Way Photos With the Gear You Already Own

No more blurry stars. No more guessing at settings. No more wasted nights. Even if you've never shot at night, and even with a kit lens.

Enroll Now – $147See What's Inside

Stream on any device  •  Any camera brand  •  Self-paced

33

video lessons, about 4½ hours

Any

camera brand with manual mode

Self-paced

stream on any device, rewatch any time

4 steps

Arrive · Compose · Expose · Develop

WHY THIS COURSE

I Made the Mistakes So You Don’t Have To

I shot my first star trails on slide film in the 1980s, when I was 12, and developed them in my own darkroom. Getting a decent night sky photo back then was mostly luck.

When digital arrived the noise was brutal, so I spent years working out my own methods: how long to expose before stars trail, how to focus in pitch dark, how to balance the stars with the landscape, and how to clean up noise afterward.

It took me decades to figure out what I can teach you in weeks.

My favorite moment on any night workshop is when someone checks their screen and sees the Milky Way, sharp and colorful, for the very first time. “Wait… I DID THIS?!” That’s the moment this course is built to give you.

WHAT’S INSIDE

A Simple System: Arrive, Compose, Expose, Develop

33 short, focused video lessons that take you from planning the shoot to a finished, print-ready image. Watch at your own pace and come back before every Milky Way season.

BEFORE YOU GO

Essential Prep

9 lessons · about 80 min

  • Night-shooting safety
  • Gear check: camera, lens, tripod and the extras
  • Pro tips for working by feel in the dark

STEP 1

Arrive

5 lessons · about 25 min

  • The Milky Way season and how it moves
  • Twilight and finding true dark
  • Low light pollution, the moon and the weather

STEP 2

Compose

5 lessons · about 30 min

  • Framing your Milky Way photos
  • Composing a shot in the dark
  • Focusing on the stars (plus OM SYSTEM Starry Sky AF)

STEP 3

Expose

4 lessons · about 30 min

  • Key camera settings besides exposure
  • The exact exposure settings to use
  • High ISO and single shot vs. stacking

STEP 4

Develop

10 lessons · about 1 hr 45 min

  • Noise reduction with DxO PureRAW and Lightroom
  • Lightroom Classic, Nik Color Efex and Photoshop finishing
  • Star reduction, stacking, and removing planes and satellites

Sharp Stars. Rich Color. A Landscape You Can See.

Shot by Matt with the same planning, settings and editing workflow you’ll learn in the course.

Made for Real Photographers With Real Gear

WHO IT’S FOR

Is this course for you?

  • Complete beginners who’ve never shot at night. We start with the fundamentals.
  • Intermediate photographers ready to add night sky to their skills.
  • Experienced shooters who want a consistent, repeatable process.
  • Any camera brand: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, OM SYSTEM / Olympus and more.

WHAT YOU NEED

The gear you already own

  • Camera: any DSLR or mirrorless with manual mode and ISO up to 6400. A 5-year-old body is plenty.
  • Lens: your 18–55mm kit lens works. Wider and faster helps, but isn’t required.
  • Tripod: any stable one. A red-light headlamp is handy.
  • Software: Lightroom and Photoshop. DxO PureRAW and Nik are covered as options.

WHY THIS COURSE

Better Than Free Videos. The Perfect Start Before a Workshop.

VS. YOUTUBE

One clear path instead of a hundred videos

There’s plenty of free night sky content out there, but it’s scattered across hundreds of videos, often contradicts itself, and leaves you to piece together what order to learn it in.

This course is one tested system from one teacher, in the right order, from planning the shoot to a finished image. No more burning clear nights on trial and error.

VS. AN IN-PERSON WORKSHOP

Learn the system now, enjoy the trip later

My in-person Milky Way workshops are some of my favorite experiences, and nothing beats shooting together under a dark sky. But they mean travel, set dates and hoping for clear weather.

The course lets you learn at home and practice on your own clear nights, starting now. Then when you join a workshop, you’ll spend your time creating incredible images instead of fumbling with settings in the dark.

See my upcoming photo workshops →

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Hi, I’m Matt Suess

I’ve been chasing the night sky for over 40 years and working as a full-time professional photographer since 1990, first as a New England photojournalist and, since 2006, as a fine art landscape and night sky photographer based in Bozeman, Montana.

  • OM SYSTEM Ambassador and Night Sky Expert
  • 2003 New England Press Association Photographer of the Year
  • Night sky workshops in the Tetons, Badlands, Arches, Norway and Canada
  • Educator for OM SYSTEM, PetaPixel, B&H Photo, Hunts Photo & Video, Skylum and ON1

My teaching style is down-to-earth and encouraging. No jargon, no ego, and no making you feel silly for asking questions. I teach photographers using any camera brand.

WHAT MY STUDENTS SAY

Patient, Practical Teaching

From clients of my in-person workshops, where I teach these same techniques.

“

I think the way you handled the workshop was as near perfect as any student could ask for.

Harley M.

2019 Fall Grand Teton Photo Workshop

“

You have the utmost patience and instead of just telling me to do something, or how to do something, you helped me to think about solutions… You are a top-notch instructor.

Jill E.

2019 Spring Grand Teton Photo Workshop

“

Matt is the best instructor I’ve had for any creative activity, but especially photography. He is patient in explaining things, and really helps you focus on the areas that YOU want to develop.

Emily L.

2018 Tetons Milky Way & 2019 Spring Grand Teton Workshops

ENROLL TODAY

Start Shooting the Milky Way With Confidence

EVERYTHING YOU GET

Under the Stars: Milky Way Mastery

✓33 video lessons, about 4½ hours

✓The complete Arrive · Compose · Expose · Develop system

✓Planning around the moon, twilight, weather and dark skies

✓Focusing in the dark and the exact camera settings to use

✓A full editing workflow in Lightroom, Photoshop, DxO PureRAW and Nik

✓Plus an OM SYSTEM Starry Sky AF focusing lesson

✓Stream on any device and rewatch any time

ONLINE COURSE · ONE-TIME PAYMENT

$147.00

Instant access after checkout

QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an OM SYSTEM camera?

Not at all. The course works with any camera brand. A couple of lessons show OM SYSTEM-only features like Starry Sky AF, but the core lessons apply to every camera.

I live near a city. Will this still work?

Yes. You’ll learn how to find darker skies within driving distance and how to work with moderate light pollution. Darker is better, but you don’t need perfect skies.

What software do I need?

Adobe Lightroom (or Camera Raw) and Photoshop. I also show DxO PureRAW and the Nik Collection as optional extras.

When is Milky Way season?

In North America the Milky Way’s bright core is visible from late winter into fall, with spring and summer the prime months. The Arrive module shows how it moves through the season and when it’s best where you live.

I’ve never shot in manual mode or RAW. Is this too advanced?

No, that’s a great place to start. We begin with the fundamentals, and the editing lessons assume you’re starting from scratch with RAW files.

Where in the world can I use this?

Almost anywhere. Most of North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and South America have great Milky Way visibility in season. The course is based on North America, but the planning translates anywhere.

Can I download the videos?

Videos stream from your course portal on any device, so you always have the latest version. An internet connection is required.

I took one of your workshops. Is this different?

It covers the same foundations plus a complete editing workflow, in lessons you can rewatch any time.

Still have a question? Send me a message and I’ll get back to you.

The Night Sky Is Waiting

Learn the system now and be ready when the Milky Way season starts in spring. Every clear night is a chance to capture something most people never see.

Enroll Now – $147