VELKA FATRA
18 - 20 JULY 2025
In a nutshell
Group
maximum 8 people
Duration
3 days
Price
€210
Fitness
Low
Intro
It is truly a unique workshop of its kind in Slovakia.
It takes place at one of the best places for observing the night sky in the Veľká Fatra Dark Sky Park. The workshop is prepared for beginners and intermediates.
During three days, you will get to know all the nooks and crannies of astrophotography.
You will learn everything You need to master creating panoramic astrophotos. Basic knowledge of the night sky, information about celestial phenomena, planning the choice of location and composition, choosing the right technique, often underestimated clothing, camera settings, photography, and advanced but simple post-processing.
Workshop leader:
Tomas Slovinsky
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. 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.
Important notes
Start: 18/7/2025 5pm
End: 20/7/2025 2pm
You will receive instructions about your arrival time after booking a reservation.
The hotel is accessible by a personal car, but the road is dirty and rough. If you plan to go in your vehicle, driving skills are required. Otherwise, I can pick you up from a meeting point.
If the sky is clear, we will spend a couple of hours outside shooting. The feeling temperature can be chilly. Make sure to bring enough clothes that will make you feel cozy, as we’ll return to the hotel in the morning.
Itinerary - daily schedule
ARRIVAL: All participants should arrive at the meeting point that we will send you later, on the 18th of July 2025 at 5 pm. If you can't reach the place on time, I will send you instructions to get to the hotel by yourself.
DEPARTURE: The workshop ends on the 20th of July at 2 pm. We will return to the meeting point.
We will embark on a journey to Kralova Studna hotel by our cars (there is an option I can take you and your stuff if you want) and come to this magical place. Upon arrival, we will check into our rooms, go for dinner, and start with the first lectures and talks. If the weather permits, both nights we will spend shooting outside.
Price
Workshop price: The price for the workshop itself, lectures, and materials that participants will receive after the workshop is €210.
Accommodation: We have booked accommodation during the workshop at the Kráľová studňa hotel. The price for a stay in a double room is €45/night, and each participant pays it on site in cash. If requested, it is also possible to book a separate room, but please inform me well in advance. The surcharge for an unoccupied bed is €25/night.
Meals: Tasty and hot food can be purchased directly at the hotel restaurant. Breakfast is included in the accommodation price, and each participant buys lunch and dinner individually. Payment is possible on-site only in cash.
What skies to expect?
Behind the hotel near to Kralova skala
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 - just optional
Dew heater and power bank (optional)
Headlamp – ideally with white and red colors. 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 and charger
Powerbank for your phone or camera
Warm clothes
Book Your ticket
Please read the cancellation policy below before booking.
The ticket price includes 23% VAT.
What’s not included
Travel/Health/Accident insurance
Accommodation at the hotel Kralova Studna is 45€/per night, and meals
Private rooms. If you don’t agree to stay in shared rooms, you can ask us to book your room with a charge.
Personal expenses, meals, refreshments, and anything that is not mentioned in the “What’s included” list.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
The participant must be at least 16 years old.
The participant must bring 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.
The invoice/receipt will be issued after the end of the tour.
CANCELLATIONS
Any change/update by the hosts will be done at info@starlight-adventures.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.
UNTIL 30th OF MAY 23:59 EET: . You get back 100% of the remaining, if paid.
FROM 1st OF JUNE 00:00 EET AND ON: no refund if we can’t replace your spot. If your spot is replaced 50% of the remaining amount will be returned.
The tour will take place only if the minimum number of people (4) is met. If those criteria is not met, 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.