In the Dark: Many Americans Have Never Seen the Stars

Apr 7

By Christine Kenyon
April 20, 2025

Discovering the Wonders in Our Own Backyard

It always surprises me—though by now, it shouldn’t—how many of my students have traveled across the globe but never truly explored the American West. They’ve summited peaks in Patagonia, sailed through the fjords of Norway, and wandered through ancient cities across Europe and Asia. Yet when they stand beneath the towering red rock hoodoos of Utah or watch the Milky Way arc across a dark New Mexico sky for the very first time, they’re often speechless.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” they’ll say, followed by, “I can’t believe this is here—in our own country.”

It’s a common sentiment. Many Americans are globetrotters by nature—curious, adventurous, and eager to explore the world. But in that pursuit, we often overlook the vast beauty right here at home. The Rockies, the desert Southwest, the Great Basin, the high plains—all of it woven together with wide skies, ancient canyons, and a kind of silence that feels sacred.

A few years ago, one of my students shared something that’s stayed with me. He had grown up in Manhattan and had only ever seen the Moon. He had never, in his entire life, seen a single star. On the first night of our workshop, as the sky came alive with constellations and the soft band of the Milky Way stretched overhead, he just stood there—silent at first, then overwhelmed.

Later, he told me, “I didn’t even know what I was missing. It’s like something essential was taken from me before I ever knew to ask for it.” He spoke about light pollution not just as a physical issue, but as a kind of theft—robbing people of their connection to the sky, to something profoundly human.

For many who join my workshops, it’s their first time seeing the true night sky, unmarred by city light. Some have never photographed the Milky Way. Others have never stood in a landscape where the land itself tells a story that stretches back to antiquity. And almost all of them leave with a deeper appreciation not just for photography, but for the wild beauty of our own country.

These workshops are about more than capturing beautiful images—they’re about reconnecting with the spirit of exploration right here in the U.S. Whether you're new to photographing the American West or looking to dive deeper into its hidden corners, there's always more to see, more to learn, and more to be humbled by.

If you're feeling that same pull to rediscover what's right here at home, take a look at upcoming photography workshops—they just might change the way you view your own country.