What People are Saying
A Review is a formal assessment or examination of something with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary.
- Michael K. - 2015
Met this guy at borrego springs for the Perseids. There is nothing more enjoyable than observing someone share their joy so passionately. He is Incredibly down to earth and so dang intelligent. He shared his photography and did his absolute best in helping everyone have a good time. He had an incredible telescope with an awesome laser that pointed to the exactly planet, Galaxy, Whatever! in the sky. He encouraged everyone to bring their cameras and he personally helped you get that amazing shot. I am so impressed I am thinking about buying a camera for the next "meet-up" in the future. Catch this guy, he's going to be a 'star' one of these days! Loved it!
- Lisa M. - 2015
This event and presentation was fantastic! Max is not only educated, but he is kind patient and giving. I learned so much in a couple of hours! I am looking forward to being more involved. Thank you for sharing your talents and passion!
- Allysa R. - 2015
Fantastic presentation and so personable! There is nothing more attractive than listening to someone share their passion. This guy will show you how to take those NASA photos plus give you knowledge in layman's vocabulary. What a fun personality and a great time. Catch an event and immediately become fascinated to light years and beyond!
- Victor L. - 2015
HI just got back from one of StarDude’s workshops in Joshua Tree, and I was very impressed with how well organized everything was, our guide Maxwell Palau was amazing, not only did he give awesome lectures on how to do long exposure photography, he also took the time to work with everyone individually to instruct them on how to use their individual cameras for the best shots possible. I was a novice when I started but by the end of the trip I was taking some impressive Milky Way shots, and I was light painting with a laser. As an added bonuses to the workshops we went on several hikes and got the most out of the park by visiting and photographing several different sites, and we even got the privilege of attending an awesome astronomy event where we saw several different celestial bodies and even got to use a huge professional telescope with our cameras mounted to it. I really enjoyed myself and can not wait for the next event!
- Jacqueline A. - 2015
If you are even a little bit interested in photographing stars, attend a workshop with Maxwell. From novice to expert, he has knowledge to share with everyone and shares it without ego. Can't wait for the next adventure!! Thank you for a great experience in Joshua tree!!
- Dianna S. - 2015
Had an outing with Maxwell and StarDude Astronomy this weekend and hope to do another one soon! He is very helpful and patient with everyone and really goes out of his way to provide a great experience. Got some great Milky Way shots which was my main goal for the weekend. :)
- Jay P. - 2015
Showed up to one of his events to view and take pictures of the full moon. He showed and taught us more than that. We were able to view and take pictures of Jupiter, its four moons and messier 42. My friend and I had a grand time.
- Ola D. - 2015
The Palomar AstroPhotography camping trip was unbelievable!!! Next time we will bring an intervalometer and hand/feet warmers :) Maxwell, you and your dad were the best. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. You opened a whole new world of photography to us and we can't wait to go on another trip. The group of people we met on this meet-up were awesome and we had a great time with all of you. - Ola & Randy
- Giuliana M. - 2015
Maxwell you are awesome, I really enjoyed the weekend and took notes on everything. I also found that function, I know next time will be even better. I had no time to read the manual at all before the trip, so the few pics that I managed to take may not be great but was so fun to just be there and see in real time images of the planets and even galaxies. I will buy the T ring, I don't want to miss taking pics with my camera next time. Thanks for your patience and to everybody in this group, everybody was so kind and friendly I'm very lucky to have found you :-)
- Shelly S. - 2015
I have to say this meetup exceeded my expectations. I had a blast with very cool and fun people. Maxwell was an amazing host, as well as, a bit of a teacher in astronomy and night photography. I made new friends and learned how to take exciting night photos of the stars. Not to mention had the opprotuniy to attach my DSLR to Maxwell's telescope! Looking forward to the next event!!!
- Roma N. - 2015
Maxwell is just awesome. He is very accommodating and super duper nice. A big thank you for sharing your super telescope during the Blood Moon and for the information. I learned so much during those few hours.
- Catherine N. - 2015
Maxwell is an incredibly talented and smart young man with a passionate love for astronomy that I admire and respect. I reached out to him being an avid admirer or astronomy and photography for tips and advice. He's allowed me the opportunity to photograph the moon using his amazing equipment set up with ease. My intimidation about understanding how everything works has been nothing but a pleasurable and fun experience. Maxwell is very patient and an awesome guy full of knowledge! I am looking forward to doing more events with him and aspire to be just as good astrophotographer as him. Thanks for everything Maxwell.
- Jean P. - 2015
Awesome group. On top of the great pics that you manage to get of the planets, stars, galaxies , etc from max's scope, you'll learn to take pics of it on your own because you have great guy like maxwell, who is just a treasure trove of knowledge and information and he's willing to share it to you, he's approachable, friendly and accommodating. It's always a wonderful experience going to his meet-up groups and I try to go to every single one of them.
- Amy U. - 2015
Great job Maxwell teaching us how to shoot the Milky Way last night!
- Martin H. - 2015
Classy guy who's very talented and passionate about photography. But be careful - he carries a particle disrupter ray with him and he's not afraid to use it.
- Diana A. - 2015
Wonderful group!!! Thank you Maxwell!
- Hans H. - 2014
Maxwell is a good guy, with a nice scope. Come to one of his events, you will be happy you did.
- Santhi C. - 2014
Thank you very much for teaching me about the stars!! I especially enjoyed looking through the telescope!Maxwell taught me a little about astronomy and astrophotography. I can't wait to go do it again!He is very knowledgeable and easy to learn from. I would definitely recommend anyone who wants to learn about astronomy to contact StarDude!Thanks!!