Colorado Night Sky

I made this image on a new moon night in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. It was the end of September and at that time of year the Milky way rises vertical in the sky a few hours after sunset. We were dry camping at an elevation of over 10,000’ and the air was clear and cool. I made a total of 24 exposures to make this image. I first made 12 exposures at f2.8 for 13 seconds, ISO 6400 of the night sky and then 12 dark frame exposures to record the sensor noise. I combined all these images in a software called Starry Landscape Stacker. In the processing of the image in Photoshop I used a blur technique to eliminate some of the stars to give more focus on the core of the Milky way. I love the times when I can get out in the night in nature and see the world differently than what we normally experience during our daytime living. We truly live in a beautiful world and we all need to remind ourselves to take the time and see the environment that was created for us. “ The heavens declare the glory of God” Ps. 19:1

Night Photography

We spent a few days in Terlingua, Tx. to do some hiking and photography.  I decided to do some night photography of this trip and while driving around the area I kept an eye out for some good nighttime subject matter.   I discovered this old bus outside of town and contacted the landowner about retuning at night to photograph.  Once I was granted permission I scouted out the location during the day time to get an idea of where I wanted to setup the camera and which lens would be required.  I marked my tripod position by stacking a few rocks in a pile.  It had been my desire to visit during the period of a new moon so I could have a sky full of stars.  The first few nights of our trip were cloudy and the moon was already at a quarter.   In this image I choose a five minute exposure at f9 using a 35mm f2.8 Sony lens.  I put the camera in manual focus and working with the mirrorless camera bright LED screen locate a focus point.  I made a test exposure to determine sharp focus by setting a very high ISO using my F9 apeture. Once I was satisfied with the composition and that the image was in focus I placed an LED light inside of the bus to light the interior.  During the long exposure I walked around the bus with a flashlight at about a 90* angle to the axis of the camera.  It is important to use extreme angles of light to get contrast and details on the subject and surrounding ground.  It is best to try several diffent exposures to be certain that the final image has enough light for a proper exposure.  It is easy to be fooled by the bright LED screen at nighttime in thinking you have made a good image.  The best thing is to review the histogram to determine the exposure.  Although the stars were not out and the moon was coming up, the movement of the clouds added a new and unexpected demension to the image.