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long exposure

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Night Photography at Joshua Tree, Round 2

We kicked off the Labor Day weekend by heading back to Arch Rock in Joshua Tree for some camping and more astrophotography. The previous time I went was during the Perseid Meteor shower, but the conditions weren’t ideal since the moon was mostly out. However, this time around everything was perfect; we had good weather, clear skies, and the moon was nowhere in sight!

Unfortunately for us, we arrived at the park pretty late and weren’t able to secure any of the campsites. Mat and Splinter did some makeshift camping by setting up on the roof of my car with blankets and pillows. The stars were really shining bright and we could easily see the galactic center of the Milky Way. As we admired the star-filled sky, we took some photos by the car and ate some pizza from Pie for the People, a local pizza joint in Joshua who make some really good pizza! Mat decided to stay by the car and stargaze while I went back to Arch Rock to take some photos there.

Almost no one was at the rock when I got there, so I found a good spot to take my shots. I didn’t notice at the time but I ended up staying there for about four hours; time really flies when you’re doing long exposure shots! I also climbed to the highest point of the arch, which was actually pretty scary. The lower part of the rock isn’t so bad, but the arch was much narrower compared to other parts of the rock, so I really had to concentrate on not losing my balance in the darkness. Climbing down was another challenge as I had little grip on my way down; I pretty much slid down on my belly while hugging the rock for dear life.

But all of that was totally worth it! The shots were amazing and is only inspiring me more to find more places to chase stars. The next new moon is September 30th, so we’ll be looking for a new spot hopefully for some camping and more astrophotography!

 

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Astrophotography at Trona Pinnacles

A couple weekends ago, we went out to Trona Pinnacles to do some astrophotography. Previously, I hadn’t made any serious attempts at night photography or photographing stars. So when Ian Norman of Lonely Speck arranged a meet-up for photographers and enthusiasts, I jumped at the chance to take my shots of the stars.

Trona Pinnacles is about three hours away from Los Angeles and 45 minutes east of the city of Ridgecrest. It’s recognized for its numerous raised spires and, unknowingly to me, has been featured in numerous blockbuster films and TV shows. The weather in the area was intensely hot, reaching highs of 115°F during the day and 90°F at night. It was also windy, so hot air was constantly blowing our faces and we constantly had to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated.

Nevertheless, hundreds of people braved the scorching weather to camp, stargaze, meet other people and, of course, photograph the stars. The sky was clear and conditions were otherwise perfect. It was so clear that it was very easy to see the galactic center of the Milky Way. I brought out my Nikon D750 with a Nikkor 14-24 mm lens and my Sony A7s with a Voigtländer 50mm for close-up shots. I shot for 3 hours in a few different spots and the results were absolutely breathtaking. Over the horizon are city lights that help produce the yellow glow, while some shots had red foregrounds thanks to brake and parking lights from cars. Other people also used various flashlights to light the skies and light paint, creating some beautiful effects.

This coming weekend, I will be looking for a few locations to do some more astrophotography. This weekend will be particularly exciting since it coincides with the Perseids Meteor shower. If the conditions are ideal, it should yield some amazing shots. Stay tuned and comment if you have suggestions for shooting the meteor shower.

 

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