a zillion stars over Nauset lighthouse

[SquarePeg]

Made a round trip drive to the Cape last night to check out some astro spots. We've been waiting for clear skies on a new moon weekend all summer! Finally got lucky. Made it home before dawn so it was a short night lol.

By the time we got to this spot the MW was too high to get anything that included the lighthouse but the sheer number of stars visible was amazing!

a zillion stars over Nauset Lighthouse by SharonCat..., on Flickr

A working lighthouse is a real challenge! Couldn't get any further back from this one and still get a long enough exposure time to get some stars. Had to get in under the light a bit. As it was I still had to cover the lens with my sleeve when the light swung my way in order to avoid everything getting blown out.

Nauset Light by SharonCat..., on Flickr

Feedback, comments, critique, suggestions - are always welcomed and considered.

 

[Jeff G]

Beautiful shots Sharon, I like the extreme angles.

 

[Space Face]

A couple of stunners there. Ain't the night sky fascinating?

 

[Derrel]

Well-done!

 

[Tropicalmemories]

The second one is breathtaking

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

I really like the way the light is radiating out in the first. Nice set!@

 

[SquarePeg]

Beautiful shots Sharon, I like the extreme angles.

Thanks Jeff!

A couple of stunners there. Ain't the night sky fascinating?

Thanks so much. Yes I am totally fascinated by the stars!

Well-done!

Thank you!

The second one is breathtaking

Thanks very much!

I really like the way the light is radiating out in the first. Nice set!@

Thanks!

 

[SquarePeg]

One more from the other side of the light house. This side has a door and window and, I think, fewer distractions in the background. I may try a black and white of this shot.

the other side by SharonCat..., on Flickr

 

[Pixeldawg1]

I would love to know more about how you shot this, please. It seems with the very bright light from the light house that the background stars would be washed out due to the light pollution. A really magnificent image though and so great that you shared it.

 

[SquarePeg]

I would love to know more about how you shot this, please. It seems with the very bright light from the light house that the background stars would be washed out due to the light pollution. A really magnificent image though and so great that you shared it.

Thanks for the nice feedback! Other than the lighthouse it is an extremely dark area which really helped. The number of stars was just incredible. Spent half my time out there just staring at the sky, lol. I shot this with my Fuji XT2 and Samyang 12mm. Settings were 3200 ISO, f/2 for 17 seconds. I covered the lens with my sleeve when the light swung towards me. It took a few tries to get it where it wasn't blown out and the light beams were still visible. I think the upward angle helped capture the stars that weren't as washed out by the light.

This is a single shot, not a composite, but I did use the brush in LR to selectively bring the exposure down on just the lantern. I also selectively adjusted the clarity and texture in the sky all the way to +100 and used the brush to brighten the exposure on the lighthouse itself. The whole photo was adjusted blacks -40, highlights +20 and then I used a bit of noise reduction.

I'm very happy with the way these came out. After the first few attempts I was ready to pack it in then I remembered reading a post on Instagram of another lighthouse where the photographer mentioned covering the lens with a black card when the light swung around. I didn't have a card so I used dark sleeve of my hoodie.

 

[DarkShadow]

Excellent Images.

 

[SquarePeg]

Excellent Images.

Thank you!

 

[enezdez]

Beautiful !!!

 

[PJM]

Amazing images Sharon! I love #1. The perspective and the lighting just scream "Here is the sky, just look at it.". And I think the colors in the second are perfect. Great job.

 

[Destin]

Excellent shots from very unique angles! I really enjoy number one simply because it's an angle I've never seen before of a lighthouse.

I'd be really curious to see how these angles looked with star trails as well, but that's just personal preference. Nice work!