Week 3: Long Exposure

[LittleMike]

Here's my week 3 photo! It was a single 23 1/2 minute exposure.

C&C please!


Edit: I decided to make a blog that details some of the story behind all of the pictures for my 52 week project. Since I've gotten some good feedback here I thought I'd throw out a plug. Check it out if you're curious http://mikelangston52project.blogspot.com/

 

[tirediron]

Wow! I really like that. A very sci-fi landscape. About the only suggestion/comment I have is that perhaps a touch more saturation on the red of the sand might make it look even more like a cover shot for a Robert A. Heinlein novel.

 

[fokker]

Wow that is really cool. How dark was it when you took it? It looks like it was somehow taken during the day (shadow from the tree?), but the stars and exposure length obviously makes this somewhat impossible.

 

[DxAxN]

I really like this shot...

 

[JbleezyJ]

when you did this shot did you focus to infinity or on the cactus?

 

[PhillyPhoton]

Cool, it almost looks like you used 2 captures, one from the day and one from night, very nice

what was your ISO and Ap?

 

[zbo2408]

EXIF Summary: 1410s f/5.0 ISO100 28mm

Awesome shot!
I am working on getting an order together for several things and one of them is the wired exposure switch so I can do bulb shots like this. Absolutely love it!

 

[Juanka]

Amazing! At what time did you took it?

 

[D-B-J]

Nice shot!

Regards,
Jake

 

[lildlege1]

Very Nice!!!! As the others asked what time was this taken?

 

[Robin Usagani]

Looks like just around the sunrise.

 

[KmH]

Yep, facing North, Sun on the right, long shadow, indicates the exposure was started just before sunrise.

Good job. :thumbup:

I like that Polaris (north celestial pole) is near the upper left ROT power point and that there is just a bit of foliage covered hillside in the background adding to the sense of depth in the scene. that the diagonal line of that sliver of hillside is contra to the diagonal of the sand adds balance.

The tops of the stumps suggest another diagonal line that strengthens the diagonal line of the sand dune horizon, and the way the stumps get shorter into the distance also strengthens the sense of depth in the scene.

The several diagonal lines and the suggested circles of the star trails add an element of movement and dynamic presence.

I wonder if there was a city/town beyond the hills, or if the lighter sky on the horizon was just air glow.

 

[LittleMike]

Wow, thanks for the comments everybody! But believe it or not, this shot wasn't taken anywhere near sunrise. It was actually taken just after moonrise! I believe I opened the shutter just after 11 PM.

The easiest way I've found to set up while doing night shots like this is to first take a short exposure at a high ISO. That way you can check your focus and composition after waiting 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes.

Here's the example of my first short exposure before taking the actual shot (it's just a quick edit, I wasn't too careful with my selections). I was at f/4, ISO 6400 and 30 seconds:

Just for fun, here's my first long exposure for the night. I had just stumbled across the tree trunk before the moon came up, and under the light of my flashlight it looked like a decent place to set up. Once the moon came up and I could see, I saw the three tree trunks in my original post and moved locations.

f/6.3
44min, 22 second exposure
ISO 50


I think the brighter sky around the horizon was just from "air glow". There's a small town about 50 miles north from there, but it only has about 300 residents. Not exactly something I would think would cause a lot of light pollution. The next nearest town is about 150 miles north.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

^^that's how you do it!

If you can, go there again and shoot it during a new moon, THAN you'll see stars!

 

[3bayjunkie]

Yep, facing North, Sun on the right, long shadow, indicates the exposure was started just before sunrise.

Good job. :thumbup:

I like that Polaris (north celestial pole) is near the upper left ROT power point and that there is just a bit of foliage covered hillside in the background adding to the sense of depth in the scene. that the diagonal line of that sliver of hillside is contra to the diagonal of the sand adds balance.

The tops of the stumps suggest another diagonal line that strengthens the diagonal line of the sand dune horizon, and the way the stumps get shorter into the distance also strengthens the sense of depth in the scene.

The several diagonal lines and the suggested circles of the star trails add an element of movement and dynamic presence.

I wonder if there was a city/town beyond the hills, or if the lighter sky on the horizon was just air glow.

i think if it was just before sunrise it would have been completely blown out with a 24 minute exposure haha!