K9 and the Sky
Back up at Monument Rocks again. This time we are looking north away from the core of the Milky Way. Because the Milky Way runs SW to NE at this time of year, it still passes through this shot, but it is the outer region of the galaxy and it is much more difficult to see. The cool thing about this shot (and I didn’t see it until I processed it) is not only is Jupiter in this scene (the brightest “star” in the sky), but if you look directly above the head of the dog you will see another galaxy, Andromeda. Andromeda is a spiral galaxy much like the Milky Way. If you search for a picture of Andromeda, you will be able to appreciate the core in this shot with a hint of “haze” extending out from the core which is the spiral aspect of the galaxy. Didn’t think I would be able to pick that up at 14mm.
Majestic Rotation
This is my first attempt at a star trail with the milky way. On this one, I didn’t simply lighten all the frames to create a blurred streak of stars and colors. I ended up processing the final frame like I would any other milky way picture and then I just dropped the opacity on the star trails layers on top of the processed shot. Something a little different. Hope everyone has a great weekend filled with amazing light.
A Camel’s View
Today’s post takes us back up to the Monument Rocks. There are so many different formations and peaks, the composition choices are endless. These rocks are on the eastern range of the two sets of rocks. The “camel” rock as I call it, is the furthest south. I’m definitely going to have to you use that rock formation for a time-lapse next summer when the Milky Way will rise higher in the sky.
Arches Trail
Here is my first of two star trails I captured the night of the monument rocks shoot. I didn’t have a great deal of time that night with having to go to work the next morning so I wasn’t able to get the length I would have like with the trails. However, I am still pretty happy with how it turned out. The other trail I’ve got is one that involved the core of the Milky Way but I haven’t got around to processing that shot yet. Two conversions today, color and B/W.
Gateway
This is my favorite shot that I took up at the Monument Rocks that I have processed so far. I also took a stair trail sequence from this very spot that I haven’t processed yet but I’m excited to see. Hope everyone has a great weekend with some crazy good light.
Timeless
Thousands of year old chalk pyramids gazing upon an ageless sky. I seriously considered heading right back up to these formations the next night and try out some start trails. But soon enough, I will make my way back up there.
Lone Pillar
There are two main rows of Monument Rocks in this location, but on the southwest corner of the “park” is a lone standing structure reaching towards the heavens. This pillar,if I remember correctly, is one of the taller chalk structures at this location. As you’ll see, there are so many different ways that you can shoot these chalk pyramids. We were up there for nearly four hours and I still want to get back up there and shoot some different looks and longer star trials.
In this shot, you can tell that the galactic core is already beginning to fade into the horizon. Also, this shot is a little noisier than the last due to my settings. Bumped the ISO up slightly higher for this one.
Milky Way @ Monument Rocks
You guys better get used to some Milky Way shots. Took a lot of pics up at the Monument Rocks Park in NW KS on Sunday night. Had a clear sky with very little light pollution. By far the best Milky Way opportunity that I’ve had. I’m only a little disappointed in myself that I didn’t get up there sooner in the summer when the galactic core was higher in the sky. This shot was a 49 second exposure at f/2.8 and at 14mm. Used a light off to my left to illuminate the rocks.
Rounds II
Another shot of them hay bales sitting out in that there field…. 🙂
Have a great weekend everybody!
Rounds
Another shot from Monday night out with the stars. Was really excited to get a chance to shoot some hay bales on my in-laws land. They hardly ever bale their straw after cutting but with the drought, it was better for them to scrap the corn and just bale it up. So out I went thinking I was going to get plenty far enough to the east to get away from the ambient light from town. Yep, I was wrong… But I took some shots anyhow.
Decay and the Way
These shots are from an early morning shoot this past Saturday. It’s always a good idea to wake up well before sunrise to scout your location but there are also many cool shots to be made before the sun is even close to the horizon. Both of these were taken about an hour before sunrise. The cluster of stars is actually the outer regions of the Milky Way. The flash of light above the barn was a lucky capture of an iridium flare. You can read what an iridium flare is here. Didn’t quite capture the whole thing, but I got most of it.
Backyard Milky Way
Been dying to get out and take some more shots of the Milky Way since the beginning of summer, but just haven’t found the time to get a dark desolate location. Fortunately, I live in a fairly dark edition south of town with a clear view of the Milky Way. There is still quite a bit of ambient city light, but not enough to keep me from seeing what I can come up with.
Milky Way and the Mountains
This shot was about as impromptu as it gets. The boys, my wife and myself spent an evening under the Colorado sky enjoying a movie set against the Rockies next to a burning fire pit. Copper Mountain hosted an outdoor movie under the stars and it was awesome. On the way back to the cabin, the boys quickly tuckered out in the back seat and I managed to convince my wife into a quick stop for just enough time to grab this image. Was planning on heading back out after dropping the family off but the bed and a soft pillow were just too convincing!
Road to the Milky Way
Had some local weather hanging around last night. Wasn’t really doing a whole lot early in the evening so I decided to bail south and take a few cracks at the emerging Milky Way. I didn’t feel like taking the time to drive to a remote area last night so I just set up on a county road south of our housing edition. I knew that the MW was going to be slightly bleached out due to the amount of haze from all the humidity in the air. Pretty simple set up really. I placed the camera directly in front of my pick up and lined up with the middle of the road and began a bulb exposure of 45 seconds. A quick flash of the high beams illuminated the road plenty and then I let the camera do the work. Pretty happy with what I ended up with. The T1i doesn’t have the best noise quality for shots like these but I’ll take it for now.
On another quick note, the static in the atmosphere decided to change at about 11:00pm last night and I ended up having some of the best lightning captures I’ve had. They will follow down the road sometime. 🙂
Galactic Center
This is a shot from last summer that I never got around to processing. At the time, the fastest glass I had was my 24-70 f/2.8. Well, on a crop body, 24mm isn’t all that wide. However, it was wide enough to capture the most interesting part of the Milky Way in my opinion. I always try to leave my EXIF data intact so people can see the settings I use to get my shots. In this case, this one was 24mm, f/2.8, 1600 ISO for 30 seconds.
Was hoping to get a time lapse of the moon rise last night but a solid layer of clouds near the horizon ended that plan. Not to mention the 40 mph wind. Won’t be able to get any good Milky Way shots for probably another week due to the large bright moon. I guess I’ll have to find something else to shoot in the mean time. Half way through the week y’all, almost time for another weekend!
Scott Ackerman Photography 