stephenippolito
FollowA Panorama of the Milky Way rising over Marshall Point Lighthouse in Maine
A Panorama of the Milky Way rising over Marshall Point Lighthouse in Maine
Read less
Read less
Views
3960
Likes
Awards
Tamron Lens
Contest Finalist in Nightscapes Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Tripod Required Photo Contest
Runner Up in Foto Digital Volume 1 Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Foto Digital Volume 1 Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Master Editing
One Of A Kind
Jaw Dropping
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Categories
sebastianmuglia
November 22, 2014
Voilà , one of the pictures that for "normal" reasons, although the best, doesn't win!
far2go4
November 23, 2014
This is amazing. Captures my imagination and makes my pulse increase with life... I would love to buy a print of this if you consider. :)
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde, Maine. This epic lighthouse was also featured in the movie Forrest Gump.Time
I went to Marshall Point Lighthouse with a Maine photographer, Mike Taylor, in the evening in August 2014 during the new moon. This photo was taken at about 11pm and is actually comprised of 12 individual images stitched together to form the panorama image. I was actually in a race against time in order to capture this image when I did as I had to take it before high tide rolled in. The location I was standing in became under water within a couple hours. It's somewhat eery taking picture in the dark and hearing crashing waves behind you, I kept having to turn around and see at what level the water was as I didn't want to get swept out to sea :)Lighting
For this photo I relied solely on the ambient light from the lighthouse, no other lighting was needed. Each individual image taken was a 30 second exposure. Due to the length of the exposure, enough light was picked up by the camera sensor to illuminate the surrounding rocky ledges as well as the lighthouse.Equipment
My equipment for this shot comprised of a Canon 5D Mark III and the Canon 16-35mm L II F/2.8 lens, along with a Manfrotto tripod.Inspiration
Earlier in the year in June, while vacationing in California I visited Joshua Tree National Park and actually saw the Milky Way in person for the very first time. I took an photo of the Milky Way over Arch Rock and have been hooked on night sky photography ever since. The photo I took at Joshua Tree National Park was also published in an article about my first time viewing experience on space.com and also was picked up by yahoo news. Here is a link to the article about my experience http://t.space.com/all/26457-milky-way-photo-joshua-tree-national-park#1 Ever since that trip to California I have been looking for fantastic settings for taking Milky Way photos and considering I live in the highly light polluted East Coast I had to look towards the north east and that's when I stumbled across photos by Mike Taylor. I reached out to Mike and took a trip up to Maine and had a private session photographing locations such as this. This was one particular location that really caught my eye, particularly how the light and shadows emitted from the lighthouse, it just drew me in and I knew I had to go there.Editing
I take all my images in RAW format and process them via Lightroom. I do basic post processing to help illuminate the Milky Way and enhance foreground objects.In my camera bag
My equipment bag always includes both wide angle and zoom lenses, I alternate my interests between landscape photography and wildlife. You just never know when you will come across a bald eagle or other fascinating creature, so I like having the flexibility of capturing those moments.Feedback
I have only recently begun taking photos of the night sky and other than the basic settings for capturing the Milky Way (30 second exposure, ISO 3200, and F2.8) the key is also making the photograph interesting by adding a foreground element. A picture of just the sky without a foreground image is less interesting for the eye. The composition plays a big role in whether you spend a minute looking at an image or several minutes countless times.