PRO+

johnmazzei

Neowise from Woodrat Mountain, Oregon

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

settings

Aperture f/2 ISO 800 Shutter 13/1 Focal Length 135/1

upload_date

Aug, 2020

Views

459

Likes

+13

Awards

Winner in Natural Night Sky Photo Challenge

Peer Award

Absolute Masterpiece

Superb Composition

Top Choice

Magnificent Capture

Superior Skill

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Ultimate

Congrads on the challenge win!

PRO+

Thank you very much! My first challenge win!

Ultimate

Congratulations on your win.

See all

Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

Skylight with silver reflectors. My San Francisco studio.

Yosemite. Shot from Glacier Point at sunset.

Foggy day at McClaren Park, near my house in San Fancisco

Snake in tree, Grenada West Indies, December 2014

My Maltese dog Winston has an intense stare sometimes!

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at a place called Woodrat Mountain, in Southern Oregon. It is at about 3,000 feet above sea level and is world famous with paragliders. It is a launch site for them and has a nice big parking lot and nice views of the Applegate Valley.

Time

This was taken somewhere around 10PM. The sky is still light on the horizon from sunset.

Lighting

It took some time to be able to locate the comet with the naked eye but once we saw it, we were able to focus on it easily. Obviously we had to wait until it was dark enough to see the comet clearly. Fortunately there were other comet watchers there who had been there previously and could help us spot it.

Equipment

I used a Canon 5DMK4 with a Canon 135mm F2 prime lens. I also had my Tamron 24-70 f2.8 and a Sigma fisheye with me, but this shot was with the 135. Of course I used a tripod, in this case a MeFoto Carbon Fiber tripod.

Inspiration

My friend and I wanted to shoot the comet while it was still visible. Also we didn't want to wait another 5,000 years to see it again! Seriously, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and we had a great location and view so why not?

Editing

I can't remember what specific post processing I did other than to say that I'm sure I altered the white balance from my original RAW import. I've found, with my limited astrophotography experience, that a much cooler white balance is key for good night sky photos. In this case I had to strike a balance because I also wanted to feature the warm tones of the horizon to capture that relationship between the cold heat of the comet in space and the warmth of a summer evening sunset.

In my camera bag

I typically have my 24-70 with me and then depending on how I feel I'll put the 70-200 and maybe a prime like the 135 or a 50mm in the bag. I also have a Fuji X100t which I love. I love the fixed focal length and how it makes me see differently. I think it's because without the ability to zoom, I have to take that off the table and see the scene as the camera would see it. I like to have the limitations of not having a bag full of lenses and forcing myself to use what I have. It makes me better at the choice of what to leave out and what to include in my compositions.

Feedback

I was fortunate to have my friend with me on this shoot who is more experienced in astrophotography and night photography in general. He gave me some good tips and tricks to get a good shot. I recommend finding someone who can help when you don't have a lot of experience with a certain type of shooting. Of course there are great videos and courses out there on all aspects of photography, but it's nice to have that personal interaction as well (safely, of course, in these times. We caravanned up to the location for social distancing purposes). Hope this helps!

See more amazing photos, follow johnmazzei

johnmazzei

johnmazzei

Neowise from Woodrat Mountain, Oregon

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow johnmazzei

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes. Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.