gretchenthompson

_B6A9984-Eclipse Night Truck

This truck was light painted on the Eclipse night... looking South in the Palouse near Steptoe, WA. Part of the Milky Way shows in the sky....
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This truck was light painted on the Eclipse night... looking South in the Palouse near Steptoe, WA. Part of the Milky Way shows in the sky.
Read less

Canon EOS 5DS R

settings

Aperture f/4.5 ISO 1600 Shutter 8/1 Focal Length 26/1

upload_date

Dec, 2017

Views

786

Likes

+48

Awards

Contest Finalist in Trucks Photo Contest

Peer Award

+11

Top Choice

Superior Skill

Superb Composition

Outstanding Creativity

Magnificent Capture

Absolute Masterpiece

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in Colfax, WA, the night of the eclipse (2017). It was a new Moon (no moon) night which is so helpful for night photography.. This barn is in the heart of the Palouse country with all of the rolling hills and fields of grain.

Time

We arrived at twilight, waited for the blue hour and then darkness, for the Milky Way to show up. It needed to be very dark to have the stars appear bright enough in the photo.

Lighting

We hoped the owner would turn on the lights in the barn and he did because he knew us from a previous photo trip. We had brought him images of an earlier shoot. He was a new owner and was surprised at all of the photographers who wanted to stop there to photograph. We used flashlights to light paint the outside of the barn. He turned on all of the inside lights including a spotlight which made the star. Actually we tried to avoid that light because it was so bright but surprisingly it turned out great. The shadows from inside lights in the barn added to the image. Three of us photographed this barn and it took many tries to get the cupolas lit evenly along with the roof, silo, and truck. I couldn't count how many times we lit that barn. You had to time the light so three of us could get the shot and only one person could use the light at a time. Finally the owners turned off all of the lights and we needed to leave!

Equipment

Tripod, Canon 5dsr, Canon 24-105 zoom lens, remote shutter cord, and flashlight

Inspiration

This is a registered heritage barn and just as beautiful in daylight with the wheat fields growing in patterns in all seasons. It's everyone's favorite barn. The model of the truck may change but the barn is always kept up. I've photographed it many times and twice at night. This was the second try with my two friends Al and Renata.

Editing

I used Photoshop CC to process the photo. The truck needed to be darkened as it was about 10 feet in front of us and was always too bright because it was closer to us. The stars needed the highlights increased in Adobe Camera Raw.

In my camera bag

Canon cameras, Canon 100-400, Canon 16-35, Canon 24-105..Canon 1.4 extender, set of tubes, batteries, cards, manual, flashlight, extra cloths for cleaning and hand-warmers.

Feedback

Be sure to have permission to photograph something similar to this or else be on public land which is open at night. One time at this barn I was stopped by the local police because I had parked facing the wrong way on the street. The police told us to finish quickly and then leave. This time we parked with permission in the owner's driveway. The flashlight worked but it was hard to light the whole barn quickly enough. Keep the light moving. Know your flashlight and what it will do. Know where your needed equipment is because it is dark... even if you have a flashlight. Leave quietly.

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gretchenthompson

gretchenthompson

_B6A9984-Eclipse Night Truck

This truck was light painted on the Eclipse night... looking South in the Palouse near Steptoe, WA. Part of the Milky Way shows in the sky.... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow gretchenthompson

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

This truck was light painted on the Eclipse night... looking South in the Palouse near Steptoe, WA. Part of the Milky Way shows in the sky....
Read more

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