close iframe icon
Mlohde avatar
Mlohde
Pinnacles
Banner

Pinnacles



behind the lens badge

Taken on a very dark night in the middle of the California Desert

Taken on a very dark night in the middle of the California Desert
Read less
cameraCanon EOS-1D X

settings Aperture f/2.8 ISO 8000 Shutter 20/1 Focal Length 16/1 

upload_dateOct, 2015

Views

1591

Likes

Awards

Featured
Contest Finalist in Big Sky Photo Contest
Peer Award
djalmaarmelin alef0 keithart Tudorof davidjprosser billmartin_2615 ileanaandreagmezgavinoser +71
Superb Composition
bsube paulcorpus LisaMStanley loved2030 kimisantos coxcraig john_arsenault +32
Absolute Masterpiece
ernili tashdiquemehtaj charlig58 edgarjavier cristjenlai tazzzer62 leonardospinelli +29
Top Choice
Klk828061309 AmyColors sherleneharris meganhaderphotography ArtphotoCarineEricVilley Nately7 lddove +15
Outstanding Creativity
Bunni8E8 AndreTurnerPhotography abphotopl mattbiermann billiejean sharashka Myowndsign +7
Magnificent Capture
Yellowperch Graemecolvillephotography NikHallBDS chriscooper_3232 Volframm oluuuka
Superior Skill
nicklassjoberg BillChopp KirstyGemma ebrache stevealbano olgashvanskaya
All Star
DanielSE stephmallory08 AlanJakarta janland jenscarr

Top Ranks

Change Of Seasons Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Change Of Seasons Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
The Wonders of the World Photo ContestTop 10 rank
The Wonders of the World Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Unique Sceneries Photo ContestTop 10 rank
View more
Unique Sceneries Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
Unique Sceneries Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
Everything Nature Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Everything Nature Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
World Photography Day Photo ContestTop 10 rank
World Photography Day Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
World Photography Day Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Our Natural World Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Our Natural World Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol 1Top 10 rank
My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol 1Top 10 rank week 2
My Best Shot Photo Contest Vol 1Top 10 rank week 1
Worldscapes Photo ContestTop 20 rank
The Battle Of Professionals Photo ContestTop 10 rank
The Battle Of Professionals Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 3
Understanding Light Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Understanding Light Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
Alluring Landscapes Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Big Sky Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Big Sky Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
The Extraordinary In The Ordinary Photo ContestTop 20 rank

Categories

3 Comments |
nandicmb
 
nandicmb December 04, 2015
Congratulations on your Contest Finalist win in Big Sky Photo Contest!
AliAlzuhair
 
AliAlzuhair December 11, 2015
Stunning!
lucyallison
 
lucyallison December 28, 2015
Jaw dropper!

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#stars #astrophotography #landscape
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in Trona Pinnacles in California. It was my first trip to the desert just to take star photos.

Time

This was my favorite image from the trip. During the day, it was well over 110F so we were just sitting there dying, literally melting, trying to find some shade and drink a lot of water. My car was low on gas and the nearest gas station was far away so we could not sit there with the AC on. Once the sun went down, it became a bearable 80 degrees and I began to explore and set up camp. I went out on one of the darkest nights of the month and actually fell off a rock (kinda a cliff) taking this photo. Next time I really need to remember the head lamp haha. This photo was taken somewhere around 1AM so the milky way was high above the sky.

Lighting

The sky was so dark and the milky way was so bright and vibrant in the sky. The humidity was super low and it was a new moon so it was so visible!

Equipment

I used my Canon 1D X with a 16-35mm f/2.8. I used a super steady Manfrotto 504HD tripod because it was windy that night. I also used a shutter release to reduce the motion of the camera.

Inspiration

Michael Shainblum actually inspired me greatly to shoot his photo. He did a trip out here and I just thought "This is unreal, I have to go!". His astrophotography is unreal! Go check out his stuff! You will not regret it! I also wanted to shoot some star photos because they are always super interesting to look at something that is much larger than yourself.

Editing

Astrophotography normally requires a decent amount of post processing. The first thing you do is make sure you get your white balance correct. The next thing is to set correct exposure and use curves and contrast to bring out what you want. Add selective clarity to the milky way. Bring out the shadows in the foreground so you can see the road. Next is noise reduction, which is probably the most important step. When shooting at such high ISO (in my case 8000), you need to reduce the noise to make it look clean.

In my camera bag

I always pack my 16-36mm and my 24-70mm. Those are the most important lenses when shooting the night sky. The f/2.8 really helps capture as much light as possible. They also have a wide field of view so you can capture as much as possible. The next thing is my 1DX. It is super strong and my workhorse. It just gets the job done. Another thing when shooting the sky is to bring a shutter release-that's essential.

Feedback

Michael Shainblum has some pretty awesome Lightroom tutorials on editing photos. Check them out, you will learn something new from his tutorials. The next thing to do is go as far away from any light source to get good night photos. I personally drove 4 hours away from home to get to this location. Another thing that I would recommend is to bring good friends. Having a good time when waiting for the 15-30 second shutter to go by really helps. Also make sure to be prepared if anything does go wrong (like a lot of water and extra food if you are spending the might)

See more amazing photos, follow Mlohde

User photo
It’s your time to shine! ☀️

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

Already a member? Log In

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, and acknowledge you've read our Privacy Policy Notice.