jaredhail

Mt. Ashland Galaxy

June into July is the perfect time to capture the some astrophotography of the Milky Way Galaxy. The angle of the earth tilts just right stretching the galaxy a...
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June into July is the perfect time to capture the some astrophotography of the Milky Way Galaxy. The angle of the earth tilts just right stretching the galaxy almost perfect from North to South. It makes for brilliant arching compositions and sparkling stars.

I snapped this image on the summit of Mt. Ashland in the beginning of June. The arch wasn't quite perfect overhead, so I found some interesting foreground to help with the angled composition. Just North of the summit are two cities that really kill night shots with light pollution, so it can get tricky to balance the light appropriately. This image is a combination of two exposures. One is for the galaxy and stars, and the other the rocks and grass in the foreground. To reduce noise in the foreground, I painted the area with my cell phone light to bring up levels. There are so many interested areas in Southern Oregon to get away and take in nature’s natural light shows.

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