Crazy in March
Sometimes you just let loose of the reins and let the camera do it's thing. Set in aperture mode and AWB. This the March crescent moon rising under the Mil...
Read more
Sometimes you just let loose of the reins and let the camera do it's thing. Set in aperture mode and AWB. This the March crescent moon rising under the Milky Way on Driftwood Beach Jekyll Island Ga. at high tide four days before the new moon. No PS layering just some cleaning in Lightroom. Used Rokinon 14mm f-2.8
Read less
Read less
Mar, 2016Views
2305
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in Nightscapes Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Island Hopping Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 20 rank
Top 10 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 2
Categories
Platinum
auxgen4
June 11, 2018
Thank You Natalie, Not knowing it could be done - All alone, Jumping for joy on the beach after each capture!!!
PRO+
Platinum
auxgen4
October 23, 2018
Thank You Dalecga, Not so much a job but something gets you out at 3am in 30 degree weather on a clear night and when your eyes adjust you see it and the longer you stay the colder the clearer and keep saying Thank You!!! and only one there!!! Just Fun.....
Platinum
Platinum
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
Driftwood Beach Jekyll Island State Park Ga.. The Island is a wedding mecca from Thursday till Sunday and a popular summer playground, Hotels are getting pricey but there is a campground a 10 minute bike ride away that is worth a week stay. Tide charts are available at the fishing pier and island news paper.Time
05:15 am, I was using PhotoPills app and was out on the beach at 02:00 am. But the tide was coming in as the moon was to rise at 04:00 am. And I left and came back at 04:30 as the tide was going out.Lighting
Lighting very important issue here, the Milky Way rises in the southeast in March and St. Simons Island Ga. is to the north giving a unseen glow to the driftwood/sand/water and a Lighthouse bathing it in some light as the light rotates. But you are out there with your red torch barely able to see the first hour BUT with a 30 second/ISO3200/f/2.8 shot with the A7s it comes out like day time. This shot the last of the crescent moon rising below the Milky Way looks like a full moon with long exposure of only 13s and leaves a glow on the water just like a full moon. Sometimes you have to experiment with full metering and trust the M.M. in manual mode to get a +.7 to +1 ev, Need a bright shot to see into the shadows without noise! But lucky for the backlighting and good metering by the camera it came out.Equipment
I used the Sony A7s, Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8, ISO 6400 in Aperture Mode getting a 13 sec exposure. I use the Sony wired trigger and leave the Long Exposure compensation (I will shoot for 2 or 3 hours straight and the sensor may give red pixels in post). Yes a Manfrotto tripod (lightweight) 3 way adjustable head and tennis balls on the feet so it does not sink in the sand. AND most important a bicycle with a trailer and gear in a canvas fishing gear bag waterproof and some clear plastic bags to change a lens in just in case.Inspiration
First did not really plan this but there were some storms coming in from the west due at the new moon, and I live a hundred miles away to the south. But a stalled high pressure with a cold front inbound makes for clear cold skies. The wife and I spent 2 days before and after the new moon. The first night I went to driftwood beach before the moonrise to get the milky way as it rose but after 2 hours the tide comes in as the moon rises (nature) and thinking it would get really high I packed up and left but as I was driving I saw the crescent moon rising so I got out captured it so I headed back to driftwood and the tides was already going out. I just set up crossed my fingers and got a good capture. After that I was running around from spot to spot framing and shooting and this is just one of the many.Editing
Post for the Milky Way in this location is basically Lr Highlights/Whites left and Shadows/Darks right. Clarity right, Vibrance/ Saturation right for color to pop (I have found in camera AWB best), Tone curve medium contrast and adjust sliders to get what you like. Use Lr's lens correction for your lens (they finally got a good one for FF Sony for the Rokinons) to straighten the horizon. But then to Nik Color Efex Pro for contrasting and color and Graduated Neutral Density and then the Nik Dfine2 and that is it No PS just simple easy about 30 min.In my camera bag
For Milky Way the A7s, Rokinon 14mm, Sony SEL1018 (@12mm), Voigtlander 12mm f/5.6, Sony SEL1635 f/4, Sony 35 f/2.8.Feedback
Get the PhotoPills app and read all their posts, also SkySafari app to see the action days/months in advance. Watch the weather, even if cloudy during the day still get out of bed and look for the stars. I have got some great shots by getting up and walking outside then grabbing my gear and a cup of coffee. Tell someone where you are going/ get a friend to go if nothing to stand and talk to. Finally a Canon T2i with a kit lens will get the same results just remember 500 devided by APS-C 1.6/1.5 or Full Frame x Focal length MM to get shutter time and use AWB. Get a shot +.7 to +1 ev when in Manual Mode. Use the 2 sec timer or shutter release and a timer shutter release for those capture beyond 30 sec. Voice record while shooting because 3 to 4 hours of shooting and 200 images later you may not remember what lens you used if you carry 2 or 3 and are manual lenses. And just play with that little box. OH!!! do not be afraid of lit areas the camera is full of miracles.
