door_county
Apr, 2016Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I had had this image in my mind for months of an old car or truck lit dramatically with strobes and the night sky stretching out above it. Working my regular full time photography job, I had yet to figure out how to find a car and the right place. We planned a trip over the summer to Door County WI and rented a cute little, as inexpensive as we could find, cabin on this woman's property a couple miles outside of Egg Harbor. The main house was a beautiful victorian with a variety of outbuildings around it. Besides relaxing, biking, and checking out the local shops and wineries I wanted to do some photography as well. I asked the owner if she would mind if I wandered around and took photographs. As I was walking around I came from side of the barn I found this broken down, old car. I could not believe it. I snapped some shots of the car during the day but couldn't wait to come back at night for some star photography.Time
After a long day of shopping, biking to an art gallery near by, and a delicious dinner in town we came back to the cabin and I got ready to head out to photograph the night sky. It takes a little prep work to go out to photograph in the dark so I got my tripod and camera set up. A tripod is integral to photographing at night and to get pin point sharp stars. As the sun was going down I set up my camera only a couple feet from the car and low to the ground next to my beach chair, much more comfortable for this kind of work than sitting on the ground. I did a few test shots and then waited, enjoying the quiet and watching the night creep in. My boyfriend came out with me to keep me company and supposedly to protect me from the beasties in the dark. Which ironically, as we were finishing up around 11 or 12pm and heading back to the cabin the pitch black there was quite a bit of rustling in the dark, a skunk...we were pretty sure.Lighting
Generally when I photograph the stars I try to go out on an evening when there is no moon. However, depending on the angle you're photographing the moon might help light your foreground. In this case I had a crescent moon which you can see flairing out over the back of the car. It didn't provide me with much light but it did add a bit of whimsy to the scene. To bring some life to the car that was completely in shadow I had brought along a couple speed lights. I positioned one, off camera, over the back section of the car at an angle that you could almost imagine was actually coming from the moon.Equipment
I used a Canon 6d, a 14mm lens, a Vanguard tripod, a speed light with radio triggers on a light stand, a remote trigger and a flashlight (which you could also use to light paint in place of a speed light)Inspiration
I knew I wanted to work on some astrophotography while I was on vacation, unfortunately Wisconsin suffers from a lot of light pollution which makes it more difficult to see the stars. Being in Door County where there are smaller towns and Lake Michigan on both sides I thought I would get darker skies. I had seen an image of a beautiful, old car in the desert but the lighting was flat and immediately, I had this thought in my head of how gorgeous something like this would be at night lit with strobes. It was crazy, ironic that a few months later the image in my head would show up in real life and I just happened to have all the gear I needed with me to capture it.Editing
When photographing the stars I usually have to do a little focus stacking. I take an image focused for the stars and one focused for the foreground. I then combine them in photoshop. Otherwise, I'm a bit old school and try to get as much right in camera as I can exposure wise. Most images, I think, can benefit with some adjustments to the contrast and color and especially with this kind of photography I like to deepen the color and add a bit of saturation. I tried to bring out some of the orangey rust and purples on the car as well.In my camera bag
I love my Canon 6d. I've used the 5d mark III in the past and this guy gives me just as beautiful of images and is a little bit lighter. I also carry my 24-105mm L series lens and my 50mm f1.8 lens which is gorgeous for portraits. I also have a couple speed lights and radio triggers. I like to keep it simple. I rented out the 14mm lens for this shoot but one in this range is next on my list to purchase.Feedback
Just try. Even if you don't have the right lens or the lights, just get out there. Every time I go out I learn something new. The first time I tried astrophotography I looked up tutorials online.This tutorial on National Geographic's website was one of the first I looked at and found it very helpful. http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/night-sky/#/milky-way-arizona-richardson_63203_600x450.jpg Then I went out to my dad's house, who has a bit of land several miles from the closest town, and experimented. Once you find a place to experiment it's important to have a sturdy tripod. You're exposure will be long, possibly 20-30 seconds. A wide angle lens or as close as you can get so you can get as much of that beautiful sky in the image. A remote trigger, or you could set your camera on timer as well, so you don't accidentally get camera shake. And a FLASHLIGHT. I swear half the times I go out I forget this and then we have to use somebody's cell phone for a light. From there patience and the willingness to get up early or stay out late in the dark, I suggest bringing a buddy along if you get scared.
