Milky Way and Me at BNP
Long exposure at Badlands National Park
Long exposure at Badlands National Park
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May, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken around mid August in the Cedar Pass area of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. I had been wanting to visit that area for about 15 years so I finally made it happen while on a road trip vacation to Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP and then Badlands.Time
August 19th, 2015 at 11:45 PM. It was my first of two nights that I would spend shooting at Badlands. I had been up all day driving and taking in the absolute beauty of the land. I was exhausted from the past week or so of driving and sleeping in my truck but I was so excited to finally be in the Badlands and have the chance to start really trying to do long exposure photography.Lighting
I was wearing my headlamp and used it in several shots. For this shot I may have turned it on and off very quickly just to see what effect it may have. I had just discovered the process of light painting and I was amazed by it so i was probably overdoing the whole light thing. I just couldn't help myself. I'm happy that I showed some reservation on at least a couple of the shots.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 6D using a 17-40 mm f/4L USM and a cheap Sunpak tripod. I had to use the Sunpak since it would give me the angle I needed. I didn't have the right head for my Manfrotto so I was lucky to have the back up with me.Inspiration
For so many years I have been looking at photos of our planets from NASA and all the amazing stars and systems out there. In the past few years I had discovered the various photos of the Milky Way and would just be in awe of how it looked...and I still am today. And then I seen time-lapse work by Henry Jun Wah Lee and was blown away. I wish I knew one single inspiration for any photo of mine but they are all inspired by the amazing world we live in and the amazing artists out there.Editing
There wasn't a lot of post work for this photo but I did have to work a little to bring out the Milky Way a bit more and lighten the foreground a bit. It was shot at a very high ISO so the grain can still be seen but I'm ok with that.In my camera bag
Everything I have! Or at least that's what it seems like. I'm one of those that's afraid to leave home without all my lenses. I never want to be without what I need. I'm working on that though. Since I do mostly landscape work, I always have my Canon 17-40mm and the kit lens that came with my 6D. Iprobably use them the most. I also carry Canon 100mm macro, a Tamron 150-600mm, the new Tamron 85mm and I carry two Canon 6D bodies. I carried only one body for the longest time but the day I had to put it in the shop, I freaked out. I immediately went and bought another body. A Lee Big Stopper and two additional filters get carried also. My Manfrotto tripod stays with me and i keep a Canon remote shutter release.Feedback
Find a location with a good foreground and use an app like Stellarium to find out where the Milky Way will be during the time you want to shoot and make note of the phases of the moon. New moon is the best time for these shots but if you find yourself in the right spot with a lot of moon light, consider waiting until it sets. This may or may not be feasible since the Milky Way's location is constantly changing, just like the moon. Check and double check your equipment before the shoot. Long exposure takes more battery so make sure your full and have a back-up. A tripod is a must. I nice sturdy tripod is recommended but if you find yourself needing one, any tripod is better than none. If you don't have a remote shutter release, use the timed release on your camera. There are so many aspects of it but those are my top recommendations.
