Jim_DeLillo-A Monster Awakens in Borrego Springs - 15x27 - digitalphoto
Iron sculptures of Ricardo Brecedo in Borrego Springs, CA highlighted by a long-exposure Milky Way. One in-camera shot. Not a composite....
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Iron sculptures of Ricardo Brecedo in Borrego Springs, CA highlighted by a long-exposure Milky Way. One in-camera shot. Not a composite.
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Jun, 2016Views
2823
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Awards
Featured
Contest Finalist in Desert Vistas Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Nightscapes Photo Contest
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
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Magnificent Capture
All Star
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Virtuoso
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michaelleffel
August 02, 2016
The giant sloths! I dig those scupltures!
Nice to see some Socal desert shots on here!
Nice to see some Socal desert shots on here!
dazzlin451
March 20, 2017
This is head and shoulders above the rest for creativity, pun intended of course. :)
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
Borrego Springs, California. The Galleta Meadows feature about 140 of sculptor Ricardo Breceda's iron works scattered about the desert.Time
Midnight and later...A warm wind blows across me, but I still feel a chill run down my back. I'm alone in the desert. I’m at one of the darkest places on earth according to my map. It's a little scary, especially while visions of coyotes, scorpions, and roving gangs of desert hares dance in my head. I'm here to photograph monsters. It isn't my imagination. I saw them as I drove in during the day. Standing as tall as two stories, I could make out their rust-colored silhouettes against the arid sand. Read more: http://www.desertusa.com/photography/desert-stars.html#ixzz4D7HWMW6FLighting
Playing a flashlight along the weird shapes, I paint them with light during the long exposure. Light painting is an art unto itself. It requires a little practice and finesse. But after a few trial exposures, I get it dialed in. It only takes a second or two during the exposure, sweeping the light in an arc across the subject. On occasion, I use a Speedlight for a bit more contrast, often running and ducking behind the subject to backlight it. I don’t show up on the image, as long as I keep moving and no direct light falls on my body. This is no easy feat, considering it's pitch-black with rocks, and cactus threaten to draw blood. Read more: http://www.desertusa.com/photography/desert-stars.html#ixzz4D7Hjw9xGEquipment
I set my camera in position. A sturdy tripod, a fast, wide-angle lens, and full-frame DSLR make up my equipment. I locate the Milky Way, first with an application on my iPhone, and then visually, as my eyes adapt to the darkness. I dial in the magic formula...ISO 3200, f/2.8 30 seconds. Read more: http://www.desertusa.com/photography/desert-stars.html#ixzz4D7HcZhP3Inspiration
I had recently learned the art and science of Milky Way Photography and this was my first excursion on my own. I had seen some work of other photographers that had used the Borrego Springs sculptures as their foreground. The Milky Way, like sunsets requires a foreground point-of-interest to make an outstanding photo.Editing
The Milky Way appears as a band of white sparkly stars against the black sky. My job is to coax the color out the camera's sensor and into an expression of photographic art. I open the images in Adobe LightRoom (although any photo editing program will work). The first thing I do is brighten the overall exposure, bringing out the stars in all their glory. I open up the shadows, brightening my foreground objects, the monsters. Playing with contrast and clarity, I watch the image burst into life on the screen. I boost the colors with saturation, and now it's almost a work of art. But shooting at a high ISO comes with a price…noise. I must adjust this carefully; if I push it too far it will look overly smooth, like a watercolor painting. I know I can adjust the color noise more aggressively than the luminance noise. Read more: http://www.desertusa.com/photography/desert-stars.html#ixzz4D7IAbMYoIn my camera bag
Nikon D800, Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 , Nikon 24-120 f/4Feedback
I use three apps to help visualize where the Milky Way will be when I get there in the dark. The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE), Photopills (http://www.photopills.com/) and SkyWalk (available on iTunes Apps. Do not get version 2). These nifty applications give me the ability to see the Milky Way on my phone, align it with the foreground object, and forecast what it will look like at the time of night I will be there. Read more: http://www.desertusa.com/photography/desert-stars.html#ixzz4D7Jb9HUM
