Juniper Under the Stars
Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on Cathedral Rock Trail in Sedona, Arizona—home sweet home for me...Time
I've been wanting to run back and re-shoot this Juniper Under the Stars for a couple years... (I first photographed this spot under the stars in 2013) So I ventured out around 9pm under the magnificently dark Sedona sky. During the summer, this is the best time to start photographing the Milky Way in Sedona.Lighting
I've always loved experimenting with light-painting... The challenge for this location has always been getting enough light onto the majestic rocks behind the juniper tree (Cathedral Rock) — but thanks to some powerful headlamps, bike-lamps and a friend, I was able to get enough light onto Cathedral Rock. Not to mention the fantastic brilliant light behind the tree.Equipment
This was shot with my Canon 5D Mark III, a Rokinon 14mm manual focus lens and a nice sturdy carbon-fiber tripod.Inspiration
I love the night sky in Sedona (an International Dark Sky Community — darksky.org) having grown up in New Jersey and NYC, I truly appreciate having no light pollution to invade my view! This particular juniper tree has always been a nice halfway stop when hiking to the top of Cathedral with my family... I used GoSkyWatch to see where the Milky Way would be late at night once while hiking this trail during the day... which inspired me to go back and photograph it. Of course... the first time I shot it was with my Mark II, so naturally I had to come back with my Mark III (and I'm sure I'll go back as soon as I get the Mark IV)!Editing
I am not a huge fan of post-processing. I like my landscapes and nightscapes to feel real. So the most I ever really do is just bump up the clarity and mess around with warmth, etc. I'm not too concerned with noise or cleaning up the image too much. Plus, I usually try to share a photo or two while on the trail, waiting for the next time-lapse or exposure to complete... so 9 out of 10 times, I'm processing shots like this on my iPhone.In my camera bag
I always have my Canon 5d Mark III on me. Standard for most shoots in my bag is a 24-105mm, 100-400mm, 17-40mm, 14mm and 8mm fisheye lenses. I like to be prepared, so long as it all fits in one easy-to-carry bag.Feedback
If you're in Sedona, be sure to check out the night sky. Be safe, carry lots of water (yes, even at night—you're in the desert!), bring light and know where you're headed. As far as the night sky goes - it's really all about experimentation. Of course, make sure you have a wide angle lens and an intervalometer if you're looking to shoot time-lapse and star trails, etc. A shot like this one usually is around 20 seconds, ISO 1600–3200... But no matter what you do—make sure you have fun. If it's not fun, then you're doing something wrong. :)
