Dreamy Blue Hour
First Light, Moon Rise and Milky Way on Driftwood Beach Jekyll Island State Park Ga.. A7S, Rokinon 14mm f-2.8 PP in LR (why? it is the only one with a profile a...
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First Light, Moon Rise and Milky Way on Driftwood Beach Jekyll Island State Park Ga.. A7S, Rokinon 14mm f-2.8 PP in LR (why? it is the only one with a profile and the most used for Astro Milky Way). The tree to the left (the Dancing Lady) no longer there after the last storm. Captured in Aperture Mode and AWB. Captured in March of 2016 5 days before the new moon (because of future bad weather). Also the eyes barely could see a pink glow on the horizon. Staying out for a sunrise and getting some blue hour capture with a crescent moon below Milky Way. You are there all alone just capturing every moment.
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Jul, 2018Views
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tonyraymondthompson
August 16, 2019
Uncomplicated landscapes work best for me. This fits the criteria.Awesome.
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auxgen4
August 16, 2019
Thank You tonyraymondthompson, photography what was there can be remembered.
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auxgen4
August 18, 2019
Thank You very much pauloshea, the orange/pink first light could not be seen but the camera did.
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
One of my favorite places Jekyll Island State Park Georgia at the romantic Driftwood Beach that is very empty of beach wakers after midnight for at high tide it is completely covered BUT as the tide goes out you get a clean pristine sandy beach with a few reflective puddles. Heads Up: it is also a wedding meca upto five weddings on a Saturday so Thursday to Saturday night hotels are full and charge full price but you can stay at a hotel off island for half the price and pay to get on for a whole day and night (coming back at night) also March and April are spring break times (so may come across sleepers). But the nice thing is everyone is in bed. Ah! but the island campground is a ten minute bike ride away at less coast than a hotel....Time
This was my last of the night MW shot where I could still see the MW on the LCD! 2016-03-05 at 05:49 (non daylight saving time) The date and time is important for only this month can you get a crescent moon below the MW before the new moon hides behind the sun on the day of the new moon rising with the sun on that day. I did not learn this till this night and now plan for a earlier night before the new moon. For example as I write this 03-06-2021 for only two nights the morning of the 7th and 8th will a capture like this can be done. The downside is it will be 35 degrees both mornings here in North Florida let alone south Georgia but can be done all the way up to Maine for the Atlantic has darker skies than the desert.Lighting
As can be seen the crescent moon is lighting up the Atlantic Ocean and driftwood beach and with the orange glow of the sun degrees below the horizon, that can not be seen by the eye at just before blue hour BUT a long exposure of just 8s in Aperture mode (letting the camera get settings right, paid for it right). Looked great on camera But it was a dark capture BUT selecting Portrait color mode for correct sand color and just increasing shadows to positive gave way to beach and dark side of driftwood to be seen as ones eyes saw it (with the light of the moon). Night MW capture really does not require light painting (old school) for in post you can bring out the shadows and darks without dodge or burning. And with the Sony A7S with larger pixels 12MP sensor night is like day but with stars.Equipment
Sony A7S with larger pixels 12MP sensor with the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8, 2016 it was really the fastest wide glass BUT to be honest at the time the Sony SEL1635 f/4 was way better of a lens for it has no coma or dove stars in the corners. From experience over the years,The Rokinon (at the time) was not in the lens profile in Lr or PS for almost 6 months, it has bad mustache and pincushion distortion (all Rokinons still do). The pincushion distortion is what causes the elongated stars in both upper corners with pinpoints stars in the center, today 2021 Capture One can solve. The mustache distortion is like a wavelike along the ocean surface/horizon, and Lr solves it. I confess from lessons learned the hard way, I had the 1635 f/4 but listening to the fast glass chasers I used the Rokinon instead, a f/4 is really all that is needed if you can afford the f/2.8 it is the sweet spot, any lens wider and faster is used at f/2.8 by the pros doing MW. Today's cameras (any make) just 5 years later can do and use a f/4 lens without light paintingInspiration
This capture was all a blessing or Luck, or whatever! The reason is there was to be bad weather during the new moon so I drove up to Jekyll Island about 5 days early and stayed in a motel for 3 nights. This is kinda funny, the previous October there was a super moon and the tides were really high and I was trying to get a full moonrise and had water halfway up my boots once. So when I got to the beach the tide was high but got some shots but thinking it would get higher I left! On my way back to the motel I looked over and saw the moonrise. It looked like a challenge to capture the moon so I pulled into a parking lot and went to playing, well that shot got the MW also so I looked at the tide charts and the tide was going out not in so I doubled back and yes it was slowly going out. So I stayed till sunrise and some additional hours. But those shots would have never been captured if I had not seen the moon. That night I learned something new, It is high tide when the moon rises or sets and low tide when high above or low underfoot. And when a new moon the new moon is behind the sun. So it will be low tide but coming in during the new moon and by sunrise it will be high tide. Also will work the week after (yes the week after), as the moon does not rise for an hour later every night after the new moon the tide is lower every night so you go out and soon it will be a lower tide every night when the MW rises. This is why you get about two weeks to watch the weather and capture the MW on alert every night.Editing
This I reprocessed in 2018 with lens correction in Lr. First I shoot raw using AWB and and use Camera Portrait color in Lr (for any night beach capture) it gets the sand color perfect but better when you use the color temp picker on the white of the surf. Just increasing Shadows and decreasing Highlights it is basically done but if you have buildings and lights you may have to decrease Whites but down in the Tone Curve (I use the sliders) you can lower the Highlights but increase Lights and Shadows to bring daytime to night. Lastly noise Lr did not do a good job in 2018 and I shoot with NR on anyway BUT I used Topaz Denoise (new at the time) but is the best for low light and is working with your RAW not a tiff, in addition once back in Lr your image is at zero and a tiff. You may have to lower Highlights due to Denoise sharpening BUT work some sliders to better (but be careful not to over work). As also a Plus Topaz Gigapixel can take the 12MP image to 200+ MP so now you have a poster size image to put on your wall. I did one and put on my trucks topper rear window.In my camera bag
When capturing at night and on a salty air beach you do not change lenses and basically use one lone camera. That being said, then the Sony A7S and Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 in a photo vest inside pocket in a two gallon ziploc bag with only glass of lens exposed with rubber band around the lenses further part (enable manual focus) this protects from salt air but allows to see rear LCD. Also a couple hand warmers inside the bag to keep lens warm on a cold night. At least two headlamps and two flashlights with green (not red) film, better night vision and if others show up will not interfere with images of others.Other things needed in all other pockets. In 2016 a Manfrotto XL190 tripod, Aluminum so three tennis balls for legs and large trash bags twisted and zip tied on each. Also worn knee high water boots, water is cold in March and dark clothing. Today the A7iii and the Sony 1224 f/2.8 for a wide shot at 12mm or a rainbow panorama at 24mm or a pano with the 20 f/1.8 @ f/2.8. But have in a pocket a large clear trash bag to change a lens (if wanted). Never carry all your gear just what is needed and never leave anything in your vehicle. If summer Skin-So-Soft is the best for noseeums on the beach at sunrise but apply with a cloth not with hands. Today Manfrotto Befree Fluid Head with leveling half ball is great even do panos staying level less than $300 way better than a ballhead.Feedback
First get apps on your phone/pad for planning PhotoPills, Planit Pro. Star Walk 2 (sometimes you can not see the MW stars), SkySafari (a planetarium for any day and place), Stellarium + (planetarium), Clear Outside (to see cloud cover for days in advance). Second learn on youtube vlogs and doing panos and using star trackers etc.... Do not get caught up with the fast glass thing, My old Canon T2i and kit lens with today's software does great, so stay in a budget. Remember one camera and one lens a sturdy but lightweight tripod (the Manfrotto Befree Fluid Head with leveling half ball is great even for panos less than $300). Invest in a oversized photo/fishing/travel vest with lots of pockets way better than a backpack on wetsand. A small pop up tent for an all nighter (can put a light stick in for a foreground item.). Also most important do not be afraid of a lit parking lot, you can be under a street light but if a dark sky is above you will capture the MW no desert required like the entire coast from Maine to Florida and the Gulf coast to the west coast can be used so using PhotoPills VR mode you can be anywhere and plain a location (I put trail tape out to get to a planned spot at night). Also I have driven all day with clouds and at night be cloudless and at every night stop from Arizona to Florida during the two week period and captured the MW even in lit cities. Your imagination and vision is all you need for a dream and challenge.
