Moonset
Moon setting against the mountains in the Siloli desert, Bolivia.
Foto taken on the night we spent in the Desert Hotel, at 4500m above sea level......
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Moon setting against the mountains in the Siloli desert, Bolivia.
Foto taken on the night we spent in the Desert Hotel, at 4500m above sea level...
Read less
Foto taken on the night we spent in the Desert Hotel, at 4500m above sea level...
Read less
Dec, 2018Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in southern Bolivia, close to a hotel in the Siloli Desert. The altitude there is about 4500m above sea level.Time
Photo was taken at night, by 23:30, as the crescent Moon was setting down. Usually, the Moon is not welcome when you want to shoot the stars, so I was out there, in the cold, waiting for the moon to set. Gladly I was there early enogh to realize that the setting Moon itself would be a spectacle, and its partial obstruction would allow the stars to appear already.Lighting
I did not use any extra lighting, and I did not make any light painting in this picture. I relied on good old nature. To help it, I used 3200 ISO, /f 3.5 (as wide as my lens goes) and 30s exposure. Since it is an ultrawide lens (15mm equivalent), 30s is still ok to avoid star trails, although a little less would be advisable (at the expense of having less light)Equipment
I took this picture using a Nikon D3300, a 10-24mm Nikkor lens and a tripod, since its a long exposure (30s). Manual focusing needed at night. I did not have it at the time, but now I have a Bahtikov filter for star focussing.Inspiration
I love starry sky pictures. The sky in Siloli desert is truly amazing, due to the high altitude (4500m), no air pollution and no light pollution... although the chilly weather at night makes you want a fireplace and a hot beverage. This night, some clouds appeared in the sky, but instead of covering the stars, they just added detail. I like the fact that one of these clouds were aligned with the milky way.Editing
All night star images demand some post-processing to show the sky as we perceive them. Image taken in RAW and post-processing focussed on "bringing up" the stars, without adding too much noise. Notice that night sky is not really bluish as sometimes we expect it to be - the color shown is the "natural" color. White balance set to daylight,In my camera bag
Whan I travel, I usually take a body (this time was a Nikon D3300, but I upgraded to a Nikon D7200 later), a general use zoom lens (I carry a 18-140mm zoom), and a super wide zoom lens (10-24mm), and if I expect to take night pictures, a tripod. For landscape and starry night pictures, I love the 10-24mm due to its versatility - although I would like to have a faster lens. I usually don't carry prime lenses due to weight restrictions. This set (except the tripod), can be easily carried in a backpack, still leaving space for some clothing or water.Feedback
Good night sky pictures demand clear skies... so if you don't have this at home, travel :) Ok, wait for the pandemic to go away. Northern Chile (Atacama) and Southern Bolivia (Uyuni and Siloli desert) have wonderful, clear skies. Be prepared, specially in Bolivia, for the altitude: 4000+ is common there, and you may feel it. For travel, choose the gear so you will have it with you most of the time. It makes no sense to take a ton of gear, and leave it in the hotel for 90% of the time. The best camera, in many situations, is the one you have with you, since a "good enough picture" (but not excellent, due to gear restriction) is better than "no picture at all" because you wouldn't carry all that weight along :)
