spacex falcon 9 launch over Aspendell
The plume from a Falcon 9 SpaceX launch lights up the night over a brilliant set of fall aspens
The plume from a Falcon 9 SpaceX launch lights up the night over a brilliant set of fall aspens
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May, 2019Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken from Aspendell, CA overlooking the Sierra Nevada mountain rangeTime
The key to this shot is that it was taken at twilight as the low setting sun illuminates the exhaust plume of the rocketLighting
The light you see in the sky is from the setting sun illuminating the rocket's exhaust plume. Time of day is key to capture a shot like this.Equipment
Nikon D750 and Nikkor 50mm 1.8Inspiration
I had this composition lined up at twilight as the Milky Way would align in this direction. Before shooting the Milky Way, the rocket shot up in the sky looking like it was coming straight out of the mountains.Editing
This shot consists of two exposures; one for the sky and one longer one for foreground details. Both shots were taken with the same camera and lens and without moving the camera in between shots. This was the true position that the rocket shot up. Multiple exposures were needed to correctly capture the dynamic range of both lights and darks in the shot.In my camera bag
I usually carry a wide variety of lenses from ultra wide to telephoto. A normal combination will consist of the Nikon D750, Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8, Nikkor 24-120 f/4, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8, and the Sigma 150-600 or Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8Feedback
For a shot like this planning is key along with a bit of luck. You will need to figure out launch times and ensure you find one that launches after sunset during twilight. You then have to find a photo location in the trajectory of the launch which will be backlit by the setting sun. You also need a bit of luck to ensure the launch doesn't get scrubbed due to technical difficulty or bad weather. If all of the conditions align, you will be able to witness something spectacular.
