So many stars and nowhere to go.
Tankwa Karoo National Park, South Africa...
Single shot light painting.
Aug, 2022Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in the Tankwa Karoo National Park, about 4 hours drive from Cape Town. The word "Tankwa" is unknown, but it is said to be "Turbid water", "Place of the San" or "Thirst land", all of which fits this arid yet picturesque park so well.Time
To be able to take the "Eye" of the Milky way I had to be in the Tankwa in winter, and I had to get up really early. This photo was taken at 2:08 in the morning in freezing conditions.Lighting
Getting the light right on the wagon and the foreground, I used a torch to do the light painting. Getting the colour of the light right I shine the torch into my hand and then reflect it onto the foreground and wagon.Equipment
I had to try my Canon 5D mark IV at night photography. My camera was on manual, ISO 6400 with a 30 sec expose and a 2 sec timer. The lens I used is my 16-35mm, f2.8 Canon lens, wide open at f2.8. All of this mounted on a Manfrotto tripod.Inspiration
I have been to the Tankwa a lot of times and every time I'm amazed at the vast vistas, the isolation, is like stepping into a time travel machine. Being out in the cold, miles away from any other humans and all the stars and the absolute silence... takes me to my happy place.Editing
I take all my photos in RAW so I did some adjustments in Camera Raw and then some sharpening and highlights and contract in PhotoshopIn my camera bag
A depending on where I go, 2 cameras, 3-4 lenses, tripod, flash and sweets!Feedback
Read read read... learn as much as you can about how to... I have a Crip notebook where I wright all my setting with a photo of what I did. And most importantly... know your camera inside out. You must be able to make changes to the settings of your camera with out using light.
