The milky way shoots up over the mountains at Lake Dillon in Colorado.
The milky way shoots up over the mountains at Lake Dillon in Colorado.
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Lake Dillon in Dillon, Colorado. It was a beautiful clear night and my first milky way photo in Colorado.Time
This is my favorite milky way photo I've taken. My mom and sisters went to the this lake around 9pm and they sat by lake while I took this photo. It was a perfectly clear night, no clouds in the sky, and the milky way lined up perfectly in between the mountains. The green glow reflected on the lake, which is something I've never seen before.Lighting
The color of the photo is something I really worked with the day after I took this photo. I love the way the purple sky stands out against the mountains. There was no haze or anything in the sky, so the mountains stood out perfectly. It is a single long exposure photo. The city lights below the mountains reflected on the lake, helping the tree line to stand out more. Without that light from the city, the mountains wouldn't have stood out nearly as well.Equipment
I used my Canon 5D Mark III, with a Canon 24mm 1.4 lens. I had the camera on my tripod.Inspiration
Ever since my mom moved to Colorado, I've always wanted a milky way photo by this lake, overlooking the mountains. It worked out for me to visit right when there was a new moon, allowing the milky way to stand out. Driving by this location during the day and seeing the rocks in the lake, I always imagined a beautiful night photo. I asked my sisters and mom to come with when I took this, and to my surprise the milky way was in the perfect spot of where I wanted to take the photo. Usually the milky way is not exactly right where I want it when I go out to take photos, but this night it was in the best possible spot. I placed my tripod as low as it could go, and stood it in the water to get the line of rocks leading to the mountains. I photographed a few different versions of this image and decided on this one because of the leading line of the rocks and the composition.Editing
For this image I edited it in Adobe Photoshop. I adjusted the colors of the sky to make it much more colorful. I added purple and green, because I thought it was a nice contrast of colors against the natural looking mountains. I brightened the sky to make the milky way stand out, and added contrast to the rocks and trees.In my camera bag
In my camera bag I always have my Canon 5D Mark III and my Canon 24-105 attached to it during day photography. The other lenses I carry with me are the 24mm 1.4 (which I used to take this photo) the Canon 85mm 1.8 and Canon 70-200mm. I also always have a polarizer filter on my Canon 24-105 for day photography. I have a basic ND filter for day long exposure photos, a lens cloth, and extra lens caps in case I lose any out on a shoot.Feedback
My advice for capturing a photo like this is to explore the environment around you during the night. Drive around at night for a while and see what location would be best for a photo like this. Before you go out, make sure it is a clear night with no clouds in the sky. It is always disappointing to go out to shoot and get all set up and realize there are clouds covering the entire sky. Be patient taking the photo. Don't rush a photo like this and take it from multiple angles, never just snap one image and leave. Have some options to look through when you get home. And if you get out and the milky way isn't lined up perfectly, try and go to a different location to work around the sky. Don't give up just because the sky isn't exactly how you'd like it. I hope this helps!