Back to photostream

St Lucia & The Pitons - Startrails

Unlike the earlier Milky Way shot, which was somewhat opportunistic, I'd planned this shot in my mind before travelling to St Lucia. Our apartment was due North of the Pitons, so I figured that if I composed with the Pitons in the frame, I could get huge startrails arcing over them. Moreover, the rising moon could illuminate the bay (if I could wait long enough for it to do so!).

 

This shot consists of 270x 30s exposures at ISO 2000, F4, giving a total exposure of just over 2hrs. The rich blue colour has resulted from the moonlight, which was rising during the shot. The pink is a mix of the blue and the ambient light from nearby Soufrière. As an idea of scale the Pitons rise about a 1/2 mile straight out of the sea.

35,563 views
507 faves
167 comments
Uploaded on October 25, 2012
Taken on October 5, 2012