skypointer2000
'Death Valley Reflections'
On August 20, 2023, Death Valley NP was in the path of Hurricane Hilary's remnants. Some regions received more than double the average annual amount of rainfall.
The unprecedented amount of rain caused widespread flash flooding, damaging roads, and forming a shallow lake in Badwater Basin's salt flats.
After the partial reopening of the park, I desperately wanted to capture a nightscape with the stars reflecting in the temporary lake.
During November New Moon, I had a Los Angeles flight. The weather forecast was pretty dire for the single night I was able to go to Death Valley, but I decided to take the risk.
When I arrived at Badwater Basin, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and while scouting, I felt a slight drizzle. After nightfall, heavy rain started falling for more than an hour. My hopes for a successful shooting sank very low, but I nevertheless set my alarm to check the sky conditions every hour. At 1 a.m. a few stars became visible, and half an hour later, I decided that it was time to dress and head out into the dark.
At 2:30 a.m. the sky in the south had all but cleared. Now, I had high hopes that the clouds would completely disappear, allowing me to shoot the desired Milky Way arc. It soon became apparent, though, that the clouds were rolling back in and at 3:30 a.m. the sky was again fully covered.
The resulting image is not exactly what I hoped for, but I like its mood a lot.
EXIF
Sky:
Canon EOS-R, astro-modified
Tamron 15-30mm, f/2.8 @ 15mm
IDAS NBZ filter
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
4 panel panorama in portrait orientation, each a stack of 6x 60s @ ISO1600, unfiltered & 3x 180s @ ISO6400, filtered
Foreground:
Canon EOS-Ra
Sigma 28mm f/1.4 ART @ f/2
2 row / 8 panel panorama in landscape orientation, each a stack of 6x 30s @ ISO6400
Star reflection: single exposures from the lower row
Selfie: Single exposure 15s @ ISO12800
'Death Valley Reflections'
On August 20, 2023, Death Valley NP was in the path of Hurricane Hilary's remnants. Some regions received more than double the average annual amount of rainfall.
The unprecedented amount of rain caused widespread flash flooding, damaging roads, and forming a shallow lake in Badwater Basin's salt flats.
After the partial reopening of the park, I desperately wanted to capture a nightscape with the stars reflecting in the temporary lake.
During November New Moon, I had a Los Angeles flight. The weather forecast was pretty dire for the single night I was able to go to Death Valley, but I decided to take the risk.
When I arrived at Badwater Basin, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and while scouting, I felt a slight drizzle. After nightfall, heavy rain started falling for more than an hour. My hopes for a successful shooting sank very low, but I nevertheless set my alarm to check the sky conditions every hour. At 1 a.m. a few stars became visible, and half an hour later, I decided that it was time to dress and head out into the dark.
At 2:30 a.m. the sky in the south had all but cleared. Now, I had high hopes that the clouds would completely disappear, allowing me to shoot the desired Milky Way arc. It soon became apparent, though, that the clouds were rolling back in and at 3:30 a.m. the sky was again fully covered.
The resulting image is not exactly what I hoped for, but I like its mood a lot.
EXIF
Sky:
Canon EOS-R, astro-modified
Tamron 15-30mm, f/2.8 @ 15mm
IDAS NBZ filter
iOptron SkyTracker Pro
4 panel panorama in portrait orientation, each a stack of 6x 60s @ ISO1600, unfiltered & 3x 180s @ ISO6400, filtered
Foreground:
Canon EOS-Ra
Sigma 28mm f/1.4 ART @ f/2
2 row / 8 panel panorama in landscape orientation, each a stack of 6x 30s @ ISO6400
Star reflection: single exposures from the lower row
Selfie: Single exposure 15s @ ISO12800