Love Boats - Convict Lake Milky Way

 

 

 

I knew I had to spend some time shooting the night sky at Convict lake. It was super windy through the night and the moon was still in the frame until around 10:30pm. At around 11pm, the wind pretty much died completely and I headed straight to the boat dock to snap some before it picked back up. Long exposure shots here aren't always possible as the slightest wind moves the dock and boats causing them to be blurry. I snapped a few comps here and then a few from the classic lookout. Here is one of the comps from the dock with 2 boats lined up in front of the Milky Way. I think the boat on the right moved ever so slightly. I'll dig into the other shots I took here next week. Happy sunday.

 

 

Nikon D750, Nikkor 20mm 1.8, f/2, 15 sec, ISO-6400

 

 

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Smoky Surprise - Mammoth Lakes

We had pretty much clear skies the entire trip, but on our last night after driving back from some fishing at Convict Lake the sun burst through the smoky haze and produced some pretty cool rays. Color didn't explode but the rays against the dark mountain range looked awesome. I had to pull over and take a few before heading back to the cabin. This was an awesome sky to end the trip.

 

Nikon D750, Nikkor 24-120 f/4, f/11, 1/3 sec, ISO-100

 

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Day vs. Night

Yesterday I showed you a daytime shot from here. Today I show you one of the many comps I took here at night, and no better way than to use the new format. IMO it's the best of both worlds to be able to show most of your image but still retain the square grid format. This shots been on my photography list for some time now and I'm glad I finally had the chance to get it. It was probably the most difficult night shot I've taken so far since the petroglyphs are literally inches in front of you. This is essentially a vertically oriented 3 x 3 pano which consists of 3 vertical rows of 3 shots panned horizontally. I could have made my life easier with a wider lens, and I plan on bringing one when I return here in October. I wanted to keep everything natural with no light painting and I'm pretty happy with the results. No focus stacking was needed on this shot, but I did take some other comps utilizing that technique which I will get around to editing soon. Hopefully this image gives you a glimpse of how special this place is and how cool it was to be out here capturing thousands of year old rock art sitting below the Milky Way.

 

All shots: Nikon D750, Nikkor 20mm 1.8, f/1.8, 15 sec, ISO-6400

 

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Ancient Petroglyphs

 

 

It is said that a culture inhabited the area known as the Tablelands some 8000 years ago. These people used hard stones to etch patterns and designs into rocks to form petroglyphs. The inner carving is lighter than the darker exterior rock and provides the contrast to make them visible. Sunset here was pretty hazy and no real color came through. I was worried that the sky would not clear by night, but the wind blew most of it away leaving a nice clear sky for stargazing. I'll get around to editing some of the night shots I took here but in the meantime here is one as the sun was setting. You can see some of the haze in the background. Stopped down to get the sunburst more pronounced.

 

Nikon D750, Nikkor 20mm 1.8, f/16, 1/125 sec, ISO-100

 

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Abandoned 395 house, Mammoth Lakes

Alright here is the first edited shot from my trip, and a trip to Mammoth is never complete without visiting that one house. I came here after I had shot a bit at Mono Lake and by the time I got here it was already about 1 am since the moon didn't set until 11:45. Still get freaked out standing here alone in the dark so I only took a few snaps from this one angle. Next time I'll give myself some more time to do some light painting.

 

Nikon D750, Nikkor 20mm 1.8, f/2, 15 sec, ISO-6400

 

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Water Texture - Palos Verdes sunset

Awesome sunset burn from the coves of Palos Verdes. Love the water texture I was able to capture here as the set came rolling in. This is a blend of 2 exposures, one for the water and one for the sky. Shooting from these coves never get boring, compositions are endless. hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

 

 

Nikon D750, Nikkor 20mm 1.8, 0.6 sec, 1/15 sec, f/8, ISO-200

 

 

www.bay-photography.com

 

Galaxy Crossing - Milky Way over Mojave

The Milky Way stretches over a railroad crossing from the small town of Cantil outside of Mojave. Strong light pollution from the city in the back.

Nikon D750, Nikkor 20mm 1.8, f/1.8, 15 sec, ISO-5000

www.bay-photography.com