Beacon of Light

Gallery: Man & NaturePosted January 31, 2012490 views13 comments

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse - Outer Banks of North Carolina
30 images - 5 minutes each for 2.5 hours of star trails. Looking due north - Polaris is directly behind the lighthouse. Blended in PS. The glow on the horizon is the town of Buxton - even in January they have a few lights on that I can't tone down but so much. It was a crystal clear night, with no moon up yet. I had to tone down the stars significantly, as the exposure picked up 5-10 times more stars than you see here. Please view large for more detail.

5DII, Nikkor 14-24
Star Trails - F5.6, ISO 400, 5 minutes, 30 images
Lighthouse - F5.6, ISO 800, 25 seconds, light painted

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Gary McGhee on January 31, 2012 at 11:42 AM

Nice job on the blend Wick, well thought out composition and just enough light painting. Looks great.

Gary.

Registered on April 15, 2010, 142 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Tonia Graves on January 31, 2012 at 3:01 PM

Wick, beautifully composed image! I especially like how you lined up the north star behing the lighthouse.

Registered on October 29, 2011, 92 Posts, 1035 Comments

Comment posted by Reed Bowman on February 1, 2012 at 7:47 PM

Great composition, how did you get Polaris so low on the horizon?

Registered on March 2, 2009, 166 Posts, 1058 Comments

Comment posted by Wick Smith on February 1, 2012 at 7:53 PM

Reed,
The lighthouse is 180 feet tall & I was standing 45 feet from the lighthouse looking up at a significant angle. I wish I could have moved back, but I was up against the trees that surround the light on that side. So Polaris appeared much lower from that angle.
Wick

Registered on June 12, 2009, 91 Posts, 379 Comments

Comment posted by Greg Lessard on February 2, 2012 at 8:21 PM

Wonderful shot Wick! Maybe a little bit of flashlight on the foreground? Thanks for posting it. Truly a beautiful image!

Registered on January 14, 2009, 38 Posts, 219 Comments

Comment posted by Roman Kurywczak on February 3, 2012 at 10:47 AM

Hey Wick,
nice job on this! I think the centered polaris works in this case but if you go back, maybe one off centered would work too? Not sure as I haven't been there in a while on how easy it is to get around. A nice one all around!

Registered on November 20, 2009, 56 Posts, 748 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 3, 2012 at 5:36 PM

Very cool. What an interesting scene! Nice work, Wick.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Walter Rowe on February 4, 2012 at 2:51 PM

Bravo. Ver unique.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 85 Posts, 314 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on February 5, 2012 at 8:26 PM

the most unique take on Hatteras Light I've seen! Good preparation for a splendid shot, Wick. Way to go.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Phillip Noll on February 5, 2012 at 9:02 PM

Cool! What a well thought out and executed image! The light painting is just right and the star trails are a fun element! Well done!

Registered on November 17, 2003, 207 Posts, 1083 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on February 8, 2012 at 11:52 AM

Congrats on the WP - a unique and very compelling image.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on February 8, 2012 at 4:08 PM

Splendid that you got the Pick for this! Congratulations!

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on March 15, 2012 at 8:26 PM

Wild idea executed very well.

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments