Teter Rock and Milky Way (with edits)

I was out last night to photograph "Teter Rock" under the milky way. The light pollution was a little worse than I expected and conditions were less than idea with gusty winds and very high humidity, but it was a beautiful night and I was glad to be out even if conditions weren't perfect.

Canon 40D, Canon 10-22@10mm, f3.5, ISO1600, 35 sec exposure. I would have liked to been using a different lens, but that will give me an excuse to go back (and get a different lens!). The rock was painted in with a flashlight and there was a smaller red flashlight placed behind the foremost rock.

Great idea, but I am not sure if I like the result. The rock should maybe be a little smaller and less lit up. Stars are close but something just looks "off" on them.

Try reprocessing?

You just did something I've wanted to get to, but haven't had a chance to get back east to do :). I was curious how bad the light pollution would be.

I'm with Darren in that the rock is too big. I also think it is too bright. I do like the detail you captured in the Milky Way though.

For those who are interested google the Dark Sky Finder to locate areas of high and low light pollution. Very useful. Joe Rogers

Fantastic!

I'm impressed ... a Canon body at ISO 1600 and your processed image is really clean. The stars are great, love the colors you've captured in them. For me Teter Rock is a bit too dominant (bright) in the frame. I'm glad you enjoyed your night out.

Thanks for the feedback and comments. I've reprocessed to knock some of the brightness off the rock and I think I like that better. As for the size of the rock, I did shoot some with it smaller, but just didn't have the impact I was looking for. I was going for something that 'told' the story of Teter Rock, that is was a marker for settlers crossing the plains and the original was supposed to have been "visible for miles" across the prairie. BTW, the rock is about 15'+ tall, so it is a big rock! But this is an interesting example of where knowing something about your subject and trying to tell its story doesn't always translate into an interesting photo for others. Something I've been thinking about a lot lately.

Its even better now

Scott, I am a little late on this but I like you night sky. The rock my be a little too dominant but still a very unique shot. Thanks for sharing.

Fairly long trip from Manhattan to Teter Rock.

What is the history of that rock anyway. I presume someone stood it on end.

What kind of light did you use to paint the rock? Duh, didn't read far enough....

And, nice photo.

the fisch

Larry,

This rock is not the original at Teter, I guess at some point someone put up some rocks to serve as guides for settlers, but those where taken down and used for building materials. The rocks up now were put up in the '50's as a monument to the first rocks. There is more info on Teter Rock here:

http://www.kansasphototour.com/teter.htm

There are some great views from up there on Teter Hill, good place for some Flint Hills vistas.