I've been wanting to shoot the stars over Longs Peak for a few weeks and have been waiting for conditions to be just right with enough moonlight to light the peak but not so much that it obscures the stars. I had planned to be on top of Mt. Lady Washington but had a bit of a late start and so shot this from Chasm Junction. I did get up on top of Lady Washington for sunrise but the winds were howling so strongly that I could barely stand. Anyway, I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Canon 5D ii
24mm 1.4
13" F2 1600ISO
P.S. I realize that the bottom left is out of focus. I needed to use a smaller F-stop but didn't want to increase my ISO or shutter speed. I should probably crop that area out.
Pretty cool, Erik! You even got the junction sign in the frame The mix of snow on the peaks and stars is a good combo. I like the comp/balance here. I have mixed feelings about these type of shots--the moonlight makes the fg almost look like day so it seems a bit weird to see all the stars too, but if you kept the fg at a brightness that it appeared to your eyes, then it would probably be too dark for most folks and all the cool detail in the peaks would be missing. So its a bit of a catch-22 for me. But its neat, regardless...
Posted by Jack Garrett on June 23, 2011 at 8:38 PM
Eric, I like your Lady Mountain idea so much that it mirrors my already planned sunrise at Chasm View this weekend!
I see what your true subject is here, the Milky Way, thus the long vertical perspective. The star constellation is in the perfect spot for this kind of image and overall likely captures what you were looking for. However, the comp doesn't really do it for me. Two of Colorado's most distinguished mountains (Longs/Meeker,) don’t look too distinguished. Maybe it's because my eye would rather look at the stellar beauty of a snowy Longs/Meeker massif with some starry sky above, opposed to stars with some mountains below. Every time I'm in the presence of a truly great mountain like Longs, It's in my blood to make it my subject.
I think this one goes down in my book as a matter of personal preference.
"..the moonlight makes the fg almost look like day..
This is the problem I have with evening images taken under moonlight with a moon larger than 1/4 phase. I actually do think that if you darkened the areas not in shadow, then this might be better off for it.
The hyperfocal point for a 24mm lens @ f2 is 3.5 ft.
Posted by Paul Wegemann on June 23, 2011 at 11:05 PM
I appreciate the issues that the other folks have brought up, but I still really like this image, Erik. Maybe my opinion is biased because I've always loved this view, but who cares. It's a cool shot.
Posted by Todd Caudle on June 24, 2011 at 11:26 AM
Killer shot, Erik! Is that open water on the lake? I'm assuming that's Peacock Pool.
Thanks for all the comments. I agree that this is not the most stunning composition and that the subject (milkyway) isn't more prominent. I had a great composition all figured out in advance but just didn't get to my location in time. I'll have to try it again when conditions are right. As for the brightness, that is a challenging one. Stan, explained the dilemma perfectly. Non-photographers love these star photos but if they are too dark, then they don't make great prints but it is true that the real thing wasn't this bright. As for my DOF, I messed up. I just looked and I was at F1.4 not 2 otherwise that bottom portion would have been in focus. I was in such a hurry to get to my destination I didn't do this right. Todd, the open water is Peacock Pool. I'm glad it has finally thawed, It is still very much winter in most of Rocky. Thanks again guys!
Posted by Rod Chandler on June 24, 2011 at 2:44 PM
Very cool shot Erik. Thanks for posting. I learned a great deal from the other fellows comments. I wonder if the foreground would work better later in the summer when more of the snow is gone. Also, I was blown off a snow ridge last winter on that trail and landed upside down at the bottom. Sure glad there were no rocks down there to greet my head as it slid to the bottom.
I like the sky a lot in this Erik...even with the limited view of the Milkyway, but I agree the f=ground seems too bright for a night shot.
Posted by Russ Shugart on June 26, 2011 at 10:42 PM
Absolutely fantastic! The mountainside looks so natural. So many great shots with stars here lately. Must take a lot of planning and execution. Really amazing.
Discussion
11 repliesCanon 5D ii
24mm 1.4
13" F2 1600ISO
P.S. I realize that the bottom left is out of focus. I needed to use a smaller F-stop but didn't want to increase my ISO or shutter speed. I should probably crop that area out.
Eric, I like your Lady Mountain idea so much that it mirrors my already planned sunrise at Chasm View this weekend!
I see what your true subject is here, the Milky Way, thus the long vertical perspective. The star constellation is in the perfect spot for this kind of image and overall likely captures what you were looking for. However, the comp doesn't really do it for me. Two of Colorado's most distinguished mountains (Longs/Meeker,) don’t look too distinguished. Maybe it's because my eye would rather look at the stellar beauty of a snowy Longs/Meeker massif with some starry sky above, opposed to stars with some mountains below. Every time I'm in the presence of a truly great mountain like Longs, It's in my blood to make it my subject.
I think this one goes down in my book as a matter of personal preference.
The hyperfocal point for a 24mm lens @ f2 is 3.5 ft.
Russ
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