After seeing Jack's great shot of the Milky Way over Devil's Tower I started thinking about a similar shot over Bear Butte near Sturgis, SD since we were headed there for a week. Well, our time here was during a full moon or near full moon cycle with an early (11pm) moon rise and late (8am) moon set just about every night. But all that didn't matter cause it was cloudy and rainy every night we were there. But I'm pretty stubborn and finally got a chance to shoot the Milky Way over Bear Butte.
That second shot is a beauty. However, I'm on the fence on the first one. The focus seems off on the Milky Way and there are some distracting telephone lines. Otherwise this would be a wall hanger for sure!
The full moon would have largely obscured the Milky Way anyway, especially this time of year when they're in the same part of the sky. It's generally best shot with no moon or a sliver of a moon.
Glad you mentioned Howard's name. I thought I had seen this before.
And what a way to preface the good stuff! You caught this one at just the right time and place. I like how the sky almost glows right above the peak. Excellent work, Bill!
Hadn't seen a image of Bear Butte before, but I have to say that is the best light I've seen in any image for some time. The whole image just glows. Gorgeous, Bill.
Ha ha… love it. I’ll have to steal this idea from Howard and you for my July trip to the White Mountains where I plan to shoot the Milky Way over the bristlecone pines.
he he Thanks for the laugh, great way to start the day.
The second image is gorgeous. The light is especially nice on the butte, and the trees in the ravine draw your eyes straight to the glowing butte. Nice work. Looks like you're having fun there in SD.
Discussion
13 repliesThanks for the beauty of the 2nd...Great light and comp!
The full moon would have largely obscured the Milky Way anyway, especially this time of year when they're in the same part of the sky. It's generally best shot with no moon or a sliver of a moon.
And what a way to preface the good stuff! You caught this one at just the right time and place. I like how the sky almost glows right above the peak. Excellent work, Bill!
The second shot has some very sweet light and color. Nice work, Bill!
The 2nd pic is sweet, too.
The second image is gorgeous. The light is especially nice on the butte, and the trees in the ravine draw your eyes straight to the glowing butte. Nice work. Looks like you're having fun there in SD.