This shot was taken on mile 10 into my several night backpacking turbo sesh. I scrambled up a little rockface to get this vantage point, and sat there from sunset to sunrise shooting. This location requires a permit to be able to camp. Be sure to Leave No Trace if you plan to hike!
So uh yeah, I got a nosebleed while shooting this image. Since I was kinda smushed up against a few rocks it kinda well, sucked. But nonetheless it gave me the perfect vantage point directly up.
This shot consists of 40 images combined with my Nikon Z6, Z 14-24 2.8 S lens, and iOptron Skyguider Pro star tracker. 5 Images were taken tracked of the sky @ 120 seconds, f/4, ISO 1600. Next, I turned off the tracker and in the same spot let the camera shoot 34 images @ 10 seconds, f/2.8, ISO 51200 to stack for the reflection. Finally, one was taken at blue hour in the exact spot and camera position @ 0.6 seconds, f/7.1, ISO 100 for the foreground.
Absolutley stunning shot! Composition is great and love that you went the extra mile to also include the reflections, which are always a challenge in MW images.
When was this taken?
That's a lot of commitment and weight for a backpacking trip. Did you backpack solo or with friends? Do you sleep during the day to compensate? Did you take other pictures (you mentioned staying up all night but it doesn't sound like the sum of the exposure times was hours)?
kalifornier wrote:
Simply stunning image! All that effort was definitely worth it.
Thanks my friendo!
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graytrekker wrote:
Beautiful - worth the nose bleed!!
Haha thank you, that was rough in the moment for sure.
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J. Pow wrote:
Stunning!
Joel
Thanks Joel!
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zuru wrote:
Stunning work. I also shoot MW, but I admire your persistence and dedication. Were you alone?
Thanks doggo! Yes, I was alone. Just me, the stars, and my little cameras.
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DistantPlaces wrote:
Absolutley stunning shot! Composition is great and love that you went the extra mile to also include the reflections, which are always a challenge in MW images.
When was this taken?
Thanks friend! I love reflections, and there are times when I totally forget to shoot a stack for it. The nosebleed has me thinking. This was taken back in July.
Paul.K wrote:
That's a lot of commitment and weight for a backpacking trip. Did you backpack solo or with friends? Do you sleep during the day to compensate? Did you take other pictures (you mentioned staying up all night but it doesn't sound like the sum of the exposure times was hours)?
Stunning result!
Many thanks Paul, I appreciate it! I did this journey solo. I got some sleep during the day but not much. I went ham with 5 nights straight of hiking like crazy and staying out most of the night for astro goodness. For this night, it was not my only shot. I had 3 other lenses I was using to shoot in addition to a tracked pano at 35mm. I also had my other body just on a tripod without the tracker shooting timelapses.
I went up, shot sunset, did astro, then came down after sunrise. I slept a litttleeee in my tent after i came down, but it got too hot so I decided to just pack up and hike to my next spot and sleep a little there. It was a good thing I got an early start anyway. While napping in my tent at the next spot a bigggg hail storm came through!!!
Here is a pic with my cams chilling on top of where I was the night I took this shot. I had not mounted the tracker yet as I was just shooting sunset.
p.1 #10 · I got a nosebleed while shooting this...
Daniel, admire your dedication to hike such remote locations with all the equipment. Amazing! Love the way you composed the image and the reflection of sky really completes the image. Nice work. UGMV
p.1 #12 · I got a nosebleed while shooting this...
Congratulations on creating such and amazing image, Daniel! Your technical skills are incredible. And your determination and vision are commendable, too! Much respect is sent your way!
p.1 #15 · I got a nosebleed while shooting this...
keepclicking wrote:
Daniel, admire your dedication to hike such remote locations with all the equipment. Amazing! Love the way you composed the image and the reflection of sky really completes the image. Nice work. UGMV
Thanks so much my friend, I really appreciate how much you understand what it takes to get to spots like this. Mega thanks for the kind words!
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The Rat wrote:
That's an amazing shot! Well worth the effort.
Thanks Dr. Rat, I am glad you like it!
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Starfire8 wrote:
Congratulations on creating such and amazing image, Daniel! Your technical skills are incredible. And your determination and vision are commendable, too! Much respect is sent your way!
Best regards, David
Wow thanks David, you are too kind. I am so happy you like the shot and understand the behind the scenes too!
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Ross Martin wrote:
Daniel that is a lot of work you went through to create this compelling image. Well done!
Ayyy thanks Ross, so nice to see you here, thank you!
p.1 #18 · I got a nosebleed while shooting this...
bobsguns wrote:
May I ask how much post processing work you put into it?
Stunning pic!
Also, is this an astro-modified sensor?
Feb 02, 2022 at 08:33 PM
Mark Metternich Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #19 · I got a nosebleed while shooting this...
Phenomenal image, technical skills and efforts here paid off! Beautiful image!!!
After saying that, I would hate to suggest anything, but if online presence is important, I do think the sky could easily be a tad sharper.
p.1 #20 · I got a nosebleed while shooting this...
Daniel, thanks for sharing and especially the detailed description of capture and processing. As a guy who dabbles in Astro, I very much appreciate the difficulty and effort an image like this takes.
