One arch, two different views (NM)
p.1 #1One arch, two different views (NM)
I'm a big fan of Milky Way (MW) astroscapes and shooting the MW inside a big arch has been on my bucket list for an along time. Problem is that aside from the obvious ones at Arches NP, it's not easy to find one that aligns well with the MW core. This one is the biggest arch in NM, and it works well for a month or two.
This shoot is not for a night hike so I had to sleep there and moving around in absolute darkness is not for the faint of heart (I won't repeat this!). The good news is that as of now, you can be the only person around this beauty at night. It's an awesome experience!
This shoot is not for a night hike so I had to sleep there and moving around in absolute darkness is not for the faint of heart (I won't repeat this!). The good news is that as of now, you can be the only person around this beauty at night. It's an awesome experience!
Sep 18, 2026 at 07:55 AM
p.1 #2One arch, two different views (NM)
Love it!
Beautiful framing of the galactic center. Wondering about some of the technical details...
- Was the light on the foreground natural?
- Was the sky a tracked exposure, and was it stacked?
- What hardware did you use?
I'm also a huge fan of MW photography.
Beautiful framing of the galactic center. Wondering about some of the technical details...
- Was the light on the foreground natural?
- Was the sky a tracked exposure, and was it stacked?
- What hardware did you use?
I'm also a huge fan of MW photography.
Sep 18, 2026 at 08:10 AM
p.1 #3One arch, two different views (NM)
kirbic wrote:
Love it!
Beautiful framing of the galactic center. Wondering about some of the technical details...
- Was the light on the foreground natural?
- Was the sky a tracked exposure, and was it stacked?
- What hardware did you use?
I'm also a huge fan of MW photography.
Thanks!
OK, here go the details:
1. light on foreground: no, it wasn't natural; these are the darkest skies in the country so I used a couple of super-faint little flashlights - I aim for old-style non-LEDs and use near-dead batteries.
2. this is a layered shot: one for the sky; another for the foreground. Combined in PS.
3. sky: stacked. I have a tracker but tracking the MW through an arch is a nightmare of PP.
4. hardware: sony a7rv + Zeiss Batis 18mm/1.8
Hope these answered your questions.
Love it!
Beautiful framing of the galactic center. Wondering about some of the technical details...
- Was the light on the foreground natural?
- Was the sky a tracked exposure, and was it stacked?
- What hardware did you use?
I'm also a huge fan of MW photography.
Thanks!
OK, here go the details:
1. light on foreground: no, it wasn't natural; these are the darkest skies in the country so I used a couple of super-faint little flashlights - I aim for old-style non-LEDs and use near-dead batteries.
2. this is a layered shot: one for the sky; another for the foreground. Combined in PS.
3. sky: stacked. I have a tracker but tracking the MW through an arch is a nightmare of PP.
4. hardware: sony a7rv + Zeiss Batis 18mm/1.8
Hope these answered your questions.
Sep 18, 2026 at 08:20 AM
p.1 #4One arch, two different views (NM)
The night image really shines.
Morris
Morris
Sep 18, 2026 at 10:17 AM
p.1 #5One arch, two different views (NM)
Thanks for the deets! I thought you might have light-painted, but frankly you did such a nice job that it really was not apparent. The Zeiss Batis 18 sure did a nice job.
Sep 18, 2026 at 12:47 PM
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p.1 #6One arch, two different views (NM)
Great shots, well worth the overnight effort!
Sep 18, 2026 at 02:31 PM
p.1 #8One arch, two different views (NM)
kirbic wrote:
Thanks for the deets! I thought you might have light-painted, but frankly you did such a nice job that it really was not apparent. The Zeiss Batis 18 sure did a nice job.
Light painting is very unpredictable and often too bright, wrong color temperature, etc. Maybe you already know this and sorry in advance, but there's a whole community of folks in what's called "low level lighting" where you use external lights often placed thoughtfully and often at such low levels that you can often do with one shot for the sky and the foreground (but stacking complicates things a bit). I learned that craft years ago and that's what works best.
Thanks for the deets! I thought you might have light-painted, but frankly you did such a nice job that it really was not apparent. The Zeiss Batis 18 sure did a nice job.
Light painting is very unpredictable and often too bright, wrong color temperature, etc. Maybe you already know this and sorry in advance, but there's a whole community of folks in what's called "low level lighting" where you use external lights often placed thoughtfully and often at such low levels that you can often do with one shot for the sky and the foreground (but stacking complicates things a bit). I learned that craft years ago and that's what works best.
Sep 19, 2026 at 12:36 PM
p.1 #9One arch, two different views (NM)
Beautiful! Well worth the effort. I'm not a fan of light painting, but this looks good, could fool that is is bright moon light (until you realize the stars wouldn't be that nice). 
Sep 20, 2026 at 08:38 AM