Milky Way Galaxy

Posted on | October 31, 2009 | 10 Comments

Milky Way Galaxy in Night Sky Over Chalk Bluffs, Owens Valley, California

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a month since I photographed this but this photo was taken after a crazy day with a couple other photographers in Bishop Creek Canyon and Devils Postpile NM. Basically one of the photographers that I was traveling with hiked onto Rainbow Falls in the early evening from Devils Postpile NM without telling us and nearly got stranded out there in the dark without a jacket, headlamp or water. I’ll elaborate in a future blog post but anyway… on the way back down to Bishop where we were all staying I noticed the Milky Way so I asked the other guys if they wanted to try some night photography. Since it was dark, and with the Chalk Bluffs Road being the area I was most familiar with in the dark, that’s where we went to try shooting the Milky Way. It was a half moon on this night which is probably less than ideal for night photography but heck, we were all there for fun (minus the mosquito bites from the Owens River) trying to learn some new techniques.

After some experimentation and comparing of images, we came to the conclusion that a high ISO, wide open aperture with 20 – 3o sec. exposures was the most effective way to balance quality with getting the stars to show up without blurring too much nor being too faint. I saw Greg Lato’s Milky Way photos on his LCD screen and I think that his use of a super-wide angle lens was more effective in capturing the Milky Way than my 24mm so I’ll be sure to bring my 17-35mm lens the next time I am in a position to see the Milky Way.

See more of my Eastern Sierra pictures.

Comments

10 Responses to “Milky Way Galaxy”

Mark
October 31st, 2009 @ 9:18 am

Neat shot Richard. I haven’t tried this myself – someday I hope to. I have really liked many of the Milky Way – combined with landscape shots I have seen.
Richard Wong
October 31st, 2009 @ 11:46 am

Thanks Mark. I would imagine that you have to go far into the North Woods to get minimal light pollution to see it well. The was taken a just few miles from Bishop so it probably could have been better elsewhere.
Drew Fulton
November 1st, 2009 @ 7:30 am

Very cool Richard. I’ve never tried this but would love to next time I’m out in a remote area.
Richard Wong
November 1st, 2009 @ 1:48 pm

Let me know how it goes.
Jim Goldstein
November 2nd, 2009 @ 2:41 pm

That came out really well Richard. I look forward to the story that you alluded to. Oh and the great challenge about solid Milky Way photos with landscape foregrounds is that you can’t go wide enough. Even with a fisheye it doesn’t do the nature of our night sky justice. In that sense it has to be seen to truly appreciate.
latoga
November 2nd, 2009 @ 2:48 pm

That shot really came out well Richard! Too bad we can’t get a bigger version to see the star details better…

Now you’re making me realize how far behind I’ve gotten in my photo process. I need to dive back into the photos from that trip and my most recent one back to Bishop.

On your future blog post, go easy on Bill…he was caught up in the heat of the moment. (that’s what happens when you don’t feed the photographic urge often enough! )
Richard Wong
November 2nd, 2009 @ 3:16 pm

Thanks guys. Good thoughts Jim. Not like a panoramic stitch would work given the movement in the stars.

Greg – I will be easy on Bill but it is worth pointing out some general safety concerns for those who read this blog.
Carl Donohue
November 4th, 2009 @ 12:48 pm

Hey Richard,

Lovely photo. How did you light the foreground, or is that the ambient light?

Cheers

Carl
Richard Wong
November 4th, 2009 @ 2:04 pm

Thanks Carl. It is lit by the half moonlight. This is the top of the hillside which is far too big to light artifically.
Devils Postpile National Monument | In the Field: Photo Blog by Richard Wong
November 8th, 2009 @ 6:03 am

[...] mentioned in the Milky Way Galaxy post, one of the photographer’s I was traveling with wandered off to Rainbow Falls without [...]