Sunday, 17 February 2013 night sky photography continued:

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Title: Trinity Stars
Info: Nikon D7000, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens, Dorcy LED flashlight for "light painting" the rocks and the trees. 30 second exposure, f/4, ISO 500.
Photographer: Ken Lee
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, CA USA

I love this three-trunk Joshua Tree reaching up to the stars.

Title: They Raised Their Arms To Heaven
Info: Nikon D7000, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens, Feisol tripod. Exposure time 20 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 500. "Light painted" with a Dorcy flashlight.
Photographer: Ken Lee
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA.

Mormons passing through the desert thought these yuccas looked like Joshua raising his arms to heaven, and so the name "Joshua Tree" was coined.

After photographing around Hidden Valley, I began driving back, stopping off occasionally to take more night sky photos.

Title: A Suspended Blue Ocean
Info: Nikon D7000, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens, Feisol tripod. 35 stacked photos, all 25 second exposures at f/2.8, ISO 500, equaling 14 and a half minutes. The cliff was "light painted" with a Dorcy LED flashlight.
Photographer: Ken Lee
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, CA USA

After photographing around Hidden Valley, I began driving back, stopping off occasionally to take more night sky photos whenever the scenery struck me. Although it was obviously dark, I could sometimes tell if something looked interesting, such as this tall rocky cliff here.

Title: Balancing Rock 1
Info: Nikon D7000, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens, Feisol tripod. Exposure time 25 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 200. "Light painted" with a Dorcy flashlight and a wee bit of red from an Energizer headlamp.
Photographer: Ken Lee
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA.

This is more or less the same photo as "Beauty Is In The Eye of the Boulder" but has different shading and coloring from the "light painting".

Title: Drinking Alone in the Moonlight - The Yin and the Yang
Info: Nikon D7000, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens, Feisol tripod. 20 second exposure at f/5.6, ISO 800. The cliff was "light painted" with a Dorcy LED flashlight.
Photographer: Ken Lee
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, CA USA

What I especially like about this photo is how the night sky appears warmer on the left side while appearing cooler on the right side.

After photographing around Hidden Valley, I began driving back, stopping off occasionally to take more night sky photos whenever the scenery struck me. Although it was obviously dark, I could sometimes tell if something looked interesting, such as this tall rocky cliff here.

Title: Casting Down Great Stones From Heaven - Hemispheres
Info: Nikon D7000, Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens, Feisol tripod. This consists of 35 stacked photos, all with an exposure time of 30 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 200, for a total exposure time of 17 and a half minutes. "Light painted" with a Dorcy flashlight and a wee bit of red from an Energizer headlamp.
Photographer: Ken Lee
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA.

With so many of these night sky photos, especially star trails photos, it's a bit difficult to see what it looks like when it's so dark, and unpredictable as to its outcome, but a bit of pre-visualization and experience does help. But nonetheless, it's always a surprise to see how the photo comes out, a sort of gift from the ether.

One last view of Cary's Castle (more commonly spelled on the internet as "Carey's Castle").

Go to Cary's Castle Hike-extra photos (or use the stagecoaches to go forward or backward)