Star Trails Over Golden Canyon
Awards / Publications:
Published in the July 2012 issue of Outdoor Photographer on p52.
This was created one cloudless night over Golden Canyon near Zabriskie Point, Death Valley.
Most of the time, I really love getting some cool clouds at sunset, but when I’m stuck with a sky that’s dull, boring and clear, that can only mean one thing – star trails!
So, I set up the camera and started shooting as the last bit of light left the sky. The sky was a deep blue with just a little pink left on the horizon – perfect for the foreground!
Next, it was time to wait a bit longer for the stars to show up, then let the camera do its work.
Soon enough, the camera was busy capturing star trails and I had some time to kill. I wandered around the area a bit – it’s unusual to have this spot to yourself since during the day it’s generally swarming with people.
Before too long I decided to head back to the car for a quick bite to eat. As I approached the parking lot I spotted a fox, his eyes glowing in the reflected beam of the flashlight. He seemed as surprised to see me as I was to see him!
I lingered around the car an extra few minutes due to the temps. Although Death Valley gets crazy hot in the summer, this particular January night was only in the 20s – with a fairly aggressive wind to boot. So, I was pretty happy when the hour or so worth of exposures I was taking finally completed. I zipped up the hill and packed it in, hoping I had something good.
See, the funny thing with star trails is you have no idea what you actually captured till you get it all together on the computer once you’re home. I personally like the result, hope you do too.
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Colors In This Photo:
5 Responses to Star Trails Over Golden Canyon
Hi Steve…..I guess I’m lost….how do you leave your camera on a windy hill in Death Valley, go to your car to eat, wait an hour then go back to retrieve your gear? What other piece(s) of equipment are you using? I was blown away with the photo in Outdoor Photographer and decided to look you up on line. Lovely work for sure! Looking forward to your response…..Have a great afternoon, regards,
Hi Patricia –
Thanks
Actually, it’s pretty easy. The location in the photo is just uphill from the parking lot. So, I set everything up (camera set to 30 second exposure, drive to continuous high), then lock the cable release in. Now the camera will continue to shoot 30 second frames that will later be combined into a single star trail shot on the PC. Since I’m the only one in the lot, I know no one is up there trying to swipe it so I chow down in peace
~Steve
Hi Steve,
Beautiful shot. How do you get all that detail with everything in focus from foreground to background? Do you do focus stacking? If so how do you do focus stacking for landscape shots?
Mark
too beautiful for me to even express. How do you do it??? Are they really that vivid