Star Trails Before the Clouds Rolled In

I was all set to capture some neat startrails from the campsite, but the clouds rolled in and eventually blocked out the stars. Here is an image of the stars starting to trail, with the clouds sweeping in from the west. Captured with a Canon 550D and Tokina wide angle lens. The moon was almost full, but in the eastern sky, causing the reflection off the cliff.

Moon Light and Faint MilkyWay at 11:30PM

I was surprised to see the faint portion of the Milky Way arching above this cliff, even with a full moon. The cliff is reflecting the light as bright as day. Taken at 11:30PM with a Canon 550D and Tokina wide-angle lens, about a 30 second exposure.

We will leave the lights on for you

As you enter Timber Canyon from Strawberry Pinnacles, there stands an old, abandoned cabin, that at one time must have been the home of a rancher because of the small corral nearby. This picture was taken about 10PM facing the southern Milky Way. (Canon 550D, Tonika wide-angle lens, 30 second exposure at ISO 1600, f-stop of 2.8.

Star Trails - First Attempt

This is my first attempt at imaging Star Trails. Each image was for about 2 minutes, with a 1 minute gap between. The 38 images were processed using the Achim Schaller's freeware from www.startrails.de. My thanks to Achim for this very nice piece of software. (Image details: ISO 200, f-stop 2.8, 120 seconds, canon 550D, Tonika 11mm wide angle lens, tripod mounted and timed with a Intervalometer). About 2 hours worth of images is about what you can hope for with the 550D standard battery configuration, and that is fully charged.

Aspens - Dancing with the stars

The North Star, Polaris seems to attract the swaying aspens. Taken at Powder Mountain, UT at an altitude of about 9,500 feet with a Canon 550D camera and Tonika wide angle lens.

Powder Mountain Aspens

It was a little bright near the Powder Mountain Village Lodge for night photos, but I wanted to catch the moon rise between the aspens. Clouds added to the effect. Taken around 10:30PM with a Canon 550D with a Tonika wide angle lens.

Land of the Midnight Moon

The moon was about 80% full. This 20 second exposure was taken around 11PM looking north. If you look closely, you can see the Big Dipper and the North Star, which seems to be resting on the top of the cliff. I was surprised to see all of the stars with such a bright moon and the layer of clouds.

Moon Reflection - Bright as Day

This moon reflection was taken on a partly cloudy night. The small pond shows the moon and clouds towards the south. (on nights like this, it is impossible to see the southern Milky Way). Taken around 11PM with a Canon 550D with a Tonika Wide Angle Lens.

Pictograph - Straight Up before sundown

Shown here is another pictograph on the same cliff, looking straight up before sundown. A few stars are starting to appear in the dark blue sky. Taken with my Canon 550D.

Early Native American Pictograph with Milky Way in Background

Highlighted here is an early native american pictograph on a sheer rock cliff near the Unita National Forest in Utah. The Milky Way is just starting to appear to the south east. Image taken with a Canon 550D, 20 sec exposure, f-stop 2.8, ISO of 800.

World War II Vintage Hanger - Wendover Air Base, NV

This picture is of one of the hangers, built during World War II, at the old Wendover Air Base in Wendover, Nevada. There is a lot of history at this base, since the "Enola Gay" was prepared for it's atomic bomb drop over Japan a few hangers down.  Taken with a Canon 550D, Tonika 11-16mm lens at16mm, ISO 100, f-stop of 4.0, 30 second exposure. Taken around 2230 hours (Utah time).  The moon is blown out, but I wanted to capture as much of the building color as I could. Saturn and Spica are visible above the structure at the top of the picture.

Pinnacle and Milky Way Glow

This picture was taken around midnight on the 9th of June outside of the Unita National Forest in Utah. The Milky Way Center looks to be reflecting off the lower portion of the Pinnacle. Taken with a Canon 550D, Tonika 11-16 mm lens at 11 mm, ISO 1600, 30 sec exposure.

Campground and Reflections of Night Sky

Picture taken at the Pinnacles looking south over the campground. Star reflections in the small pond are visible.  Looking forward to getting a shot of this later in the year, with the Milky Way reflecting from the pond. Taken with a Canon 550D, Tonika 11-16mm wide angle lens, 16mm, ISO 1600, 30 sec exposure, f 2.8.

Oquirrh Lake - Golden Rocks

Another image from Oquirrh Lake, taken at 11PM. 10 sec exposure, ISO 400, F-stop of 4. Canon 550D, Tamron 18-270 Lens set at 39mm.

Oquirrh Lake Boat Dock at 11PM

I love experimenting with nighttime photography. The colors are surprising, and amaze me.  Here is a 10 second exposure taken at 11PM from the boat dock on Oquirrh Lake. ISO setting is 400, f-stop of 4, 18mm lens on a Canon 550D.