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"Lightpainting Under the Stars"Workshop at the Ranch Hi and welcome to this edition of Workshop at the Ranch.
First let me apologize for this slightly late edition. Sometimes
phone lines need repairs and sometimes these repairs take a
few days and sometimes even after the repairs are completed
the internet still doesn't work and additional repairs are needed.
Well, let's move on. I was teaching at Rich Clarkson's Photography
at the Summit ( www.richclarkson.com
) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming recently. It is my favorite place
to be in the fall. At the conclusion of the evening presentations
I do what I have done for several years now, go out into night
and make a Lightpainting before joining the workshops participants
at the Silver Dollar. As you can see this months Workshop at
the Ranch is all about Lightpainting outdoor landscapes. Not
just any scene mind you, but scenes that include the vast western
night sky over Jackson Hole, and the Teton Mountain Range.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed this night time
adventure. My hope is that some of you will apply these steps
and make some "stellar" imagery of your own. Keep
in mind that different areas of the country or the world have
different atmospheric conditions that may increase of diminish
the success of photographing stars. This article should help
you get started.
Past Workshop at the Ranch IssuesJanuary, 2009
November, 2008
October, 2008
September, 2008
August, 2008
July, 2008 |
Image
#1 Cosmic Barn ...
Jackson Hole, Wyoming provides great scenery by day and
crisp clear skies at night. I decided to combine the best
of both worlds by setting my exposure for the night sky
over the Teton Mountain Range and revealing the landscape
with Lightpainting. As with Lightpaintings I activate
the Long Exposure Noise Reduction mode, place the camera
on a sturdy tripod, set the camera on BULB and attached
a Nikon MC-36 Remote Cord which serves two purposes; 1.
the MC-36 allows me to make an exposure time longer than
the camera standard of 30 seconds, (in this case 30 minutes),
and 2. I can set the MC-36 self timer to begin the exposure
after any amount of time I choose (in this case 1 minute.)
Manual focus is best because an auto focus setting will
cause the lens to search in the dark for something to
focus on and cause the image to be out of focus. One could
also auto focus on the subject and then switch off the
auto focus using the Focus Mode Selector switch on the
front of the camera. One year ago I made some long exposures
of stars at 10 and 15 minutes with good results, but felt
the star trails weren't long enough. An exposure time
of 30 minutes would be required to have longer sweeping
and more graceful star trails in the night sky. I should
also say that it is the clarity of the atmosphere over
the Tetons in north western Wyoming that make this image
a real success as so many stars are visible. The same
exposure of the night sky in a humid climate or location
near a large town or city most likely would not produce
the same clearly defined star trails. The Rocky Mountain
time zone states usually have low humidity and clear atmosphere
which lends itself well to making star trail imagery with
long exposure times. The Tetons are silhouetted against
the glowing sky that is illuminated by Driggs, Idaho on
the backside of the mountains. The two slightly diagonal
shafts of light that extend from left horizon line of
the Tetons to the center top of the frame is the Milky
Way Galaxy. The long exposure time allowed the stars to
sweep gracefully through the sky in a variety of colors
(white, red, yellow and blue.) Nikon D700, ISO320, 30
minute exposure time at f8, Nikon 24-70mm lens, WB 5560K,
Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod with Gitzo Ball Head and Kirk
"L" Bracket, Nikon MC-36 Remote Cord, 1 Brinkmann
Q Beam (2 million candle battery powered spotlight,) Lexar
8G Flash Card. About 7 minutes of Lightpainting was required
during the 30 minute exposure. I used a 20 degree grid
over the front of the Brinkmann to better narrow the beam
of light and control the spill of light from over lighting
areas of the scene. I was approximately 50 yards to the
right of the barn while Lightpainting (note: I set the
self timer mode on the MC-36 Remote Cord at 1 minute so
I can easily leave the camera location and walk to my
Lightpainting position about 75 yards off camera before
the MC-36 triggers the shutter.)
Image
#2 Barn Cosmos ...
Same barn off of Antelope Flats Road near Jackson Hole,
Wyoming, but photographed with very different settings
and very different results. With the success of the
Cosmic Barn star trail image I went to the opposite
end of thinking and decided to freeze the star field
and Milky Way, and again reveal my subject with Lightpainting.
WOW! ... Unbelievable results! Instead of 30 minutes
I set my exposure time for 30 seconds. My ISO went from
320 to 3200, and my aperture went from f8 to f4. The
Tetons are still silhouetted against the night glow
from the town of Driggs, Idaho. The Milky Way and stars
are frozen in the sky, and my Lightpainting time went
from 7 minutes of actual Lightpainting to about 15 seconds
of actively applying light to various parts of the barn,
fence and coral. The difference is amazing as hundreds
of stars, clusters of stars, and planets are clearly
visible. The most difficult part of making this image
was the application of Lightpainting. The extremely
high ISO and f4 aperture required me to use sparing
amounts of light from the Brinkmann so as to not over
expose the barn and coral. Nikon D700, ISO3200, 30 seconds
at f4, Nikon 24-70, WB 5560K, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod
with Gitzo Ball Head and Kirk "L" Bracket,
Nikon MC-36 Remote Cord (I still used this even though
the camera can make a 30 second exposure without the
additional MC-36 Remote Cord), 1 Brinkmann Q Beam, 20
degree grid, Lexar 8G Flash Card.
Image
#3 Transfiguration
Trees ... I was so impressed by the cosmic heavens imagery
that the following night would bring more of the same.
This time my subject would be an Aspen grove near the
Church of the Transfiguration that is within the boundaries
of Teton National Park. I applied the same basic formula,
ISO3200, 30 seconds exposure time at f4. As with the
barn and coral I would need to be very sparing with
my application of Lightpainting so as not to over expose
the trees. I have always liked the way shafts of sunlight
strike the landscape, so I created shafts of light on
these trees. Nikon D3, ISO3200, 30 seconds at f4, Nikon
14-24mm lens, WB 4550K, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod with
Gitzo Ball Head and Kirk "L" Bracket, Nikon
MC-36 Remote Cord, 1 Brinkmann Q Beam, 20 degree grid,
INOVA XO3 LED Flashlight, Lexar 8G Flash Card. The leaves
on the trees and tall prairie grass were Lightpainted
with the quick horizontal shafts of light from the warm
lamp of the Brinkmann Q Beam, while the Aspen tree trunks
were lightpainted with a cooler colored light from my
INOVA XO3 LED Flashlight. Seemed like a good idea and
I liked the results. 
Image
#4 Tee Pee Night Sky
... I knew of a Tee Pee that was located about 7 miles
outside Jackson Hole just past the entrance road to Moose
Junction and Teton National Park. Well, here I go again.
By now you should know the drill ... Nikon D3, ISO3200,
30 seconds at f4, Nikon 14-24mm lens, WB 10,000K, Gitzo
Carbon Fiber Tripod with Gitzo Ball Head and Kirk "L"
Bracket, Nikon MC-36 Remote Cord, 1 Brinkmann Q Beam,
1 LED Head Lamp, Lexar 8G Flash Card. I set my exposure
for the Milky Way and placed a spare LED head lamp inside
the Tee Pee and made a test shot. The Tee Pee was now
illuminated from the inside and matched the exposure of
the heavens. With my test shot complete I proceeded with
the entire making of the Lightpainting. While the 30 second
exposure was being executed a 1 second burst of light
from the Brinkmann Q Beam directly behind the Tee Pee
was made and then from 65 feet the front of the Tee Pee
I sparingly Lightpainted the trees with a 20 degree grid
placed in front of the Brinkmann Q Beam and for about
10 seconds. More than 10 seconds of Lightpainting tended
to over expose the surrounding trees so I would "feather"
the light by flicking the trigger on the Brinkmann to
help diminish the intensity of the light. 
Image
#5 Outer Limits ...
This outhouse on the flats east of the Tetons is a subject
I Lightpainted 7 years ago. I decided to return to this
scene with my new formula for Lightpainting under the stars.
By facing south the glow from Jackson Hole silhouetted the
hill side and outhouse. By this final night of Lightpainting
I was well aware of were the Milky Way would be at 11:00
pm ...... well, what do you know, directly over Jackson
Hole itself, imagine that. The only thing left to do was
reveal my subject, the outhouse, with a little Lightpainting.
Nikon D3, ISO3200, 30 seconds at f4, Nikon 14-24mm lens,
WB 3030K, Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod with Gitzo Ball Head
and Kirk "L" Bracket, MC-36 Remote Cord, 1 Brinkmann
Q Beam, 1 IVOVA OX3 LED Flashlight, Lexar 8G Flash Card.
A 2 seconds burst of light from the INVOVA XO3 LED Flashlight
inside the outhouse gave illumination through the cracks,
the diamond shaped air window and out the door, while the
Brinkmann Q Beam with 20 degree grid was used very sparingly,
(feathered), for about 10 seconds to illuminate the grass
and sage brush. I was about 50 feet away from the outhouse
while Lightpainting the grass and sage. I used a cooler
WB setting of 3030K to give a deep space coolness to the
scene. If I had used a warmer WB setting of 7000K or even
10,000K the glow from Jackson Hole would be a warm red glow
and the stars would be more yellow/orange. Either WB choice
works, it's all up to you and how you want the picture to
look.
