Aurora Borealis and White Dome Geyser of Yellowstone

 

After a full autumn day of driving, walking, 'chasing color' with a good friend, I journeyed to a favorite Yellowstone geyser and just sat still for a while.  I knew a full moon would be lighting the scene and a recent Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) from an Earth-facing sunspot might even produce an Aurora.  Would it reach latitudes as far down as Montana and Wyoming?   Would the clouds be too thick?  The moon too bright?  I set up the cameras, dusted frost off the lenses, checked that the settings were correct and the batteries charged…And time seemed to slow down...  This capture of the pinnacle height of the Aurora and geyser's eruption is an exposure blend of two shots made in the middle of more than seventy consecutive 30-second exposures.  

(Image to come: Seventy consecutive exposures producing a Polaris circle of star trails.  Really cool!)  I watched the night sky for about three hours before the clouds rolled in to stay. 

 

During that time cars drove by without stopping, their headlights briefly overexposing the night.  Low clouds appeared, and the lower stars started fading  because the full moon was rising.  Bull elks bugled and coyotes cheered.   The main show was about to begin.  Minutes passed. 

The clouds continued sliding from one horizon to the next.  I could barely see the brightest stars.  Hours passed.    Maybe that was it?
 

I began thinking, what a good show it was, The movement of the thin moving clouds, the peeking stars, erupting geyser, the full moon, and the illuminated landscape.  THAT's when I noticed the cloud on the horizon was actually a faint yellow/green.  Had I missed that earlier?  Then I saw another....and another.  

The landscape became brighter and the geyser turned white in the moonlight.  When I looked, really looked, I could see the stars were peeking out from behind thinning clouds.   Higher vertical bands of yellow were overhead and reds seemed to be dancing from east to west… Silently, quickly, up and down, bright and dim, right to left.  I could hardly pull myself away to turn on the cameras.  

One of the best parts of capturing Night Sky Landscapes is making the deliberate effort to listen...  
And the scene seems always to be saying, “Slow down, relax ...I have something to show, if you honor me with your patience.” 


 

return to:  Robert Howell Photography.com              

for more information drop me a line

"See you out there"

                ~~~Bob

Zoot Exhibition through December

A really nice gathering at the Zoot Art Gallery for the Opening Reception.    I’m  honored to have so many friends, 
members from the Zoot Art Committee, F-11 Photo Supply Staff and Camera Club of Bozeman members come to celebrate the night.  And happy to have a new photographer friend, Jelani, whose “Skin of Place” images were a hit!   

Great eclectic music mix,(thank-you Tiffany) snacks, drinks and lots of talk. Thanks to you all. 

My voice was a bit hoarse at the end. 

I was reminded, more than a few times, that the cold weather is coming and asked if I ready for more crazy cold nights shooting.  Yes.  It’s just magical to be enveloped by the stars, and the high altitude & cold just adds to the adventure.   
Open invitation;  You are welcome to join me to share-the-wonder anytime.  (I’ll bring extra hand warmers)

My 'Metal Prints' turned heads and sparked conversations. The Night Skies look like they’re floating on glass.   
I too, continually spot something new in these photos.  Finding M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, in the images is like rediscovering an old friend.  

The Zoot Art Gallery is a wonderful space.  Over forty beautiful wall prints are hanging in this exhibit.  

-------- Jelani's  "Skin of Place" from Hungary and Bozeman, MT.  And my Night Sky Landscapes --------  

Oh, and of course, the lucky captures of fun loving LuminBeings™ add a lite "whimsical" addition to the exhibit. 

I hope you have the chance to hitch your wagon to a star and ride to this “Galactic Center” - Zoot Headquarters 
located just off --North Star Lane  and  Milky Way Drive-- (No kidding, check-out the map)  

The Exhibition will be up through December. 

www.Zoot-Art-Gallery.com/

Zoot Art Gallery, Bozeman, MT

return to:  Robert Howell Photography.com              

for more information drop me a line

"See you out there"

                ~~~Bob

 

 

 

The 600 Rule

How-to have  'points of light' stars,
                           photos with very little star movement. 

"Night Sky Landscapes" images with both the stars and the earth kept sharp requires the length of the exposure to be short enough that the stars do not appear to ‘trail’ due to the earth's rotation.

It mostly depends upon the focal length of your lenses.

For an 8x10 inch or smaller image the old 600 Rule works just fine.

It allows for the most seconds of exposure with the least amount of noticeable star movement.  For larger prints using a number of 500 or 450 is even better – less time to notice the Earth is rotating during the time you expose your image.

Divide the focal length of your lens into 600 and write it down.  Then do the same with the numbers 450 and 500.

24 into 600 = 25 seconds maximum to have little star movement show on 8x10 inch print 

24 into 500 = 21 seconds maximum to have little star movement 8x10 inch print or larger

24 into 450 = 19 seconds maximum to have almost no star movement large prints

That 6 second difference means you may need to increase the light on your landscape by  increasing the ISO or aperture settings…or adding ambient light.

Lenses with a longer (telephoto) focal length is like a magnifying glass --- showing more star movement than with wider angle lenses.

So, if you want a few extra seconds of exposure time, for images at 8x10 inches or less (like smaller online images) "the ol' 600 Rule" works...

Using the 600 Rule for astrophotography and Night Sky Landscapes:  Before you go out at night, calculate the maximum exposure time your lenses will allow you to shoot before the stars begin to make trails in your photos.

 

divide the number 600 by the focal length of your lens

Remember to calculate for the crop factor if your camera has an APS-C sized (crop) sensor.  

Canons with APS-C sensors ‘crop factor’ is 1.6x,
Nikon and Sony are 1.5x. 

So, if your camera has a APS-C sized sensor, divide 600 by your ?? mm lens (times) the crop factor.

examples here:

                                                  

                                         Cameras with crop factor                  600 ÷(divided by) your lens = max # of seconds

Canon with APS-C  sensor  50mm lens x 1.6 = 80mm focal length                600 ÷ 80mm     =           7.5 secs

Nikon   with APS-C  sensor  50mm lens x 1.5 = 75mm focal length                600 ÷ 75mm     =           8.0 secs
 

		1.6 crop sensor
14	mm	27	seconds
24	mm	16	seconds
50	mm	8	seconds
		1.5 crop sensor
14	mm	29	seconds
24	mm	17	seconds
50	mm	8	seconds

Cameras with Full Frame (FF) sensors, simply divide 600 by the ?? mm lens

                                                     Cameras without crop factor

14	mm	43	seconds
24	mm	25	seconds
50	mm	12	seconds

                                                         50mm lens = 50mm focal length              600 ÷ 50mm        =       12 secs

  


600 Rule 

"calculating for star point images,
                photos with very little star movement"

for this photo, APS-C camera, 50mm focal length,

600 ÷ 50 x 1.5 = 8 seconds is the longest exposure for a 50mm lens in order to have “Star Points” with very little movement

for this photo, FFcamera, 50mm focal length,

600 ÷ 50 x 1.5 = 12 seconds is the longest exposure for a 50mm lens in order to have “Star Points” with very little movement

~~~Keep Looking UP

return to:    Robert Howell Photography.com 

LuminBeings™

“Everything you can imagine is real.”

~~~ Pablo Picasso

LuminBeings™ on the playground

There’s something mystical about Night Sky Landscapes. 
Appreciating the space above, its connection with us, and time itself...

In Night Photography workshops I share how photography opens up the world
in a whole new light and thought.  Allowing yourself to be framed by the night,
embrace its essence and reawaken your ability to receive images and sensations
that are not typically perceived through sight, hearing, or other senses... 

return to:  Robert Howell Photography.com              

for more information drop me a line

"Keep Looking UP"

                ~~~Bob

 

 

GOT Ice Tea ?

When you look at a photo what specifically do you notice?

Do you know what caused you to pause, smile, or grimace?

Be specific about what you've noticed.

"The way we look at photos is the first step towards the way

we recognize scenes in-the-field with camera in-hand.

...and should influence us when we make future images."
                                                       ~~~Robert 

Here's an easy acronym to remember; 

"ice tea" [ I-C-T ]   IMPACT -------- COMPOSITION -------- TECHNIQUE

Did you notice any of these?

-------- IMPACT --------

Does the image “grab” you, the viewer, and demand attention?

• Is attention drawn to the intended subject making it the center of Interest?

• A this a unique/creative way of looking at a subject or object?

• Does this, or would another viewpoint/perspective add impact?

• Does the image stand out, is it more 'original' than others?

-------- COMPOSITION --------

Is the Placement or Posing of subject well executed / interesting?

What elements were used (or are needed) to make it a strong image?

• Is it clear what the main subject or story is?

• Intentional Arrangement • Rule of thirds (no "bulls eye/centered subject")

• Golden Mean

• Lead-in line   • ‘S’ Curve for depth

• Cropping

• A Foil (block) on right side (ie., tree, building, etc)

• A Low or High Horizon

• Light-to-dark   • Shadows

• Specific Details

• A Person to add scale and depth

• Framing (ie., tree branches) [sharp/not blurred]

• Space in front of moving subjects

• Harmony Complimentary colors or other interesting combinations

What elements should be avoided?

middle horizon, bull’s eye, background sunspots, blown-out hot spots,

tops of heads with horizon, unsharp framing, unbalanced weight on one side,

merging subject with frame edge, heavy/dark object across foreground...

-------- TECHNIQUE --------

Proper contrast, clarity, exposure for the subject or mood of the image.

What elements are used, or needed to make it a stronger image?

• Focus? • Exposure (over? under?)

• DOF (depth-of-field)?

• White Balance?

• Sharpness? • Lighting?

• Straight Horizon? (does not mean centered in the middle of the image)

• Filter use? • Polarizer? • Catch light?

• Detail seen in highlights and shadows? • Reflector usage?

• Post Processing techniques?

• Nice contrast?

• Natural colors? • Saturation? Tint? • Quality white and true blacks? 

return to:  Robert Howell Photography.com              

for more information drop me a line

"See you out there"

                ~~~Bob