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Lighting

People have asked me a number of questions about equipment, issues, and technique in Nightscape or Landscape Astrophotography. Since many of these questions are recurring, I am going to post the questions and answers here. I’ll answer your questions to the best of my ability!

Question: I took a chance visit to Joshua Tree this past weekend and took shots until I heard coyotes calling and got scared. My question for you is what wide aspect illumination do you use to get general cover during night shots? I've been using flashlights and as you'll see from the below photo the coverage is not uniform. I got some great results with light from the side (not posted on flickr) but I need something wide angle and low key.Fyi I used to work in theatre lighting so I'm pretty good with types of lighting, I just don't know the best options for close-to-dark photography lighting.

Answer:   For small to moderately large areas I used reflected light. I have had no luck with shining a light directly on areas of interest. I use a halogen hand held spotlight, and try to find something off to the side to bounce it off, like another hoodoo or ridge. If you can find something about 45 degrees off to the side you can get some nice shadows, and a feeling of depth. This is what I used mostly in Bisti. You need only 6-10 seconds of light in a 30 sec exposure. Bouncing the light makes it much more even. The halogen lights (not LED) give a nice warm color. This is the one I use:

www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Cordless-Spotlight-Integrated-Cigarette/dp/B00HES8JI6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436649113&sr=8-1&keywords=luminar+worktm

The charge lasts about 15 min total, but if you use it 10 sec at a time that is up to 90 exposures. I do take test shots and get everything set up before I use it. There is a small learning curve. Sometimes I just bounce it off the ground. I use a "snoot" on the end of the light to prevent or diminish scatter. That is just a rolled up tube or cylinder of flexible material I place over the end of the light.

 www.flickr.com/photos/udijw/2862636559/in/set-72157602232660459/

For bigger areas I use constant on or "static" video lights. They are dimmable LED lights. I place them on a small tripod about 30 - 60 yards away. I use this small tripod:

www.amazon.com/dp/B004W4BAUO/ref=sr_ph_1?m=A2LM6ZPY06LT1N&ie=UTF8&qid=1436649689&sr=1&keywords=small+tripod

It is 42" high and weighs 1 lb, and fits in my luggage and pack easily. If I did not have to take airline flights I would use something taller or bigger. You need to get these lights up off the ground to decrease shadows. The LED lights are to blue, so they come with a warming filter and a diffusion filter. I use both all the time. I tape around the sides to prevent light leaks around sides of the filters. When you see one of these you will see want I mean.The one light I use the most is the F&V Z96 light:

www.amazon.com/HDV-Z96-96-LED-Light-Kit/dp/B003UCGDSS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_421_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=02WSRH8S48KXA07J6GEP

I turn it on low and leave it on and take a photo and adjust accordingly. It is best to place it about 45 degrees off to the side. Here are some others I have tried:

Neewer 160 LED:www.amazon.com/NEEWER®-Dimmable-Digital-Camcorder-Panasonic/dp/B004TJ6JH6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1436650355&sr=8-2&keywords=video+light+neewer

This one is usually too bright even at low settings.Ones I have tried recently and like:

Neewer 56 LED:www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008B3SISO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

It's dimmable, light, and pretty powerful, and costs $20. I like it a lot.

Newer 36 LED:

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009YQP3TE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

It's small, dimmable, and pretty powerful, about $19. I place it inside arches and small spaces. If it is still too bright I place a cloth napkin, or handkerchief, or lens cloth, or even paper napkins over the front to damp the light.Since you are exposing for the stars, it does not take much light. I usually use the on the lower settings and leave them on. You can barely see them in person until your eyes adapt.

Here are more photos from Bisti. For the panoramas I used the video lights. For the individual hoodoos I used bounce light from the halogen spotlight.

lightcrafter.smugmug.com/Nightscapes/Bisti-Badlands-New-Mexico/

Hope this helps! Cheers, Wayne

The Three Gossips by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook 

 Arches National Park, Utah. This is a night panorama of the landmark "Three Gossips" formation (foreground on the right), with "The Organ" rock formation in the center background. Sheep Rock is to the left. This is a panorama of multiple vertical images shot at 24 mm, !5 sec., f/2.8, and ISO 12,800, combined in Lightroom and processed in LR and Photoshop. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for taking the time to look. Hope you enjoy! Big thanks to the wonderful Flickr family for all the support and encouragement! Cheers, Wayne

Ancestral Puebloan (also known as the Anasazi or Cliffdwellers) Ruins in the Four Corners region of the SW USA. This a part of a pueblo, occupied in the 1200's, located in the Canyon of the Ancients. Cheers, Wayne Www.waynepinkstonphoto.com (at Canyon of the Ancients)

Delicate Arch by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook The world doesn’t really need another photo of Delicate Arch, lol, but it took me multiple tries to get a clean image, so I’m posting it anyway. I have been thwarted by clouds, wildfires, and people, and on one occasion when I took friends there I even found that I forgot to put my camera n my backpack! Note to self: If you forget your camera then you might as well forget the tripod as well. 😳 Anyway, the locations so crowded I started dreading going there. This time everyone went home by 1:00 a.m. and I had the location to myself for 1-2 hours until the clouds rolled in. Yeah!!! By the time I poised in the arch the clouds had arrived, so I removed my silhouette from the cloudy photo and placed it into the clear sky photo, so this is a blend. Thanks for looking!

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado, at night. This was taken near the end of August along the North or NE side. The Visitors Center and primary roads are along the South side, but the North side is much quieter. I was not aware of this park until I was introduced to it by @pinkstonian. For "Lord of the Rings" fans, this is as close to Mordor as you might ever see. The canyon is very dark, narrow, and deep. In some places it is much deeper than wide. The dark rock is much different than the red rock canyons of nearby Utah and Arizona. This is a composite of 2 images, 20 sec, ISO 12,800 for the sky, 300 sec, ISO 1600 for the foreground, both at 14mm, f2.8. Cheers, Wayne http://waynepinkstonphoto.com

Morning Twilight at the Trona Pinnacles by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: This one is a bit different. I overstayed my welcome, trying to get as many photos around the Pinnacles as possible before the sun rose, but despite my best efforts, the sun rose anyway. I was still shooting when the morning twilight started. As I took this photo the sun's glow was starting to be seen on the horizon, and with light pollution created a yellow glow. There were clouds near the horizon which were illuminated also. The sky was becoming noticeably lighter, but you could still see the Milky Way surprisingly well. There are 2 static lights helping to light the spires, one downhill to my right, and one downhill from my feet. There is also a fair amount of ambient light present from the twilight hour. It was a kind of "golden hour" before sunrise. Canon 1Dx Camera, Nikon 14-24 mm lens at 20 mm, f 2.8, 30 sec, and ISO 6400. Hope you enjoy!

The Ears of the Bear by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook This is Bears Ears National Monument, and these are the unusually symmetric and matching Bears Ears Buttes, the Buttes for which the new National Monument was named. I suspect most people are now aware that President Trump has made it one of his missions to eliminate or reduce some of the National Monuments, this being one. Sigh... This is located in southern Utah, and this part of the monument lies very near Natural Bridges National Monument, which is better known. The are around Bears Ears is mostly high desert on the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado Plateau is huge, occupying large portions of 4 states around the 4 corners region. It averages about 5,000 - 6,000 feet elevation, and there are numerous canyons cut into the plateau, including the Grand Canyon. This portion of Bears Ears is different though. You drive up through the pass between the 2 Buttes which is about 8,000 - 9,000 feet. Once you get over the pass you emerge into lush alpine meadows and a forested landscape that seems completely different from the surrounding area. There are shallow ponds which you do not see elsewhere. I was on a mission to get a panorama of the two Bears Ears Buttes with the Milky Way between them. This proved somewhat difficult because there were so many trees. Anyway, I spend a day driving down barely identifiable tracks through a beautiful wooded landscape until I found this spot. I returned the next new moon to capture this panorama. At this time of the photo I thought it was a bust, but it came out OK after all. I would have liked to move a few feet to the left for perfect symmetry, but there was deep ravine present. As an aside, the days of scouting and looking for places like this are some of my most pleasant days ever. For more images like this please take a look at Wayne Pinkston Photography . Thanks for all the kind support! Hope you enjoy! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family. It's a pleasure to post here. Cheers, Wayne

Grandstand at the La Playa Racetrack by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook This is "The Grandstand" in the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley. The Playa is a dry lake bed in Death Valley National Park. It lies in a relatively remote area, about a 4 hour drive from Furnace Creek, mostly down a rutted and sometimes rocky dirt road. This is not a road to hurry alone. There are many tales of flat or ruptured tires, and this is not a place to get stuck. The dry lake bed is sonic and unusual. It is best known for the "Sailing Stones" or "Walking Rocks". The Grandstand lies in the NW area of the Playa, and the Sailing Stones are better see more to the South. The Grandstand is a large rock formation arising from the dry lake bed. The photographer in the right foreground of the photo is Eric Gail. He masterminded the trip to the playa. Thank you Eric! You can see his excellent gallery here: www.flickr.com/photos/dot21studios Hey Eric, I'm going to need another model release! Maybe you can send me the name of your agent! Thanks for taking the time to look. Hope you enjoy! Big thanks to the wonderful Flickr family for all the support and encouragement! Cheers, Wayne

Among the Hoodoos by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook This was taken in the badlands in northern New Mexico. There are multiple areas you can visit outside of the better known Bisti Badlands. In this photo I was using Low Level Lighting to try and create a sense of depth to the field of hoodoos in the foreground. If you want a guide to the area consider contacting Kialo Winters at Navajo Tours USA. To all Night Photographers - There will be a large Nightscaper Conference in Moab May 1-3, 2019. There will be multiple speakers over 3 days and nightly excursions. You can find more information here: intothenightphoto.blogspot.com/ Thanks for all the kind support over the last year, it is much appreciated! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family!

Kiss the Sky by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook Sunset Arch in the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument in Utah, USA. This was taken during a workshop with Royce Bair (highly recommended!). Hope you enjoy! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family for all the support and encouragement! Cheers, Wayne