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“Witness (2)”

Location:
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
42°57'50.8"N 122°09'11.6"W
https://goo.gl/maps/x6eChPHYUSon8jzy9

Time: 21:20 PDT (29 minutes after sunset) – 00:38 PDT
Date: June 28th-29th, 2022

Camera & Settings:
Nikon D810, NIKKOR 14-24 mm f/2.8G, Tripod
Tree: ISO 800, 14 mm, f/8, 1/20 sec
Foreground and Sky (6 Exposures):
ISO 3200, 14 mm, f/2.8, 20 sec
33 Dark Frames

Summary:
Witnessing the Milky Way traverse across the night sky over Crater Lake was a once in a lifetime experience. With no moon light to pollute the skies and the absence of clouds and wildfire smoke, the Milky Way burned brightly against a tapestry of stars and darkness.

Of course, this photograph shows a scene richer in color and stars than in person. A long exposure allowed the camera to absorb more starlight than our eyes can do. You’ll notice a green color across the sky. That’s “star glow”. It’s real and it’s not something we can easily see in person. (I hadn’t noticed it until looking at my photographs on the computer.)

But what the camera can deliver, our personal experience of being there it cannot. The wind was strong that night. Gusting pumice and ash from the crater rim into my face and camera. To either side of me were other photographers sharing the same experience – we chatted to each other while waiting for the right moment to take our pictures. Each of us had a different vision for the scene unfolding before us.

I specifically planned for and placed my camera in a way so that the branches, from the gnarled juniper in the foreground, would clear the crater rim. I did not want any overlap. I also did not want the juniper to overlap the Milky Way either. This is a carefully chosen composition. Almost none of the elements were unexpected, yet the beauty of nature never ceases to amaze me.

-Brendan

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