Just because u don’t see the moon, doesn’t mean it isn’t there :)
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Canon 7D : Sigma 150-600 mm : ISO 1000 : 600 mm : f6.3 : 1/250 sec
Partial Solar Eclipse
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
October 25, 2022
Until next time …
June 27, 2022
Milky Way by twilight
This week’s capture is from one of the rugged and remote islands of the Andaman, which probably has one of the best night skies and even more amazing sunrises. Looking back, the 4 shot panorama was not enough to capture the grandeur as it unfolded. Anyway what is more magical than watching a milky way or a dramatic sunrise – it is of course watching a Milky Way rise during a dramatic twilight sunrise.
A still more glorious dawn awaits
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Not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise
A morning filled with 400 billion suns
The rising of the milky way – Carl Sagan, Cosmos
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 4000 : 16 mm : f2.8 : 10 sec (4 shot Pano)
Somewhere in Andaman
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
April 28, 2022
Ethereal
music, like light permeates the space
music, like breeze soothes the soul
music, like fantasy captivates the mind
music, like waves caress the body
music, like thunder shatters the ego
music, like magic opens portals to other dimensions
Nikon D810 : Nikon 14-24 mm : ISO 1000 : 20 mm : f2.8 : 39 sec (blub)
Dhani Nallah Beach
Rangat, The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
March 27, 2021
Mysterious with Milky Way
Just 50 km from the busy bustle of Bangalore, nestled within the forests of Kanakapura is this classified spot. When the time is right and the stars align, I mean literally – one could witness the magic. Out here, in the darkness of the night – the lava flows and portals to the parallel universe open up. Just witnessing the same under the glow the of Milky Way elicits mysticism beyond belief …
Or maybe it was just a few friends, toying with the laser light by a meek rock, in the mango groves that lies by the edge of the Kanakapura forest :)
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 2500 : 16 mm : f2.8 : 20 sec
Kanakapura Forest
Kanakapura, Karnataka, India
March 20, 2021
Hunt for the Milky Way
In the southern part of India, the monsoon season & the Milky Way season greatly overlap. Hence the window to witness & capture the Milky Way is quite small. Add to it the alignment of the same over weekends and access to decent night skies. The probability goes down even further.
After keeping a close eye on the conditions, decided to head towards Coorg with friends for some Milky Way hunting. Though the spot was a Bortle 2, the elevation of the location brought in rolling clouds, fog, and morning mist. After 1 1/2 days of waiting, the weather Gods decided to give a glimpse of the Milky Way, just for us :)
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 5000 : 16 mm : f/2.8 : 20 sec
Balyabane
Coorg, Karnataka, India
January 29, 2021
Cosmic Showers
When it rains, look for rainbows
When it is dark, look for stars
When it rains stars, sit back and enjoy the show :)
Even when we don’t see – the night falls, stars raise and the show continues. Here is a fleeting moment spread across 25 mins, from a random night captured from few years back.
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 2500 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 30 sec [50 shots]
Cosmic Showers
Harmon, Illinois, USA
September 18, 2020
By the Silent night
The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows. – Brene Brown
This shot is from few years back, when we used to do occasional visits between Greenville, SC and Alpharatta,GA. Enroute is the fabulous forests of Tugaloo, right adjacent to lake Hartwell. From one such drive, sunday late into the night, ignoring the imminent monday morning blues – pulled over an arbitrary & craggy road. Decided to take a stroll and it didn’t disappoint.
Set on a timer, this was captured as contiguous 177 shots spread over 45+ minutes. As for the processing ran the 177 shots through the (free) Creative Effects UI Photoshop script with Saucer effect. This could have been shot as a single exposure, but I always prefer smaller multiple exposures. It gives a lot more freedom around the creative processing :) How do u like it !
Forest of Tugaloo
Lavonia, Georgia, USA
August 4, 2020
Aihole wrapped in a blanket of stars
Just an hour’s drive from Badami is Aihole – a historic site of ancient & medieval era with Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments. There are a variety of temples sprinkled all over this place. With so much variety, Aihole is indeed the cradle of temple architecture. The incredible work here dates from the sixth century through the twelfth century.
This week’s shot is from one such complex which hosts a collection of about 30 temples by the banks of river Malaprabha. The quarter moon was just enough to light the temple complex, while still allowing to enjoy the grandeur of the stars. The trip from earlier this Feb was not conducive to enjoy the Milky Way, but it helped to get an enticing composition around the north star with equally captivating temples in the foreground. How do you like it ?!
PS : This shot was made possible with ~200 shots over 45 mins and composited with the “Creative Effects” Photoshop script. You can download the same for free here :)
By the banks of Malaprabha
Aihole, Karnataka, India
January 6, 2020
Cosmic View by Backyard
The Cosmos is all that is, or ever was, or ever will be. – Carl Segan
It is one thing to drive out to the county side in the dark of the night to enjoy the stars. But imagine a world where you could wait for the sun to go down the horizon, grab some coffee and just enjoy this celestial view.
There exists places where, when the sun sets the black curtain rolls up and the sky fills with dazzling stars.
Most of us being urban dwellers, ought to do more to protect the night sky. Not just for the sake of protecting it, but for the sake of amazing views and serene feeling it brings !
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 2500 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 20 sec
Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges
Cedar Key, Florida, USA
February 14, 2019
Find your light
The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows. Find your light and make it shine :)
Canon 7D : ISO 2500 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 30.0 sec
| Mirror Lake State Park Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA |
January 7, 2018
Cosmos
At times, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere,
At times, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.
Cedar Keys, FL is one low key place that still holds secret spots where lights have still not polluted the gorgeous night sky. Being under the stars always brings in the feeling of being wonderfully insignificant and puts one one in a contemplative state. Starting 2018 with reflection and positive thoughts & Wishing you the best for the same too :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 2500 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 20 sec
| Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuges Cedar Key, Florida, USA |
October 21, 2017
Orionids on a Chilly Night
A Sip of a hot chai
Gentle breeze of the cold night
Shimmering of the twinkling stars
A blazing streak of a meteor
– few experiences are worth skipping the cozy sleep :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 2500 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 20 sec
| Orionid Meteor Shower (10.21.2017) Whitmire, South Carolina, USA |
August 23, 2017
The Sun, Moon & Regulus
Watching the Solar Eclipse was quiet an experience. Witnessing the totality was even more personal.
In the peak of the afternoon – the scorching summer sun became so pleasant ; the temperature dropped ; the crickets became exuberant ; there was sunset all around and quiet an excitement permeated in the air. It was a surreal experience to witness a 360° sunset and right in the middle of the afternoon.
High above, as the moon obscured the Sun, it was a sight to behold ! Totality is the only time during solar eclipse that can be enjoyed with out any additional protection to the eyes. The Sun’s corona extends millions of miles into space and is most prominently visible during a total solar eclipse. Regulus, a bright star in the constellation Leo and among the brightest in Earth’s night sky. Due to its extreme brightness, Regulus can be spotted next to the sun’s corona, though its 79 Light years away.
The photos / videos do no justice to the experience, but here is an attempt to freeze that moment – for my friends who were not able to experience this in person. Do check out full screen at higher resolution – definitely worth it :)
| Moon | 1,079 Mile Radius | 238,900 Miles Away |
| Sun | 432,288 Mile Radius | 92,960,000 Miles Away |
| Regulus | 1,296,864 Mile Radius | 458,500,000,000,000 Miles Away |
Canon 7D : Sigma 150-600 mm : ISO 320 : 600 mm : f5.6 : 1/6 sec
| Solar Eclipse Totality Whitmire, South Carolina, USA |
March 27, 2016
Milky Way by Night
Somewhere, Something incredible is waiting to be known. – Carl Sagan
As Spring comes up, so does the galactic arm of the milky way. Due to the curvature and constant movement of the earth, the Milky Way is below the horizon during the months of November to February, and can be enjoyed with the galactic center from March to October (if you live in the northern hemisphere).
This shot is from the one of the most known Perseids meteor shower from the past year. We drove around the Green river state wildlife area and luckily chanced upon a remote road. As I light painted the foreground with Coast HP7, the meteor sparkled across the night sky. One of the stars even decided to play the head of the comet.
Looking forward to more adventurous nights this year :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 100 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 30 sec
| Perseids (08.13.2015) @ Green River State Wildlife Area Harmon, Illinois, USA |
June 25, 2015
Road to Aurora, accompanied by Fireflies
Had been missing on sharing posts lately as work is going crazy. On the night of Jun 22, was working thru midnight, but when the Aurora was still going strong and the weather was forecasted to clear up, it was time to take a decision – to snuck under the blanket for a deserved cozy sleep, after a really long day OR miss out on the sleep and drive out couple hours to get a chance of a lifetime. Being a working day did not help either.
Looking back, I definitely would have regretted, if I had not drove out at 1 AM. Ideal time for Aurora viewing is from 10 PM to 2 AM and a location that is potentially dark, away from the pollution of city lights. The weather was starting to clear only around 3 AM. Hence it was all a hit or a miss.
But oh boy – the big dipper, the lovely colors of aurora dancing & the fireflies that decided to accompany the sweet night – it was quiet an encounter :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 1600 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 20 sec
| 06.23.2015 3:40 AM CST @ Green River Wildlife Area Harmon, Illinois, USA |
April 5, 2015
Lunar Eclipse by the Lighthouse
Witnessing the lunar eclipse was magical. Planning and shooting the same was a lot of fun. Out here, in the north east of US, the lunar eclipse was not total, so missed out on the blood moon, but it was still a scintillating experience. As the moon was getting into total eclipse, it set over the horizon. But at the same time it created for some interesting photographing options.
This involved a lot more planning than it meets the eye (and a bit of luck, as there were too many variables from the weather, location, time zone, the quality of the air etc. Will share more details on the planning and tools in a separate article, for my geek friends out there later this week.
Additionally, this is something new I had tried. Had always wanted to shoot a scene around sunset and into the night and highlight the same in a single frame as time-slice [A time slice is depicting a time range in a single frame]. When I learnt about the lunar eclipse, this past week, thought it might be a good candidate for time slice. This shot is a mix of landscape and time slice – in an attempt to highlight the lunar eclipse in the context of the surrounding landscape. These shots were taken from 4:45AM EST thru 6:25 AM EST (one of the shortest lunar eclipse of this century). This was a panorama made out of a composite. Though it does not look like a wide view, that is what helped capture the moon and the lighthouse in context (all 12 images [10 for the moon and 2 for the lighthouse] used to create the same, were shot at the extreme end of my long zoom lens). The long zoom helped actuate the size of the moon to some extent due to the much debated perspective compression effect.
Driving for couple of hours, setting out with the camera in the biting cold, witnessing moving ice by the lake, the planning, the execution and the processing – it all culminated in the below shot :)
Panorama Time slice made with 13 shots
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Time Slice of Lunar Eclipse 04.04.2015 South Haven, Michigan, USA |
March 29, 2015
Falling Star … Falling Star …!!!
This was from the night, few moons ago, when I was shooting the camelopardalis meteor shower. Clear nights are nice to shoot the milky way. But a little bit if mist, actuates and gives a good nice glow to the stars. I love the Green River Wildlife Area for the night sky watching. It provides ample dirt roads and parking spots where you could set up base ! For this shot I set up the camera and decided to drive around and the set the car, so the head lights could light up the trees :)
It is fun to shoot the milky way. It is even more enjoyable when my family joins in the party. My son (8 yrs) is equally intrigued by the night sky. Along with the shot, just wanted to share something he wrote during one of our trips to catch a glimpse of a meteor shower.
Falling star Falling Star
Sliding down the Sky
I will catch You when I fly.Falling star Falling Star
You have a Shiny light,
Which makes you very Bright
You go swiftly
– My Dad takes snaps of U quickly.Falling Star Falling Star
We see U barely,
So come out early
We see U in dark starlit midnight
Hoping to see U tonight. – Pranav :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-24 mm : ISO 2500 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 30 sec
| Camelopardalis Meteor, Green River Wildlife Area Harmon, Illinois, USA |
May 24, 2014
209P/LINEAR’s handshake with earth – Camelopardalis
As you would have read from the news, the new meteor shower – Camelopardalis – was expected to adorn the skies during the early morning of 5.24.2014. When I heard about this meteor shower, I was pretty excited. Time of the event being a weekend – check. Location – northern continental US – favorable. Clear skies – check. May be the stars just aligned for this :)
Camelopardalis – I was wondering about the name, as it has been as long as the giraffe’s neck, when I came across this !
The giraffe’s species name, camelopardalis (camelopard), is derived from its early Roman name where it was thought of as a composite creature, described as having characteristics of both a camel and a leopard.
The forecasted peak time for the meteor shower was from 1 –3 AM CST. It was not as much as hyped (~200 / hr ?), but the night was still clear and Milky way was magnificent. Around 4 AM, took out my flash light and started playing to get a star war style crisscross with the milky way. Just then the celestial gods decided to bless – look – a shooting start in the same direction my camera was positioned, as if to slice the Milky way.This was not one of the shooting star i saw in person. I was busy walking up & down and playing with the flash light. But I will definitely settle for this shot instead :)
Lesson to self : Never given up, just go out and do what you like, you never know when the stars will align :)
Note: Are you just getting started with night photography ? Do check out this article !
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 2500 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 30 sec
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Camelopardalis Meteor (05.24.2014) Green River Wildlife Area Harmon, Illinois, USA |
June 12, 2013
Delphinids – That elusive Meteor Shower
I went to shoot the Deliphids and all I got was this :)
Coming in from office stumbled upon the article – that talked the the elusive Delphinids Meteors. When NASA said it was elusive, I should have agreed. Instead I decide to drive up 2 hours, to sleep under the stars. I just awaited a bit too long for the peak of the meteor (forecasted around 3:30 – 4:30 AM) and missed to realize that the sun would start to lit up the horizon quiet early during summer… The meteors were indeed quiet elusive. Given this was mid of work week, it was a good straight 36 hours without sleep, but was well worth the experience !
Just in case you were wondering, this was just a regular star trail shot processed with Comet effect. Am working on an article explaining the same. For now do check out – Getting Started with Starscapes here.
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 1000 : 10 mm : f22 : 30 sec
| Green River State Wildlife Area Harmon, Illinois, USA |
May 13, 2013
The Road to Milky Way
Living close to Chicago has its perks, but star-gazing is definitely not one of them. With so much of ambient light pollution, it is difficult to see any stars. Tools of trade – Dark Sky Finder – came to the rescue, in locating some decent dark skies @ Green River State Wildlife Area. The 2 hour drive made me realize how much impact light pollution has on the night skies. Anyways, couple nights back – everything fell in place – new moon, weekend, forecast for clear skies and not so cold nights – all came together. Clear Sky Chart is one other site that is quiet handy to plan trips like these …
Out at this location, the side roads, provide for some interesting composition – without being bothered by light trails of the vehicles. There are not many crazy folks who drive around at that hour ;-) It was an happy accident to have captured a meteor on this particular night. This probably was from Eta Meteor shower that peaked couple of days back.
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 2500 : 12 mm : f4 : 30 sec
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Eta Meteor (05.11.2013) @ Green River State Wildlife Area Harmon, Illinois, USA |
Like the Ocean 