Witnessed this moment on the same night as that of Venus ascending. By the remote islands of the Andaman and in the midst of the dark night – we were chasing the grandeur Milky way. Meanwhile the stars from the other side of the galaxy were probably pondering over the beauty of this rugged island. At that moment, oblivious to our presence, the Venus decided to join the party and jumped on the thing (that we call as swing) to get a ride of its life :)
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 4000: 16 mm : f2.8 : 20.0 sec
Venus on the swing Morice Dera, The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
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 Not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise A morning filled with 400 billion suns The rising of the milky way – Carl Sagan, Cosmos
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
Morice Dera beach is a lovely rustic beach located adjacent to the Andaman Trunk Road – just after Rangat. The twin rock at Morice Dera is unique. The walkway in between these rocks leads toward an eye-catching horizon viewpoint. Both the beach and the viewpoint were ideal to sit, fall back and contemplate. It was a great place to just be and do nothing. Being bortle 1 skies, zillion of stars, viewpoints like this, and the stupendous views – Morice Dera topped our list from the Andaman trip, especially for chasing the stars. Venturing in the dark, stumbling by rocks, splashing in the water, beyond the viewpoint, definitely turned out to be worthwhile. The clouds were quickly closing in, but for a brief moment this scene of Venus ascending was indeed stunning!
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 4000: 16 mm : f2.8 : 20.0 sec
Venus ascending Morice Dera, The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
tranquil night under a blanket of stars – sleep gone, again :)
This shot is from a lovely spot is nestled less than 100 kms away from the bustling Bangalore, by the forests of Kanakapura (or whatever is left of it). Stay late, it is great to spend time with the stars :)
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 3200: 16 mm : f2.8 : 20.0 sec
Pattadakal – literally know as ‘coronation stone’ – is a small rustic town in the Bagalkot district of north Karnataka. This UNESCO world heritage site hosts 7th and 8th century collection of nine Hindu and one Jain temple built by the Chalukya dynasty. As we were exploring, witnessed the Galaganath Temple, adorned by the Malaprabha River, lit by moonlight & blanketed by the twinkle of stars.
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 1000 : 18 mm : f2.8 : 20 sec
By the banks of Malaprabha Bagalkot, Karnataka, India
Tractors (in this case a John Deere or JD) initially were a little more than a replacement for farm animals. All they could do was probably pull things. The modern tractors (with the power take-off motors and the front/back hitches) evolved to do much more – They became a staple of any typical farm and became adept in supporting plowing, planting, cultivating, fertilizing, and harvesting crops. Besides, they also came in handy for hauling materials and personal transportation. The rustic & rugged tractor always invokes a feeling of all the hard work that goes behind the scenes. Hence when I came across this, could not help but frame it under the starry night sky.
As for the lighting, thanks to the handkerchief that helped diffuse the strong beam from my trusted HP7 coastline flashlight. To get the Milky Way core aligned was clambering on the ground to get the composition tick. In the end, it all came together. Hope it is an apt ode to JD under Milky Way :)
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 2000 : 16 mm : f2.8 : 20 sec
Forest Hills Estate Denkanikottai, Tamil Nadu, India
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
Had planned to visit this particular area last year with a friend. That never materialized because of you know who :) Accounting to the same, 2020 had not been great, even more so for travel. Then what can be said for night travel ?!
Hence, when the Astro season started this year, was trying to hold my expectations low. This time of the year the Milky Way graces the night sky after 3 or 4 AM. It was only a small window, but the twilight even from the horizon behind graciously blanketed the lake with its warm light. The stars finally aligned, and I couldn’t be happier.
Feeling thankful that we still have pockets of the night sky in a short distance from busy cities where the stars can be appreciated. Here is to the love of stars. Happy Valentines Day !
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 5000: 16 mm : f2.8 : 8.0 sec
A Hillock by the lake Kanakapura, Karnataka, India
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]
The Geminids are a prolific meteor shower caused by the object 3200 Phaethon, which is thought to be a Palladian asteroid with a “rock comet” orbit. This makes the Geminids, together with the Quadrantids, the only major meteor showers not originating from a comet. – Wikipedia
The weather Gods were not very kind when planning for the grand conjunction ( Jupiter and Saturn) this week, but they were very supportive just the past week.
2020 had not been great for travel & photography. But as the year is coming to a closure, am glad our drive to Udupi, gave us the required rejuvenation by way of access to crystal clear nights & witness some of the showers :)
Sony A7III : Sony 16-35 mm : ISO 2500: 16 mm : f2.8 : 6.0 sec
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 !
There are times we race thru things. Actually we are conditioned to race for everything in life – both professional & personal. It takes effort to slow down. Be mindful. Adapt to natures pace. Once you get her secret, life would be much enriched :)
Canon 7D : Tamron 18-270 mm : ISO 800: 119 mm : f11 : 1/6 sec
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
This is not a great shot in technical sense, but the experience was quiet surreal …
I was really lucky : I got to experience the synchronous fireflies at Smokies for two years in a row. For the first year I got the tickets (this was the first year when they introduced the lottery for the viewing). For the second year I was not that lucky – the tickets got sold in minutes, from when it was opened up online.
As I was exploring to see if anyone would share or other alternate options – realized that booking a camp site at Elkmont campground, during the same days – would grant access to the trails. After trying few days, was able to grab a reservation as someone else cancelled. This even had an added advantage – It gets you within a mile of the Elkmont Viewing area. Even more, one could hike up the entire trail to avoid the crowds, much beyond the set area for lottery viewing. Just make sure to carry the campground reservation.
This shot is a composite of 164 shots (22 minutes) and around 8 sec exposure for the foreground. Thanks to the Sony A7S II that I was able to rent. This low light monster was able to capture so much of details even in the faint moon light !
The 70% gibbous moon was not conducive for the fireflies, but that did help light up the nearby stream :)
The hustling stream, chilling breeze, dark of the night, the little bit moon lit forest, walking with my son, by the trail into the Smokies Forest & Fireflies along the path – it was indeed a surreal experience !
Sony A7S II : Sony 28 mm: ISO 12800 : 10 mm : f2.0 : 8.0 sec [164 shots]
Some dreaming, some planning and a lot of waiting was involved for this shot. When I first got to visit this spot, I went crazy with ideas like a kid with cotton candy. Of those, capturing this beauty under the cosmic stars was on top. This past weekend everything came together to make this possible …
The temple was just couple feet away while the milky way was 25,000 light years away. The temple was constructed around 1000 years back while the milky way is from a couple million years back. Separated vastly by space and time, yet in in cosmic unison – it was one beautiful sight to behold !
Being no moon, it was quiet dark. Hence decided to play with light painting to make the temple pop. To make it even sweeter, I had a lovely assistant who diligently worked with me thru the process. Having to accompany my son on his first night out and shooting stars was even a greater experience :)
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 2500 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 20 sec
Vijayalaya Choleswaran Temple Pudukottai, TamilNadu, India
You can feel the stars and the infinity of the sky since life, in spite of everything, is like a dream. – Vincent van Gogh
In spite of all the noise, there is a connect when you are with the nature In spite of all the chaos, there is a tranquil when you are with the cosmos In spite of all the chase, there is a silence when you are with the stars
Cherish it, live it, love it and don’t ever lose it !
Canon 7D : Canon 10-22 mm : ISO 3200 : 10 mm : f3.5 : 20.0 sec
Great Smoky Mountain National Park Clingmans Dome, Tennessee, USA
Like the Ocean 