The Heavens - Blog Posts
The Totem Pole, Monument Valley by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook The Totem Pole in Monument Valley. You need a local guide to visit Monument Valley at night. I can recommend Majestic Monument Valley tours if you are interested. I am planning something different and new that I hope will be a lot of fun. I am planning Fantasy Nightscape Workshops during the July new moon. There will be 2 three day workshops, in July 2018, July 8 through 10, and July 11 through 13. Photographer Eric Gail will also be an instructor. The workshop will be in the New Mexico Badlands. This area has multiple “Otherworldly” locations. This area gives us multiple sites that will be suitable for photographing fantasy scenes. This workshop will be different in that we will compose the photos with Fantasy Figures. It will be like Comic Com under the Milky Way. We will first capture the composition in a standard fashion without a person and then with one or more fantasy figures in the photo. We will provide costumes including an Astronaut (full spacesuit), Alien, Predator, Lord of the Rings (Aragorn-Strider), Conquistador, Star Wars (including Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Obi Wan Kanobee, Jango Fett), Witches, and Wizards, Steampunk, and Medeival figures, Conquistador, etc. If that is not imaginative enough you can bring your own fantasy outfit! We will be shooting in an Otherworldly setting so costumes or figures that fit the setting would be best. Suggestions are welcomed! There will be lectures in the late afternoons for about 2 hours depending on group interest. We will cover and practice Landscape Astrophotography, Low Level Lighting, and Composition, in addition to planning, and scouting for Astrophotography. Additionally we will cover using smartphone apps such as TPE, Photopills, True DoF (Depth of Field) and Gaia GPS, and Google Earth, etc. These are instrumental in my planning and scouting. If you are interested please mail me here at Flickr. Thanks for all the kind support over the last year, it is much appreciated! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family!
To Walk a Pale Land, Part 3 by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook Part 3 of a series, "To Walk a Pale Land". New Mexico Badlands. Single Exposure. Low Level Lighting (LLL) with one small Goal Zero Micro Lantern turned down low and about 40 meters away to the left. For more images like this please take a look at Wayne Pinkston Photography . Thanks for all the kind support over the last year, it is much appreciated! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family!
Arches Within Arches by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook Arch in Northern New Mexico For more images like this please take a look at Wayne Pinkston Photography . Thanks for all the kind support over the last year, it is much appreciated! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family!
White Mesa Arch by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook White Mesa Arch in Arizona. This is in the Navajo Nation and you should have a local guide to go there. This spot was completely off my radar until it was introduced to me by Quanah Parker who is with Majestic Monument Valley Tours. This trip caused me some embarrassment, lol. You have to climb a sandy hill to get to the arch. We parked down below, and I grabbed my gear and tripod and headed up. I set up the lights (Low Level Lighting) and tripod and reached for the camera, which wasn't there, sigh. It was still in the backseat of the car. You would think that you could at least remember the camera on a photo trip, sigh again... Anyway it was down the hill and back up the hill. The night was a success anyway. The arch is huge, and the view through the arch is wonderful. There is some light pollution form homesteads in the area. Many thanks to the model, Jacinda Wileto! For more images like this please take a look at Wayne Pinkston Photography . Thanks for all the kind support over the last year, it is much appreciated! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family!
Sunset Arch, Escalante by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook Sunset Arch, Escalante. Low Level Lighting, LLL, used under the Arch, and dim LLL used on the outside of the arch. The Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument is a terrific dark sky location, recently drastically reduced in size by the government. This was taken while assisting during a workshop by Royce Bair, a terrific teacher. Check out his ebook! For more images like this please take a look at Wayne Pinkston Photography . Thanks for all the kind support over the last year, it is much appreciated! I would have never believed that my photos could ever receive 22 million views. A big thank you for making this possible!
Forged by Ancient Earth by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook This is a Butte in Arizona near Monument Valley, the inner plug of an ancient volcano, similar to Shiprock. This is on Navajo land and was taken from the road, so as to not trespass. 50 mm lens, f 2.0, 15 seconds, ISO 6400, Nikon D810A camera. No added lighting. Panorama of 7 vertical images. If you are interested in night tours in and around Monument Valley, google "Majestic Monument Valley Tours", call then and ask for a night tour with Quanah Parker. 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.
The Druid by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook Just a fun shot from the New Mexico Badlands with some props, an enjoyable session trying to create a "magical" feel, shot with with Ryan Wykoff and Jessica Mahoney. Thanks! Single exposure, 24 mm, f 2.0, 15 sec., ISO 8000. 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.
Monument Valley Panorama by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Panorama of The Mittens in Monument Valley at night. 12 images, 24 mm, f 1.6, 13 seconds, ISO 10,000. Monument Valley Landscape Astrophotography Workshop! There are 3 remaining spots open in the workshop I will be leading in MV June 6 to 9, 2018. Details can be found here: waynepinkstonphoto.com/Workshops If you are interested please contact me here or through my website, waynepinkstonphoto.com This is a 4 day workshop with an extra "optional" 5th day on June 10 if anyone wants to stick around and shoot nightcapes with me in the area. This day can also be used as a make-up day if needed. Three days will be scheduled shooting in Monument Valley and one day outside of Monument Valley. That day will be used to practice and learn Low Level Lighting while shooting hoodoos in the area. Landscape Astrophotography will be the focus of the workshop. There will be lectures on 3 days, and a group dinner on one day. I have also been asked frequently about guiding and workshops in the New Mexico Badlands. So here is a general question - Is anyone out there interested in attending a Landscape Astrophotography Workshop in the New Mexico Badlands May 14 - 17, 2018? There is no obligation, I'm just trying to judge interest. 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.
The Elephant Walks at Night by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Thank You Flickr!!! This is my photo from earlier this year that was included in the recently announced Top 25 Photos on Flickr Award for the year 2017. blog.flickr.net/en/2017/12/07/top-25-photos-on-flickr-in-... So what does this mean? I do not delude myself into thinking that this is one of the best 25 photos on Flickr, It is not. I see many photos that I consider much better than my own. I am humbled by many of the high quality photos I see on Flickr, and those are what drive me to try and improve. This award, to the best of my knowledge, is based on how many views, likes, and comments a photo receives. What this award means is that many, many people on Flickr have been very, very kind to me, This is award is a reflection of the wonderful Flickr Community. It means that many of you have taken the time to look at my photos and comment and maybe "like" them. This award is simply a reflection of how kind people have been to me, much more than anything I have done myself. So I get it that you all have made this possible. So this is my sincere THANK YOU to all the wonderful Flickr people that made this happen. This is your award, much more than mine. Cheers, and Happy Shooting to all in 2018! Wayne Pinkston
Matate Arch in Devils Garden, Escalante by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website, Instagram, Facebook This is Metate Arch in Escalante, Utah. Royce Bair masterminded this composition. Thanks Royce! There is Low Level Lighting (LLL) behind the arch with an LED light panel turned down very low. See www.lowlevellighting.org This is a single exposure tanken at 20 mm, f 2.0, 8 sec., and ISO 10,000. 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.
Honeymoon Arch by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook Honeymoon Arch in Monument Valley. This is taken from "inside" the arch. There is a large opening in the front, and a large opening skyward. This is a vertical panorama taken with a 14 mm lens. The Arch has a much more standard appearance from the front which I will post later. There is lighting using Low Level Lighting (lowlevellighting.org), in this case with 2 small Goal Zero Micro lights used on lowest power. This arch, and many of the other arches in Monument Valley are off the usual tourist routes. If you are interested in night tours google "Majestic Monument Valley Tours", call them and ask for a night tour with Quanah Parker. 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.
The Great Kiva by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook My is my personal favorite photo of the summer, a view of the MW over the Great Kiva at Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Culture National Historical Park. This is an impressive and mysterious place even in the daytime, but is haunting at night, like stepping back in time. There is LLL (Low Level Lighting) within the Kiva (a small Goal Zero Micro Lantern lowered on a string), and LLL on the background structures by a Ceneroid light panel on a tripod off to the left. See www.lowlevellighting.org This is a panorama of 13 images taken at 20 mm, f 2.0, 20 sec., and ISO 10,000. There is a thin layer of clouds present which causes the stars to be somewhat indistinct and to "bloom". I thought they might mess up the photos but I ended up liking the effect. You need a special use permit, SUP, and must be accompanied by a ranger to go in at night. Adult supervision is required! 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.
Nankoweap Overlook, East Rim of the Grand Canyon by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Faceb ook Nankoweap Overlook on the East Rim of the Grand Canyon. This is an remote undeveloped area along the western margin of the Navajo Nation and along the East Rim of the Grand Canyon. There are many miles/km of dirt roads and tracks to reach this site, but most of them are flat and in good condition. In 3 days of scouting and 3 nights of shooting I encountered 0 people. You do need a Navajo permit to travel in this area. This is a blend of 2 images taken back to back from the same spot, a 240 sec. image of the foreground at 14 mm, f 2.0, and ISO 2500 with long exposure noise reduction (LENR), and a sky image taken at 20 sec., 14mm, f 2.0, and ISO 12,800 and blended in PS. In my opinion the river views along this part of the canyon are much better than on the South or North Rims. The light pollution is from the South Rim and tourist area many miles away. One perplexing note - the area is on the edge of the Navajo Nation which uses Daylight Savings Time, and Arizona which does not use DST. If you are using your smartphone for planning Milky Way shots (example TPE, Photopillls, PlanIt) and you leave your phone on "Auto Time Zone", strange things will happen. You can walk 10 ft., 3 m, and your time zone will change, and sometimes the time and time zone will change back in forth standing in one place. You start wondering "what time is it really?", and "just what time zone did I plan for?". I marked times to be in certain spots and then had no idea what time it really was, lol. Advice: pick a time zone and take your phone off auto before you ever get there! Cheers, Wayne 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.
Canyon de Chelly Panorama by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Faceb ook Panorama of Canyon de Chelly in Chinle, Arizona, taken from one of the viewpoints on the Southern Rim. I had never seen a night photo from the rim of the canyon so I wanted to give it a try. There was so much light pollution that I did not expect this to be successful, and left disappointed after trying panoramas from several viewpoints. When I processed it, the image was more successful than expected, and the light pollution actually adds more color to the photo. 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.
Colorado River Confluence by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook This is a photo on the East Rim of the Grand Canyon near the confluence of the Colorado and the Little Colorado Rivers. This lies in the Navajo Nation and you need a permit to go here. Permits can be purchased in nearby Cameron, Az. This is the site that is involved in the "Grand Canyon Escalade" bill, a bill that proposes to built tourist resort and a tram gondola down into the canyon, at the confluence of the 2 rivers. In this photo the Little Colorado is hidden behind the rock to the left. As you might expect, there has been a great deal of disagreement and discussion about the bill in the Navajo Nation. Many of the council members oppose the bill. The bill was defeated but there are signs it make reemerge with some changes. The project would include a hotel, visitors center, and a parking lot on the rim. There would be a tram gondola down to the canyon floor at the rivers confluence, a cafe near the rivers, and a river walk. The area currently is deserted pristine land. You have to drive 20-30 miles (30-50 km) down dirt roads to reach the site. There literally hundreds of miles of dirt roads around the East Rim covering a vast area. There are multiple spectacular viewpoints looking over the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers, and the river views, in my opinion, are better than from the North or South Rims. In 3 full days of scouting and 3 full nights of shooting I did not encounter a single human. There are quite a few free ranging horses and a few cattle. I also encountered a few coyote. Note - If you go there you will be a long way from help, so take plenty of water and gas. This is the site of the proposed Escalade, but there are actually better views of the 2 rivers, which I will post soon. By the way, this is a single exposure taken with the new Sigma 14 mm f/1.8 lens, taken at f 1.8, 25 seconds, and ISO 12,800. I would now have been able to get this detail within the dark canyon without the wide aperture, at least not in a single exposure. 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.
The Totem Pole, Monument Valley by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook The Totem Pole, Monument Valley, Utah. I am planning to lead a Landscape Astrophotography workshop in Monument Valley in June 2018, a 3 day workshop on June 7, 8, and 9 (Thursday through Saturday), and potentially a 4 day workshop June 11 through 14 inclusive. Sunday, June 10 (the in-between day) will be a "bonus day" for any participant who wants another night of shooting. So you can get in 4 nights of shooting in the first workshop and 5 nights in the second. I am trying to judge interest to determine whether to add the second workshop. Max of 6 participants in each workshop. Let me know you if you are interested in the comments below. Comments are non-binding, lol. This workshop will be run by Worldpix, a charity organization, and all profits will go to charity, so your participation will be helping a good cause. I will be donating my time in leading the workshop. The idea is to have fun doing photography and aide a good cause at the same time. We will cover planning night shoots, photographing the Milky Way (and landscape at night), Low Level Lighting, and processing Milky Way photos, with emphasis on single exposure acquisitions. Cheers, Wayne 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.
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
To Walk a Pale Land by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook First in a series from the Ah-Sie-Sle-Pah Wilderness in the New Mexico Badlands. The area is a unusual sculptured landscape that looks as if a master photographer had turned the saturation down to "1". The appearance is even more pale than pictured here, as it's hard to reproduce the appearance. The ridges , ravines, and mudstone hoodoos are bleached of color, looking bland in color in the day, but surreal at night. Single Exposure, 14 mm,f 2.8, 25 sec., ISO 12,800. There is lighting with Low Level Lighting, LLL, with a single small Goal Zero Micro Lantern, turned down to low, about 30 m to the left. It doesn't take much! 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
Sipapu Bridge by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook Sipapu Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument Sipapu Natural Bridge in Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, USA. The natural bridge is huge. Those are full trees under the bridge. The arch of the bridge is massive. Hiking down to the bridge at night is like hiking down into a magical land. The arch of bridge is 225 feet or 68 m wide, and the height is 144 feet, 44m. You hike down about 600 feet, 183m into the canyon along a dark trail. Suddenly you realize you have arrived, and looking up see a massive stone arch towering above your head, dwarfing all that is around, and making you feel very, very small. Single exposure for the sky, stacked exposures in camera for the foreground, taken consecutively from the same spot. Hope you enjoy! 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
Aztec Priestess by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook Single Exposure, Aztec, New Mexico. 24 mm, f 1.6, ISO 6400, 15 sec. 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
Boot Arch by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook Boot Arch in the Alabama Hills of California. Nikon D810A Camera, 14-24 mm lens, 24 mm, f 2.8, 30 sec., ISO 10,000. Lighting with Low Level Lighting (LLL). For more info about this technique please see www.lowlevellighting.org 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
Tower of Babel by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook Tower of Babel, Arches National Park, Utah. Nikon D810A Camera, 14-24 mm lens, 24 mm, f 2.8, 20 sec., ISO 8000. Lighting with Low Level Lighting (LLL). For more about this technique please see lowlevellighting.org 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
Kiss the Sky by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook Bristlecone Pine in the Ancient Bristlecone Pone Forest, California. Single exposure. Nikon 810A camera, 14-24 mm lens, 20 mm, f 2.8, 20 sec., ISO 12,800. Lighting with Low Level Lighting (LLL), lowlevellighting.org For more images like this please take a look at my website here . 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
Joshua Tree at Night by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook Joshua Tree National Park, California. Canon 1Dx camera, Nikon 14-24 mm lens with an adaptor, f 2.8, ISO 6400. Lighting with Low Level Lighting (LLL). For more about this technique see lowlevellighting.org For more images like this please take a look at my website here . 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
Cedar Breaks Panorama by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook This is a panorama made of 2 sets of 13 vertical images from the Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah. This is less well known as compared to the "Big 5" National Parks in Utah, but is a remarkably beautiful place. It resembles a huge eroded bowl or huge geode cracked open exposing innumerable red to orange hoodoos. Breathtaking! It is very close to Cedar City and Zion National Park. This is a blend of 2 panoramas, taken back to back and with the tripod unchanged in position. The sky images were taken at 18 mm, 20 sec., f 2.8 and ISO 12,800. The foreground was taken at 18 mm, ISO 3200, 300 seconds and f 2.8. The images were blended in photoshop. For anyone counting, lol, the foreground images took a little over an hour at 5 minutes apiece. Sitting around and quietly staring at the sky for an hour can be very pleasant. :-) For more images like this please take a look at my website here . Thanks for all the kind support! Hope you enjoy! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family. Cheers, Wayne
The Alien Throne by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook The Alien Throne, New Mexico Badlands. Nikon D810A, 14-24 mm lens, 14 mm, f 3.2, 25 sec., 6400. For more images like this please take a look at my website here . Thanks for all the kind support! Hope you enjoy! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family. Cheers, Wayne
It's a Long Way From Here To There by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook Bryce Canyon National Park. Canon 6D Camera, 16-35 mm lens, f 2.8, 20 mm, ISO 6400. Single Exposure. For more images like this please take a look at my website here . Thanks for all the kind support! Hope you enjoy! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family. Cheers, Wayne
Starlight Tufas by Wayne Pinkston Via Flickr: Website Instagram Facebook Starlight Tufas at Mono Lake. Single Exposure. Nikon D810A Camera, 14-24 mm lens, 17 mm, 20 sec., ISO 12,800. For more images like this please take a look at my website here . Thanks for all the kind support! Hope you enjoy! A big thank you to the wonderful Flickr family. Cheers, Wayne