Zabriskie Point - remember how I keep commenting about running out of daylight? Here's how bad it got. I really wanted to see Zabriskie Point. It's quite photogenic and one of the most recognizable sights in Death Valley. So, here we were, driving past it on our way to Furnace Creek Inn, a couple of hours after sunset. I knew this would be my only opportunity for this trip. By the light of a half moon I made my way up the trail to what I assumed was the viewpoint. I could not make out the distinctive shapes of the badlands that I assumed to be stretched out in front of me. I could see the outline of Telescope Peak against the moonlit clouds on the horizon (far left). I could see nothing through the camera viewfinder. To focus, I pointed the camera at the moon, zoomed all the way in, focused and zoomed back out without touching the focus. Oh, and I turned off the auto-focus and image stabilization functions on the lens. Those do not work in your favor for what I was about to do. I gave my first shot a 30 second exposure. Nothing. The frame was as black as its subject. I upped the ISO to 1600, something I usually avoid at all costs, and tried another 30 second exposure. What to my wondering eyes should appear but an amazing, full color image from the blackness below. I evaluated that image, blindly re-aimed the camera to better frame the scene and took 5 more images. In the digital darkroom I stacked and averaged those images to produce the first image above. The light streaks in the sky are stars. Really! The second image is pointing north to pick up the stars - the Pleades and Taurus are clearly visible on the right. This is a single 30 second exposure at ISO 800. I missed the comet, unfortunately. It would have been visible, I think, with a diameter about the same as a full moon, which in this wide angle shot would just look like a tiny dust bunny. |