Irene's Misty Back Side

Title

Irene's Misty Back Side

Artist

Mike Berenson

Medium

Photograph

Description

Lake Irene's front side view made her famous but it was her back side that had me impressed. With the misty reflection and the northern end of the Milky Way, there was only one thing that I wanted to make the scene complete… and if you look closely, you can see the Andromeda Galaxy appearing just above the trees.

With mountains blocking both wind and light pollution, I found Lake Irene to be an excellent location for night photography workshops and that was the case when this image was captured. We had just spent some time light painting on the front side of the lake and here, I helped my class apply their skills in what has proven to be the most popular stop in my night photography workshops in Rocky Mountain National Park.

How I Got The Shot
In capturing the scene, I knew that light painting would be the challenge. I wanted to illuminate the foreground in a way that didn't let it overpower the scene. I really wanted it subtle. So I used my Brinkman Dual Xenon light to shoot an indirect spike toward a tree over my left shoulder. I often find that the angle of a tree and the overall coloring provides good results.

I shot this image with a fisheye lens to take as much of the scene in from top to bottom as possible. I'm generally pleased with the results but to be honest, I would like a sharper foreground. If I were to reshoot this I think I'd look at shooting multiple exposures of the stars for noise reduction and optimal image quality. Then, I'd shoot a longer exposure at a lower ISO with the lens focused right on that log.

Photo Gear
• Camera Body - Nikon D800 Digital SLR Camera
• Camera Lens - Nikon Fisheye AF Nikkor 16mm f/2.8D Autofocus Lens
• Tripod Head - Acratech GV2 Ball Head / Gimbal Head with Lever Clamp & Acratech Large Leveling Base
• Tripod Legs - FEISOL Elite CT-3472 Rapid Tripod Legs
• Remote Trigger - Vello Shutterboss Version II Timer Remote Switch for Nikon with 10-Pin Connection

Exposure Settings - Two Blended Exposures (with varied focus & light painting)
• ISO:6400
• Aperture: f/2.8
• Shutter Speed: 30 seconds

Uploaded

March 18th, 2015

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