Oregon Coast Milky Ways

EvanThomas

Had a great trip to Oregon for this year's summer vacation. A different kind of photography experience for this desert rat. Thought I would share a few of the Milky Way photos. Played around with the ND filter during the day, but was so foggy, didn't get anything too hot Next time!

I included the captions I used on my Facebook page.

(1)

Wonderland



Ever since getting into night-sky photography, I've always wanted to get a photo of the Milky Way over the Ocean. Living in a small desert town made this kind of difficult, but we finally got out to the Oregon coast a couple weeks ago. I love the Pacific Northwest coastal areas with their rocky cliffs covered in lush green foliage and pine trees. On one of our first days there we discovered this semi-secret little beach back in a little cove. There were numerous craggy islands dotted with trees a little ways out in the water adding to the ambiance. It was a different world for a couple of desert rats like us. We felt like we were in a wonderland!

25 second exposure, ISO 5000, f/2.8

(2)

Radiance



This photo (taken at Indian Sands just north of Brookings, OR) was only supposed to be a way to kill the time while we waited for the Milky Way to line up for the main shot we were really interested in. In the end, I may even like this one better. I think the timing probably worked out well for a single-shot like this. I took it just long enough after sunset for the Milky Way to appear pretty strong, but just early enough to leave enough ambient light to bring out the ocean. At least I think that's how it worked out! Not real familiar with taking night-time shots around the ocean. Either way, I was pretty happy with the way the lighting worked out. I love the rugged Pacific NW coastline, which you can kind of see in this photo too. The glow on the horizon is light pollution, most likely from Brookings. Bonus points for anybody who can find the "arch" in this photo. ;-)

25 second exposure, ISO 5000, f/2.8

(3)

The Gateway



This is my last photo from our recent trip to Oregon. We came across this arch during a nice hike at Indian Sands and I knew I had to come back and try getting a photo of the Milky Way here. Funky night for us though, with loud clanking noises high up in the trees while walking back in the dark, a possible ghost sighting and an almost UFO sighting, hehe. It didn't bother me standing there during the day, but this photo was taken near the edge of a cliff. Between the edge not being as visible at night and the waves pounding in the darkness below, I was a wee bit creeped out the whole time I was trying to grab this photo.

3min exposure foreground, 25 sec exposure background
f/2.8 ISO 4000

roaddog52

A wonderful series of images! Love that first image. Very inspiring for me. I'll be retiring soon and spending some time getting to know the ins and outs of night sky photography. thumb

bristlecone

Nice images - I like all three but I'm really liking the last one. Maybe it's the story that goes with it, but I'm getting a surreal feeling from it. Good job, and I know you worked hard to get these.
-Len

Stumblebum

Evan these raise the previous standard also set by you! Wow! bow
Something to aspire towards! Thanks for sharing the EXIF data, saves me the trouble of asking!
Gonna have to try now!

kdog

Really excellent!

moose135

Outstanding, Evan! Beautiful images - I like them all, but I think the second, with the water in the foreground, may be my favorite.

Fiddlestix

Great set of images! Number one really rocks. Really like how the Milky Way leads the eye to the island with the trees silhouetted against the night sky. Outstanding work!

David_S85

Wow! Those first and third shots are amazing!

Earache

Wow! You won't see many (any?) better than this!

EvanThomas

Thanks guys, really appreciate it, and glad you liked the photos!!

EvanThomas

bristlecone wrote: »

Nice images - I like all three but I'm really liking the last one. Maybe it's the story that goes with it, but I'm getting a surreal feeling from it. Good job, and I know you worked hard to get these.
-Len

Thanks Len! That one was giving us a surreal feeling too, but I also couldn't help but wonder if I was just projecting my feelings from the evening onto it.

roaddog52 wrote: »

A wonderful series of images! Love that first image. Very inspiring for me. I'll be retiring soon and spending some time getting to know the ins and outs of night sky photography. thumb

That's great roaddog52, it's definitely fun stuff! More free time helps too, if not to chase the night sky, at least to be able to catch up on sleep after some sleepless nights ;-)

mushy

Awesome series, the first is my favorite, just loving the deep blues and magenta.
Thanks also for the exposure details, what was your go to lens for these if you don't mind?

boco

vind ze beide erg mooi en geen voorkeur.
grt,boco.

Eia

All of them are wonderful but the last one is very different! I can only imagine how gorgeous this would be hanging on anwall....in metal!

EvanThomas

Thanks again guys! ;-) mushy, I mainly use a Sigma 20mm f/1.8 prime lens. Pretty nice lens for the price.

eyeguy

Great Captures
Thanks for the great captures and for including your settings. I have just started experimenting with night sky photography and have mixed results but seeing your settings helps. I will need to read up on how to and get more practise.

anonymouscuban

Great stuff!