Shooting various night scenes around the world (29 photos)

One of my favorite image types is night scene, in which the night sky is an important part of the landscape. It's exciting to see the Milky Way arching its head in a dark place. I find this a fascinating theme, especially because modern camera sensors can "see" more things than our eyes.

These are some of my favorite night photos I have taken in the past two years.

# 1

This photo was taken on the coast of Australia last year, when intercontinental travel was still very popular, and I had the opportunity to go to Sydney for business. In order to catch it, I took a train from Sydney to the coastal city of Kyle. After the sun went down, I entered this small cave and waited for a few hours, and the core of the Milky Way came out. Not familiar with the southern sky, I was surprised to see Jupiter appear soon (it is the brightest celestial body on the left side of the sea stack).

#2

This is a vertical panorama of the Pufa Beach Arch in Big Sur, on the central coast of California. The panorama consists of about five overlapping photos, from looking directly at the sea stack to almost completely overhead, to capture a large part of the Milky Way.

#3

This knotted tree is an ancient thorn-tailed pine, which grows in the White Mountains in eastern California, USA, at an altitude of about 1 1 1,000 feet (about 3,500 meters). These trees are the oldest non-cloned organisms in the world, and some of them have a history of nearly 5000 years. This means that they were still alive when they built the pyramids in Egypt!

The conditions in these remote mountainous areas are very harsh, with cold temperature, short growing period, strong wind and poor soil. In view of this, Echinothorax pine thrives under these conditions and reaches their old age, although their harsh environment makes the growth of pine trees very slow, which in turn makes the wood very dense, insect-resistant, disease-resistant and erosion-resistant.

#4

If I had to choose my favorite place on earth, it might be here. Located on the Pacific coast near Big Sur, it has everything-a beautiful bay full of emerald water, an 80-foot waterfall falling directly on the beach, and a palm tree, which makes you feel like you are in a tropical island and a dark sky. It shines with starlight at night.

#5

An ominous mushroom-like object stands on the wasteland of New Mexico, and the Milky Way peeps through the clouds. Usually, my goal is to have a clear sky when shooting the night sky, but I think the thin clouds in this photo add a lot of interest to the scene. They look as if they were taken at sunset, but in fact they are illuminated by light pollution in nearby towns. This photo was taken during a trip to the wilderness of Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah in northwest New Mexico in May this year.

#6

An unusual rock spire (also known as an ominous thing) rises from the wasteland, forming a perfect prospect for the galaxy above. Located in the wilderness of Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah in the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico, this is one of the most remote areas in the United States that I have the opportunity to visit. The nearest town is also 50 miles away, and the rugged and occasionally sandy road leading to the town has put my two-wheel drive car through a stress test. However, I got a chance to camp under the dark and beautiful sky. The only sound that breaks the silence at night is the howl of coyotes in the distance.

#7

If you don't understand the name of the boot arch like me, please look inside! This arch is a rock formation on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and one of the many arches in the Alabama Mountains.

#8

The pigeon horn is 1 15 feet (47 meters) high, making it the tallest lighthouse on the west coast of the United States. Located between Santa Cruz and San Francisco, it has been guiding ships to the California coast since 1872.

#9

The Milky Way rises on the coastline of Big Sur in the moonlight.

Big Sur is called "the greatest land-water intersection in the world". Located on the California coast two hours south of the San Francisco Bay Area, this mountainous area is easy to reach, but undeveloped and sparsely populated. There is almost no light pollution here, making it an ideal destination for night photography. Besides the stars, the only light sources are the falling crescent moon and the occasional car lights on the Pacific coast highway.

# 10

When cars pass the bixby Bridge on the Pacific Coast Highway in central California, the night sky revolves around Polaris. This is my first attempt to capture the orbit caused by the earth's rotation. This photo consists of nearly 3.5 hours of exposure time (5 minutes each time). I tried not to freeze on a crystal clear but cold night in Big Sur.

# 1 1

These strange spherical boulders on the Mendocino coast in northern California only appear at low tide. Similar to bowling, they are called nodules because the surrounding soft sandstone has been eroded by the Pacific Ocean for millions of years. To make this photo possible, at least four conditions need to be met.

The first is the correct time of year, because the core of the Milky Way can only be seen in summer (April to September).

The second is the moon phase, because it is best not to let the light of the moon wash away the Milky Way before and after the new moon.

Third, the tide needs to be low, otherwise the boulder will be completely submerged.

Finally, the summer weather in this area is often shrouded in fog, resulting in low visibility. On Sunday night, all these factors were favorable, so I decided to make an eight-hour long-distance round trip from the Bay Area.

# 12

Enjoy the Milky Way in the hot tub in the eastern mountain area.

# 13

My favorite nightlife includes the dome of Glacier Point and the Milky Way in Yosemite Valley.

# 14

I tried astrophotography for the first time. This is an ancient foxtail pine, which grows in the moonlight in the white mountains in eastern California. These trees can live for more than 5000 years and are the longest-lived creatures on earth.

# 15

This is comet Neowise (C/2020 F3) with two tails. Fine ion tails emitting blue light point upwards, and larger dust tails fill most of the picture. I shot it in Alabama, a dark place in eastern California, where comets can be clearly seen with the naked eye. This photo is the result of exposure 10 times for 60 seconds with a 70mm lens under ISO3200 and f/2.8. I used a star tracker, which allowed me to be exposed for a whole minute without seeing the tail caused by the rotation of the earth in stars and comets.

# 16

These rotating eroded sandstone boulders are located in the arid desert of northwest New Mexico, giving people the feeling that they are standing on a planet in another world, surrounded by alien creatures emerging from cracked eggshells. This area was once covered by the ancient sea. With the retreat of seawater, a thick mixed layer of sandstone, mudstone and shale has been left undisturbed for more than 50 million years. However, when the last ice age receded 6000 years ago, the land was carved into a creepy shape now.

# 17

A legal battle is going on about entering this beach, which may eventually appear in the US Supreme Court. At present, the road leading to the beach is closed by the owner, but walking to the beach is not prosecuted, and many people wander here during the day.

This is one of my favorite places to shoot in the Bay Area. I have never seen a sunset here, because the weather along the coast of san mateo can be very unpredictable, and seemingly favorable conditions may change soon. However, on this night, I witnessed a rare enjoyment-a completely sunny summer seaside night.

Because of the light pollution in nearby towns, the Milky Way here is not as prominent as the more remote coastal areas, but I am still surprised by the amount of details visible near Silicon Valley.

# 18

Another photo taken from different angles in Shark's Fin Bay shows that the Milky Way rises in the clear night sky in Ran Ran.

# 19

This photo was taken in Davenport Beach, Davenport, California. Another photo of a clear night sky over an abandoned beach.

#20

#2 1

On the beach near Santa Cruz, the Milky Way rises in shark fin rocks.

This photo is a mixture of 1 sky photo (F2.8,20 ",ISO 3200) and 1 foreground photo (F2.8 minutes, ISO800).

#22

These rock paintings were carved on a huge volcanic boulder by Native Americans who lived in this area of eastern California thousands of years ago. By cutting off the dark side of the rock, they exposed the brighter rock below. The panel is unusual because it faces the sky upwards, thus achieving some interesting compositions, including the Sierra Nevada and the night sky in the same frame. The location of this rock painting is a careful secret to avoid destroying this unique and sacred place and discovering that it is an adventure in itself. So don't ask me how to find it.

#23

Davenport Wharf was built in the1860s, which is a platform for transporting timber northward to San Francisco. The long-lost pier has been eroded, and now only the concrete arch that once supported the pier has stood the test of time.

#24

This is the most remote place where I have the opportunity to visit, take photos and spend the night. It may also be one of the most beautiful. Getting here is a challenge-the last 50 miles to the starting point of the trail is a serious dirt road, which needs careful driving for 2 hours to complete. Don't tell hertz. The name of the leasing agency may have been changed to protect less innocent people. Then I slept in my car and started a 20-mile round-trip hike in the morning. Interesting part? There is no water on the way. In addition to food, tents, sleeping bags and all photographic equipment, you have to bring 8 liters of water for the two-day trip. I always have 20 kilograms on my back. But once you get to the lake, you know it's worth it.

#25

This knotted tree is an ancient foxtail pine, which grows in the White Mountains in eastern California at an altitude of over 10000 feet (3200m). These trees are the oldest non-cloned organisms in the world, and some of them have a history of nearly 5000 years. This means that they were still alive when they built the pyramids in Egypt! The conditions in these remote mountainous areas are very harsh, with cold temperature, short growing period, strong wind and poor soil. However, the thorn pine thrives under these conditions and enjoys a long life. Despite the harsh environment, it is precisely because of this that pine trees grow very slowly, which makes their wood very dense and has the ability to resist insects, diseases and erosion.

#26

The Milky Way on the historic bixby Bridge in Big Sur. This part of the California coast has steep cliffs, hidden beaches and bays, and one of the most spectacular driveways that can be taken anywhere in the world. Because there is almost no development here, there is no light pollution here, which is an ideal destination for stargazing.

#27

The pigeon horn is 1 15 feet (35 meters) high, making it the tallest lighthouse on the west coast of the United States. It is located between Santa Cruz and San Francisco and has been guiding ships along this Pacific coast since 1872. Before this, many ships were wrecked in this area, because the thick fog prevented sailors from seeing land. Frequent fog also makes it difficult for stars to come here, because almost all summer nights are shrouded in fog. But with beginning of autumn, the fog slowed down in a few days, and I had a chance to see the vertical galaxy and lighthouse.

#28

The sky above Mono Lake on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada is dazzling. If you're not sure what happened in this photo-it's because my camera has been shooting for three hours and captured the obvious motion of the stars caused by the rotation of the earth. When facing north, the stars seem to revolve around Polaris.

Mono Lake is one of the oldest and saltiest lakes in North America (it is three times as salty as the ocean! )。 But its most unusual feature is the striking tuff tower that appears from the surface. These rock towers are formed by mixing underwater spring water rich in calcium with lake water rich in carbonate. The resulting reaction forms limestone. Over time, limestone accumulated to form a tower.

#29

It's hard to have a warm summer night in the desert! In this photo, the Milky Way is located next to the butte arch in Alabama, which is a series of hills and rock formations near the east side of the Sierra Nevada in California. If you were like me at first, you couldn't see the origin of the name boot arch-look inside the arch.

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