Pointing Toward the Heavens

Photographers often suggest you look to see what's in back of you when photographing or you might miss out on something better. While photographing Comet NEOWISE in late July, that's exactly what I did. Comet in front of me, Milky Way in back. I had to photograph both. This is the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains by Owens Valley. At over 10,500 ft (3200m) in elevation, the sky is clearer, the stars more visceral, and the smile much larger. The bristlecone pines are some of the oldest living things on the planet, some growing before Buddha or George Burns walked the earth. I illuminated the ancient pine with a handheld ProtoMachines LED2 light painting device during the exposure for the earthbound elements, and let the universe do the lighting for the rest.

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(6726) Nikon D750/Irix 15mm f/2.4 lens. Earth: 200s f/2.5 ISO 400. Sky: 31 "stacked" photos, each one 15 seconds f/2.5 ISO 4000. 23 July 2020.