Motion & Stars

Let's be frank - the photos this week are basically junk. There's nothing compelling about them - to the point that I almost didn't bother with a blog post this week. However, I do like the idea that I've kept my promise to myself and made the effort to create a photograph each Sunday. Also, these particular photos are experiments for me - it could be interesting to look back on these in a few months or years and see how I've progressed (hopefully forward progression :).

So that explains why I am posting them. How did I end up with these pictures today? The plan was for sunrise shots of a stone dam. However, when I reached the site, the trail head leading to the dam is chained over - the dam is undergoing a restoration and reconstruction. And although I did venture in a short ways, it was quickly clear that I wasn't going to have a serene scene of a dam and its reflective quarry. And, unfortunately for me, construction equipment doesn't hold my interest.

As I walked back toward my car, I noticed this swooping curve in the road. I figured I may as well practice capturing light trails - something I've done little of. Of course, at 6:00am there's little traffic to be had. Ironic - I found myself wishing for traffic.

I patiently waited as the occasional car passed by and took several exposures trying to time the shot to put the light trails on different segments of the road. I would blend the shots together later in post. And that's just what I did. The end result:

Light trails, several photos blended in Perfect Layers

My first time capture of stars, big deal (for me :)

And a parting shot - actually he first one I took this morning - literally on my front step. Why am I excited about this? When I stepped out of the house, the sky was exceptionally clear. Even with the few street lights in my neighborhood, I could clearly see the stars.

This is the first time I've captured stars in camera. I only took a single shot, about a 75sec exposure at ISO 1000. Certainly more experimenting is in order. Zooming in, I can see movement in the stars.

So I'm excited. I love seeing star trails from other photographers. And now, even in my "urban" setting, I can practice this on my own. And an excuse to fiddle with the interval shooting settings on my D7000.