2 Pro Atacama Desert, Chile- MilkyWay Panorama

[Dale D]

Hey pilots- You will just have to wait for the full video, but I could not resist posting this image I have just worked on, shot in the Atacama Desert in Chile, the highest, darkest, and driest desert in the world.

This is a 7 frame pano using an "L" Bracket on a Nikon D750 body (to shoot vertical images) with a 14-28mm f/2.8 lens shot at 14mm and f/2.8 on a Really Right Stuff tripod, and processed in Adobe Photoshop. A single frame image is also attached.

Dale
Miami

 

[LoudThunder]

Hey pilots- You will just have to wait for the full video, but I could not resist posting this image I have just worked on, shot in the Atacama Desert in Chile, the highest, darkest, and driest desert in there world.

This is a 7 frame pan using an "L" Bracket on a Nikon D750 body with a 14-28mm f/2.8 lens shot at 14mm and f/2.8 on a Really Right Stuff tripod, and processed in Adobe Photoshop. A single frame image is also attached.

Dale
Miami

Thank you for sharing. It makes me wish I could walk under your night sky.

 

[Dale D]

Thank you for sharing. It makes me wish I could walk under your night sky.

Loud Thunder

Thank you. I do not think it is even possible to describe or imagine being under this sky without actually being there. The most amazing and awesome and humbling feeling to stand in that vast desert under that sky filled with billions of stars, so bright and clear you can see them so vividly.

Dale

 

[Dale D]

Hey pilots- You will just have to wait for the full video, but I could not resist posting this image I have just worked on, shot in the Atacama Desert in Chile, the highest, darkest, and driest desert in the world.

This is a 7 frame pano using an "L" Bracket on a Nikon D750 body (to shoot vertical images) with a 14-28mm f/2.8 lens shot at 14mm and f/2.8 on a Really Right Stuff tripod, and processed in Adobe Photoshop. A single frame image is also attached.

Dale
Miami

By the way, I was an eye doctor at Langley AFB Hospital 1968-1970 and lived in Hampton, VA near the base.

 

[Skywatcher2001]

Very nice! I can even see the large and small Magellanic Clouds . . . . spectacular results!

 

[Dale D]

Very nice! I can even see the large and small Magellanic Clouds . . . . spectacular results!

Thanks for that Skywatcher!

Dale

 

[dpetak56]

Hey pilots- You will just have to wait for the full video, but I could not resist posting this image I have just worked on, shot in the Atacama Desert in Chile, the highest, darkest, and driest desert in the world.

This is a 7 frame pano using an "L" Bracket on a Nikon D750 body (to shoot vertical images) with a 14-28mm f/2.8 lens shot at 14mm and f/2.8 on a Really Right Stuff tripod, and processed in Adobe Photoshop. A single frame image is also attached.

Dale
Miami

Wow, incredible pictures! I have been there 2 times but never had the right equipment to capture what you did! Thanks for sharing and looking forward to the video!

 

[PHZ]

Loud Thunder

Thank you. I do not think it is even possible to describe or imagine being under this sky without actually being there. The most amazing and awesome and humbling feeling to stand in that vast desert under that sky filled with billions of stars, so bright and clear you can see them so vividly.

Dale

Beautiful! And not a Walmart or McDonalds in sight. Good for the soul.

 

[vindibona1]

Such gorgeous star photos. We often see a lot of desert landscape, but these images are beautiful and unique. Did you use your drone, or hand held DSLR (or phone)?

 

[Dale D]

Such gorgeous star photos. We often see a lot of desert landscape, but these images are beautiful and unique. Did you use your drone, or hand held DSLR (or phone)?

All astro photos were done with the Nikon D750 as indicated in the previous posts. Nobody can hand hold a DSLR for 10 seconds.

This is a 7 frame pano using an "L" Bracket on a Nikon D750 body (to shoot vertical images) with a 14-28mm f/2.8 lens shot at 14mm and f/2.8 on a Really Right Stuff tripod, and processed in Adobe Photoshop. Shot at 14mm with Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens, plus Really Right Stuff tripod, 10 seconds, cable release, ISO 1250.

 

[dpetak56]

Wow, incredible pictures! I have been there 2 times but never had the right equipment to capture what you did! Thanks for sharing and looking forward to the video!

 

[Dale D]

Thank you again! You need two things for this type of photography

(1) Proper gear (a fast WA lens, excellent tripod, shutter release)
(2) Knowledge and technique (took a workshop for two days, and watched a ton of videos)

Dale

 

[Sharky05]

Hey pilots- You will just have to wait for the full video, but I could not resist posting this image I have just worked on, shot in the Atacama Desert in Chile, the highest, darkest, and driest desert in the world.

This is a 7 frame pano using an "L" Bracket on a Nikon D750 body (to shoot vertical images) with a 14-28mm f/2.8 lens shot at 14mm and f/2.8 on a Really Right Stuff tripod, and processed in Adobe Photoshop. A single frame image is also attached.

Dale
Miami

Making NASA jealous much Dale! Awesome photos mate

 

[Dale D]

Making NASA jealous much Dale! Awesome photos mate

Thanks mate!

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

beautiful.
Is the 'orange' at the bottom of the Valley shot, light pollution or sun rise etc.?

 

[Dale D]

beautiful.
Is the 'orange' at the bottom of the Valley shot, light pollution or sun rise etc.?

Definitely not the sun at midnight !
Possibly a car or the city of San Pedro de Atacama which is about a 25 minute drive from where my guide took me in the Valley of the Moon.
Dale

 

[Chrislaf]

Hey pilots- You will just have to wait for the full video, but I could not resist posting this image I have just worked on, shot in the Atacama Desert in Chile, the highest, darkest, and driest desert in the world.

This is a 7 frame pano using an "L" Bracket on a Nikon D750 body (to shoot vertical images) with a 14-28mm f/2.8 lens shot at 14mm and f/2.8 on a Really Right Stuff tripod, and processed in Adobe Photoshop. A single frame image is also attached.

Dale
Miami

Nice shots Dale! It sure helps when you can get to a dark sky area to photograph the milky way. I also have the D750 and the Nikon 14-28mm combo. It is an amazing combination for astrophotography even today with all the new mirrorless cameras and lenses coming out. According to Brendan Davey who tests and rates camera sensors the Nikon D750 sensor was one of the best for the longest time for low noise astrophotography. It has now been surpassed by some of the newer mirrorless cameras but it just goes to show you how good the D750 is and still is.

Chris

 

[Dale D]

Nice shots Dale! It sure helps when you can get to a dark sky area to photograph the milky way. I also have the D750 and the Nikon 14-28mm combo. It is an amazing combination for astrophotography even today with all the new mirrorless cameras and lenses coming out. According to Brendan Davey who tests and rates camera sensors the Nikon D750 sensor was one of the best for the longest time for low noise astrophotography. It has now been surpassed by some of the newer mirrorless cameras but it just goes to show you how good the D750 is and still is.

Chris

Thanks Chris:
You are actually living in a really great area for dark skies being near Algonquin Park. I would imagine you could do an easy overnight there, and probably you have a good chance at the aurora too!

I love my set up. I actually own two D750's and two 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lenses so that while I am waiting for timelapses to complete a long sequence of hours, I can shoot with the 2nd body and lens. The 14-28mm is considered the gold standard for astro photography which is why I decided to buy it. I know the newer cameras hove lower noise and higher sensitivities, but at my age, GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) is a thing of the past. Otherwise, I would have gone for the newer Sony 4:3 models. More important to me was a really good tripod. Over my lifetime I have spent a fortune on tripods, all failing, until I got the RRS (Really Right Stuff) which I should have gotten years ago.

Dale
Miami

 

[Chrislaf]

Thanks Chris:
You are actually living in a really great area for dark skies being near Algonquin Park. I would imagine you could do an easy overnight there, and probably you have a good chance at the aurora too!

I love my set up. I actually own two D750's and two 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 lenses so that while I am waiting for timelapses to complete a long sequence of hours, I can shoot with the 2nd body and lens. The 14-28mm is considered the gold standard for astro photography which is why I decided to buy it. I know the newer cameras hove lower noise and higher sensitivities, but at my age, GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) is a thing of the past. Otherwise, I would have gone for the newer Sony 4:3 models. More important to me was a really good tripod. Over my lifetime I have spent a fortune on tripods, all failing, until I got the RRS (Really Right Stuff) which I should have gotten years ago.

Dale
Miami

Yes, Algonquin Park is a beautiful park and a great spot to do astrophotography, however unless you are camping in the park you are not allowed to be in the park past 10pm. Due to the coronavirus camping has become extremely popular and it has been very difficult to get sites in popular Ontario parks. Algonguin is one of the most popular parks in Ontario. Last summer my family was able to camp there for 7 nights but I had to be on the computer every morning 5 months in advance up at 6:30AM ready with sites in mind to hit the booking for a 7AM opening. I did this daily until I finally got lucky and got a site. Had I known at the time that it was going to be so hard to get sites I would have booked for the max of 21 days as it is such a beautiful park and there is so much to do there - and we only live a few hours away.

The Torrance Barrens is another area even closer to where I live that I have visited and have got some amazing night shots, but since the pandemic it has become overrun by people (mostly from Toronto) who have no respect for area and are using it as a free camp ground with overnight camping and fires which is not allowed. Along with that comes all the garbage they leave. The last time I was there to do astrophotography, I could barely get any good shots due to all the light pollution from the illegal campers shining their lights all over the place.

I also have the 28-300 lens. I really like the RRS tripods and heads, it is top of the line but here is Canada it is very pricey. With regard to mirrorless, I haven't made the jump yet - the biggest advantage for me right now would be a more compact system but that would mean a change over of all my lenses. Although I could use an adapter, that would defeat the purpose of changing to a more compact system.

Looking forward to seeing more of your photos/videos.

Chris

 

[Lets Fly]

Hey pilots- You will just have to wait for the full video, but I could not resist posting this image I have just worked on, shot in the Atacama Desert in Chile, the highest, darkest, and driest desert in the world.

This is a 7 frame pano using an "L" Bracket on a Nikon D750 body (to shoot vertical images) with a 14-28mm f/2.8 lens shot at 14mm and f/2.8 on a Really Right Stuff tripod, and processed in Adobe Photoshop. A single frame image is also attached.

Dale
Miami

Your a lucky man Dale to get to travel to all these beautiful places. Being that astronomy and cosmology is my passion, I would love to get to that desert. The bright spot in the Milky Way is the center of our galaxy at about 28,000 light years, but the Large Magellanic Cloud is about 158,000 light years away and the Small Magellanic Cloud is 199,000.
Two of the many satellite galaxies slowly being eaten by the Milky Way. Can't wait to see your video.