Jewels of the night

Jewels of the night

“Jewels of the night”. Pixinnì watchtower and Cala Segreta, southern Sardinia. The darkness of the night and the clear sky (Sardinia is the Italian region with the least light pollution, i.e. dark nights) offer two jewels: the clearly visible core of the Milky Way and the transparencies of the crystalline waters enclosed among the rocks of the cove.

This nocturnal landscape required, in addition to the usual planning, the use of two distinct techniques: to capture as much light and details of the Milky Way as possible, without having to deal with massive digital noise (due to the high ISO sensitivity) I took 18 shots of the sky, subsequently aligned and merged in post production. As for capturing the foreground (rocks, sea and tower) I’ve shot a single exposure, adding a bit of light painting withe use of a LED “magic wand” set with a suitable color temperature, thus illuminating all the details that can be seen in the photo. Using Lightroom and Photoshop, I then proceeded with the editing and the adjunstments of colors and brightness of the foreground and sky.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Samyang 16mm F2 ED AS UMC CS
Focal lenght: 16mm
Shutter time: 18×13 s + 70 s
Aperture: F/2.2 + F/3.5
Sensitivity: ISO1250 + ISO400
 

 

Pinnacles of stars

Pinnacles of stars: the Milky Way in southern Sardinia, Italy.

“Pinnacles of stars”. During a perfectly clear night, the Milky Way rises just above the sea stacks of Sparrow’s Nest, in the small island of St. Antioco in Sardinia, Italy. The favorable weather’s conditions helped me in capturing the bright core of the galaxy and a great amount of stars.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Samyang 16mm f/2 ED AS UMC CS
Focal lenght: 16mm
Shutter time: 13 s
Aperture: F/2
Sensitivity: ISO1250
 

 

Stones and stars

Stones and stars: the Milky Way in southern Sardinia, Italy.

“Stones and stars”. Above a rocky stretch of coast in the southern part of Sardinia, the Milky Way rises in the clear sky of the night, showing the bright core in all its beauty.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Samyang 16mm f/2 ED AS UMC CS
Focal lenght: 16mm
Shutter time: 13 s
Aperture: F/2
Sensitivity: ISO1250
 

 

Pointing to the core

Pointing to the core: the Milky Way in southern Sardinia, Italy.

“Pointing to the core”. First photograph of the Milky Way of the summer 2020, taken in the south of Sardinia on a particularly clear and serene night. The island is one of the places in Italy with the least amount light pollution, making particularly easy to catch the faint light emitted by the Milky Way.
In this shot the planet Jupiter shines bright on the left of the Milky Way’s core and its light is reflected on the surface of the sea.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Samyang 16mm f/2 ED AS UMC CS
Focal lenght: 16mm
Shutter time: 13 s
Aperture: F/2
Sensitivity: ISO1250
 

 

Across the universe – Vertorama of the Milky Way in Sardinia, Italy

Across the universe. Vertorama of the Milky Way in Sardinia, Italy.

Across the universe. A view of the Milky Way over the southern coast of Sardinia, in summer. This is a 6 shots stitched vertorama used, in conjunction with a simple post processing, to convey a realistic sense of wonder, that can be felt while looking at the sky, during a dark summer night.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Samyang 16mm f/2,0 ED AS UMC CS
Focal lenght: 16mm
Shutter time: 15 s
Aperture: F/2.5
Sensitivity: ISO1600

 

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