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
 

 

Gate to the other side

Gate to the other side

“Gate to the other side”. What would the sky look like if you could see celestial bodies even during the day? This is my interpretation of a seascape at the first light of dawn, under an imposing Milky Way that shines through the gradient of colors of the sky, towards the end of the blue hour.

To create this “time blending”, that is the fusion of two different moments, I kept the camera in the same position for about an hour and a half, without changing the composition and the focal length. This is because, keeping the terrestrial elements of the landscape unchanged, I was able to capture first the Milky Way and, later, the light and the colors of the blue hour. Specifically, the shots for the Milky Way were taken around 3:45 am, while the blue hour at 5:15 am. Although this is a “composite”, the peculiarity of this shot is that the Milky Way has actually “passed there”, but an hour and a half earlier than this light condition.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Samyang 16mm F2 ED AS UMC CS
Focal lenght: 16mm
Shutter time: 15×13 s + 121 s
Aperture: F/2.2 + F/5.6
Sensitivity: ISO1250 + ISO100
 

 

Cosmos watchtower

Cosmos watchtower

“Cosmos watchtower”. Southern Sardinia. An ancient coastal watchtower looks out over the night sea, under a majestic Milky Way that cuts the sky in half.

To achieve this night landscape it took some planning, to be in the right place at the right time, with the Milky Way in a vertical position, high enough over the horizon and aligned with the tower. After that, in order to capture as much light as possible, while keeping the stars point-like and at the same time containing the unevitable digital noise, a mix of shooting and post-production techniques became mandatory: multiple exposures with different shooting parameters for sky and earth, darkframes to map the digital noise, subsequent alignment and editing of the resultants, thus obtaining the final scene. All performed with common photographic equipment, without specific tools such as a star tracker.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Samyang 16mm F2 ED AS UMC CS
Focal lenght: 16mm
Shutter time: 15×13 s
Aperture: F/2.2
Sensitivity: ISO1250
 

 

Spikes and slivers

Spikes and slivers

“Spikes and slivers”. Masua, southwestern Sardinia. A striking contrast between natural elements, which generates a sort of symmetry whose plane is the horizon: in the foreground, the sharp and rugged rocks open onto a sea with a smooth and luminous surface. Above, a deep and clear sky, marked by white clouds whose shapes, generated by their movement, recall the spikes of the rocks. At the center is the lonely islet of Pan di Zucchero, symbol of this wild part of Sardinia swept by the wind and sea currents.

To obtain this image it was necessary to use ND filters: a 15-stop solid NiSi to extend the shutter speed to about a minute and a half, thus eliminating sea ripples, plus a 3-stop graduated ND to darken the upper portion of the sky. The latter effect was further emphasized with the use of a red filter in postptoduction.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM
Focal lenght: 10mm
Shutter time: 88 s
Aperture: F/8
Sensitivity: ISO100
 

This photograph is part of a series that has been awarded at the following international photography competition:
– Honorable Mention in the 2020-2021 edition of the FAPA Fine Art Photography Awards: “Pan di Zucchero” – Category Seascapes

 

Slits

Slits

“Slits”. Masua, southwestern Sardinia. A stretch of coast that shows the rugged and wild side of the island, where the rocks, compressed and pushed by the immense forces of the Earth’s crust, have emerged assuming elongated and oblique shapes. The gaps, partially filled by long waves, generate shiny mirrors that contrast with the twisted shapes and rough surfaces of the rocks. On the horizon stands the solitary islet of Pan di Zucchero, right in front of the barely visible building of Porto Flavia.

The composition of this shot highlights the shapes of the rocks in the foreground, which lead the eye to the islet of Pan di Zucchero; it follows that both planes must be sharp and detailed. To avoid the focus stacking technique, which would have required multiple shots with different focus points and subsequent editing in postproduction, it was sufficient to apply the hyperfocal technique: closing the diaphragm very much, but not so much as to incur in diffraction, it was enough to focus a few meters away from the foreground. By doing so, the entire scene is included into the depth of field, with the foreground in perfect focus and the elements in the background in sufficient focus. The long exposure was done with two ND filters, one solid 9 stops and one graduated 3 stops for the sky.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM
Focal lenght: 10mm
Shutter time: 30 s
Aperture: F/9
Sensitivity: ISO100
 

This photograph is part of a series that has been awarded at the following international photography competition:
– Honorable Mention in the 2020-2021 edition of the FAPA Fine Art Photography Awards: “Pan di Zucchero” – Category Seascapes

 

Secret cove

Secret cove

“Secret cove”. Southwestern coast of Sardinia, Italy. As a rainy and windy day comes to an end, the colors of the sunset paint the sky and the crystal clear water of an hidden cove with vivid and deep shades of blue and pink.

This shot required a 9-stop solid ND filter to extend the shutter speed to nearly 2 minutes, plus a 3-stop graduated ND filter to darken the sky and balance the overall brightness and contrast of the scene. In this way, emphasis was given to the fast movement of the clouds pushed by the wind and the transparency of the water of the cove.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM
Focal lenght: 10mm
Shutter time: 91 s
Aperture: F/8
Sensitivity: ISO100
 

Jump in the sea

Jump in the sea

“Jump in the sea”. On the west coast of Sardinia, among all the wonders that nature offers in this beautiful island, there is something truly special: the only one of its kind in Italy, is the Capo Nieddu waterfall. The thing that makes this waterfall unique is the vertical jump of about 40 meters that the small Riu Salighes makes directly on the small pebbly cove, right in front of the sea.
The view is fascinating, due to the majestic wall of basalt from which the brook flows, and the warm light of the sunset that saturates the colors makes the scenery even more spectacular.

To capture the magnificence of this sight, including the setting sun, I’ve decided to compose a panorama made of 4 vertical shots. As a result, the view is much wider if compared to a single horizontal shot, and it stretches from the cliff and its waterfall to the horizon. Moreover, in order to balance the brightness of the scene, I’ve used a 2 stop graduated ND filter to darken the sky a bit.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM
Focal lenght: 14mm
Shutter time: 1/13 s
Aperture: F/7.1
Sensitivity: ISO100
 

High Nest

High Nest

“High Nest”. Late afternoon’s light on the promontory of Capo Malfatano, Southern Sardinia. The diagonal side light of a cloudy day with a little haze colored the landscape with soft hues, giving it an almost dreamlike atmosphere. One of the most interesting things of this place is its diverse morphology: in this case I’ve found a high vantage point, taking the photograph from the edge of a sheer cliff. Doing so, I tried to replicate the point of view of a bird of prey from his nest, dominating the surrounding land.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM
Focal lenght: 10mm
Shutter time: 1/100 s
Aperture: F/5.6
Sensitivity: ISO100
 

 

The bliss of tranquility

The bliss of tranquility

“The bliss of tranquility”. A fleeting moment of perfect beauty in Sardinia, Italy. The bright and warm light of the sunset illuminates the clouds and, near the lakeshore on which they are reflected, some horses placidly graze.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art
Focal lenght: 35mm
Shutter time: 1/60 s
Aperture: F/8
Sensitivity: ISO200
 

 

Castelsardo magic

Castelsardo magic

“Castelsardo magic”. Sardinia, Italy. The ephemeral magic of the blue hour tinges the landscape of Castelsardo with a vibrant magenta, before giving way to the darkness of the night.

The peculiarity of this photograph is that it’s actually made of two shots taken at a distance of several minutes from each other while maintaining the position of the camera and the composition unchanged. The reason for this is the intention to merge the vivid colors of the blue hour and the lights of the town into a single image.
In fact, in the first shot, the scene is bright, colorful and detailed, but the town is “switched off” and a little flat and dull. So, after this first long exposure, it was sufficient to wait for the time the urban lighting was switched on and take a second, shorter shot.
By doing so, it was possible to obtain a more vivid and brilliant scene: the fortress on which the Castel dei Doria (or Castel Genovese) stands is illuminated by spotlights that highlight the texture of the rocky wall, while the coastal tower of Frigiano is illuminated by a magenta reflector, like the color of the sky. The street lamps and the lights of the houses accompany them. The atmosphere is completed by reflections on the still water of the inlet.

To merge the two shots, it was necessary to elaborate them in Photoshop, setting the first file of the blue hour as the base layer and the second file with the lights on as the upper layer. So the blending mode of the top layer was set to “lighten”. In this way, each brighter pixel was superimposed on that of the lower layer, thus obtaining a final image composed of 99% by the base layer, plus the small portions of the upper layer related to the lights of the town.
The only slightly tricky step was the method of blending the reflections on the water since they required a soft, natural gradient. To do this, it was necessary to reveal a further portion of the upper level, darker, relating to the water of the inlet, through a special handmade mask. In this way, with the slightly darker water, the reflections on it of the lights were brighter, maintaining, in any case, the naturalness and realism of the whole scene.

EXIF:
Camera: Pentax K-3
Lens: Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM
Focal lenght: 14mm
Shutter time: 20 s
Aperture: F/5.6
Sensitivity: ISO100
 

 

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