I teach night photography workshops in Alaska. After covering the fundamentals of focusing techniques and how to get proper exposure, I then discuss depth of field and composition. I tell participants not to abandon the principles of composition just because it is dark outside. A good foreground and middle ground will add to astrophotography subjects, whether the Milky Way, constellations, the moon, or the Northern Lights.
This photo, Twilight Zone, is one I have envisioned for a long time. I wanted to depict a remote road with stars in the dark of night. One could imagine a traveller on foot walking down this road in search of gasoline after their car runs out. How far will they have to walk, and what will their fate be, good or bad? It reminded me of the eerie scenes from the late '50s and early '60s series The Twilight Zone.
Leading lines are a simple yet strong design element in composition. The important thing is that they lead the viewer's eye to something of interest, in this case, the moon. I used Photo Ephemeris to plan when the moon would be positioned over the highway, around midnight on this mid-September night.
To get the starburst effect, I stopped down the lens to f/11. The moon's light helped delineate the road, but I still had to expose it for 30 seconds at ISO 6400. The icing on the cake was the slow-moving, sweeping line of the Aurora Borealis positioned just above the moon. I was elated with my good fortune!
By the way, there are few places in North America where you can stand in the middle of the road at night and not get hit by a car. And how far would the aforementioned stranded motorist have to walk to find gasoline? Well, on this 138-mile stretch of mostly uninhabited road through the taiga of Southcentral Alaska, one lodge has gasoline if they are open!
Upload Your Picture • WIN $200 Cash
Did you know that now we offer a VIP membership? Create your Personal Portfolio Page and let us share your published pictures with over 300,000 members and followers.
Benefits of VIP membership:
• Your Personal Portfolio Page – click here to see a sample
• We promote all your pictures to over 300,000 followers via our social media pages
• Download all new issues of the magazine
• Download all back issues
• Download premium eBooks worth £19.45.
• Your uploaded pictures/posts stay attached to your page for as long as you are a VIP member, which could be forever
• Fast Support – we aim to reply within 12 hours
• Submission Priority – your submission goes to the front of the queue
Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor