Deer Creek State Park, Utah
We had a beautiful view of the lake from our campsite in Deer Creek State Park, Utah. After celebrating my niece’s graduation in the Logan area, we headed south towards the Provo area to visit more relatives! We were able to spend about a week here and enjoy the view! Where ever we go, I try to create gorgeous images out of all the beauty I see in nature.
Photo composition
The top image is an example of classic composition that allowed me to make use of the triangle shapes provided by the mountains, the “V” shape that occurred from the intersection of the mountains around the lake, using leading lines from the lake through the image and completing the image by including the foreground to give dimension. Finally, I used a lens that compressed the image to give it more impact. (80-200mm zoom lens).
Night Starlit Imagery
The second image shown here is a good example of a starlit image at dusk. Because I wanted to show the difference between similar images during the day and at night, I planned an evening shoot as well. This area is a “Dark Sky” area, an area so classified because of the lack of light in and around the campground, which makes it easier to see the night sky. So, I took advantage of this to create a couple of night images.
This was created with about the same composition, except with my wide angle lens (10-20mm Sigma) to gain the width and the expanse of the sky.
Creating a starlit night photograph
If you try this, start with a sturdy tripod first! Using a tripod is the ONLY way to make an image of the night sky because you need a very stable camera. Remember to take a flashlight so that you can find your way in the dark. And if possible, scout the area for your composition earlier in the day because this will make composing in the dark far easier. Focus on infinity (its marked on the lens) and put everything in manual. Yes, even the focus needs to be manual, because it will be too dark for the auto focus to work.
You will need to start your exposures at 400 to 800 ASA/ISO f/8 at 10 seconds. You can dial these settings in in your camera controls. Take the shot by pressing the button carefully and then remove your hand gently to prevent camera shake. If you end up wanting to create a lot of these, I would suggest a camera release device of some sort. Check the image to see if it is properly exposed and adjust your setting accordingly. You can go up to 20 seconds and down to f/5.6 to allow more light in if needed. Going over that 20 seconds can produce blur in the stars. Oh, and pick a cloudless night!
My opportunity to create an image here was limited by the length of our stay and I wound up creating these images with a very bright half moon. This caused the foreground to be overly bright, so I burned it down in post processing to make the lake and sky the focus of this image.
Mixed light night images.
When I went back to our home (the trailer!), I spontaneously tried another image of our site and was pleasantly surprised at how “homey” it seemed. The warm glow from the porch light gave an inviting cast to this image. Yes, I have flare from the porch light, but I liked it. It suddenly made our little camper feel like home.
Here’s to hoping that tonight you feel welcomed home wherever you are and that this post can help you make your gorgeous adventures (and photos) even better!
Kathleen