Escape to Heaven +reposts

When my mother died after a long battle with lung cancer, followed just weeks later by the terrorist attacks of 9/11, i spiralled
into a deep dark hole where all my doubts and anxieties were validated. The universe was a cold, unforgiving place. The
wilderness became my only escape from the confusion, but even the wildlands were uncaring. Photography became a way for me to grab those moments of clarity, just seconds that took me back to a far simpler time, when there were no questions, just experiences of the world around me.

I chose the "Escape Dunes", part of the Great Sand Dunes NP, as a testament to this experience. The Dunes here have "escaped" the main dune field, smothering the surrounding forest. While some
hardy species hold on, most eventually succumb to the asphyxiation
of the sands, just as the cancer slowly took my mother's life.
They are the "Ghost Forest", skeletons that testify to the journey
of life and death. The ponderosas and other trees may be giants alongside men, but they are just specks of sand below the vast sea of stars. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

I've planned this shot for some time. It required cold conditions,
a perfectly clear sky, light winds, and no moon.
When i became confident in my forecast for Tuesday night, a week ago I rented the EF 24mm f/1.4 for the job(this lens is fantastic!).
It was about 20 degrees out and my hands nearly froze, but man...
I can say without a doubt this is one of the clearest night skies
I've ever witnessed. I blended two exposures, one 60s taken at ISO 800, f/16, 30 min after sunset; the other 25s at ISO 3200, f/2.8, 45 min later. The scene was pretty dark to my eye at that point
and everything was very, very blue. The astute astronomer will note that i 'nudged' the Pleiades a bit closer to the North, otherwise
it would have fallen just outside the right frame here. This is pushing the bounds of where i draw the line between photography
and photo art, but this was an atypical shot for me. Aside from
that, no additions, subtractions, or alterations to the scene as
I saw it, though this was quite a bit more PS (at least an hour)
than i usually mess with. Thanks to Marc A and Floris for the
inspiration with this idea.

PLEASE view in a DARK room for best effect!
SEE THE 2 REPOSTs BELOW!!