Ecliptic Star Trails

One thing I've learned over the years is that nature photography is less what you see and more what you feel. When I see a sky full of stars there is just a raw overpowering feeling of awe and wonder. It is amazing that so many people miss out on this wonder because of so much light pollution in our cities. Sharing that feeling with my photo tour and workshop participants is great because I always feel like I've lifted a curtain revealing a hidden and beautiful side of our world.

As to creating a photo that captures that wow moment it can be tricky. Star trail photography has always been a nice way to go from my perspective. The abstraction of the scene and the mystery of what you'll see as the end result after post-production adds a second punch of wow to the whole experience and opens doors to share a truly personal interpretation of nature.

This particular photo is a personal favorite of mine as it captures an amazing phenomenon of seeing star trails bend in opposite direction toward opposing circumpolar stars with middle ecliptic plane being visible. Always a great time to be had in Death Valley when it comes to night photography.