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Trona, California
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Trona, California

by Patrick O'Healy

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted May 31, 20151,197 views6 comments

August 3, 2015 in Trona, California.  The Trona Pinnacles are Tufa towers that have grown from the bottom up over millions of years.  They are the product of evaporation of an underground lake.  They are a great foreground during the Perseid Meteor Showers.  This shot has 7 shooting stars in it.  To qualify for this weekly challenge, the night sky natural lighting is obvious, and the man made lighting was from the light painting of the towers and the distant lights in the right hand corner from Ridgecrest, California 27 miles away.  Trona is just off highway 395 between Mammoth Lakes and Highway 15 near Victorville, California. 

Nikon D800  Nikkor 24-24 lens  15mm  20 seconds at f/2.8  ISO3200  RAW  Processed in Lightroom and PhotoshopCC2014.

Your comments are appreciated.  devil

Comments

6 comments
Comment posted by Jim Gavin on May 31, 2015 at 4:01 PM

Patrick.  This is spectacular!  Love everything about it including that it has yet to occur.  Are you sure this wasn't taken near  Area 51? (I'm sure you meant August 3, 2014 or maybe you really did do some time travel.)  In any event, wonderful.

Registered on August 14, 2008, 293 Posts, 1250 Comments
Comment posted by Patrick O'Healy on May 31, 2015 at 4:47 PM

Jim,

Good catch on the date.  I took the photo in 2013.  But the time travel thing sounds interesting.  Take me with you!

Patrick

Registered on March 13, 2011, 326 Posts, 1679 Comments
Comment posted by Howard Cheek on May 31, 2015 at 9:12 PM

Very interesting comp that includes the Trona Pinnacles, meteors, and the light from Ridgecrest bottom right adds well IMO.

Difficult high ISO shooting, great results Patrick!devil

 

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments
Comment posted by Alberto Patiño on May 31, 2015 at 11:23 PM

Terrific image, Patrick - a bit of noise on the sky, but at ISO 3200 that is understandable and well compensated by the great star field.

Registered on December 2, 2014, 278 Posts, 1736 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on June 1, 2015 at 10:23 AM

That's an awesome sky, Patrick, with a great star field and the multiple meteors.  The light painting on the towers looks just right.  The lights from town add some extra interest.  My very minor nit is the blown section of the Milky Way near the right edge and I'm wondering if that can't be fixed in post processing.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Albert Darmo on June 2, 2015 at 8:25 PM

Hi  Patrick crying         Mark  &  Howards  comments said it all.....       i might  add  " this is spectacular"  from  Jim's commentdevil

 

Albert Darmo

Canada

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments