Star Trails - Ancient Bristlecone Forest

> Someone posted the question about why the shot runs uphill. The ground does, indeed, seem to be not parallel with the bottom of the frame.

 

i saw this post earlier today and didn't understand what he meant by running up hill but now i do as i find myself having a good little laugh (actually, a large laugh). OF COURSE IT RUNS UPHILL because i was shooting the scene in the mountains situated on a gradual slope!

 

and thank goodness for terrain; just think how boring the world would be if all mountains were as flat as the tops of the oceans on a calm summer day.... unless of course, you like flat wetlands full of mosquitos.

"because for this particular image, i am more interested in what it says from a spiritual, emotional, or symbolic perspective."

 

I was so moved by this statement.

 

It reminds me of why I take pictures.

 

It also reminds me of why I frequent this site. Congrats on a great image, and thanks for the wake up call.

Wonder-full!

 

Just think, the light eminated from some of these stars at the same time the multi-millennia old tree was a seed. What a wonder-full capture of time.

Starquakes? HA! That's a good one. Might have to steal that line some day.

how refreshing!!!

Technical and Composition skills.

cfr

art for arts sake

Brilliant. Inpiring. Masterfully executed.

Is this image only possible a certain time of the year? Did you center on a known star that would remain relatively fixed?

My feeble attempts at stair trail photography, while educational to me, just don't compare! World's apart

This is a good pix but it is an old idea. what makes it dfferent from others like it is the forground subject in this case a dead tree. its interesting from technical veiwpoints but not very interesting any other way in my opinion.

This is photography at its best ... knowledge of light, subject, film and equipment ... and to top it off an absolutely wonderful composition!

Let's have some more pictures like this on Photo of the Week!

Is the central point the North Star - if so how did you figure this out ?

Where on the planet do you get this cirlce effect? I would think that with the rotation of the earth, one would have to be on one of the two poles to get the stars in a circular pattern like that. And if you were on the equater, straight lines. But I must be missing something in the way I'm thinking. Could someone please explain this to me.

> Is the central point the North Star - if so how did you figure this out ?

 

You could either wait until you see the stars, find the North Star by knowing the constellations and then take your picture, or you could just aim your camera north and know that the North Star has to be somewhere over there. The North Star is really pretty easy to find.

 

 

> Where on the planet do you get this cirlce effect? I would think that with the rotation of the earth, one would have to be on one of the two poles to get the stars in a circular pattern like that.

 

Lucas, anywhere that you can see the North Star you would get that circle effect, which translates to most of the northern hemisphere. If you are at a latitude of 20 degrees, you'd see the north star 20 degrees above the horizon. Since the North Star remains stationary, and since we revolve about on our axis, we see the rest of the stars revolving around it.

You'd get the same circle effect in the Southern Hemisphere, but without any central point, since there is no equivalent to the North Star in the south. It's all just luck, and in several thousand years Polaris won't even be the North Star anymore, given the slight wobble of the Earth.

Excellent! But my enjoyment cames from the earthly (foreground objects) seemingly dancing to the stars. It brings life to the image!

Thanks for your excellent photograph. Great work.

 

Being completely ignorant about star-trial photography, I have a

question whose answer is perhaps obvious to others: how did

you predict where the center of the circle would be? Was it by

chance?

 

Sorry if my question seems stupid!

Christopher, if you live in the northern hemisphere, the center of the circle will always be due north, and its height above the horizon will equal your latitude.

question: if someone went in through the center,

where would they come out?

they would pop out of the butt of Polaris, the Dog Star. That is, if they don't burn up

If you are going to try something like this fantastic photo remember that you must be in a really, but really, dark site.

 

Otherwise, even the weak light of a distant city will ruin the shot.

7/7.

I have never seen a better star photo. Great job making it a photo with depth and intensity, and not just star trails.

Excellent. Do you sell prints of this picture? Please reply by e-mail.

 

Thanks

sorry, i don't sell my work anymore. i got tired of doing that.

Great Shot!!

This photo stands alone without explanation but reading your ideas about it gives me and even greater appreciation of the symbolism. All of your photos have a great fluidity to them.. very impressive!

This is an amazing shot, regardless of the medium. To see that you shot it 4X5 is out of this world. I'd love to see this printed at 5'X 7'or so. Definitely an image that would benefit from large scale printing.

Great shot, the trees make it work.

 

When first I saw this image, I saw the star trails as Eternity's phonographic record with the tree leaning in as the arm bringing the needle to play the music of the spheres.

 

Your text comments nicely underline the theme.

Really nice! I recently tried this myself at nearby Death Valley, to no avail, selenium toned the neg, again... to no avail. Nice work again!

Todd Schoenbaum

Celluloid and Silver