I have always been interested in the night sky from a young age. Sitting by the lake gazing up at the cosmos from my family’s cabin brings back great memories of my childhood. This coupled with seeing images of nebula and galaxies in textbooks is what originally spurred me to get in to photography. The drive to replicate these images and learning the art of Astrophotography taught me the technical aspect of using a camera as your workflow is highly different and more complex than a sunrise shoot to nail a great exposure. The majority of the images below are 3 or 4 minute exposures on a star tracker. In addition, I shoot the images side by side to create a panorama with medium focal length prime lenses to enhance detail. All images are taken within the back to back from the same tripod location.
This is a photo of the Milkyway over Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. This will always be a memorable night as my cousin and I stayed up all night watching the stars and behind our backs for wildlife!
The most remote image of the Milkyway I have ever taken. An hour off the beaten path accessible only by 4x4 vehicle and one of the better nights of camping I can remember.
The North Shore of Minnesota offers some of the darkest skies in the country. This image is at Split Rock Lighthouse and was fortunate to get an icy foreground along the Big Lake.
This image is special to me because it is the only time my wife joined me for a Astro shoot and I don't think she realized the time and patients it takes for tracked images! Never the less I always enjoy time with my love. The lights on the right side are from a vehicle driving along the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park.
A different view of Turret Arch. Pulled an all nighter in Arches National Park and learned that is gets cold in the desert.
Some of the strongest airglow I have captured along the Big Lake. It was a challenge to time the panorama and getting the bright planet of Jupiter to shine front and center. As I packed my gear up the temperature dropped significantly and was treated to some amazing fog!
WTF?
This is a single exposure of what I dub 'The Planetarium.' My cousin and I took a last minute trip to Palisade Head with hopes to capture the Northern Lights.
This was my first 'Nightscape' image where a landscape foreground was incorporated. Prior to this I would simply point my camera towards the sky.
Northern lights on Madeline Island which offers pristine skies. The big and little dipper clearly stand out.
Panorama image of Buck Canyon overlook in Canyonlands National Park. Once your eyes adjust to the dark this landscape was visible from only the Milkyway and starlight.
Fairyland Canyon