When I go out photographing the night sky I always set up two cameras. I want to maximize my time when I'm out there so I try to find two compositions that are different enough to count as two separate images.
Unfortunately I couldn't see the Chama river from where I positioned myself. There were some steep cliffs that I was not prepared to navigate, particularly in the dark. Maybe next time I'll find a different vantage point but for now this will have to do.
It can get somewhat spooky out there in the dark of night and even though I wasn't too far from the road, I do get thoughts of bears and mountain lions.
Shot with Rokinon 12mm f 1:2 manual lens

Tags:   New Mexico night astro astro photography dusk Milky Way stars blue hour landscape landscapes outside outdoors nature Rokinon 12mm f1:2 landscape astrophotography

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A shot from from the height of summer.
I shot it on the same night as a version I uploaded a couple of months ago that I took from the end of the pontoon. At first I didn't like the modern boat landing which is why I didn't upload it right a way but it grew on me over time.
Slight movement in the water combined with the long exposure smeared out the reflections of the stars.
I had to really tone down the the light on the pontoon because the security lights in the parking lot behind me rivaled the brightness of the sun.
Rokinon 12mm f1: 2 at f 2.5

Tags:   New Mexico Abiquiu lake night astro astro photography dusk Milky Way stars blue hour landscape landscapes outside outdoors nature YBSNature21 Rokinon 12mm f2 low level lighting landscape astrophotography

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We had a break from the rainy weather! I took the opportunity to head out and visit a spot on Ghost Ranch that I had scouted back in May.
What caught my eye at the time were these three strange old dilapidated hogans with their rounded roofs. Only one of them is visible here. I have no idea what their purpose was. They are certainly not used anymore and are slowly decaying. I thought they make a nice subject in conjunction with the enormous Mesa in the background.
There were some clouds earlier but they all dissipated once it was dark.
The spot isn't that far from the Ghost Ranch facilities, yet it felt really remote. Thoughts of bears and mountain lions started crossing my mind. What if...?

Tags:   LensTagger New Mexico night astro photography landscape landscapes dusk blue hour stars nature outside low level lighting landscape astrophotography

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This image is from the first night we were at the City of Rocks State Park.
The days were scorching hot but the nights were spectacular. The air was still and it got nice and cool by about 10 pm.
It is a very unusual place, some mud flow from an ancient volcanic eruption has eroded and weathered over the eons and morphed into this assembly of free-standing rocks. The Milky Way was glistening in the moonless sky and Arcturus and Spica were blazing overhead. That is why I love to be out at night.
The Park was only sparsely populated with campers and everything was peaceful and quiet. Give me more of that.
Taken with the Rokinon 12 mm f2 at f2.8

Tags:   New Mexico City of Rocks night stars Milky Way night sky astro photography Rokinon 12mm f2 low level lighting landscape astrophotography

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They were scorching hot, those two days in June at the City of Rocks State Park in NM.
The nights were spectacular though, the air was still and it got nice and cool by about 10 pm.
It is a very unusual place, some mud flow from an ancient volcanic eruption has eroded and weathered over the eons and morphed into this assembly of free-standing rocks. The Milky Way was glistening in the moonless sky and Arcturus and Spica were blazing overhead. That is why I love to be out at night.
The rattlesnakes stayed under their rocks and the park was only sparsely populated with campers. Everything was peaceful and quiet.
Give me more of that.

Tags:   New Mexico City of Rocks night Milky Way astro photography night photography stars landscape nature Rokinon 12mm f2 low level lighting landscape astrophotography

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