Bansai Trip #5 took place over February 18 and 19 and included racing up the 5 and cutting across to Garrapata to shoot the lilies, sneaking onto Coast Guard property to shoot the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, shooting the Golden Gate Bridge as the low clouds moved back in at 1 AM, and a bleary eyed, very cold drive up highway 50 to Lake Tahoe where we shot Emerald Bay and several other spots before driving some 9 hours or so back to Orange County. (It probably would have been closer to 8 hours if Tom hadn't gotten pulled over by the CHP just outside of Bishop.)
As we pulled into Lake Tahoe, I was hoping that we would be able to shoot the Milky Way over Emerald Bay as Stellarium had forecasted 4 AM as the time the Milky Way would rise in the East. When we pulled up at 4:15 and began shooting it took awhile for our eyes to adjust. It was only after we looked at our LCD screens that we realized that there were a few scattered high clouds overhead catching the light of the different towns around the lake in addition to the Milky Way, creating an eerie glow. Rather than being bummed about the clouds, I immediately liked the look the clouds and light created and both Tom and I spent the next four hours or so shooting from different locations around the Bay. The clouds eventually lit up for a very decent sunrise giving way to a gorgeous day at Lake Tahoe. I was more than pleased with what we were able to shoot over 36 hours, but when the alarm went off the next morning at 5:45 AM...it really made me wonder if I could pull that off again. It was definitely worth it, but I need to make sure I don't try the sleep deprivation thing right before a work day if I ever try this again.
(Nikon D800 & Nikkor 14-24. Single exposure shot at ISO 1250, f 2.8 for 44 seconds.)
William McIntosh Photography
Facebook
Google +
Pinterest
500px
Tumblr 