DEEP DARK POCKETS OF STARRY SKIES NOW

It’s getting harder and harder to find places where you can go to see the magnificent theater of night skies.

But there are still a few dark pockets where you can find night sky joy. We feature two of them here today, as well as two phenomenal photographers who show beautiful night skies off in all their glory… and then some.

AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK STARTRAILS - LINCOLN HARRISON

The Australian Outback is largely devoid of light pollution, giving each star a startling clarity in each shot.

Australian photographer Lincoln Harrison photographs the majesty of the Outback’s night skies, showing the drama of their movement as well as their light in his recent series Startrails.

These are not retouched. They are super-long exposure shots, each taking between 10 and 15 hours each to shoot. Harrison often uses a creative zoom method. Multiple images are layered together in post-production.

No doubt you are wowed by his photos, but you’ll be even more impressed to know that Harrison only got his first camera a little over 3 years ago. His mission was to take pictures of things he wanted to sell on eBay.

But something clicked (pun intended) for him, and he started to explore photography with a feverish passion.

Harrison heads to the outback several times a week to take pictures.

Harrison works with 2 Nikon D7000s, Nikkor 10-24 and Tokina 11-16 lenses. Stacking, blending and processing is done in Photoshop CS5, and Photomatix Pro for merging HDRs.

Beyond the Outback, Harrison’s dream sky destinations include Iceland, New Zealand, and Yosemite in the US.

ISLE OF WIGHT - CHAD POWELL

It’s not all that remote, but the Isle of Wight, the largest island in the English Channel, is where you’ll go in the UK if you want to experience a gorgeous dark and starry sky. Local photographer/designer Chad Powell uses a few tricks to get the most out of the sky there.

Powell’s shots are both landscape and skyscape, as he features sights such as the island’s abandoned theme parks, harbors, and lighthouses in the foregrounds.

Using a Canon 6D DSLR, Powell takes as many as 120 separate photographs per hour, which he will then layer in a stacked composition. This allowed him to turbocharge the light emanating from the 200 billion stars that make up the Milky Way as it splashes across the nighttime.

Most of Powell’s photographs are single exposures taken in a Raw image format, enabling greater detail.

Powell leverages his camera’s abilities to capture light to the max -- so he can get his incredible shots right in his own backyard, without having to travel to super-low light areas of the world.

Read more about Night Beauty all this week on BeautifulNow, including Night Time Mega Beauty Captured, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, and Beautiful Darkness Becomes Us Now. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.

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PHOTO CREDITS:

1. Photo: by Lincoln Harrison. Startrail Series: “Cape Woolamai Stars.”
2. Photo: by Lincoln Harrison. Startrail Series: “Forsaken.”
3. Photo: by Lincoln Harrison. Startrail Series: “Odyssey.”
4. Photo: by Lincoln Harrison. Startrail Series: “***.”
5. Photo: by Lincoln Harrison. Startrail Series: “Fallen.”
6. Photo: by Lincoln Harrison. Startrail Series: Unknown Name.
7. Photo: by Chad Powell. The Milky Way over Steephill Cove. Isle of Wight.
8. Photo: by Chad Powell. Castle Haven - Niton. Isle of Wight.
9. Photo: by Chad Powell. Lights from France meet the Milky Way. Isle of Wight.
10. Photo: by Chad Powell. St. Catherine’s Lighthouse.
11. Photo: by Chad Powell. Isle of Wight Milky Way.
12. Photo: by Lincoln Harrison. Startrail Series: Unknown Name.