Peru Star Trails

This is my first ever attempt of photographing star trails.  As you probably know, I take hundreds (thousands, if I’m honest) photos on all our trips.  I don’t process them immediately after the trip.  I get bored of processing to many photos in a row from one spot.  So I jump around.  I’ll process 5 photos from NYC, then some from Florida, then some from Pittsburgh, etc…  You get the idea.  Anyway, that means sometimes is takes me a few years to process all the photos from a trip.  Why did I mention all that?

Well, back during our 2015 Peru trip, Michael and I went out one night to photograph the Milky Way.  The moon cycle and weather was perfect for star photography.  Plus that part of the world is great for Astrophotography.  I took a bunch of photos of the stars, Milky Way and the sky.  While I was there, I took a series of photos to create this star trail picture.  But the photos sat on my computer for almost 2 years before I processed them last night.  So my first attempt at star trails took 2 years to complete.   I hope you enjoy it. 

By the way, the structures in the foreground are ancient Incan building (thousands of years old). 

Have a great day. 

To view a larger version, click here:  https://500px.com/photo/199183387/star-trail-by-brook-ward?ctx_page=1&from=user&user_id=3695440

Milky Way From Peru

During our trip to Peru, I had a chance to take some photos of the night sky.  Luckily, the timing was right….meaning the moon cycle was perfect and it wasn’t cloudy.  On top of that, the Milky Way is about 70% bigger in the southern hemisphere….but don’t ask me why. 

This photo shows you about 30% of the Milky Way that was visible that night.  You could see the entire arch (like a full rainbow).  It was an amazing sight.   Sorry I couldn’t get the entire Milky Way in my shot.  It was just way to big.

By the way, the orange glow at the bottom is the city of Puno Peru in the distance, which created light pollution in my photo. 

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

Milky Way

I’ve been talking about doing some star trails and Milky Way photos for a while.  Why I haven’t tried it before, I don’t know for sure.  I guess it’s just like other things people put off doing for no reason.  So last night, I just got the bug to go do it.  The moon was right, it was a clear sky, I wasn’t tired, and I tracked the Milky Way using Stellarium software.  Once I decided to go, I quickly threw my stuff in the truck and drove south looking for the darkest spot I could find.  Ideally, I should have used a light pollution map to find a spot that was perfect.  The problem is that “perfect location” really doesn’t exist on the east coast of the United States.  The best places are all out west.


Because of the hills and valleys around my area, I needed a spot on top of a tall hill or mountain.  So I found a cemetery on a hill about 15 miles south of my house.  Yes, I stood in a dark cemetery in the middle of the night photographing the stars.    


After getting back home, I spent some time researching how to process the images.  So the photo I’m sharing with you tonight is my first attempt at photographing the Milky Way.  I’ve got a lot to learn about this type of photography, but I don’t think it is terrible.  What do you think?

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.

To purchase a print or view the entire gallery, click the photo above.