Photographer’s Choice – Leander Hutton

Depth of Field: 20 Feet to 2.6 Million Light Years

Leander Hutton – ASU Dark Sky Observatory

Leander Hutton – ASU Dark Sky Observatory

While a student at ASU this was a familiar “classroom” site for Leander, particularly for researching asteroid behavior. He visited the site again in October of 2011 and captured this dramatic image of the ASU Dark Sky Observatory and the clear star filled sky above. He selected a shutter speed of 30 seconds at an aperture of f/2.8 with a 1600 ISO, all to capture the light from as many stars as possible. Continue reading

Photographer’s Choice – Peyton Hale

“…most intense sunrise scenarios I’ve seen in years.”

Peyton Hale - Twilight at Edisto Island, SC

Peyton Hale - Twilight at Edisto Island, SC

The world’s population is projected to reach 7 billion by April of this year and yet the earth can still appear desolate, prehistoric, with a beauty almost beyond human imagination. A photographer in the right place at the right moment can attempt to capture this magnificent world. Peyton has come close with this image.
To succeed it can take dedicated effort. Peyton writes, “I departed Raleigh at 12:30 am and drove south 5 hours to Edisto Island, South Carolina arriving shortly before civil twilight. A short stroll through the coastal marshland and a few hammocks and the path opened up to the Atlantic Ocean and a beach lined with these desolate trees down the expanse of the beach. With the cloud cover moving towards sunrise I was presented with one of the most intense sunrise scenarios I’ve seen in years.” Notice the composition, the lines, shapes, patterns and colors that make the image powerful.
Peyton’s camera is the Canon EOS 5D Markll with Canon’s EF17-40mm f/4L USM lens. ISO was set to 320, shutter speed a slow 2.5 sec at f/16. He used a Singh-Ray 3 Stop reverse Grad ND filter to help balance the natural light. There is an article on the Singh-Ray site featuring Peyton which can be viewed here.