Greg Molyneux Photography

Tag: astrophotography

  • Up at Night

    Up at Night

    14mm wide angle astrophotography image of a star filled night sky captured atop the unique New Jersey Pinelands' pygmy pine trees.
    Up at Night — 14mm | f/2.8 | ISO 1600 | EXP 10 sec

    COVID-19 has taken many things. Lives, livelihoods, lifestyles, and liberties all curtailed as we continue to confront an ongoing public health crisis. It’s been tough and there are few to argue otherwise. A lower tier robbery thieved by COVID is spontaneous fun. The need to social distance to keep group exposure minimized has taken away spontaneous fun. You know, the plans that didn’t exist until you get a text message from a friend like, yo, get here now because we’re all doing [insert cool fun thing here]. And boom, unexpected excitement dropped into your life; the best kind of fun. This tale has in no way told the COVID story. Homebound monotony has long held sway.

    This changed for me on Thursday. Ben Wurst dropped a small group text to Jonathan Carr and me saying we should go out tonight for astrophotography. Initially I thought this was a nice sentiment, something fun in theory, but I did not expect it to shake out. I was pleasantly surprised to return from my run to see Jon was in and the game was on. Thursday night in the pines it would be.

    Around 10:00 p.m. Thursday we all met up roadside on 539 south in Warren Grove to hike in about a quarter mile to the top of the world. The top of the world is a hyperbolic name given to a small hill outcrop on an otherwise flat bowl of pygmy pines. The pygmies are a unique set of stunted pines found in the southern part of the New Jersey Pinelands. Kept small by wildfire, these bonsai-esque pines stand low—most well under six feet tall. A small sea of mini trees standing sentry for centuries. It’s a cool sight, and this was my first trek out there since January 2016. It had been a while.

    From here we tried our best at making astrophotography on a clear, moonless night. The visibility was excellent, and shooting stars dashed the night sky on regular intervals. Honestly, I didn’t even care about the photographs I was making, I was just happy to be out having unexpected fun with friends.

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  • The Scene Takes Shape

    Wide angle astrophotography from Stafford Forge Wildlife Management Area
    The Scene Takes Shape — 14mm | f/2.8 | ISO 320 | EXP 30 sec

    It’d be fair to say I stepped out of both my comfort and interest zones last night. Astrophotography is a far cry from my forte, and while I do love the stars and the night sky, it’s a technique I’d rather observe through the lens work of folks far more skilled in its execution than me. And while photography is about picking and choosing your battles, like anything else there’s little harm in hopping out of that creative box to experience some new applications of the craft. Learning should never stop, right?

    With clear, crisp skies overhead and a New Moon fast approaching, last night was sure to be as good a time as ever to head out for a little night work. At a loss for what to do, Joe and Jackie piped up that astrophotography should make up at least some of the night’s fun—Mario Maker aside the fireplace would come later. Taking their idea and moving it forward I offered up the Forge as our target destination. It’s close to home and gets pretty dark—by New Jersey light pollution standards anyway. And yet, while the Forge may had been my suggestion kudos to Joe and Jackie for bringing me out to a peninsula that had been never before tread by the likes of Greg Molyneux.

    It was only 9:00 p.m. by the time we hiked out there. I use hiked loosely as it was more like a 5 minute walk through the woods. But let me tell you it sure was dark. With no moonlight overhead it was only a matter of feet before all was consumed by the inky blackness. It was a creepy way to start the fall season. Creepy in the best way, of course. Out on the peninsula and flanked by water on all sides, framing up a serviceable composition became something of an exercise in trial and error. With my limited experience my “approach” consisted of some high ISO shooting into the black. Sure it blows out the shot but it’s a quick and dirty way to see what’s in your frame. Once all that important busy work was out of the way, and I had the shot I wanted such as it is, I simply dialed back the ISO all the way down to 320. From there I made my final shots.

    Walking back out to the car proved more creepy than the journey in. It got worse when we happened upon the cryptic writing scrawled on the trunk of a recently felled tree. Words that seemed to suggest leaving the area with much haste was the recommended course of action. Or else! From there paces quickened and flashlights brightened. As the caboose in this procession of three I made the poor choice to turn and look behind me. Total black out. Again it was the good kind of scared.

    Night photography aside I can’t wait to revisit this location for sunset!