From Star Trails to Moonbeams: A Night of Cosmic Creativity
I've been itching to get out there and capture some Milky Way shots along with stunning star trails. I was gearing up for a night on the North Shore, all set to become the next great astrophotographer. But then a little voice (okay, it was Google) said, “Hey, genius, check the moon phase.” So I did, and lo and behold, it was a Harvest Supermoon, blood moon, and a partial lunar eclipse all rolled into one! Talk about a cosmic plot twist!
With my plans for star trails suddenly dashed—thanks a lot, bright moon—I switched gears to focus on my Harvest Supermoon shoot. Next up: finding the perfect location. This is always a struggle for me; it’s like choosing a pizza topping, but with a lot more at stake! After much deliberation, I decided on a pull-off heading to Duluth that promised a great view of the bridges and Superior, Wisconsin.
Armed with my camera, GoPro (which I later realized was more of a burden than a blessing), and my trusty Hydro Flask filled with ice water, I hit the road. When I arrived around 7:30 PM, I was taken aback by the sheer number of people already there, all eagerly watching the moon shimmy across the sky. I squeezed into a parking spot and began setting up my tripod and GoPro—though, spoiler alert: the GoPro was a total waste of space.
The place was busier than a high school parking lot on prom night. I’m pretty sure I was surrounded by couples using the moon as their romantic backdrop—ah, to be young and in love again! After a few test shots that left me feeling less than satisfied with the composition, I realized it was too late to make any location changes. Instead, I turned my attention to capturing some light trail shots of the John A. Blatnik Bridge and the surrounding area.
f/16 8 min ISO 100
The moon was gorgeous, but it just wasn’t positioned right for my grand city skyline shot. Then it hit me: the moon was still climbing in the sky as the eclipse began! So, I decided to shoot the moon at intervals—now the question was, what kind of intervals? After a few flops, I settled on 4-minute intervals, giving me just the right amount of space between shots.
f/11 250 sec ISO 100
I ended up shooting a couple of sets of these and kicked back to enjoy the celestial show. The eclipse wrapped up around 11 PM, and I was practically buzzing with excitement as I packed up my gear. I couldn’t wait to dive into the photos, so I rushed home, loaded them onto my computer, and started working.
Combining the interval shots into one image using Photoshop felt like wizardry, and I polished them up in Lightroom. The light trails? Well, those also got the Photoshop treatment before heading to Lightroom for the final touch. This wasn’t the plan I’d envisioned, but hey, the results were a pleasant surprise!
As for the GoPro timelapse footage? Total fail—shocking, I know. There was just too much light for the settings I chose. Lesson learned: maybe leave the GoPro at home next time.
All in all, it was a fantastic outing and a valuable experience. Never let an opportunity slip through your fingers, and always, always keep your camera close. You never know when the cosmos will decide to put on a show!
f/11 250 sec ISO 100
