| Photograph Information |
Photographer's Comments |
Challenge: Extended Free Study 2026-01 (Extended Editing)
Collection: Portfolio
Camera: Nikon D750
Lens: Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED
Location: Joshua Tree, CA
Date: Jan 16, 2026
Date Uploaded: Jan 20, 2026
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From a recent trip to Joshua tree, I wanted to try creating an image with both light painting, and star trails.
This is a composite of two shots, taken within minutes of each other. One for the foreground, and one for the sky.
This was an experiment to see if I could get a single line of star trails in one take. But also to do it in less than the several hours it takes to create regular star trails. This particular star trail capture took about 6 minutes. So, to my mind, the experiment was successful! I used a star tracker, and the individual stars that are visible are due to me briefly stopping to switch the finger pressing the button. It was an unexpected effect, which I think enhances the final result. The irregular lines are what happens when you don't have Polaris perfectly centered (you can partly see the irregular circle behind the tree), but I think that also adds to the charm and interest of the shot.
Editing was simple: compositing two images, and then dodging/burning, and some color adjustments. |
| Author | Thread |
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02/22/2026 09:44:18 PM |
To answer Lev's question, yes, the camera was rotated for 6 minutes. During that time, it made one entire rotation, which is why there's a single line of stars (except where I switched fingers, which created the individual stars).
I did not move the camera for this particular star shot (I did for other frames but they didn't turn out as well). The tree and foreground are completely blurred out of the image and only appear as very faint smudges, so no, they don't obscure the star trails at all. It's like light painting, where you can't see the person because they're moving. |
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02/22/2026 08:35:00 PM |
Congratulations Johanna, this is outstanding, pretty amazing and beautiful photography.
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 Photographer found comment helpful. |
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02/22/2026 07:50:06 PM |
| Very cool, Johanna, congrats on your red! I still didn't quite Understand how you got star trails in just a few minutes, did you rotate the camera quickly? But what about the foreground, wouldn't it obscure some of the stars it you rotate your camera? |
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02/22/2026 12:21:11 AM |
| Stunning. I bet this was really fun! |
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Comments Made During the Challenge  |
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02/21/2026 06:15:21 PM |
| Such a cool image (composite I'm guessing?). I'm kind of hoping for info. Bump |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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02/19/2026 04:57:03 PM |
| Oh my goodness, beautiful photography. |
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02/19/2026 02:22:44 PM |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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02/19/2026 08:53:36 AM |
| Very cool. Great use of a foreground element and the path. Not sure that having the tree bullseye with the top of the tree works. Maybe having the but lead to the Milky Way center. But given it was several hours to see what the composition looks like, kudos! |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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02/16/2026 09:52:40 AM |
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| Photographer found comment helpful. |
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