sky Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Craig Rogers Photography

Pink Moon Rise

10th October 201718th October 2017Craig Rogers

I was outside tonight just as the Moon had risen above the hilltops. It was bright pink in colour, I’m assuming it was the same in other locations of the Northen Hemisphere too, particularly in the same Time Zone. Did you also see it?

We have some Palm trees at the front of the house that are lit by LED lights which I used to create a frame for the shot.

The credit to the framing has to go to my partner, Emma, who spotted this a few days ago albeit the Moon was the other side of the Palm tree (possibly a better frame too but don’t tell her!).

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Milky Way Over The Barragem de Odelouca

16th September 20179th October 2017Craig Rogers

Before the Galactic Core of the Milky way dips below the horizon for the Winter months, I thought I’d get out and grab a photo, continue reading below if you are interested in how I planned for the shot.

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Galaxy Over Lake - D810, AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14mm, f/2.8, ISO3200, 20sec - {Flickr Link}

Perseids Meteor Shower 2017

13th August 201712th August 2018Craig Rogers

The Perseids Meteor Shower is a yearly event in August as the Earth travels through the dust left behind by the Comet Swift-Tuttle as it orbits the Earth.

This year, the peak time was 1am on the 13th August, however, the bright Moon in the sky was going to wash out most of the visible Meteors and make photography a little tricky. Therefore, I decided to set the camera up and point North East towards the Perseus Constellation (where the shower gains it’s name) before Moon rise to capture some of the early starters.

The image below is the best of the bunch. If you look closely, you can actually see 3 Meteors that burnt up within this 20 second exposure. It’s amazing to think that these bright “shooting stars” are dust the size of a grain of sand!

What I love about this shot is not only is the Milky Way clearly evident, but also the Andromeda Galaxy is showing herself off too!

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}

Persieds Meteors - D810, AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14mm, f/3.2, ISO3200, 20sec - {Flickr Link}

Milky Way and Palm

25th July 20179th October 2017Craig Rogers

The Milky Way is visible to the naked eye from our garden right now, so I thought I’d point the camera up and see what it would pick up.

Ok, not exactly award winning Astro-Photography but it goes to show how little light pollution there is here in the hills of the Algarve. I look forward to getting out in the coming days and weeks looking for some good locations for shots.

If you look close, you’ll even spot a shooting star! Due to the high resolution of the stars, it’s much better to look at the photo on my Flickr Page

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}

Milky Way and Palm - D810, AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 @ 14mm, f/2.8, ISO3200, 20sec - {Flickr Link}

Sunset Reflection at the Barragem

15th January 20179th October 2017Craig Rogers

I’ve been waiting for a perfectly still night and another fantastic red sunset to get down to a local “Bomberios Barragem” to get a reflection shot.

Here in the Serra (hills) of the Algarve you’ll find a lot of these man-made lakes (Bomberios Barregem translates to Firefighter Damn) which are used by fire trucks and helicopters to fill up with water in the event of a local forest fire.

This image is much better viewed on my Flickr Page

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}

Barregem Sunset - D810, AF-S 24-70 f/2.8E @ 24mm, f/13, ISO64, 0.4sec, Hoya Super Pro 1 D Revo Circular Polariser Filter - {Flickr Link}

Polaris Star Trails

29th December 20169th October 2017Craig Rogers

The Algarve is having some very clear evenings (and days too!) but the forecast is for patchy clouds over the coming days. The Moon is also not visible right now, therefore, last night I decided to make the most of the dark and clear sky.

Earlier in the day I went on a scouting mission to find something interesting to put in the foreground of a Star Trail photograph.

Interestingly enough, it’s the same location (different direction) that I shot my Sunset Photos last week. I wanted to create a circle around Polaris (AKA The North Star) so needed a view northwards. This spot was ideal, so I returned after darkness had set in.

After more than two hours in complete darkness on top of this hill with nothing but a herd of cows and the occasional Owl noise to keep me company, I returned home with 195 long exposure (30 seconds each) shots.

These shots have been merged together in Photoshop to create the star trail. The ruin was lit on just the first shot with a small LED torch.

This effect of the stars moving is actually the earth rotating on its axis. Polaris is positioned near to the North Pole Axis (hence the name North Star or Pole Star) which is why it’s almost static while all the other stars appear to circle around it.

{Click image for a higher resolution, click Flickr Link in caption to view photo on Flickr}

Polaris Star Trails - D810, AF-S 14-24 f/2.8 @ 14mm, f/2.8, ISO1600, 30sec (195 shots merged) - {Flickr Link}