Ascension
Category
Self Portrait
Location
Birling Gap, East Sussex
Gear
Pentax K-1, Pentax 21mm Limited f\2.4 lens, Benro Polaris Astro star tracker, Astronomik H-Alpha clip in filter, Astronomik IR-UV block clip in filter
Description
The image shows me standing on one of the staircase platforms at Birling Gap in East Sussex looking up at the constellation of Orion. From the viewpoint at the the bottom of the staircase the constellation of Orion is perfectly framed in the gap between the staircase levels. I wanted to create a composition of myself looking up at Orion and also give the viewer a sense of themselves looking up to the starry sky. I called it Ascension as for me it captures the rising constellation, as well as help the viewer feel like they are also climbing the stairs and looking up to the starry heavens. For the foreground I took a single exposures edited in Lightroom. For the night sky I took multiple tracked exposures using a Benro Polaris Astro star tracker and with a full spectrum modified camera. I also took a separate set of exposure using an Astronomik H-Alpha filter to capture a more of the nebula detail in the Orion constellation. The night sky image was then blended and edited in Photoshop and Lightroom. I had taken the night sky on a clearer night at the same location a few weeks earlier. However, I used Sky Replacement in Photoshop to place the constellation in the position I had observed it on the night I took the foreground. Settings: foreground (24mm, f/5.6, ISO 3200, 120s), sky (21mm, f/3.5, ISO 800, 60s, H-Alpha 21mm, f/2.8, ISO 3200, 60s).
Photographer
Giles Smith
Social Media
Instagram: gilessmithphotographic
Website: www.gilessmithphotographic.co.uk
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