Alvord Desert, Oregon: A Stargazer's Paradise
During a recent road trip through Northern Nevada and Southeastern Oregon, I had the immense pleasure of visiting the Alvord Desert. This vast, dry lakebed proved to be an absolutely magical place for anyone who cherishes the wonders of a truly dark sky.
Capturing the Cosmos
The image above was captured using a Nikon Z7 with a Nikkor 14-24mm Z F/2.8 lens. The dedication to achieving this shot is evident in the detailed settings:
- Sky: F/2.8, ISO 2000, 192 seconds exposure, aided by an iOptron SkyTracker Pro. The sky portion was cropped to simulate the field of view of a 40-45mm lens.
- Foreground: F/8, ISO 400, 1/10 sec exposure.
The Art of Processing
Post-processing was a meticulous process, bringing out the incredible detail in the night sky and the subtle textures of the desert landscape. The tools of choice for this transformation included Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and Topaz Labs Denoise.
The result is a testament to the allure of places like the Alvord Desert – a serene and awe-inspiring canvas for both the photographer and the cosmos.
