It's the End of the World! Art, Light Pollution, and Desert Dreams
There's a certain magic to the desert, an expansive emptiness that can sometimes feel like the edge of the world. This sentiment is perfectly captured by a unique art installation I encountered, a collection of letters spelling out a poignant message against the vast desert sky. As you can see in the image below, the experience was further enhanced (or perhaps, hindered) by the dramatic arrival of clouds during my imaging session.
This piece, located in Twentynine Palms, CA, has a whimsical quality, especially with one of the letters having fallen over. It almost felt like an intentional, albeit perhaps unintentional, commentary on the impermanence of things, or simply a quirky detail that added to the character of the installation. I've heard tales of these letters being seen in various states of disarray over the years, which only adds to their mystique.
The clouds, while beautiful in their own right, unfortunately amplified the perception of light pollution emanating from the nearby town of Twentynine Palms. This phenomenon, a common challenge for astrophotographers, often detracts from the deep blacks of the night sky, turning it into a hazy canvas. It’s a constant battle between capturing the cosmos and dealing with the encroaching glow of civilization.
My goal was to capture both the striking foreground art and the celestial panorama above. The technical details behind this shot involved a full spectrum modified Canon R5 with a Sigma 14-24mm lens at 24mm.
- Foreground: Multiple 30-second exposures at f/5.6, ISO 800, using a visible light filter.
- Sky: 210-second exposures at f/2.8, ISO 1600, stacked 15 times, utilizing a specialized astronomy filter for enhanced deep-sky detail.
It's a fascinating interplay between human creativity, the raw beauty of nature, and the challenges of capturing the night sky in our modern world. Despite the clouds and light pollution, the final image tells a story that resonates with the quiet, awe-inspiring solitude of the desert.
