SHOT OF THE DAY – YOSEMITE ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY

SHOT OF THE DAY – YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA

Like most of us, in the middle of covid I was desperate to get out of the house and escape the same four walls I was seeing at home. So I decided to take a trip up to Yosemite National Park which is around five hours drive away from where I live. 

I stayed in a hotel, disinfected every surface and then spent four days totally alone in the park with no other visitors and taking hundreds of photos! It was amazing! No crowds and having the park all to yourself! 

I have done very little astrophotography and it’s something I have always really loved the look of and enjoy in other people’s work. One night back in the hotel I looked up some information on it and decided to give it a try, taking some long exposures with my Leica Noctilux 50mm f/1.0 to get the maximum amount of light. 

Once set up at Tunnel View with my tripod and a heavy jacket, I spent an hour or so shooting photos from dusk until the light had totally faded. This photo was taken for 16 seconds at f/2.0 and ISO 400 on a tripod with a timer countdown. 

The Leica M is probably not really the best camera for this, but still, I was really happy with the results. Still loads to learn, but something I will try and do more of in the future.