“Illuminated mystery pours down from above in graceful submission under a starry night. Middle Falls shines with the night sky in a tidal pressure of living affinities, they open, they multiply discoveries, and reveal depths even faster than I can note them.”
‘Nighted Vail’ is the Grand Prize Winner of Outdoor Photographer Magazine’s 3rd Annual Great Outdoors Photography Contest and will be published in the July 2012 issue. Click HERE to see the article.
“Congratulations to Grand Prize winner Brad Goldpaint. This photograph is much more than just a night scene with the Milky Way. Goldpaint took advantage of digital photography to capture a unique place and moment in time. He describes the shot, “As an avid landscape astrophotographer, I wanted to find a perfect location for the annual Orionids meteor shower, peaking on October 21, 2011. I remembered a place called Middle Falls, located just outside the city of McCloud near my home in Mount Shasta, CA. This location had an open view just above the falls and faced directly east where the majority of the meteors would be coming from. Nighted Vail is a composite consisting of every meteor captured during the night and includes the Milky Way crashing into the illuminated falls.”
To purchase limited edition, fine-art prints, please visit goldpaintphotography.com/purchase.
30 Responses
It’s sad that most of the people on here that really appreciate the photo are so clueless. I admit, I love the photograph. It’s amazing and unique, and obviously the product of preemptive thought. I couldn’t have done it, but after viewing it I could certainly attempt to mimic it. The first obvious fact is that the sky is not actually the same sky one would see looking over the foreground. To take a picture that detailed would need a tripod that could mechanically follow the stars, which would make the foreground blurred as it was panned across. The obvious short exposure of the water falls is evidence that it wasn’t snapped at night. It was snapped in the day light, and the trees look as though they were darkened in an editing program to give the illusion of the absence of light. The two shots were put together with software. Again I love the picture. And however it was done, it is what it is. It’s just sad that some people that aspire to capture these types of things have left themselves so ignorant that they can’t even understand the impossibility of capturing this shot without actually moving the camera.
I believe you are wrong Dick. With an ISO above 800 and a fairly wide aperture, it is possible to capture a sky this detailed in 30 seconds. In 30 seconds star trails are not visible, they appear as the points of light as we see them. Furhtermore, what makes you think he took a picture of the foreground in the day? The blur of the waterfall clearly exceeded 5 seconds, and that is difficult to do in daylight without a filter. I love this picture as well; it is an exquisite, and as you said, well thought out piece of art. Maybe I’m just another ignorant person, but I can see how this could be done without moving the camera.
stunning!! one of the best photographs I have ever seen
where was that?
and how can i get a printed copy of your work?
Thank you for your comments, Sarah. All images are available for purchase. For more info, please visit https://goldpaintphotography.com/purchase/.
Really nice shot! Haven’t seen one before where someone got a flowing waterfall, night stars, and meteors all in one. Congrats on the win!
Thank you, Kevin!
I just saw your picture in Outdoor Photographer and I had to come and look at more of your photos. My god I was blown away by your landscape and star pictures. Incredible work.
Thank you for stopping by, Connor.
Well Deserved! Congratulations!
Thank you, Cindy!
Congratulations on winning the photo contest. I submitted several photos myself. What a great long exposure shot!! I racking my brain trying to figure out how you did it. I take lots of timed exposure star shots myself. Did you use a tripod calibrated to poliris somehow? obviously you randomly lit the falls with an outside light source. Good job and way to work for the shot. Must have taken lots of patience and pre planning.
Matthew Hawk
Thanks Matthew. In order to maintain the integrity of photographic moments and avoid sabotaging the efforts of other professionals, the details of my techniques are kept confidential. If you are interested in learning more about landscape astrophotography, I offer online & in-field private and small group workshops. For more info, visit https://goldpaintphotography.com/workshops/.
It is an amazing scenery and shot. I am very impressed!
Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Greetings Liza
Thanks Liza!
Congrats, Brad! Phantastic combination of both terrestial and celestial!
Werner
Thank you, Werner!
Absolutely stunning photograph! Can you shed some ‘light’ on the photo, i.e. exposure and iso settings?
Thank you for your comments, Mike. In order to maintain the integrity of photographic moments and avoid sabotaging the efforts of other professionals, the details of my techniques are kept confidential. If you are interested in learning more about landscape astrophotography, I offer private and small group workshops. For more info, visit https://goldpaintphotography.com/workshops/.
Sera un premio bien merecido, tu trabajo es extraordinario y tu trayectoria a sido muy buena.
Felicidades
Muchas gracias, Cristina! Siempre es un placer saber de ti. Espero que lo están haciendo bien.
That was one incredible sky night. Glad you caught it on the McCloud.
Kamofo
Thank you, Kamofo.
Brad Magnificent image, your ability to capture the “light” at night is amazing! You truly set the bar, and are an inspiration to us all, who work to achieve this level of excellence!! Congratulations…
Thanks Sean! Really looking forward to working here in the Pacific Northwest now that the snow is beginning to melt. Thank you for your comments!
A grand prize for sure. An exceptional photoghraph. Brad, you have taken the art of night sky photography to new heights. Congratulations!
Thank you for your kind words, David.
Big ups for planning and executing an amazing shot!! Well deserved!
Much appreciated, Jeff!
Big congrats to you Brad! Really well deserved. It’s an outstanding capture!
Thank you, Alex!