Royal Deeside Under the night sky
During my "Summer" job of photographing weddings, I tend to stay as late as I can, often past 11pm to capture the couples at night ( visit @jameskelly_photo).
This Saturday I was at the beautiful Ballogie house in Aberdeenshire. This is one location that get little to no light pollution. After photographing the couple under the stars, I made my way home. I knew a spot where I have been wanting to capture the stars for a long time. It was a slight de-tour but happy to do so (after a 14 hour shift).
I made my way up the steep road and reached the bend. This part of the road I say separates the Royal Deeside and Garioch in Aberdeenshire. On one half you have the high land villages and the other, the more populated towns and far more light pollution. I changed my cloths from smart shirt to warmer outdoor gear that I keep in the car. By now the temperature was sitting at 1°C (33°F). The was little to no light on the road and no wind, this was a blessing as I was able to hear and see if a car was coming from miles away. I set up my tripod and used my video light to light up the foreground and help with the composition. I then took a number of test shots to get the stars right and then a couple more to light up the foreground.
Settings were:
Nikon D810
Nikkor 20-35mm (Nikon 24-70 is in for repair)
15 Second Exposure
f2.8
ISO 3200
Gitzo Tripod
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