MILKY WAY, PORTLAND BOAT CRANE

Red Crane on Portland Bill is a favourite location for Milky Way photography as it stands against the sky, right out in the English Channel where the sky is dark looking south. Careful composition is needed to minimise the effect of the nearby lighthouse, whose beams are visible on the right hand side. On this occasion during one of my MIlky Way Photography Workshops, there were four boats parked beside the crane, making a really pleasing foreground. To get everything in I made a vertical stitched panorama of two overlapping compositions using my 14mm Sigma Art F/1.8 lens, stopped down to ensure sufficient depth of field.

Stitched vertical panorama of 26 stacked light frames (lower) and 19 stacked light frames (upper), both plus 11 dark frames. All at F/2.8, 20 seconds, ISO 12,800.
Accepted: Navara (Slovenia) 2023