Thursday, July 10, 2014

Canon 60Da Milky Way Astrophotography Catskill Mountains Upstate NY New York

Two simple, minimalistic Milky Way images from my first nights testing the Canon 60Da in the Catskills.
Even single exposures showed a huge improvement over my old Canon 40D.

During my early tests with the Canon EOS 60Da in the Catskill Mountains, I captured two very simple single-frame Milky Way images. Both were taken with the Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L II USM using only a fixed tripod. Even without stacking, the 60Da immediately revealed more detail and sensitivity than my older Canon 40D.

These photos became some of my favorite early 60Da shots—minimalistic, quiet, and very natural-looking. Sometimes a single exposure tells the story better than a complex stacked image.

“Now I know where the Milky Way comes from.”

Canon 60Da Milky Way astrophotography in the Catskill Mountains with rooftop foreground, minimalistic wide-angle night sky image.

Canon 60Da Milky Way Astrophotography Catskill mountains

This first image became unintentionally philosophical. In the lower part of the frame you can see the roof of the bungalow where we stayed in the Catskills. Just above it, the Milky Way rises perfectly—almost as if it starts right from the roof. A small tree is visible on the bottom-right, and the entire scene is extremely minimalistic.

Camera settings were: 9 sec, f/2.8, ISO 12800 using the Canon 60Da and an ultra-wide 16–35mm lens.

A Tree Under the Milky Way

Canon 60Da Milky Way astrophotography in Upstate New York with tree silhouette and bright Milky Way core in minimalistic wide-angle composition.

Canon 60Da Milky Way Astrophotography Upstate NY New York

The second image shows a large tree in silhouette with the Milky Way rising directly above it. Another very simple and minimalistic frame. It beautifully demonstrates how much more detail the Canon 60Da can capture compared to the older Canon 40D—more stars, better color, and higher contrast in the Milky Way core.

This exposure was slightly longer: 15 sec, Canon EOS 60Da, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Lens, F2.8, ISO 12800.

These two early Canon 60Da images became part of two small “visual stories” in my astrophotography. The first story is about the question “Where does the Milky Way come from?” — in the Catskills it seems to rise straight from the roof of our bungalow, and later in Yellowstone it appears to rise from the Old Faithful geyser. Two completely different landscapes, but the same cosmic river flowing upward.

The second story is about trees and stars. The tree in this Catskills image became the first part of a theme I continued years later in Bethel, New York — capturing another tree under the Milky Way and reflecting on the idea that we have more trees on Earth than stars in our galaxy. A simple comparison, but very beautiful in astrophotography.