Have you wondered what it’s like for a husband-and-wife landscape photographer team? For us, it’s like being on a date. :) We arrived at this location well before the sun went down, and scouted it out. After joking around with a few stragglers, we soon found ourself alone under these incredible arches. We set up our shots and laid down next to one other on the smooth sandstone as our cameras clicked away automatically nearby. We talked about new photography ideas, discussed exotic locations we hope to visit someday, and counted meteors as they passed overhead. We watched some guy trying to paint with light half a mile away, shared the chocolates we’d brought along, and laughed about our experiences with our kids.
Nothing beats spending time with your best friend in the wilderness!
The light on the arch and hoodoo is natural. We took these photo long after the sun had gone down. The star trails are blended from 85 and 120 individual exposures – each with a 30-second shutter speed. We built Photoshop actions to blend the images quickly and easily using layers, masks, and blending modes. The camera remained in the same place throughout the entire shooting process. Our remote releases allowed us to set up the camera, and then stand back and let it do all the work. The hoodoo in Varina’s shot is lit by moonlight. The arches in Jay’s shot are lit by the very last light of the day, reflected onto the sandstone.
Here’s Varina’s shot from the night before.
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