Skyscape - David Mathre Photography

Monday (02-December-2013) — New Jersey

Late Autumn Backyard Night Sky Over New Jersey.

Star Trails and Time-lapse Video using the new Nikon Df camera and the 58 mm f/1.4G lens that came with the camera.

Star Trails. Backyard Night Sky Over New Jersey. Composite of images from 19:29-22:12 taken with a Nikon Df camera and 58 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 100, 58 mm, f/2, 30 sec). Images processed with Capture One Pro, and composite created with Photoshop CC Pro (scripts, statistics, maximum) (David J Mathre)

Saturday (30-November-2013) — New Jersey

Backyard Nighttime Autumn Sky Over New Jersey.

Into the Vortex. Early Morning Backyard Star Trails (and one meteor trail). Composite of 300 images taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 14 mm, f/4, 59 sec) over a 5 hour period combined using startrails.exe.

alt_title. (David J Mathre) — Into the Vortex. Early Morning Backyard Startrails. Composite of 300 images taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 100, 14 mm, f/4, 59 sec) combined using startrails.exe. (David J Mathre)

Four-Years Ago (23-October-2009) — California

Gone to See California. SIRNA Business Meeting in San Francisco.

Sunset Panorama View of the Moon, Night Sky, Oakland and San Francisco from the Berkeley Hills. Composite of three images taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 24 mm f/3.5 PC-E lens (ISO 800, 24 mm, f/5, 0.5 sec).

Sunset view of San Francisco and Oakland from Berkeley Hills (David J Mathre)

One-Year Ago (17-October-2012) — New Mexico

Gone to See America 2012 Road Trip. Day 11: Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Roswell, New Mexico.

Waxing Crescent Moon and Pair of Sandhill Cranes in Flight at Sunset. Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Roswell, New Mexico. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 125, 50 mm, f/8, 1/100 sec).

Moon and Sandhill Cranes in Flight at Sunset. Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Roswell, New Mexico. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 125, 50 mm, f/8, 1/100 sec). Nikonians ANPAT 12. (David J Mathre) — Moon and Sandhill Cranes in Flight at Sunset. Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Roswell, New Mexico. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 125, 50 mm, f/8, 1/100 sec). Nikonians ANPAT 12. (David J Mathre)

Wednesday (09-October-2013) — Arizona

Gone to See America 2013. Nikonian Annual Photography Adventure Trip. Day 4: Page, Antelope Canyon, and Horseshoe Canyon.

Since the US Government shut down all the National Parks, Monuments, and other “non-essential” government facilities closed. The organizers of ANPAT 13. We have been scrambling to find places for the four vans to go out and photograph. The plan was to spend time in Grand Canyon National Park. Many signed up for the trip specifically to see the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Our van’s assignment for the day included Lower Antelope canyon, on Navajo land, and thus not closed. Horseshoe Bend, the upper vista point is on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land — technically closed, but no one was there to stop folks from hiking to the upper view vista point. Restrooms being locked at the Horseshoe Canyon vista parking lot was the only sign of the shutdown. Since Grand Canyon, one of the most visited National Parks closed, many others like us were looking for alternate places to visit. The parking lot for Horseshoe canyon was near full with many folks already at the overlook. Rather than fight for a spot at the favorite viewpoint, I found a different place with a good view. I mounted a camera with a fisheye lens on a sturdy monopod. I then held the camera over the edge

Horseshoe Bend, Arizona. Image taken with a Nikon D4 and 16 mm f/2.8 fisheye lens (ISO 100, 16 mm, f/11, 1/200 sec). Camera mounted on a monopod held out over the cliff. Nikonians ANPAT-13 on a day that the National Parks were closed. (David J Mathre)