After Dark at Rock Cut, Rocky Mountain National Park

I recently shared Rock Cut in the last light. I didn't go home after the sun set, and instead tolerated high winds and very cold temperatures for a couple more hours. It seemed that the rock formations here would make a good foreground for a Milky Way photo.

Getting the rock formations to rise above the other landscape meant climbing down to the edge of the cliff, and low-level lighting was used to bring out the rock color. The foreground lighting in this Rocky Mountain National Park Milky Way image is from a pair of Simorr Vibe P96L RGB Video LED Lights on Manfrotto Befree Advanced Travel Tripods.

Once the lights and camera were set up, waiting (did I mention that it was really cold?) for the Milky Way to rotate into the desired position was the remaining task.

The Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens is an outstanding Milky Way lens. The difference that f/1.4 makes in Milky Way image quality over an f/2.8 lens is dramatic.

Join me in RMNP this September. I have an opening or two for the Elk Rut in Rocky Mountain National Park Instructional Photo Tour.