“Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all. ” – Vincent Van Gogh.
On the night of October 27 at Pfeiffer Beach Mother Nature put on a final stellar performance. This was my last opportunity to photograph the Milky Way before the galactic core disappeared below the horizon for the winter months. For this final show the Milky Way was accompanied as it descended above the Keyhole Arch by Venus and bioluminescent plankton lighting up the surf.
Knowing that Venus would be low on the horizon I positioned myself on the cliff above the beach. This angle prevented Venus from being obscured by the rock and allowed me to pick up Venus’ light reflected on the ocean. I was also careful to align the Milky Way above the center of the Keyhole Arch.
Everything came together as I had envisioned for this image, but what really made this image special and the night magical was the appearance of bioluminescence in the surf.
The image was captured with a Canon 5DmkIV camera and a 14mm f/1.8 Sigma lens. Three exposures were blended to capture the range of tones between the Milky Way, the landscape, and the bioluminescence. In addition, 2 low level LED video lights were used to illuminate the Keyhole Arch Rock.
While I was waiting for the night I took these images of the sunset rays through the Keyhole Arch.
