Photographing Big Bend National Park

I think most people would agree that pictures of the stars and the night sky are some of the most remarkable photographs we can capture. Yet, these amazing photos are some of the hardest to take. However, with the help of Kathy Adams Clark’s new book Photographing Big Bend National Park, you too will be able to photograph your own wonders of the night sky. In each subsection, Clark guides readers step-by-step through simple, intermediate, and advanced options for taking that specific set of photos, as well as listing the best season for capturing that style of photo.

 

 

 

Although we may find it difficult, Clark states that “photographing at night is not hard” (p. 102). She also lists ways of “painting” stationary objects with light resulting in a surreal photo.

 

 

 

 

She goes on to explain how to take pictures of moving vehicles at night, which leave either white or red trails of light. She focuses her photography on the tunnel at the Rio Grande Village.

 

 

 

 

Next, Clark moves to taking pictures of the moonrise and the moonset especially when it is a full moon. Full moons happen every month so you will have plenty of opportunities to practice this photo.

 

 

Star trails are next on the list. Ultimately, photographers “take multiple photos, stack them together in layers and, using software, blend the layers. The finished photo shows the light from the stars trailing through the sky” (p. 112).

 

 

 

 

Lastly, Clark focuses on capturing photos of the Milky Way, the galaxy in which we live. The best photos of this are produced when there is a dark sky with no moon.

 

 

 

 

 

For more on Clark’s new book Photographing Big Bend National Park, click here.

 

Enjoy your newfound talent and happy photo hunting!