Nikon D850, Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G, ISO 10000 f/1.8 6.0 seconds
This was taken this past May out in the middle of nowhere in the west desert of northern Utah. It is what remains of an old railroad ghost town located near the Utah-Nevada border west of the Great Salt Lake. I came across this area a couple years ago while doing some surveying for my former employer and had a number of creepy experiences while out there which made me think this would be a good location for an astro shoot, so full disclosure, it took me a couple years to work up the nerve to go back out there all alone in the middle of the night. This is my first real attempt at astro, but with Halloween coming up I figured it was an appropriate time to show this image even though the actual landscape is minimal.
4 comments posted
Elena Rumyantseva
Russell, thank you for sharing this. The story of returning to a place that once unsettled you - and doing it alone at night - gives the image a weight that goes beyond the technical. The contrast between the vast, indifferent sky and the small human sign is striking. The title "Terrace Cemetery" becomes almost a whisper in that context. I especially appreciate that you waited until you were ready. That patience shows.
And I'm curious: did the fear go away once you started shooting, or did it stay with you the whole time? Posted: 10/06/2026 10:11:29
Russell Palmer
Thank you very much for your comments. To answer your question, I was confident in my own faith that no harm to me would actually occur, however my nerves were unsettled throughout the night as I waited for the milky way to reach the position I was hoping for. I set my camera up at around 8 pm that evening and it was after 2:30 in the morning before it reached the position I was looking for. At one point I heard a couple branches snap in the nearby brush and I ended up locking myself up in my car as I continued to wait. All in all, I was very happy with myself to push through and have less fear of going out there again some other time. Posted: 10/07/2026 15:55:53
Arief Rahardjo
Wow, it's very creepy .. Night time at terrace cemetery.. ? OMG.. lol.. You make me jealous since I have not success to take milky way photo. Nice shoot.
You should send this to HIPA Night Photo contest in Instagram. Dateline on October 11, 2026. Posted: 10/07/2026 11:32:16
Russell Palmer
Thank you very much for your comment and I will definitely look into the contest you've mentioned I just entered my first ever contest earlier this year and the success I received has me looking forward to entering others, so thank you once again!! Posted: 10/07/2026 16:00:26
