About the Image(s)

Distant Lights
Nikon D850, Nikkor 80-200m @ 86mm, f2.8 lens, ISO 2000, f2.8, 6 seconds, cable release, rig supported by Platypod
Since the Mily Way “season” is over I was going through this year’s collection of MW images to pick my favorite of the year. I settled on this photo of the Sanibel Island Lighthouse located on a SW Florida Island in the Gulf of Mexico. The image was taken in late October after ten p.m. and once it got dark I was the only person on the entire beach. My timing for the shot was compliments of PhotoPills and this shot was planned before I even left home. I have lots of MW images showing more land but this lighthouse is not exactly a stunning sight so I decided to position the lighthouse so the beacon would appear in the space between the Black Horse and the actual core of the MW. Since the MW appeared higher than the lighthouse I had to get the camera in an extremely low position so the lighthouse would be higher in the frame. The Platypod allow allowed the camera to be only inches above the sand. I used the flip out LED screen and live view to frame the shot. I also chose to use my cable release rather than my remote so I would have one less item to keep track of in the dark. After framing I only had to wait for the MW to rotate into position to take the shot. I did take several additional shots before the MW was in position just to test my settings position.