April 2026 - Southern Pacific Mail and Stage Line Compan - Light Trails
About the Image(s)
On March 17th , a group of us went to try photographing star trail images. We chose a location out in the desert east of Eloy ,
Arizona. The building in the foreground is built in 1879 as part of a mail and stage coach line. The information came from the following link: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=68220
In 1879 the Southern Pacific Mail and Stage Line Company built a one-room adobe station and mesquite corral. It was a horse changing and water stop on the route from the railroad station at Picacho for passengers going to Florence and beyond. In 1913, rancher Juan Verdugo recorded it as a homestead; in 1917 he added a room and raised the roof. About the same time a ranch school was built to the north. In 1920, the property returned to the State. Later, area ranchers leased the land, using the building as bunkhouses and storage until the late 1980's.
My settings on this photograph are: 30 of 33 images at 60 seconds taken at 66 second intervals at f6.3 and the iso is 640. We did some light painting in the foreground. This is only my 2nd try at light trails.
10 comments posted
Tom Buckard
Very interesting image Terry. Almost looks like pop art! Experimenting is alway fun especially when you get good results like this. Your star trails are sharp and precise but I question why the lower trails arch is different than the upper trails arch? The lighting accentuates the story. Posted: 04/08/2026 15:08:08
Terry Meyers
Thanks for your comments. To answer your question on why the lower trails arch is different than the upper trails arch, is the camera is pointed south so the trails go in different directions. The glow to the left of the station is Tucson Arizona. Also I forgot to mention the lens is at 16mm. Posted: 04/08/2026 16:59:12
Tom Buckard
Very interesting Terry, thank you. Posted: 04/08/2026 17:08:29
Sharlana Dillard
Hi Terry - I really like shooting different star trails and I love the way you captured this sight rounding. Question - so did you use a pink light for the painting of the structure? I agree with Tom it's very much like pop art.
Posted: 04/09/2026 19:34:14
Terry Meyers
I have a light with a rainbow of colors to play with. So I am not sure what I used but I had fun. Posted: 04/10/2026 15:45:17
Michael Braunstein
Posted: 04/09/2026 20:32:11
Michael Braunstein
The star trails and the building are excellent. I would reove the straight line on the left. Posted: 04/09/2026 20:33:09
Terry Meyers
I should remove the plane lights (lazy)
Posted: 04/09/2026 21:08:09
Charles Bartolotta
A nice color image. You did really well with the light painting. The glow behind the building separates it well from the sky. Is tahat light coming through the window from the interior? Posted: 04/10/2026 20:10:35
Terry Meyers
I put a small light in the room for 5 or 10 seconds. Posted: 04/10/2026 20:12:26
