Low light - landscape photography

Garden of the Gods
Photograph by Tom Atwood

It was just after dawn among the cavernous sandstone formations in the Garden of the Gods near Harrisburg, Illinois. The light was dim, even outside the caverns. This photo was taken at a slow shutter speed to allow as much light as possible through the lens. The color was saturated slightly in editing.

Shutter: 1/80; Aperture: f/5.6; ISO: 200; Focal length: 200 mm

Time

Three Jets
Photograph by Tom Atwood

The Garden of the Gods is an ancient formation of sandstone in southern Illinois. Not as ancient as the Milky Way above it, pierced by three jets passing through this 25-second time-lapse photo.

Shutter: 25 secs; Aperture: f/3.5; Focal Length: 18 mm; ISO: 5000

Darkness

Milky Way above the
Garden of the Gods
June 17, 2012
Photograph by Tom Atwood

The Garden of the Gods is one of the darkest places in Illinois. One of the few areas where you can see the Milky Way on a moonless night like this one on June 17, 2012. In the photo above, the sandstone rock formations were lit by a flashlight during the 25-second time exposure. (The flashlight also caught some trees, which you can see in the lower left corner).

Shutter: 25 secs; Aperture: f/3.5; ISO: 5000; Focal Length: 18 mm