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

Scattered Light

The Black River
near Piedmont, Missouri
Photograph by Tom Atwood

I went to the Black River looking for darkness, but found all kinds of light in this photograph taken beneath the spillway at Clearwater Lake. The Milky Way glows like dust above the clouds, while the clouds themselves are lit from below by scattered light, most of it out of nearby Piedmont, a small town several miles away. The hillsides are lit by flashlights shining in the hands of hikers, walking the paths along the river in "darkness."

Shutter: 25 secs; Aperture: f/3.5; ISO: 3200; Focal Length: 18 mm

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