Watch What It Takes to Capture an Amazing 30-Shot Panorama of the Milky Way

Photographer and filmmaker Michael Shainblum takes us on a journey to capture a panoramic shot of the Milky Way over the popular photography and nature destination Crater Lake, Oregon.

Capturing the Milky Way is an addictive goal. While there is a learning curve to even be able to get something worth showing off, there is a whole new level of planning and dedication involved with getting the Milky Way exactly where you want it with an interesting composition.

Shainblum shares an up-close and behind the scenes view of what it is like to capture the stars over a truly beautiful location. Joined by fellow YouTube photographer Gavin Hardcastle for this adventure, the experienced astrophotography duo went with the ancient, collapsed volcano known as Crater Lake. This unique spot is home to the deepest lake in the United States. It has no rivers connected to it, and the local climate replenishes all the evaporation with rain. While all this might be picturesque on its own, there is also an island known appropriately as Wizard Island that really makes the images pop.

I really like the openness of Shainblum's videos. He really talks to the camera in a genuine way as he covers his mindset towards capturing the night sky and all the effort required to get the shot. I felt like I was almost there and hope to be able to get out there to Crater Lake National Park myself like that someday. I hope you enjoy it too. Drop a Crater Lake photo in the comments if you have one.

Michael B. Stuart's picture

Michael B. Stuart is a photographer at Stu Stu Studio in Lewiston, New York. Besides shooting weddings with his wife Nicole his specialties include long exposure, abstract monochrome creations, architecture, and bokeh. Work has been featured online by Adobe, Flickr, Google, and 500px with the most popular photo receiving over 950 million views.

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1 Comment

Oh the envy. A dream location. A lifetime growing up in Oregon... and I didn't discover astrophotography until I was essentially out the door, headed to NY. Aaauugghhh!

Great video. One of the many magnificent natural wonders of our planet... Crater Lake National Park.