Some of the best shots happen when you least expect them—this was one of those moments.
I had to planned this image of Cape Palliser Lighthouse under the Milky Way for months, carefully choosing the right time when the core would align perfectly above the rugged coastline. Getting there was no easy feat. After a steep climb up a cliff in the dark to find the perfect vantage point, I had to capture my foreground exposures before the night sky changed too much. Battling strong winds and the relentless cold, I carefully framed my shot and began working through my planned sequence.
The biggest technical challenge was timing the exposures. The lighthouse rotates every 22 seconds, so I had to precisely time each shot to capture the light in the same position across all five frames of my planned panorama. This required absolute focus—any mistimed exposure would break the consistency and ruin the final composite.
In post-processing, I had to carefully balance the exposures to bring out the details of both the landscape and the night sky without making the scene look unnatural. The goal was to keep the image as close to reality as possible while showcasing the surreal, unplanned magic of the moment.
EXIF
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Sky:
- Camera: Sony a7III - HA - Astro Modified
- Lens: Sony 24mm f1.4
Sky Settings:
- ISO: 1250
- 128 Sec - with a star tracker (Benro Polaris)
- f2.8
10 Images Stacked
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Foreground:
- Camera: Sony a7RV
- Lens: Sony 14mm f1.8
Foreground Settings:
- ISO 3200
- 13 Sec
- f2.2
5 Stacked - Panorama
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Image is Stacked, Tracked & Blend - the image is scientifically accurate.
Software used: PixInsight & Adobe Photoshop
Tracked using Benro Polaris Star Tracker
Shot in September, 2024 in Cape Palliser, Wairarapa, New Zealand
More details - https://www.capturedbyladi.com/portfolio/cape-palliser-spacex-rocket-launch