Image of the May 9, 2024, launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base approximately 59 miles away, as a "seagull flies", from Cayucos, California, with it's pier in the foreground.
We had arrived around sunset to setup and get the shot but the launch was pushed back several times. So instead of a "blue hour" launch we waited around and got the blackness of night. The "fun" challenge though was the tide, it was coming in and coming in fast. The 25-30 yards or meters of beach I had when I first set up was only 1 when I started the shot. The exposure is just under 2.5 minutes, I had one hand at the ready to catch a falling tripod and camera if the berm the near leg was on washed out! I stopped the exposure by releasing the remote trigger just before the berm gave way under the leg and I caught the tripod as it was falling over, but I was able to save the image by doing so.
One other challenge we experienced this night was how rapidly the temperature drops when the suns goes down and there is a slight ocean breeze blowing in. My wife was a good sport about it, but she sat in the running truck with the heater on, until launch time!
Nikon Z6 ii
14mm · f/22 · 148 sec. · ISO 100