Night Photography at Brighton

Park at the main parking lot at Brighton Ski Resort and head up the hill (under the Majestic Lift is a good place to start). Hiking is generally easy, even with snow on the ground, due to compaction of the snowpack during the daytime. However, snowshoeing and skinning with skis can be a good alternative if there have been recent storms.

Approximately 0.5 miles up the slope, the stars will be visible 360 degrees, with little light pollution, and fantastic mountain scenery. From this vantage point you will be able to shoot both star trails northward (towards Guardsmans Pass) with the north star (Polaris) at the center and Milky Way photos pointing the camera towards the south (uphill). In the early spring the Milky Way will rise (between 1-3 am) over the trees to the east, creating a good vantage point for photography of the Milky Way arc.

For the single Milky Way images featured, a Canon 5D Mark III with a Rokinon 24 mm (f/1.4) lens was used, with the following settings:* ISO1600* Shutter speeds/exposure time: 20 seconds* Aperture: f/2.0 (stopped down from f/1.4)* Other settings: Evaluative metering, white balance of 3200

For the star trail images, a Canon 5D Mark III with a Rokinon 24 mm (f/1.4) lens was used to take between 30-50 frames (separate photos), with the following settings:* ISO1600* Shutter speeds/exposure time: 20 seconds* Aperture: f/2.0 (stopped down from f/1.4)* Other settings: Evaluative metering, white balance of 3200* Star trail photos were then staked in Photoshop