Midnight Midnight in the Desert

Midnight in the Desert

Copyright June 2003

Photo by Scott Kindt

Valley of the Gods is a very remote desert site in Southern Utah near Monument Valley.  Here in the desert solitude, the stars shine with a brilliance you can only find in the West.  Miles away from any city lights, Valley of the Gods is one of the darkest sites I have ever experienced.  The glow from the Milky Way is so brilliant that you can see the three dimensional shape of our galaxy.

This star trail photograph was taken with a medium format camera on a tripod.  The distant buttes were illuminated by a crescent moon setting in the west.  The shutter exposure was set to B and the shutter was locked open for 45 minutes. 

About the Photograph:

Date:  June 2003

Location:  Valley of the Gods, Southern Utah.

Camera:  Medium Format Pentax 6x7 

Super-Takumar 75mm Lens.

Exposure:  45 minutes.

Film:  Kodak E 200