Arches National Park by Rodney Lange

Double Arch ~ © Rodney Lange (click on image for a larger view)

Our Photo of the Week (POTW): Most photographers choose to crop in tight on Double Arch, in Arches National Park. Rodney's starry night scene is unique in that he has chosen to include so much of the sandstone formation that surrounds both sides of this compound arch, and the foreground leading up to it. The main subject is also dead center. Normally, this could make for a boring scene, but Rodney has overcome this by creating a diagonal line between the night sky and the landscape, as well as adding interesting texture and balance (the silhouetted Juniper tree, opposite the night sky constellations) to his composition.

Equipment, Specs, and Technique: Rodney used a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and the Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II lens @ f/3.2 • 25 seconds • ISO 2500. Lighting painting was from the left, using the Dual Xenon Spotlight by Brinkmann. Although it has two beams, he usually uses just one, because it is often too bright. In this shot, Rodney had a friend at the camera to open the shutter and yell back to him the result of each shot from the LCD monitor. Rodney says he got lucky with smooth, even results, and no hot spots; although, "You would probably think we're a couple of clowns if you saw us shooting," he adds!

You can see more of Rodney Lange's photography on his Flickr photostream, his Flickr Night Shots, and his most popular via Flickriver.