The Edge Of Perception by Michael Shainblum

"The Edge of Perception" - an illustrative Milky Way photograph by Michael Shainblum (click to enlarge)

Michael Shainblum recently took our Photo of the Week at one of his favorite spots in California —along the Armour Ranch Road in Santa Ynez. Michael loves the rolling hills with the giant oak trees, as they make for awesome foregrounds with the Milky Way. The bright spots on the horizon are not the sun setting, but actually light pollution from Los Angeles county —proving that the distant glow from city lights can be a wonderfully illustrative tool in the right hands!

Technical Stuff: Michael used a Canon EOS 6D. The Milky Way was tracked for 60 seconds using a Vixen Polarie, and then brought into another 60 seconds land exposure, with the tracking off. This helps to produce and cleaner (lower noise) and sharper look. The post processing was made to retain all the true color spectrum of the Milky Way "without being too jarring or too contrasty".

Challenges: "It was annoying because [jet] contrails kept appearing in the sky and they were too big to be photoshopped out so I sat out there for an hour just to wait for the contrails to dissipate," says Michael.

Michael Shainblum

Satisfaction: "My main goal was to show a surreal, yet realistic scene. The name 'The Edge Of Perception' came from starring at the image on me screen blankly for an hour. I finally started thinking some of these images really do capture the unknown and the almost intangible. These Milky Way images really do fall on the edge of our perception and of our reality," reports Michael.

Michael Shainblum is from San Diego, California. He graduated from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, and now lives in San Francisco. More of Michael's work can be seen on his website. He also teaches workshops for photography and timelapse via Skype.

Royce's 2014 Workshop, Lecture & Video Conference Schedule: NightScapeEvents.com

Electrifying Interview with Michael Shainblum

"Tesla Tower" - Lightning hits the world's tallest building (the Burj Khalifa in Dubai) ~ © Michael Shainblum

I've planned to do a feature on Michael Shainblum, a San Diego based professional photographer, for some time. Now I don't need to —Alexandra Kim, from the staff of 500px did that for me two days ago, with her wonderful blog interview, “Michael Shainblum and the Electrifying 'Tesla Tower'”. Alexandra was able to catch up with Michael via Skype during his trip to Dubai. I think you'll enjoy this in-depth discussion about his photography, his gear, and other relevant issues.

"The Galaxy Guides Us Home" - a panorama of 12 images (2 rows of 6)
taken near Santa Ynez, CA ~ © Michael Shainblum

 Although Michael is well known for his Milky Way "AstroPhotographs", in the past couple of weeks he has been lighting up the Internet with his daring aerial photos over San Francisco and his travels to Dubai and the Arabian Gulf area —where he recently captured his striking "Telsa Tower" image.

"Turbulence" - taken from a helicopter high above the San Francisco Bay ~ © Michael Shainblum

A recent "selfy" in Dubai

Michael Shainblum, 23, is a Brooks Institute graduate, and owner of Michael Shainblum Photography/Film/Timelapse. Ever since Michael can remember, he's wanted to be an artist. Not necessarily a photographer or a filmmaker or a director —just an artist. "I have a drive to create and a passion to show the world through my eyes," he says.

Michael continues, "I seek to capture the extraordinary and the unique. I find beauty in everything from the scale of our Galaxy to the way sunlight hits a glass of water from behind. In filmmaking and photography possibilities are endless. I strike with every project and photography to push the boundaries of what we think is achievable in these mediums."

You can view more of Michael's photography on his website, 500px page, and his personal Facebook page.

Meet Michael on-location in this documentary video: "The Art Of The Timelapse"




Royce's 2014 Workshop, Lecture & Video Conference Schedule: NightScapeEvents.com
  -  25% OFF savings on select "IMAGE10" workshops booked before April 1, 2014  -

Foreground is Everything

"Who Needs TV?" ~ © Michael Shainblum (click image for EXIF info)

In good Milky Way landscape photography, the right foreground makes the shot. It determines whether the photo is truly memorable, or just another another pretty night sky photo.

A pretty starry night sky is not enough: When I take my workshop attendees on their first attempt to photograph the starry night sky, they are blown away with what they can see on their LCD monitors. However, by the second night they begin to expect much more from their instructor and themselves. Even a beautiful capture of the Milky Way with a simple silhouette of the horizon line is not enough. They soon realize that it is the relationship with the foreground and the sky that really makes the shot. It is what they choose to put in that foreground, where they place it in relation to the sky, and more often than not, how they choose to light that foreground that determines how successful that photo will be in satisfying themselves and their viewers.

Photo of the Week (POTW): Michael Shainblum was able to bring all those elements together in this unique perspective that speaks volumes. Concerning this photo, he said, "Who honestly needs to watch trashy television programs or garbage commercials and advertisements, when right out our doorsteps are some of the most incredible viewing experiences…"

An interview with Michael and a time-lapse video of his home town, San Diego, was recently featured on the Roger Hedgecock Show. He is is currently pursuing a degree at Brooks Insitute of Photography in Santa Barbara. More of Michael Shainblum's photography can be seen on his website.