Star Trails

"Star Trails"

When I first started my journey into the art of photography, there was one type of photo that I knew I wanted to learn how to get. I had seen so many different images that others had captured, and I longed to be able to do it as they could. By taking continuous photographs while your camera remains focused on one single point, then stacking them into one image, each shot blends with the last, until you're able to see the movement of the stars through the night sky over any given amount of time. This art is known as star trails, and I believe it is truly one like no other. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to Tucson, Arizona and have a workshop with my favorite astrophotographer, Sean Parker.

What I thought would be a very difficult picture to attain, turned out to be very simple. The first thing you'll need is a clear sky with light to no air traffic. I say this about the air traffic purely because of the amount of time it takes to edit once you start to stack the photos. Some other pointers I was taught were to have a dark sky, no wind, and flat ground to place your tripod. This photo was taken with an intervalometer (a device used to count intervals of time on your camera) over the course of one hour.

Some of you may have probably already heard of Sean, and perhaps follow along with him on social media sites such as facebook and twitter. I had been following his work for a while, always stunned when he released another breathtaking image, and when I learned that he enjoyed to teach others, I couldn't pass up the chance to meet and shoot with him so I could finally better learn what I love to do. I highly recommend you check out his page and view some of his amazing images. I'd even suggest taking a workshop with him if you'd like to learn some pointers.


If you would like to purchase this photo, you can visit facebook.com/shaidphotography to contact me, or find me on etsy at etsy.com/shop/shaidphotography. I invite you to like my page, look through my photos and share your thoughts on them! Your shares, comments, likes and follows are so important to me!

Photo Details:
Canon EOS 70D
Lens: Rokinon Ultra Wide 14mm
Focal Length: 14mm
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 1600
Exposure: 20 seconds per exposure
182 exposures stacked in StarStax

Other places you can find me:
Instagram
ViewBug
Flickr
500px
Twitter
Email

The Final Stop

"The Final Stop"

If there's one thing I've learned about living in the desert, it's that there is always something interesting to stumble upon. California seems to act as a gigantic treasure chest, with new more absurd finds at every glance. Whether it be something in nature, like a cave or oddly shaped tree, a beautiful animal of some kind, or some man made thing-a-ma-jig you happen to come across, there is bound to be some kind of beauty to be found.

This hidden treasure is often overlooked, and many won't find it unless you know where and what to look for. Located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in central California, sits the Kern River Valley. The Kern River is known for its dangerous white water as it flows down the mountains into the central valley. The story goes that in 1966, a large amount of water caused the North and South forks of the Kern River to flood, causing bridges to wash out and objects to be swept away with the water. About 20 miles from where it first sat in Kernville, California, it made its final resting stop near Onyx, California beside highway 178. For as many years as it's been sitting half buried in the ground, I think it still has a lot of character and color to show. A path has clearly been paved where others have come to peek inside the now non-existant windows. I have visited it quite a few times just so I can view and photograph this natural piece of art. If you ever have the opportunity to travel though this area, I highly recommend taking a few minutes to try and find this hidden treasure in the ground.

If you would like to purchase this photo, please visit etsy.com/shop/shaidphotography. You can also find me on facebook at facebook.com/shaidphotography. I invite you to like my page, look through my photos and share your thoughts! Your shares, comments, likes and follows are so important to me!

Photo Details:

Canon EOS 70D

Lens: 18-135mm

Focal Length: 18mm

Aperture: f/5.6

ISO: 100

Exposure: 1/400

Other places you can find me:

Instagram: Smileygirl469

ViewBug: viewbug.com/member/smileygirl469

Flickr: flickr.com/photos/shaidphotography

500px: 500px.com/shaidphotography

Twitter: ShaidPhoto

email: shanna@shaidphotography.com

Galaxy Rise

"Galaxy Rise"

If I were to say that I like astronomy, I'd be lying. I'm not even sure that "love" would be a strong enough word. I suppose that everyone has that one thing that they absolutely live for when it comes to hobbies. I live for the sky. The universe encompasses me, and I'm forever filled with wonder, awe and questions. Just the simple thought that I have the ability to look back in time millions of years across such a vast and seemingly endless amount of space sends chills down my spine and makes me yearn for answers to all of the secrets out there.

That being said, I'm lucky enough to live in an area where I have the ability to step outside and look up to view a million stars without the worry of city lights or pollution. This photo was taken in July of 2014, while the Milky Way Galaxy was rising into the sky. If you look closely, you can spot Scorpius in the bottom left, and also Sagittarius on the bottom left. Sagittarius shows us the center of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. The bright band is our galaxy's arms spiraling outwards into the universe, with the center being bright because of the enormous number of stars. Even if you're not a stargazer, the night sky is absolutely something to experience free of light and sky pollutants. If you're lucky, you may even see a "shooting star" like I've captured here.

If you would like to purchase this photo, please visit etsy.com/shop/shaidphotography. You can also find me on facebook at facebook.com/shaidphotography. I invite you to like my page, look through my photos and share your thoughts! Your shares, comments, likes and follows are so important to me!

Photo Details:

Canon EOS 70D

Lens: Rokinon Ultra Wide Lens

Focal Length: 14mm

Aperture: f/2.8

ISO: 6400

Exposure: 30 seconds

Other places you can find me:

Instagram: Smileygirl469

ViewBug: viewbug.com/member/smileygirl469

Flickr: flickr.com/photos/shaidphotography

500px: 500px.com/shaidphotography

Twitter: ShaidPhoto

email: shanna@shaidphotography.com

Ocean Force

"Ocean Force"

Do you know those moments when something captivates you so deeply that time seems frozen in that very second? This was my experience over and over again at the beginning of 2014, when I had the joy of visiting the Pacific Ocean at Morro Bay, California. As always when I go to the coast, my favorite thing to do is sit on the beach and capture the waves. On this particular time though, I had a special treat. There was going to be a storm coming into California, and not only was it high tide, but a high surf warning was also issued. I stopped at one beach so that I could take pictures of the Elephant Seals that were traveling through the area, and decided to walk out to the pier to see the view of the beach. I happened to notice a person trying to snap a picture of one of the seals while the waves were growing in size. It was the perfect time to catch the shear size of the ocean's force. I started taking photos of the waves, and all of a sudden, a huge wave rolled in, crashing on a lone rock. The man on the beach looks dwarfed by the size of the powerful water burst. These are the moments in nature that take my breath away.

If you would like to purchase this photo, please visit etsy.com/shop/shaidphotography. You can also find me on facebook at facebook.com/shaidphotography. I invite you to like my page, look through my photos, and share what you think.  Your shares, comments, likes and follows are so important to me!

Photo Details:

Canon EOS 70D

Lens: 18-135mm

Focal Length: 135mm

Aperture: f/5.6

ISO: 160

Exposure: 1/1600

Other places you can find me:

Instagram: Smileygirl469

ViewBug: viewbug.com/member/smileygirl469

Flickr: flickr.com/photos/shaidphotography/
500px: 500px.com/shaidphotography
email: shanna@shaidphotography.com

Touch Down

"Touch Down"

I've always loved looking out the window of an airplane while flying. The different view of our world astonishes me to no end. With that being said, I have spent countless hours while in flight trying to capture these special views of the planet. Out of every view, one I had never been able to save the one moment that I find most intriguing. Time and time again, when landing, I have listened, felt and watched as the airplane once again meets up with the ground. In that moment, you can truly see and feel the force that is used to make such travel possible. In the sky, you travel hundreds of miles per hour, and barely feel the motion at all, other than the occasional turbulence from the weather. Unknowingly, I had taken it upon myself to freeze that crucial moment in time. That moment when you're seat belt is fastened, your seats are in the upright position, and you descent. Suddenly, you are enveloped by the sheer strength of your speed you hardly noticed. Now I can finally say that I have Touch Down.

I invite you to view and like my page at facebook.com/shaidphotography. You can find all of my photos here, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

This photo is also available for purchase at etsy.com/shop/shaidphotography.

Frozen In Purple

"Frozen In Purple"

Growing up in Pennsylvania, I was (and still am) used to having four distinct seasons every year. I loved making snowmen and forts in five feet of snow while trying to catch flakes on my tongue. Saying that, when I moved to central California, I felt as if I was thrust into a new world. Four seasons were not known. If I wanted any snow at all, I had to travel up thousands of feet into the tall mountains for a few hours of delight before coming back down to my new desert home. Now a couple years later, living in the mountains at least gives me a small taste of both worlds. I'm still not used to it though. Granted that during the winters here I still get a couple inches of snow, it still doesn't have the constant freezing cold weather, so I forget that the nights can get chilly. One January day, I was watering my garden, and when I was finished, I had forgotten to turn the hose water off. That night was one of the few nights that it got below freezing for a few short hours. When I awoke the following morning, I was welcomed to an ice wonderland. The cold weather had frozen the water in my hose, causing it to break apart and allowing water to rain freely over my entire yard throughout the night. Icicles covered every flower, tree and cactus I had, with some icicles being well over 4 feet long. Rocks and leaves were covered solid in a thick layer of ice. For a brief moment, I felt like I was little again, enjoying the beauty of nature. I sat there all morning until it warmed up, enjoying my garden being Frozen In Purple. If you like this photo, you can find it for sale (along with my other work) at etsy.com/shop/shaidphotography. I also urge you to come view all of my work and follow me at facebook.com/shaidphotography. Have a great day!

If It Walks Like A Duck

"If It Walks Like A Duck"
Sometimes something will shout to me, just begging to be captured as a photo. This duck did just that. I suppose it just wanted a friend to hang out with for a bit, which was fine with me. I found it cute to watch. I would follow it, trying to get the photo, and as soon as I would stop, it would follow me. This continued for the better part of an hour, and I found it so humorous! I could only imagine what was going through this little duck's mind. Sometimes the simplest things are the most perfect. I welcome you to visit my page at www.facebook.com/shaidphotography.com to see this, and other photos I've taken. If you'd like to purchase this photo, or any of my photos for that matter, you can find them for sale at etsy.com/shop/shaidphotography.