Canary Lullabies - My Cosmic Photo Adventures
La Palma
2018 –2019
»Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.« ―Carl Sagan
Returning to La Palma was the best idea. After spending a holiday there in 2016, I decided to join some friends for another trip to get the chance of seeing and photographing the Milky Way. I was very motivated and able to compensate my lack of experience and knowledge with lots of idealism, will and patience. So I ended up waiting six hours on a dark, silent and freezing cold road during newmoon - more then 2000 meters above the atlantic ocean until the Milky Way slowly appeared. To see these cosmic clouds and rivers of dust stepping out of the light polluted horizon had an exceptionally deep and irreversible impact. The satisfying beauty and fascinating, almost incomprehensible scale of our galaxy immediately hooked me. While my friends were already snoring in the car for hours - after devoting themselves to study canary red vines - I sneaked out into the night with my camera which became a defining experience that changed my perspective in a sustainable way.
I can’t say how much my level of exhaustion and the lack of oxygen on top of that mountain had been involved in that process but standing there alone in the dark night with the concieliatiry impression of being in the first row to catch a rare view into the sorrounding universe made me realize that these junk values I was living and running after will never make me feel so satisfied and happy. I also remembered how much I was scared by the nightsky when I was a kid. I guess it was just because I didn’t understand and no one ever explained it to me. That night I started to understand and appreciated the beauty of something that scared the hell out of me half a life before.
In August 2018 I returned to the Canary Islands for a astrophoto trip. Besides visits to Fuerteventura and Lanzarote I went to La Palma for many weeks - lived and worked near the capital Santa Cruz and got many chances to explore the famous night sky of the island.
Before I reached that point I was spending more then ten years as DJ and three years as a VJ at Raves and Festivals. The excitement and delightful funny moments, the collective adventures, loves and failures ended up in some very deep and strong friendships and unforgettable memories, but after so much years and for various reasons - a growing feeling of emptiness had made me become a very superficial person looking for something more valuable and lasting. I ended up in a situation where I wasn’t happy anymore while everything was just about new records and instant gratification. I wanted to create things on my own but I felt continuously trapped
»It's so easy with a thief to blame - For breaking every pledge I've made.«— Mark David Hollis
Before I reached that point I was spending more then ten years as DJ and three years as a VJ at Raves and Festivals. The excitement and delightful funny moments, the collective adventures, loves and failures ended up in some very deep and strong friendships and unforgettable memories, but after so much years and for various reasons - a growing feeling of emptiness had made me become a very superficial person looking for something more valuable and lasting. I ended up in a situation where I wasn’t happy anymore while everything was just about new records and instant gratification. I wanted to create things on my own but I felt continuously trapped
»It's so easy with a thief to blame - For breaking every pledge I've made.«— Mark David Hollis
My party was over but the skills and experience were precious for my upcoming Astrophotography lovestory. I was interested in video and photo cameras ever since and was taking photos at night for a couple of years. Now I was graving for new adventures and natural beauty. There is something very sublime about learning to understand nature and the nearby universe to capture the essence of it’s beauty and magic. Or in my case - trying to... Since 2017 it took me almost another two years to learn and grow up but I got my toe into the cosmic ocean and it was time to go swimming.
I love to take photos and getting nice feedback is a fantastic thing but the most important part and the main motivation is the process of doing. Reaching the »Flow State« (Mihály Csíkszentmihályi) - even when my photos were ruined by something or didn't have the quality I was looking for. Even when it was cloudy, foggy or too cold to take the pictures I planned - I always came back with a good feeling of being alive and happy to have the chance of doing what I admire so much. It was a continuous process of learning and pushing my trip deeper into the darkness.
I love to take photos and getting nice feedback is a fantastic thing but the most important part and the main motivation is the process of doing. Reaching the »Flow State« (Mihály Csíkszentmihályi) - even when my photos were ruined by something or didn't have the quality I was looking for. Even when it was cloudy, foggy or too cold to take the pictures I planned - I always came back with a good feeling of being alive and happy to have the chance of doing what I admire so much. It was a continuous process of learning and pushing my trip deeper into the darkness.
2018
At first, I was struggling with traveling alone but I realized the related freedom would be necessary and beneficial to explore all secrets of these islands. I just had to keep my eyes open and my batteries charged. It wasn’t even about the final photo results in priority but more about the process of taking photos itself. Being there at the right time on the right place. My tension and anticipation for the upcoming trips was burstingly growing. I slowly turned into a kid again but with the skills and resources of a grown up. What an explosive mix...but also the best possible version of me.
»It was very important to me to be a kid directing Jurassic Park« said Steven Spielberg in the belonging behind the scenes documentary and speaks out something that I discovered myself as well. Besides the impressive landscape, that movie creates a very romantic feeling about time, exploration and passion but teaches us vividly to respect nature as well. When I went on nocturnal photography trips I got into my own Jurassic Park feeling where I could draw lots of motivation and energy from. And luckily, telescopes usually don’t break out and eat people.
»It was very important to me to be a kid directing Jurassic Park« said Steven Spielberg in the belonging behind the scenes documentary and speaks out something that I discovered myself as well. Besides the impressive landscape, that movie creates a very romantic feeling about time, exploration and passion but teaches us vividly to respect nature as well. When I went on nocturnal photography trips I got into my own Jurassic Park feeling where I could draw lots of motivation and energy from. And luckily, telescopes usually don’t break out and eat people.
Roque de los Muchachos & The LP-4
»The sun is down and the night is riding in« — Chris deBurgh
The Roque de los Muchachos marks La Palmas highest point at 2426m what makes it also the second highest peak of the canary archipelago, located on the northern rim of the caldera de taburiente and in good company of many other peaks like the Pico Fuente Nueva or Pico de La Nieve. Needless to say, that this is a famous tourist viewpoint - a Mirador - due to the spectacular view at La Palma and it’s neighboring islands Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro. But there is another reason why a long and curvy asphalt road was built up to that point - the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos. The Point here is that the area around that peak is »one of the three best places in the world for astronomy« (Sheila M. Crosby) because it’s high above the clouds and »any dust or pollution is usually trapped in these clouds too, leaving very clean, dry air at the top of the mountain«. Furthermore, in 1988, La Palma passed the first law to keep the night sky dark, the so called Sky Law, and many regulations and laws followed.
If you want to discover the alien landscape above the clouds you will have the honor to make acquaintance with a road that meanders 2400m upwards, passing wild barrancos, clouds and several climate zones. Starting from Santa Cruz, you have to master around 350 curves until you reach the beautifully strange looking environment near the observation area. But even on the way up you can whiteness some beautiful incidents, for example the majestic natural play of light, fogs and shadows.
The road starts next to Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in Mirca. So your trip into heaven begins and ends at that chapel. Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe not but I already started to use the plaza at the Iglesia as a meeting and resting point. It’s very typical for the canaries that the most beautiful plazas are in front of churches or somehow connected with religion. I like beautiful places so this became my tiny cape canaveral, built in 1623.
During the last years I got quite familiar with that road. But I can tell you - driving down - which should be much easier - often became an adventure itself. It started with a lonely and scared boy - me - driving downwards through the jungle at night for the first few times. Many creepy shadows, reflecting eyes and the curse of having watched to much horror movies made me almost sh*t my pants at the beginning. But after a while these shadows got less creepy and I realized that the reflecting eyes where mostly just from tiny cute rabbits and cats. I started counting the animals. I learned that there is an area around km 5 where a gang of dogs - magically attracted by two trash containers - are controlling the streets and dont give a f*ck about cars. Sometimes, when the weather turned out to get stormy, you had to be careful of rockfalls or big branches on the road - especially while driving with limited visibility. Actually the possible scary things are not ghost or guys with chainsaws on the street - the real problems are big rocks rolling in front of your car. But even with that in mind, driving downwards one curve after another during hazy nights becomes just meditative and somewhen you calm down.Thereby I discovered the most solid strategy for not falling asleep: singing. And I love it
If you want to discover the alien landscape above the clouds you will have the honor to make acquaintance with a road that meanders 2400m upwards, passing wild barrancos, clouds and several climate zones. Starting from Santa Cruz, you have to master around 350 curves until you reach the beautifully strange looking environment near the observation area. But even on the way up you can whiteness some beautiful incidents, for example the majestic natural play of light, fogs and shadows.
The road starts next to Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in Mirca. So your trip into heaven begins and ends at that chapel. Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe not but I already started to use the plaza at the Iglesia as a meeting and resting point. It’s very typical for the canaries that the most beautiful plazas are in front of churches or somehow connected with religion. I like beautiful places so this became my tiny cape canaveral, built in 1623.
During the last years I got quite familiar with that road. But I can tell you - driving down - which should be much easier - often became an adventure itself. It started with a lonely and scared boy - me - driving downwards through the jungle at night for the first few times. Many creepy shadows, reflecting eyes and the curse of having watched to much horror movies made me almost sh*t my pants at the beginning. But after a while these shadows got less creepy and I realized that the reflecting eyes where mostly just from tiny cute rabbits and cats. I started counting the animals. I learned that there is an area around km 5 where a gang of dogs - magically attracted by two trash containers - are controlling the streets and dont give a f*ck about cars. Sometimes, when the weather turned out to get stormy, you had to be careful of rockfalls or big branches on the road - especially while driving with limited visibility. Actually the possible scary things are not ghost or guys with chainsaws on the street - the real problems are big rocks rolling in front of your car. But even with that in mind, driving downwards one curve after another during hazy nights becomes just meditative and somewhen you calm down.Thereby I discovered the most solid strategy for not falling asleep: singing. And I love it
After spending approximately 40 nights in the area around the Roque de Los Muchachos during the last years, I must admit that this place - especially that road fascinates and scares me equally. I had some of the best and stunning moments there but also some of the most dangerous and scary ones. But as fortune favors fools, I always got home safe and happy.
The Telescopes
& the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias IAC
In 1979, Spain made an agreement with Sweden, Denmark and Great Britain which allowed them to start astronomical research and to built astronomical facilities at the Canary Islands. They received twenty percent of observational time. After almost 40 years of the fascist Franco regime this was a good chance for the new western orientated monarchy to establish international corporations while the huge amount of precious research time would heavily boost Spains status in modern science. During the following years many countries joined and supported their costly, sophisticated and impressive project.
But the story starts much earlier in a British town called Herstmonceux. In 1946, the Royal Astronomy Society wanted to build a new 84 inch Telescope in the UK - called Isaac Newton Observatory - and moved the Greenwich Royal Observatory from London to Herstmonceux to escape the increasing light pollution of the City. After many discussions and changing plans the Isaac Newton Telescope had first light in 1967. Also in 1967 they discovered that the weather was much worse than expected so they had to move to somewhere else. In 1970 the Northern Hemisphere Review Committee tested a number of sites in the Atlantic Ocean and compared their measurements with the ones of Mauna Kea, Hawaii - another famous observation spot with best conditions. They found two suitable sites for their northern hemisphere observatory: The Teide at Tenerife and the Roque de los Muchachos at La Palma. Tenerife had the best conditions for daytime observations of the sun and La Palma for nighttime observations.
Finally, on June 29, 1985 the Observatorio Roque de los Muchachos was inaugurated solemnly and the Isaac Newton Telescope INT found its home next to the William Herschel Telescope WHT and the Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope JKT. Runned by the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes - ING.
Meanwhile, many new and more modern observatories had been constructed next to the ING Spot in a lower area of the Institute - the big and photogenic Telescopes like the MAGIC I & II, the Gran Telescopio Canarias GTC and the newly built Large Size Telescope LST1.
The First Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov Telescope aka MAGIC was built in 2004 - five Years before the second one. Both MAGIC Telescopes are dedicated to Florian Goebel, a 35 years old Astrophysicist who died by an accident a few days before the inauguration of MAGIC II. What are they doing?
»MAGIC detects particle showers released by gamma rays, using the Cherenkov radiation, i.e., faint light radiated by the charged particles in the showers« —IAC
The next Generation of these gamma ray detecting Telescopes is the prototype of the first Large-Sized-Telescope LST-1 - next to the MAGIC I & II - still under construction during my trip in 2018. It is the first of four upcoming LSTs in La Palma which are again part of an upcoming Cherenkov-Telescope-Array CTA - located around the globe. The LST-1 is the most powerful Cherenkov telescope at the moment. These 3 CTs are built on rails for being able to point onto every region in the sky as fast as possible. In fact, they need less than 20 seconds to reach every point, what makes them the fastest telescopes ever. It’s nice to watch - especially at night when you just hear the creepy roaring sound at first.
The other highlight is the Gran Telescopio Canarias - GranTeCan or just GTC. It has a 10.4m mirror which makes it »world's largest single-aperture optical telescope« (IAC) at the moment. Very impressive. You start realizing the size when you are standing in front of that dome - it’s just mindblowing. While I am mostly using my 50mm lens for astrophotography, the GTC has a focal length of 169.9m. Unbelievable. It also uses liquid helium or nitrogen to cool down the sensor as much as possible (around -180degree) to reduce noise at the image.
»The ultimate aim of the GTC is to facilitate world-class science observations. Being the largest telescope in the world and thanks to its location at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, the telescope will allow the study of key questions in astrophysics such as the nature of black holes, the formation history of stars and galaxies in the early universe, the physics of distant planets around other stars, and the nature of dark matter and dark energy in the universe.« —IAC
The Perseids Meteor Shower 2018
3 Nights / August 10 - 12
3 Nights / August 10 - 12
The table was set! My longed-for return to the Roque de Los Muchachos with a clear sky, 1.2% Moon and the observatories right in front of me. The meteors immediately appeared after sunset and I was almost bursting with excitement. 3 nights ahead with an excellent dark sky above the clouds and the peak of the Perseids Meteor shower.
On the first two days I was smart enough to come early - around 5 pm - because I knew that many people won’t be missing to see this cosmic event - especially not during the weekend - but the possibilities of good parking are limited. After finding a perfect spot and setting up my gear I had enough time to calm down while my tension was growing continuously. Around 4 hours of sitting in the shrubs before the show would be starting - but I enjoyed every minute. Everyone who has ever been there can relate - it’s just a view that never gets boring.
Friday night was for practicing and finding good setups while I wanted to work on extensive Panoramas on Saturday. The main peak - with around 80-100 per hour - was predicted for Sunday night where I wanted to time lapse towards the radiant. The planning and overthinking of my workflow for these nights made me totally forget about the upcoming magic and beauty. So while I spent most of Friday night with technical issues - I started into Saturday night with some tears and wowing because it was overwhelmingly beautiful. It’s fantastic and unifying! You could hear the cheering of the people from everywhere. Many people came together and created a heartwarming festival feeling on a dark road somewhere above the clouds. Later I started working on my panoramas which kept me busy until 4 o’clock in the morning. But there was still the grand finale on Sunday night - so I thought.
On the first two days I was smart enough to come early - around 5 pm - because I knew that many people won’t be missing to see this cosmic event - especially not during the weekend - but the possibilities of good parking are limited. After finding a perfect spot and setting up my gear I had enough time to calm down while my tension was growing continuously. Around 4 hours of sitting in the shrubs before the show would be starting - but I enjoyed every minute. Everyone who has ever been there can relate - it’s just a view that never gets boring.
Friday night was for practicing and finding good setups while I wanted to work on extensive Panoramas on Saturday. The main peak - with around 80-100 per hour - was predicted for Sunday night where I wanted to time lapse towards the radiant. The planning and overthinking of my workflow for these nights made me totally forget about the upcoming magic and beauty. So while I spent most of Friday night with technical issues - I started into Saturday night with some tears and wowing because it was overwhelmingly beautiful. It’s fantastic and unifying! You could hear the cheering of the people from everywhere. Many people came together and created a heartwarming festival feeling on a dark road somewhere above the clouds. Later I started working on my panoramas which kept me busy until 4 o’clock in the morning. But there was still the grand finale on Sunday night - so I thought.
Sunday. Peak! After a typical lazy Sunday I was very relaxed and the results from the nights before kept me very motivated. But after I got closer to the Roque de Los Muchachos, I saw a huge cloud hanging exactly above the telescopes - just like a bad joke. Nevertheless I prepared my setup and waited. The sunset behind the clouds looked really cool like the UFO landing scenes from Independence Day but that was not what I was looking for. Anyway - I started taking photos. Hours later I realized that these clouds won’t go away and the telescopes won’t start working. From time to time the galactic core behind the telescopes showed up inbetween the clouds - a good chance for some special photos. A few other photographers showed up with their cars, turned around and came back again. What now? Lets wait...
Suddenly bright flashlights appeared. Fireworks somewhere, I thought. But these flashlights got brighter and brighter all over the north. The stroboscopic flickering became stronger. I was confused so I turned off the music but there was nothing to hear. I realized - these are not fireworks - this a dry thunderstorm underneath my feet. I cleaned up my tiny open air office and prepared to leave. But I couldn’t. I was sandwiched by a thunderstorm beneath and a meteor shower above - How am I going to leave - thats the best thing I can imagine! Unfortunately these flashes were all in-cloud and not very photogenic so I just left my camera, turned on the music again and laid down just to enjoy. Inbetween chasing the perfect photo I didn’t find enough time to enjoy all that. It’s strange - while I was waiting and preparing for months just for that night to get some awesome photos - the most satisfying moment was leaving the camera alone. A pretty liberating experience - worth to name a chocolate bar after that moment!
When the lightning was over I packed my stuff and moved to another spot. The night wasn’t over yet so I stopped from time to time on my way home. The wind was really heavy a few kilometers down the road but I tried to get just one panorama with the clouds and the Milky Way above the caldera. I had an incredible view and finally managed to get at least something onto my memory card. What a night.
When the lightning was over I packed my stuff and moved to another spot. The night wasn’t over yet so I stopped from time to time on my way home. The wind was really heavy a few kilometers down the road but I tried to get just one panorama with the clouds and the Milky Way above the caldera. I had an incredible view and finally managed to get at least something onto my memory card. What a night.
The Moon
»It is a most beautiful and delightful sight to behold the body of the moon.«— Galileo Galilei
Admittedly, I‘ve got into an ambivalent relationship with the moon. As beautiful and romantic our natural satellite can be, as bright and disturbing he can ruin and end an exciting night of photography. The moon is the closest celestial object to the earth and it’s easy to observe without any equipment. It’s our fascinating and beautiful neighbour and the only extraterrestrial object were several humans set foot on. Probably humankind will settle there one day and use the moon as an interplanetary link.
With a telescope you are able to get a closeup view of the admirable volcanic surface, filled with craters and so called mares. Many fairytales, lullabies and movies were made about the moon and its magic that stimulates the human imagination ever since. Galileo Galilei was the first human who watched the moon through a telescope in 1609 and proclaimed a new view onto the universe. How did that feel?
With a telescope you are able to get a closeup view of the admirable volcanic surface, filled with craters and so called mares. Many fairytales, lullabies and movies were made about the moon and its magic that stimulates the human imagination ever since. Galileo Galilei was the first human who watched the moon through a telescope in 1609 and proclaimed a new view onto the universe. How did that feel?
Unfortunately you can’t take photos of the Milky Way during bright moonlit nights - so the Moon is another variable you have to focus while planning your trips. Sometimes you have to wait long hours until the lunar brightness disappears, sometimes you only have a narrow time frame until the moon rises, and sometimes you just can stay at home or do something else. I know that sounds insignificant, but meanwhile this influences all my planning and travel behavior - just to get as much dark nights as possible within a trip. Still, landscape photography during a low moon can be very precious which is like a tiny, dreamy sunrise at night and a beautiful event to capture. I also started going on full moon hikes with my host Pan. I really like doing that and it’s still a good opportunity to explore and discover new photography sites, to play around with your camera and to share some adventures with your friends.
The Aridane Valley
On the islands west side is the Aridane Valley with Los Llanos de Aridane - known for artists, bars and studios. From the valley you can see the Cascada des Nubes, the famous cloud waterfall. Due to the microclimate of the island and the cloud blocking Cumbre Nueva Mountains - the Aridane Valley is mostly sunny and much warmer than Santa Cruz and the east side. Its located between the caldera de taburiente in the north and the Cumbre Vieja - a massive mountain range of volcanoes - in the south. As I found out, its pretty nice to spend very nice classical holidays there before going on a photography trip somewhere around in the mountains. Un dia perfecto!
2019
»Love is to share, mine is for you«—Sébastien Tellier
In 2019 I wanted to improve my astro-landscape photography lifestyle - so I tried to spent more time and strength on more sophisticated trips and projects. In fact, I wanted to hike to more distant and remote places into the mountains. The problem: the weakest part of my gear was my body and I couldn’t just get an upgrade easily. There is no instant solution - it takes lots of time to exercise, to gain strength and stamina and many times you just fail. But that’s okay, its an important part aswell - especially for the mind. Luckily, my previous La Palma lifestyle left me in a good shape and I started to do more sports and to learn more about hiking and nutrition. But most important - I was very motivated and wanted to put all my heart and strength into new projects and experiences - no matter how much this way would suck. Just going to one spot after another by car wasn’t satisfying anymore - especially when I was alone. Furthermore I was also looking forward to improve my photography skill level for more colors, detail and quality in my photos.
I managed to return twice - a few weeks in May and some more weeks in September. The low angle of the Milky Way in May gave me many opportunities to boost my panorama skills while I tried to reach out to remote spots unaccessible by car. During my time in September I tested the limits of my Vixen Polarie Star Tracker and started to work on 240s long exposure panoramas which is quite remarkable for this tiny tracker without any counterbalance. Additionally, I was part of an astrophotography exhibition at the Museo Insular in Capital Santa Cruz which was the perfect opportunity for my mum and some friends to come over and to find out what I was actually doing there the whole time. It was an unusual but very nice feeling to connect these very different worlds - even though they came in different weeks. Fortunately!
Cascade de Nubes & Pico Birigoyo
5928 ft / 1807 m
Since I googled checked the island for the first time, I was keen on the Cascada de Nubes - the Cloud Waterfall. I only thought this is a fairy tale or movie invention and it took three trips until that mind blowing natural play unfolded in front of me. The soak of that beauty and scale was indescribably and I wanted to explore this phenomenon from all angles. Unfortunately, I mostly lived on the other side of the island and was only able to make guesses about the existence. So usually, my trips and explorations had been very spontaneous. During May it was yet possible to catch some nice moments. Especially the trips to the top of the volcano Pico Birigoyo were my favourite ones and always turned out to be very special moments.
From Refugio El Pilar there is a direct, straight upwards and very steep way to the top. Normally I would have chosen the easier and longer one, but the fact that I was - once again - very late to take photos during golden hour forced me to take the shorter path. In the end it’s not that bad - you start at 1440m and hike 40 minutes to the peak at 1807m, but it’s so steep and slippery that you end up very quick in a situation where you are just able to focus on breathing and each step. Especially when you carry 10kg of clothes and gear in your backpack. But when you arrive at the top everything is forgotten immediately.
From Refugio El Pilar there is a direct, straight upwards and very steep way to the top. Normally I would have chosen the easier and longer one, but the fact that I was - once again - very late to take photos during golden hour forced me to take the shorter path. In the end it’s not that bad - you start at 1440m and hike 40 minutes to the peak at 1807m, but it’s so steep and slippery that you end up very quick in a situation where you are just able to focus on breathing and each step. Especially when you carry 10kg of clothes and gear in your backpack. But when you arrive at the top everything is forgotten immediately.
During my first trip to the top I had a very nice occurrence, when two guys with an equal camera setup were already sitting there to take long exposure shots of the Cascada. They were laughing at me and my slow but sweaty rushing hike upwards the shortcut. I joined them and funnily enoughwe all came for the same reason - astrophotography. Nice! These two very sympathetic dudes from Paris - Emeric and Aurelien, were in company of two more guys - another Aurelien and Michel. Later we made an appointment for a photography trip together. Cool! I also brought my two best friends to that peak in September where we also had lots of fun. It’s always incredible how much endorphins are setting free when you reach that peak and you can sit down and enjoy the view. We were talking shit and laughing tears the whole time. But it’s also very windy and cold, which is a pity because after a while it’s very exhausting and you have to leave.
I also managed to take photos from the opposite site - where Mirador de la Cumbrecita was the main point of operation. It’s a beautiful place where I had many beautiful moments during my latest trips. Actually it’s almost at the same position as the Refugio Punta de Los Roques - just 700 meters underneath. From there you can start several hiking trips to some nice peaks like the Roque de Los Cuervos (1603m) where you have a first class view to the Cascada aswell. On the road to Mirador de la Cumbrecita you cross a tiny Iglesia - the Ermita de la Virgen del Pino - where La Palmas oldest Pine Tree - 800 years old - is located. It’s also very close to the Hills of the Cumbre Nueva, so if you are lucky you can get swallowed by the Cascade - something I very much liked when I was there
Above the Clouds
»Look, Listen and observe«—Guru
Hiking at night truly is a challenging but unforgettable experience and an essential activity for stargazing photographers where it’s rather about distance and time then just going out and explore the landscape with your camera. As I mentioned earlier - it’s pretty beautiful to go out during full moon but right now I am talking about dark and moonless nights for advanced astrophotography. In 2018 I had a few trips but in 2019 I started to take things more serious.
As usually I started to go out alone but I was lucky enough to meet other people, mostly photographers, from Paris, Basel or Tallinn (Hi, Tere, Bonjour & Mahlzeit). It was also a good opportunity to work on large panorama projects aswell due to the low angle of the Milky Way during spring. Additionally I got joined by some friends from Leipzig and shared that experience with them - one thing I was always dreaming of when I went out alone. Pretty cool!
»Look, Listen and observe«—Guru
Hiking at night truly is a challenging but unforgettable experience and an essential activity for stargazing photographers where it’s rather about distance and time then just going out and explore the landscape with your camera. As I mentioned earlier - it’s pretty beautiful to go out during full moon but right now I am talking about dark and moonless nights for advanced astrophotography. In 2018 I had a few trips but in 2019 I started to take things more serious.
As usually I started to go out alone but I was lucky enough to meet other people, mostly photographers, from Paris, Basel or Tallinn (Hi, Tere, Bonjour & Mahlzeit). It was also a good opportunity to work on large panorama projects aswell due to the low angle of the Milky Way during spring. Additionally I got joined by some friends from Leipzig and shared that experience with them - one thing I was always dreaming of when I went out alone. Pretty cool!
24.05.2019 - first 360° Panorama ever
May/September 2019 - (left to right) Nocturnal Friendships: Jens Mirwald from Basel / Aurelien, Emeric, Aurelien & Michael from Paris / Anja, Didi & Boone - my Leipzig Gang
24.05.2019 - second 360° Panorama ever
Refugio Punta de Los Roques
6840 ft / 2085 m
On May 26th, I started my first multi-day hiking trip into the mountains. I choose parts of the GR-131 trail - better known as Ruta El Bastón - the famous trail of the Transvulcania Ultra Marathon. I started from Regufio El Pilar and wanted to hike two days to the Roque de Los Muchachos. On the way there is a cabin - the Refugio Punta de Los Roques - where I have planned to spend a night for photography. The Refugio is perfectly located and offers the best view at the Cascada de nubes. I started on an altitude of 1440m and the cabin was 14km away on an altitude of 2040m. Not great, Not terrible... Unfortunately you have to carry all your water because you can’t refill it on the way which is very hard when you have to hike upwards all day without being protected from the burning canarian sun.
I also had to find a good balance between the weight of my camera gear and the weight of water. While taking photos at night had been more important, 5l of water was the maximum I was able to carry - a very scarce amount - but if necessary I would turn around at the Refugio the next morning. I easily made it to the cabin and was able to enjoy a beautiful sunset and view - Wow! Then, I went to bed immediately for some well deserved rest. I felt very exhausted, tired and thirsty and after getting out of my cozy sleeping bag at 01 am - I had to deal with 5 degree and strong, freezing cold wind that made it very hard to take photos. But returning with empty hands would be harder - so I kept going and tired to make these photos worth the effort!
I also had to find a good balance between the weight of my camera gear and the weight of water. While taking photos at night had been more important, 5l of water was the maximum I was able to carry - a very scarce amount - but if necessary I would turn around at the Refugio the next morning. I easily made it to the cabin and was able to enjoy a beautiful sunset and view - Wow! Then, I went to bed immediately for some well deserved rest. I felt very exhausted, tired and thirsty and after getting out of my cozy sleeping bag at 01 am - I had to deal with 5 degree and strong, freezing cold wind that made it very hard to take photos. But returning with empty hands would be harder - so I kept going and tired to make these photos worth the effort!
In the end, the main panorama became a composition of 97 single photos. Meanwhile I was almost laying on the ground while shooting due to the freezing wind and I could hardly feel my fingers anymore. After taking a smaller second panorama I went to bed at 03 am when I reached my physical limit. I also opened my last bottle of water.
I got my photos but I had to make a decision the next morning. Should I continue my hike along the rim-path or turn around to go back to Refugio El Pilar where my car was parked in the shadow, filled with water and staple chips. Hiking that trail was so exciting and I absolutely wanted to continue - I even felt fit and didn’t want to fail. But the leftover of just 1l of water brought me to the decision to go back to my car. I was slightly disappointed but during my way home I realized that this was the right decision. The sun was buring relentless and I finished that bottle very quick. In the end it was a very nice hiking trip where I‘ve learned a lot for upcoming trips and what I didn’t know during that time: the panorama turned out to be very good and absolutely worth the trip. For shure - there is a much higher emotional connection to this panorama - but even without that feelings this is probably my best Milky Way panorama so far. Impressive spot, view and conditions - at least on the picture
I got my photos but I had to make a decision the next morning. Should I continue my hike along the rim-path or turn around to go back to Refugio El Pilar where my car was parked in the shadow, filled with water and staple chips. Hiking that trail was so exciting and I absolutely wanted to continue - I even felt fit and didn’t want to fail. But the leftover of just 1l of water brought me to the decision to go back to my car. I was slightly disappointed but during my way home I realized that this was the right decision. The sun was buring relentless and I finished that bottle very quick. In the end it was a very nice hiking trip where I‘ve learned a lot for upcoming trips and what I didn’t know during that time: the panorama turned out to be very good and absolutely worth the trip. For shure - there is a much higher emotional connection to this panorama - but even without that feelings this is probably my best Milky Way panorama so far. Impressive spot, view and conditions - at least on the picture
Santo Domingo
Unlike most astrophotographers who prefer to go to the south end of the island for celestial photos, I decided to check out the very north of La Palma. Caused by the Passat winds, the northern part of the island is mostly windy, cloudy and sometimes even rainy. This results in a very wild and remote jungleish landscape - at least what I had experienced so far. Moreover, many roads are in bad conditions which results in a 2 hours drive from Santa Cruz to Santo Domingo. While I was showing the island to my mum at the beginning of September, I discovered a Barranco in the north-west which was the absolute opposite and looked like a Wild West - Grand Canyon scenery. So I made two trips to that place after my mum left. To be honest, one trip would had been fine aswell, but I forgot an adapter for my tripod - so I had to come back the next day. Business as usual, right? It turned out that my host Pan also knew that place and went there for camping before. He told me that the seagulls make creepy sounds like aliens. I haven’t thought about that until the night came in and the seagulls started with whatever they were doing. Holy cow - that sounded like aliens! Really creepy and I have never heared something similiar before. If Pan wouldn’t have told me, I would have left the area immediately. I even can’t describe that strange noise but it was funny because I literally saw me running away and shit my pants without that knowledge. It also influenced my photography style because the whole creepy alien thing perfectly matched the aura of these cactus plants at night. The next time I try to record it and hope for a cresent moon to light up the foreground - which would be a perfect setup for this alien location.
La Casa sin nombre
Since 2018, I used to returned to the house of my friend Pan for working and living - a beautifully located garden of eden inbetween the mountain jungle and the ocean. Besides learning the basics of building and renovating, I equally found endless relaxing hours of hammock chilling, reading, dreaming, drinking red vine and - of course - taking photos. I started exploring the nearby area and deeply fell in love with the mountains and barrancos and a few delicious parillas aswell.
I started systematically to take photos of the villages around Santa Cruz - an area which continuously got filled with precious memories. This will probably become a separate project one day. I also started diving into deep sky photography at the roof of the house. Multiple tracked long exposures for several hours while Lights, Darks, Bias & Flat frames became new things to learn and opened up a new kind of photography. Meanwhile I was mostly laying on the roof and watched the stars with some vino, cervezas, smokes and music. A good opportunity to remember the past and dream of the future.
I started systematically to take photos of the villages around Santa Cruz - an area which continuously got filled with precious memories. This will probably become a separate project one day. I also started diving into deep sky photography at the roof of the house. Multiple tracked long exposures for several hours while Lights, Darks, Bias & Flat frames became new things to learn and opened up a new kind of photography. Meanwhile I was mostly laying on the roof and watched the stars with some vino, cervezas, smokes and music. A good opportunity to remember the past and dream of the future.
Deep Sky, Star Tracking & Long Exposures
During my development as a night sky photographer I realized pretty quick that a star tracker is a key part of my equipment to create detailed images. A Star Tracker is basically a motor you have to adjust between your tripod and camera and which has to be polar aligned - that means aligned with the rotational axis of the earth. In the northern hemisphere it’s quiet easy because you just can use Polaris - the north star - which is almost exactly on the rotation axis of planet earth.
If you want to take photos of the nightsky and celestial objects you learn that - depending on your focal length - after a certain amount of time the stars begin to create trails according to the rotation of the earth. That means you are limited in exposure time if you want to get sharp and crisp stars on your image. Limited exposure time means that you eather get darker images with less detail or you have to increase your ISO which lowers the image quality. That’s not a big deal unless you start printing your images. You can easily retrace all that when you look at my pictures closely (click and zoom in) and my continuous developement with increasing quality and colors.
I was still a bit shy with the use of my tracker in 2018 because I already had enough problems and question but slowly I got used to the workflow and got more confident. In 2019 I started to use the tracker as often as possible. More exposure time - 60s, 120s or even 240s means just better quality and more details and color. But it also asks you for more patience.
If you want to take photos of the nightsky and celestial objects you learn that - depending on your focal length - after a certain amount of time the stars begin to create trails according to the rotation of the earth. That means you are limited in exposure time if you want to get sharp and crisp stars on your image. Limited exposure time means that you eather get darker images with less detail or you have to increase your ISO which lowers the image quality. That’s not a big deal unless you start printing your images. You can easily retrace all that when you look at my pictures closely (click and zoom in) and my continuous developement with increasing quality and colors.
I was still a bit shy with the use of my tracker in 2018 because I already had enough problems and question but slowly I got used to the workflow and got more confident. In 2019 I started to use the tracker as often as possible. More exposure time - 60s, 120s or even 240s means just better quality and more details and color. But it also asks you for more patience.
All Tracked & Stacked - Left to Right: 1 - Rho Ophuicci Cloud Complex / 2 - Cygnus Region / 3 - Orion wide field / 4 - Pleiades aka Seven Sisters / 5 - Andromeda Galaxy
My latest yet unfinished Panorama - the comlete band of the Milky Way Galaxy as long exposure. This is almost the half of our galaxy as seen from northern hemisphere / Tracked Panorama / 14 Frames - taken on several nights in 2019 / Nikon D810 - AF-S 50mm / ISO 2000 - f/2.8 - 240sec
Exposición - X Concurso Internacional de Astrofotografía
»La Palma 2018«
From July to September 2019, the astrophotography exhibiton of the 10th »Concurso Internacional de Astrofotografía - La Palma 2018«took place in the Museo Insular in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Since I participated in that photography competition - I was one of the lucky guys who’s photos were chosen to be exhibited.
Shure, this was a huge honor and a very satisfying feeling to see my photos hanging in this beautiful museum next to other photos of very passionated photographers from around the world. It was also the first time to see any of my photos being exhibited which made that moment even more precious, not because of fame or likes and numbers, but because of the feeling that people appreciate my work. If I remember every horrible moment when my alarm turned on - after three hours of sleep - for building work, day after day - all the moments I was sitting at the mountains alone, at night, waiting for hours, hungry and with a dripping nose - the missed birthdays and highlights of a summer or just the moment I wasn’t there when a friend lost a loved one. It is not always an easy way! There are tough moments and many doubts - there are no shortcuts and you have to offer a lot of yourself and take many sacrifice. But I can also say that these moments also brought me closer to my friends, my family and to myself. And the results are some very cool photos!
»You have to learn to say no - to say yes to what you want«
said Chris Burkard, a photographer and storyteller from California who I deeply admire - not only for his photography work, but also for his honest and reflected interviews. I think he nailed it down and I am excited about what the future brings.
»You have to learn to say no - to say yes to what you want«
said Chris Burkard, a photographer and storyteller from California who I deeply admire - not only for his photography work, but also for his honest and reflected interviews. I think he nailed it down and I am excited about what the future brings.
DATA: According to a Spam Content Warning I am writing down my gear one time and the settings are written as Image description
Camera: All Photos were taken with the Nikon D810 / Used Lenses: Samyang 24mm f/1.4, Nikkor AF-S 50mm f/1.8, Nikkor-Q 135mm f/2.8 or Nikkor 300mm
