4am on a clean, crisp early autumn morning up in the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and I'm watching entranced as the star strewn sky stretches out above me.
To the south over the peak of Feol Fenlli, my favourite constellation, Orion the hunter, has just cleared the hilltop on its journey upwards and westwards through the heavens.
Catching the light from streetlights in the nearest town of Mold, wispy clouds float across the scene, just thick enough to add an ethereal glow to the stars without completely obsucring them.
This is a time lapse opportunity not to be missed, so I spend the next two and a half hours star gazing while my trusty camera clicks away recording the still required to make this video.
Eventually and inevitably, the sky brightens with the coming of the dawn, the stars fade away and the cool blue tones of twilight overcome the orange glow of the reflected streetlights.
Time to stop and point my camera in a different direction - but that's another story.
Filename - orion timelapse 02.mp4
Camera - Canon 6D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 24mm
Exposure (start of sequence) - 15 secs @ f4, ISO6400
Exposure (end of sequence) - 15 secs @ f4, ISO1600
Filters - None
Shooting interval - 15 seconds
Location - Feol Fenlli, Clwydian Range, North Wales
This clip - HD 720p 30fps
Clip duration - 16 secs
All content copyright © Howard Litherland 2009-2024 unless otherwise stated.