Big Dipper over the Summit of Mount Washington

One of my favorite photos from the nighttime hike up Mt. Washington was this classic view of the summit sign, with a twist. I had no idea that the big dipper would be perfectly placed in the frame. Because I was photographing with such a shallow depth of field, the stars in Ursa Major were out of focus, and therefore much larger than they would have been if everything was tack sharp. I improvised with lighting by laying my headlamp down in the snow and the illumination on the building in the background was from moonlight. It was such a beautiful night, and reminded me a lot of my time on Katahdin last year, especially the unexpected alignment of a major constellation. I am a lucky guy.

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Filename: Big Dipper over the summit of Mount Washington.jpg
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Image Size: 4954x6192 / 29.5MB; 4000 footer Astronomy Astrophotography Cold Hiking MWO Mount Washington Observatory NH New England New Hampshire Night Night Sky Snow Summit White Mountains New Hampshire Winter Winter Hiking
Contained in galleries: Recent Work, Winter Hiking, New Hampshire, Archive

One of my favorite photos from the nighttime hike up Mt. Washington was this classic view of the summit sign, with a twist. I had no idea that the big dipper would be perfectly placed in the frame. Because I was photographing with such a shallow depth of field, the stars in Ursa Major were out of focus, and therefore much larger than they would have been if everything was tack sharp. I improvised with lighting by laying my headlamp down in the snow and the illumination on the building in the background was from moonlight. It was such a beautiful night, and reminded me a lot of my time on Katahdin last year, especially the unexpected alignment of a major constellation. I am a lucky guy.