Night-Out in Alpi Apuane

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Night-Out in Alpi Apuane
Photo Information
Copyright: Hakan Delic (delic) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 530 W: 6 N: 340] (936)
Genre: Landscapes
Medium: Black & White
Date Taken: 2006-09-08
Categories: Mountain
Camera: Canon EOS 33, Tamron 28-75/2.8, Fuji Provia 100F
Exposure: f/5.6
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Our world at night., Claudine's favorites, jmp *1 [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-06-21 18:55
Viewed: 901
Points: 84
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
On the afternoon of September 7, 2006, I and a colleague set out from the village of Stazzema for an overnight traverse around Monte Procinto, Monte Forato and Pania della Croce in the Alpi Apuane range. We wanted to go light with minimal food and water, being confident that we would reach Rifugio Rossi in about five hours. Well, everything went wrong. First, we had a hard time finding the trailhead in Stazzema, losing precious time. Then, I dropped the map off my backpack's pocket, which left us with an outdated sketch of the area. By the time we got near Foce di Valli, a pass below Pania della Croce, it was all dark except for the illumination provided by the full moon.

The night out in the open with no tent, mattress or sleeping bag turned out to be quite uncomfortable. Aside from humid soil and the buzzing mosquitos, the inclined ground surface hid marblestones that poked us in the back. Cold and concerned, we decided to hit the path shortly after I took this photo at 4:10 am. The 10-minute exposure shows the open southeastern slope of Pania della Croce, known as Costa Pulita, under pure moonlight. The white parts in the image are marble.

When we reached Foce di Valle, which you can see in the workshop, we had the rising sun on one side, and the setting full moon on the opposite. It was a heavenly sight with clouds floating below us. Long out of water and food, we pushed on with no time to set up the tripod.

The sun and the marble reflecting the heat made the 400-meter elevation gain up Pania della Croce quite a chore. At some point, I ran into severe dehydration and had to take a long rest. Not having had a sip of liquid for 18 hours, we drank three liters of Powerade and just as much water each in less than an hour at the rifugio without a single call from nature.

Fed and watered, we continued with the climb up Vallone dell' Inferno (Valley of Hell) to the peak of Pania della Croce, and eventually reached the village of Pruno. Catching all the last connections, we were back in Firenze at midnight to collect our luggage. All in all, we had walked for 20 hours in the 27-hour outing for a total elevation gain of 1,400 m. Just have to be less cocky the next time.

Photo note: Started with a low-resolution scan (about 2.4-MB jpeg file), increased contrast by 5%, resized, sharpened, converted to B&W, all on Capture NX. I chose B&W because it conveys the darkness of the night as we felt it far better.
Matt-Bird, septama, SelenE, dew77, cicindela, jcoowanitwong, anel, clnaef, marhowie, Alex99, nglen, claudine, arfer, Raptorman, mlines, Silvio2006, ramthakur, gracious, jmp, hester, simon182, saeedabbasi, scottevers7, livios, mikou, angybone, Juyona, ridvan, Necipp, deblink, jeanpaul, blakitan, XOTAELE, JoseMiguel, HaBeMa has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To SunToucher: star trailsdelic 2 06-27 08:18
To ramthakur: foolhardydelic 1 06-25 17:48
To claudine: French was fine :)delic 2 06-24 07:20
To SelenE: renklisidelic 1 06-22 03:18
To trinko: combodelic 1 06-22 03:13
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Critiques [Translate]

nice focus interesting view interesting story. is this a combination of multiple shots?

Hi Hakan.
Love this shot and it works well in b/w.
I'm going to add it to the theme 'Our World at Night' I started.
Composition of the landscape perfect with the trailing stars circling the pole, pin sharp.
Wonderful

Kathleen
New Zealand

Hi Hakan,
really unique shot with long exposure shows how fast our earth to rotate, really nice and sharp b/w presentation, even looks like infra red image for me, I believe it is a hard effort to get this quality of shot, consider also to your notes about the attempt to traverse the sierra, excellent

Merhaba Hakan,
This is a beautiful shot. BW'ye cevirmen enteresan olmus, renklisini de merak ettim.
Selamlar

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5171 W: 297 N: 4050] (13069)
  • [2007-06-22 2:29]

Merhaba Hakan,
Very nice capture.Well exposed and composed.Your informative note is also excellent.
TFS..:-)

Hello Hakan!
Very beautiful (even if only black and white) picture! Great, and long exposure gave here a really fantastic effect. You just prooved that the Earth "is rolling" ;>
TFS and have a ncie day my Friend!
Regards,
Radomir

PS. Soon I will send you a longer e-mail with details e.g. about Sulejow ;>

Hi Hakan, great shot I have wanted to try this type of photo for along time. You have done a good job. In 10 minutes you captured alot of movement.
nice shot,
regards
Matt.

Hello Hakan,
Beautiful night sky with fantastic 10 minutes exposure. POV and composition are great. Thanks for your informative note.
JC

  • Great 
  • anel Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1070 W: 0 N: 1612] (7022)
  • [2007-06-22 7:36]

Hello Hakan,
Fascinating picture of the wandering stars over this Tuscan mountain-landscape. There is something mysterious about this picture, light and shadows,like in another dimension. The note is most interesting. I'm sure you will never forget again to have enough water with you!
Best regards
Anne

Bonjour,
Belle réussite, aspect intéressant du ciel nocturne.
Bonne journée
clnaef

  • Great 
  • Ken52 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 653 W: 97 N: 1198] (3877)
  • [2007-06-22 11:06]

The story was very interesting and well told. Seems like a good photo for black/white. Focus is very good and the long exposure produced interesting results. (I really do not understand this type of photo; I do know know what the lines in the sky are; it is difficult to write intelligent critique).

Hi Hagan,
Excellent offering in B&W, the ten minute exposure looks great! Great work on the post processing to deliver this awesome image, Thank you. I enjoyed the notes on how you got this one,
Howard

  • Great 
  • Alex99 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2888 W: 145 N: 4173] (13501)
  • [2007-06-22 14:15]

Hi Hakan.
I like both your very expressive shot taken with great skillfulness and taste. Very impressive lights and darks, amazing composition of the shot, great exposure, sharpness and details. Composition is perfect too. Your works create a very strong esthetic impression and mood. Bravo and best wishes.
Alexei.

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1813 W: 2 N: 4661] (17560)
  • [2007-06-22 16:38]

Hi Hakan.This is a amazing landscape shot. the star trails make the picture as with the shadows. the shot woks so well in black and white. very well done TFS.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2674 W: 67 N: 9151] (28608)
  • [2007-06-22 22:41]

Hello Hakan

This is out of this world! An amazing shot,the exposure is wonderful.The composition is excellent and the circling effect is brilliant and inspiring.Nicely done.TFS

Rob

Hello Hakan , very good capture of star trails in long exposure , also B & W choise is more impressive for me , TFS .

bonjour hakan
j'aime ce genre de photo,j'ai d'ailleurs deja tenté l'experience mais avec une heure et 30 minutes d'exposition,ainsi les cercles formés par les traces d'etoiles sont plus marqués et grands.
bien vu.
laurent

Hi Hakan. Good alpine view which is unusual and emotive being dark as it is. The time sequence of starlight is excellent. Good notes, reminds me of some of out army cadet training weekend on Mt Egmont (since renamed Mt Taranaki) in NZ. tfs. Murray.

Merhaba Hakan, splendid b&w with long exposure, fascinating effect in a great composition, Bravo, very well done, have a nice week end, ciao Silvio

Wow Hakan!
OK, I think I found a way to write it in English :) This picture represents for me the time and hours that flies... The perpetual movement and the useless to calculate time as for me eternity is the present moment. This is what this picture inspires me :) Thanks for this great one :)
Claudine

Read your note first to get a proper bearing on this marvellous night shot, Hakan.
You guys were really foolhardy to attemp such an ambitious traverse without being fully equipped.
But then how would one define adventure if it were to be pre-programmed and meticulously worked out?

In December 1965 on a cold, dark and heavily overcast night, four of my friends and I did something similar. One of our common friends was getting married at a place nearly 200 kms away, needing a full day's bus journey to reach there. Though we had decided to miss the occasion, some impulse struck us at midnight on the day of the wedding. We started climbing to a 11000 ft high pass in the mountains that would enable us to reach a place on the other side from where it would take us a few hours' bus journey to reach the venue. We had no food, no torch lights, nothing. No sooner had we started than it began to snow. We hit the pass at 5 a.m. in a raging snow blizzard, dashed downhill without a stop, caught that bus and attended the wedding!
How we survived is a sheer matter of good luck.

Sorry for this irrelevant anecdote.

Coming back to your picture, it is a shot not everyone can manage. With 10 minutes' exposure, you have truly created a masterpiece of night photography. The choice of B&W medium is absolutely appropriate. After all, night is not a colourful phenomenon in that kind of magnificent wilderness.
Thanks for sharing this great image and best regards.

Hello Hakan,
First, thank you for sharing this amazing beautiful well composed photo!
second is the interesting story that comes with it
thanks again for sharing with us
cheers
Tony

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1898 W: 94 N: 2375] (8394)
  • [2007-06-23 14:14]

Hi Hakan,
Wonderful nocturnal photo. Composition and exposure are perfect. Directly to my favourites!
TFS, José M.

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1489 W: 18 N: 2961] (10586)
  • [2007-06-23 17:22]

This is great. I love start trails. Perfect exposure to capture the details under moonlight. It sounds like you had a bit of an adventure. I hope you take better care of yourself on the next hike :) I'm glad you made it safely. At least you got this wonderful image

TFS

Karan

Hakan,

This definitely gives use a great impression of what the sky would look like if we were there.
I love the contrast in this scene. The light and dark areas look great.
The story gives us a feel for the tough time you had to go through to get it! Well done for your persistence.

TFS
Simon

Hi dear Hakan ,
great work from sky. nice B/W.
Well composed and this is a perfect capture
My best regards
Saeed

Hi Hakan,
The conversion to B&W was a great choice for this shot. Very strong tones and contrast here. Star trails look great. Sounds like one of my trips. Excellent composition. Some great camera work.
Scott

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2307 W: 324 N: 4310] (16834)
  • [2007-06-24 1:16]

Hakan, this is another impressive image by you.

Excellent composition and exposure.

A poetic and very beautiful image.

Congratulations.

  • Great 
  • mikou Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 903 W: 79 N: 1362] (5261)
  • [2007-06-24 9:17]

Hi Hakan.
Beautiful picture those night landscapes.Very special shot with impressive effect on sky.Really amazing capture.Your masterlike made photograph.Congratulation and thank you for sharing.
Best greetings Milos.

Beautiful - these night shots aren't easy. I've never been able to do it. Absolutely amazing - I love that its B&W.

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 2038 W: 6 N: 1774] (12400)
  • [2007-06-25 3:34]

Hola Hakan,
sensacional trabajo,
estupendos efectos y pov,
buenos detalles amigo,
saludos

  • Great 
  • ridvan Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 591 W: 0 N: 1140] (5126)
  • [2007-06-25 12:08]

merhaba hakan; haika bir manzara bu, gokyuzunun sergiledigi essiz olaylardan biri , yaratıcının kusursuz eserini sende kusursuz bir biçimde pozlayarak sergilemissin tebrikler

  • Great 
  • Necipp Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1151 W: 15 N: 2083] (12286)
  • [2007-06-25 14:43]

Merhaba Hakan this is a nice work with the star trail might have had more impact for me if the north star was included superb sharpness and contrast good tonal range tfs rgds Necip.

Hello Hakan,
A great note to go with a great image. I like your choice of B&W.
Cheers,
Debbie

Salut Hakan
Très belle prise de vue en noir et blanc de cette nuit avec une très bonne exposition.
Merci et au revoior...JP

Selam Hakan,
Interesting object and interesting note.
Nice B&W image.
Superbly done.

BL

Hi Hakan,
This is still on my list to do. The bulb shutter speed and the star filled sky. My first attempt to it failed. Too much ligh pollution. Your is perfect and the B/W makes it even more interesting. Especailly the enormous details you were able to get in the ground part. I also like the fact that the center of the spin is not in the photo.
TFS,
Niek

Hola Hakan.
Preciosos detalles y estupendo encuadre.
Perfecta nitidez e interesante nota.
Un saludo, JL.

you was in Italy!

like ever you did it a fantastic photo.
good choise B&W.

bye and tfs mario

Merhaba Hakan,
May be this was an uncomfortable night, but it gives you a remarkable picture!
It's so good the result of your looong exposure, I like the curved light paths of the stars, and the way that concentric circles works great with the composition made by the mountains.
I like so much this b&w post.
Congratulations and thanks for share it.
My best regards,
JM

I'm glad I clicked on this one - on the thumbnail it doesn't look like much, but seen up close it's superb.
Not only do the wheeling star trails give the shot a lot of impact, but I also like the way you photographed the landscape, with this hard contrast that seems to suit it's rugged nature.
It works well in B&W too - excellent work Hakan.

Cheers,
Ben

Selam Hakan:"Hayirli Bayramlar dilerim"
Habema.
:-]

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