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heaven's Above the Garden of the Gods

The Mesa Overlook just outside the Garden of the Gods offers a splendid view of the Garden and Pikes Peak, otherwise known as America’s Mountain.  Consequently, I chose this spot to stage this photograph, taking the landscape image in Winter utilising natural moonlight to illuminate the snow, the mountain and the foreground.  However, the Milky Way image was taken in Summer, from 80 miles away, but utilising a reference image taken from the same spot to scale and position the MW over the Peak.  The result is a serene and spirited composite image of one of the most beautiful locations in Colorado, punctuated by the colourful and majestic Milky Way.

Camera:  Canon 5D MKIII with Full Spectrum Modification
Lens:  Canon 20-70mm at 57mm, f2.8
Mount: Vixen Polarie, Tripod Mounted
Exposures:   Foreground (Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak):  45 seconds, ISO 200, Milky Way: Multiple 30 second exposures, ISO 1600.