Nighttime | Lee Smith Photography

B&W of Hutchinson Island, FL

A black & white rendition of the night at the House of Refuge on Hutchinson Island, FL

A black & white rendition of the night photography at the House of Refuge on Hutchinson Island, FL — Hutchinson Island – 2018_03_24 – IMG_1448

Standing close to the sand berm, I was attempting to line up my shot of the milky way & the House of Refuge at Gilbert’s Bar on Hutchinson Island. The Milky Way was just rising with all the stars shining brightly, even thought the darn street lights were so bright.

An early morning photo session near the House of Refuge at Gilbert's Bar on Hutchinson Island. The Milky Way was just rising with all the stars shining brightly — Hutchinson Island – 2018_03_24-IMG_1429

The Old Railway & Milky Way

The old Bahia Honda railway bridge off West Summerland Key in the Florida Keys

The old Baiha Honda railway bridge off West Sunnerland Key in the Florida Keys — West Summerland Key -2018_03_17 – IMG_0888

The Milky Way & a Lone Tree

A little light painting of a lone tree against the Milky Way with a star filled sky.

A little light painting of a lone tree against a star filled sky. — West Summerland Key -2018_03_17 – IMG_0851

Starry Skies and a Lone Tree

The night of a New Moon with so many stars in the sky off West Summerland Key, The Florida Keys

The Milky Way over West Summerland Key

I traveled three hours south to West Summerland Key to catch the Milky Way in the darkness of the Florida Keys

The trip started off with a traffic jam on i-75 with a truck that flipped onto its side. The drive through Broward, Miami and Monroe county otherwise went well.

I arrived first to the location around 2:30am to see if my favorite tree survived the Hurricane last year. It did, it was still standing on the shallows of the petrified mangrove roots while so much had been destroyed. The tree stood starkly against the starry night sky.

I eventually met up with Capt Kimo and William Leonard around 3am, then the fun began. the lights from our flashlights splashed the landscape, some times bright sometimes red, sometimes extremely bright. Claudia and Ivan eventually made it down around 5:30am, but they had stopped at several other locations – I am guessing at their arrive time.

We shot together, separately and through the early morning hours. The Milky Way slowly rose from the east around 4:00am and we continued shooting at different angles and locations till about 6:30am. It was a long time night and a long drive, but well worth the effort

Location: West Summerland Key, FL
Taken: 03/17/2018
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: Canon EF 16-35mm F/2.8L USM II
Aperture: f/2,8
ISO: 3200
Shutter Speed: 30 secs
Focal Length: 19mm

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