Milky way rising above the West Coast

As the Milky Way season began, my excitement to capture our galaxy's core led me on an expedition to the west coast in March 2024. Traveling almost 2000 kilometers with Santanu Sir and our friend Amit Sengar, we set off on our first trip of the year, and anticipation was high.

Equipped with my newly acquired Sony 20mm FE 1.8 G lens, paired with Sony a7IV, I was eager to test my new lens. The setup included a Silence Corner Atoll S rotating collar, an iOptron SkyGuider Pro star tracker, and a brand new Leofoto LS-364C carbon fiber tripod, along with an LB75 leveling base, LH40 ball head, and VH30R 2-way pano head. I was excited to test all this new gear. Santanu Sir generously provided the iOptron SkyGuider Pro star tracker, a crucial tool for our astrophotography. Learning to use the star tracker was a challenge, especially finding Polaris through the polar scope and achieving polar alignment. It felt like a game of hide-and-seek. Santanu Majumder Sir patiently guided me, and together, we aligned our setup with precision.

After capturing the mesmerizing Milky Way rising above the hill and sea, we decided to add a unique element to our composition. The landscape featured a remarkable combination of hills and sea, with a beachside cave. We had scouted the cave during the day, finding it challenging to reach even in daylight, but I decided to go there at night. We were on a higher platform opposite the cave, a table point where we had been shooting the Milky Way.

I started walking from the viewpoint with my headlamp on, descending carefully. After reaching the beach, I headed toward the cave. The ascent was nearly 80 degrees, with loose soil and rocks, making it very challenging. My legs slipped, but I managed to hold onto a rock. Somehow, I made it. As soon as I entered the cave, pigeons and bats started flying around, making the scene quite scary.

I inspected the cave carefully and set up two Ulanzi LED lights behind me, holding a bulb in the other hand. I posed to add a silhouetted human figure to the shot. My friends, positioned at a distance, captured the shot while shouting instructions that I could barely hear over the sound of crashing waves, and I had to wait for the waves to quiet down to hear them. They were telling me to change my pose and come back quickly because there was a risk of rising tides. If the water level increased, I wouldn’t be able to cross the beach back to the platform and would be stuck in the cave.

📷 Sony a7IV
🔎 Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G
⭕Silence Corner Atoll S Rotating Collar
🔭 Leofoto LS- 364C + LB75 + LH40 + VH30R 
✴️Star tracker: iOption Sky Guider Pro
💡 Ulanzi VL49 RGB Lights

Stacked in SLS, Blended in Photoshop