Today I want to share some photos from our (already not so recent) trip to the Milky Way spot in Abu Dhabi.

Before you get excited, I have to tell you that the Milky Way is only properly visible in the UAE skies from April/May until September. In Al Razeen desert (where this action has taken place) you can still see plenty of stars and the “fat” part of the Milky Way would be possible to see at around 4-5 am. However, each time we ventured out there with our group of amateur stargazers, the skies got completely covered by 1 am, so no luck. But otherwise you can see:

Camels

Sunset

Sand Formations

Night Sky

All the photos taken here with with Fujifilm XT-4, the desert scapes are shot with Fujinon 70-300 and the night skies are shot on Rokinon 8mm 2.8 manual focus lens.

One of the things that you have to keep in mind when planning to go shoot the Milky Way is the Moon situation. If the moon is too bright, then you will lose some of the stars for your photos, but the properly illuminated foreground can add interest to your photos:

But if there is no Moon, sometimes the place will be so dark that you would have to crank your ISO up to very high amounts. However, nowadays with all the AI tools for noise removal you should not be too stressed about it.

Another thing to keep in mind when shooting the starry night is the 500 Rule to determine maximum shutter speed before stars start to trail.

Formula:

500 ÷ Focal Length = Maximum exposure in seconds

(For a 20mm lens: 500 ÷ 20 = 25 sec)

If you have a crop sensor camera, then first calculate what is your focal length in full frame, and then use this formula.

Shooting at night in the desert is a mesmerizing experience with the vast open landscapes, endless dunes, and star-filled skies that create the perfect backdrop for photography. But sometimes it is good to set your camera to the side, and just enjoy the quiet (unless your drunk companion insists on playing the 2014 hits playlist on the loudspeaker…).

Thanks for checking in,

Much love,

Anna