Today's Photo of the Day comes from Sony Alpha user Luke Tscharke. His photo of Ayers Rock in Uluru, Australia was featured on the @sonyalpha Instagram feed where it received more than 6,000 Likes. Creating earth and sky astrophotos used to require special equipment and a fair amount of intricate post-processing. Now, the ISO range of Sony Alpha cameras brings this kind of photography into reach for anyone using just the camera, lens and a sturdy tripod. We reached out to Tscharke to find out more about how he made his photograph.

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Location

Uluru (Ayers Rock), Northern Territory, Australia

How I Got the Shot

When I visited Uluru (Ayers Rock) I was very excited about the possibility of photographing the stars above this Australian icon. During the year I was extremely happy with the results I was getting with the Sony α7S for astrophotography, and felt like I had the ideal setup to make it happen. Using the iPhone app called Photopills I worked out the orientation of the milky way relative to the massive rock and determined the best time and location to capture the stars.

On location we set up at the Uluru sunset viewing area and waited. As the last light of the day faded the stars started to appear and the milky way gradually emerged in the night sky. Being so far from light pollution in the outback of Australia the skies are incredibly clear, enabling the milky way to be seen with the naked eye. With the high ISO performance of the α7S, the amount of light that can be pulled from a night scene is dramatically increased and some truly spectacular landscapes can be captured.

I set my camera up on my tripod and began shooting frames. Looking at the screen on the back of the camera I knew I had captured the scene to my original vision. These are moments that make you elated as a photographer, creating memories I'll never forget.

Gear & Settings

• Camera: Sony α7S
• Lens: 14mm f/2.8
• ISO: 6400
• Aperture: f/2.8

You can follow Luke Tscharke on Instagram @tscharke.

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