Driving Industry

Behind the Camera

Recently, I completed the project planned for this year. The goal was to visit twelve historic sites that would highlight the story of Kansas’ history. The sites ranged from prehistoric land that sat at the floor of a large, shallow intercontinental ocean to the modern age of technology and industry. I photographed each site at night, most with the beautiful Milky Way galactic core rising above the landmark. Those photos have been used in my new calendar for 2026. That calendar is pretty good, if I do say so myself.

As I traveled there was one photograph that I was looking to discover. One photograph to summarize the story of the project. One photograph that I never discovered. That is until after the calendar was completed and sent off to the printer.

Those jewels of nature often pop up in the most unexpected times and places. This was no different. I was driving from my home in southeast Kansas to the Honda service center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. It’s only about a 45-minute drive. I was still in Kansas when I saw an old oil pump in the middle of an open field.

That may not sound exciting, but I am learning that when something grabs my attention then it’s time to stop and explore a little more. Pulling the car off the highway, I noticed several things. First, the position of the pump. It seems that most pumps face the east and west. I don’t know why that is, but it just is. I look for subjects that face north and south (preferably north), because the Milky Way rises in the southern sky. Second, I look for the background. Cluttered backgrounds are more challenging to photograph the night sky. Especially if the scene needs a panorama (A panorama is several photographs taken side-by-side and stitched together as a single image). Finally, I like to set the camera low and aim the lens upward to catch the subject and the sky.

This particular oil pump checked all the blocks; facing north, open field behind, and the gravel road leading to the pump was perfect for the high angle composition that I was hoping to find. Also, a new moon was only days away and the moon would rise a couple of hours after the Milky Way. The coup de grace was that tonight’s weather forecast was for clear skies!

Taking note of the location of this gem, I continued to my car appointment. In the evening, I returned to this site for a wonderful reward. The only downside was the small community airport sat off to the southwestern edge of the scene. The light beacon of the control tower turned and flashed through the lower sky. I didn’t notice this during the daylight and I’m glad. Otherwise, I may have been tempted to keep looking for another candidate.

I decided to set up and take the shot anyway. I’m so glad that I did! This was the image I was looking for. The timeless beauty of the Milky Way over the prairie leading to the oil pump that helped to drive the industrial revolution in Kansas.

Now I am going on a new adventure to walk an ancient path in Spain. As you read this, I am walking the Camino de Santiago. Be sure to watch with me on my YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/@wanderingmonkhikes.

Geek Speak

This was a fun photograph that includes blending several foreground photos and a photo exposed for the night sky to get the rich Milky Way core. The foreground photos were taken with a Sony a6700 camera and a Sigma 16mm, f/1.4 lens. This image is actually six photographs taken with a shutter speed of 15 seconds at f/5 to get the greatest depth of field possible. This helps with overall sharpness. The ISO was set to 800 and the white balance was 3800 kelvin.

With the settings as described, I began “light painting” different parts of the ground and the pump. Shining my headlamp on its lowest setting while the shutter was open, it a technique to highlight the details of the foreground. This takes a little experimenting, but soon the image takes shape. After shining the light from the right and left sides (never directly from the position of the camera), shadows can be eliminated or accentuated to taste. The photos are then blended in post editing.

Turning to the sky, I used my faithful settings of f/1.4, shutter speed of 10 seconds, ISO of 3200, and white balance at 3800 kelvin. These setting pull in the stars, but darken the foreground (which is replaced with the other images).

In post editing, I use Affinity Photo 2, the images are blended together to create this view. I hope you enjoy it.