by Julien Looten » Thu Mar 30, 2023 6:46 pm
A starry night at the Château de Commarque (France, Dordogne)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/julienloo ... en-public/
Copyright: Looten Julien
I arrived at the Château de Commarque last Tuesday evening (21/03/2023), in the company of Clément Bouynet, a journalist for Sud Ouest (French regional newspaper). We were both eager to discover the wonders of this medieval fortress and to capture it under a starry sky.
To visit the Château de Commarque is to take a trip back in time. Nestled in the Beune Valley, whose site has been occupied since the Palaeolithic era, this 12th century fortress was the scene of a great epic involving 6 great families of the Périgord. I won't tell you any more, just go for it!
It is 8 pm. Night falls on the small valley. A few hooting night birds emanate from the surrounding woods. Slowly, the keep built by the Beynac family in the middle of the Hundred Years' War, and culminating at more than 60 metres, plunges into the darkness. I had to be quick, as the Milky Way sets early at this time of year... so I quickly made this image of the Milky Way over this castle, with an incredible zodiacal light as a bonus. This 180° panorama shows the castle topped by the Milky Way, our galaxy, composed of hundreds of millions of stars and numerous nebulae, including the Orion Nebula, Barnard's Loop, the Rosette Nebula and California. Other galaxies such as Andromeda and the Triangulum Galaxy are visible on the horizon.
But at this point, the excitement was just beginning... Guided by Jean-Sébastien Wemmert, the castle's passionate history keeper, we ventured into the dark and mysterious corners of the medieval fortress, cameras in hand. Every night, he even lights a few candles in the chapel. Their faint glow, perceptible against the great panorama, adds soul to the image.
The stars shone above us as we walked in the footsteps of the lords who lived here centuries ago. The centuries-old stone walls seemed to come alive under the camera lens, revealing unexpected details in the darkest corners.
In the end, this night photography session at the Château de Commarque, guided by Jean-Sébastien, offered us a unique and unforgettable experience. We captured spectacular images and created memories that will last a lifetime.
On the technical side, 180° panorama from south (left) to north (right) of 27 photographs (3 rows) of 13 seconds each (6 minutes in total). Canon 6D Astrodon (modified, scaled for astrophotography) and Sigma 28mm f1.4.
Instagram : j.looten
Facebook : julien.looten.photographie
[size=120][b] A starry night at the Château de Commarque (France, Dordogne)[/b][/size]
https://www.flickr.com/photos/julienlooten/52782252538/in/datetaken-public/
Copyright: Looten Julien
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2oqbQLS][img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52782252538_3dce726688_b.jpg[/img][/url]
I arrived at the Château de Commarque last Tuesday evening (21/03/2023), in the company of Clément Bouynet, a journalist for Sud Ouest (French regional newspaper). We were both eager to discover the wonders of this medieval fortress and to capture it under a starry sky.
To visit the Château de Commarque is to take a trip back in time. Nestled in the Beune Valley, whose site has been occupied since the Palaeolithic era, this 12th century fortress was the scene of a great epic involving 6 great families of the Périgord. I won't tell you any more, just go for it!
It is 8 pm. Night falls on the small valley. A few hooting night birds emanate from the surrounding woods. Slowly, the keep built by the Beynac family in the middle of the Hundred Years' War, and culminating at more than 60 metres, plunges into the darkness. I had to be quick, as the Milky Way sets early at this time of year... so I quickly made this image of the Milky Way over this castle, with an incredible zodiacal light as a bonus. This 180° panorama shows the castle topped by the Milky Way, our galaxy, composed of hundreds of millions of stars and numerous nebulae, including the Orion Nebula, Barnard's Loop, the Rosette Nebula and California. Other galaxies such as Andromeda and the Triangulum Galaxy are visible on the horizon.
But at this point, the excitement was just beginning... Guided by Jean-Sébastien Wemmert, the castle's passionate history keeper, we ventured into the dark and mysterious corners of the medieval fortress, cameras in hand. Every night, he even lights a few candles in the chapel. Their faint glow, perceptible against the great panorama, adds soul to the image.
The stars shone above us as we walked in the footsteps of the lords who lived here centuries ago. The centuries-old stone walls seemed to come alive under the camera lens, revealing unexpected details in the darkest corners.
In the end, this night photography session at the Château de Commarque, guided by Jean-Sébastien, offered us a unique and unforgettable experience. We captured spectacular images and created memories that will last a lifetime.
On the technical side, 180° panorama from south (left) to north (right) of 27 photographs (3 rows) of 13 seconds each (6 minutes in total). Canon 6D Astrodon (modified, scaled for astrophotography) and Sigma 28mm f1.4.
Instagram : j.looten
Facebook : julien.looten.photographie