Star Trail Timelapse Photography in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks

Photography Tips  •  Time-lapse Photography

What do you need to create an epic astro timelapse? Cameras, lenses, tripods, a bunch of dedicated star chasers, and an epic location—possibly devoid of any light pollution. Timelapse photographer Gavin Heffernan and his team headed out for the Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks to create an astro timelapse. But what they got was more than just some magical images:

Gear for Creating a Timelapse

Armed with two Canon 6Ds and a number of fast, wide lenses, including a 24mm f/1.4 lens and a 28mm f/1.8 lens Heffernan and John C. Brookins arrived at the location on the Summer Solstice: June 21, 2014.

Many of the photos were captured using long 25 second exposures. Heffernan used a free program called STARSTAX to render the amazing long star trails.

Here is a behind-the-scenes documentary of their two-nights, three-days photo adventure, including their close encounter with a big brown bear:

Interested to see some stills from the shoot? Here are a few that Heffernan was kind enough to share with us:

The Milky Way Setting Over a Ridge

Star trails at Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks

Meteor Burst Captured at Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks

Camping Under the Stars at Kings Canyon & Sequoia National Parks

“It was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen, with incredible canyons, mountains, and vistas out of a fantasy novel. Far removed from any light pollution, the skies were equally stunning, with some epic milky ways, star trails, and the biggest meteorite picture I’ve ever captured.”