This photograph was taken in October 2020 in upstate New York. I had recently purchased a manual flash (which allows you to control the light’s intensity and direction) and was ripe for some experimentation with long exposures at night.
Once darkness fell I went outside of the house, and thought that the stars on the clear night sky would be my light source. After taking a few test shots, I realized they were too dim and was feeling very discouraged- until I saw a very bright moon emerge from behind the trees.
I decided a 20 second exposure would be suitable given the moon’s strong luminescence, and pointed my camera up towards the treetops. The flash went off immediately after I pressed the shutter, and froze the trees in place with its light. I then pivoted my camera towards the moon, and zoomed in and out for the remainder of the exposure. These light streaks of varying densities and thicknesses were layered on top of the trees, giving the scene a supernatural feeling.
A flash and long exposure is a very potent combination.