It has been three years since I photographed the first “Tree of Life” back in 2022. Since then I have refined both my gear and my post-processing, and I have always felt this subject deserved another attempt.
The Blue Mountains in NSW are notoriously tricky for astrophotography. Their endless ridgelines are stunning, but the lack of elements breaking the horizon makes it hard to find a composition that feels balanced. On my first attempt, I climbed down to a secluded spot, but the horizon cut through the tree and weakened its presence.
This time I took a risk, descending the cliffside in the dark and setting up just a few centimetres from the edge. I wanted the tree to stand tall against the Milky Way with nothing to steal its place in the frame. To push things further, I shot the entire panorama without moving the tripod, swapping cameras and lenses mid-process to make it possible.
I ended up spending over three hours on that edge, with nothing but the quiet watching the slow dance of the stars and I was rewarded by one of the most impressive airglow shows I ever captured!
Fantastic shot.
Excellent
Excellent photo, well done.