Welcome to the twenty-first edition of our User Story series. 

This time, we're traveling to Letchworth State Park in Upstate New York, where Patrick (@fotoragon) used NOMAD to capture the Milky Way above the park's waterfalls, turning a simple scouting trip into an unforgettable night of astrophotography and unexpected friendships.

✨ A Milky Way Scouting Trip Takes an Unexpected Turn

It was a wonderful evening spent with a friend, an opportunity to escape the summer heat of the city, reconnect with nature, and enjoy a beautiful starry sky from one of the most scenic locations in the Apennines.

For quite some time, I had been planning to photograph the Milky Way over the beautiful Letchworth Falls State Park in Upstate New York.

However, the six-hour drive and conflicts with my busy work schedule always seemed to get in the way.

Then, one day, everything finally aligned. Without a second thought, I packed my photography gear and made the long-awaited trip.

My original plan was simply to scout the area, as safety has always been my priority, and find the perfect composition for the photograph I had envisioned.

I arrived before sunset, with plenty of visitors still enjoying the park. After exploring, I found two promising locations and used PhotoPills to determine the Milky Way's alignment.

As I was heading back to my truck, a gentleman named Karl approached me and asked if I was planning to photograph the Milky Way that night, just as he was.

That simple conversation changed everything. Instead of leaving, I decided to stay.

📸 Under the Milky Way, Beyond the Photograph

Later, we were joined by two wonderful fellow photographers, Sherry and Mary.

I set up my gears and captured my foreground during blue hour, allowing for a properly exposed landscape with minimal noise to blend with the Milky Way during post-processing.

What was supposed to be a scouting trip turned into an unforgettable night beneath the stars.

We spent the evening photographing the Milky Way, sharing stories, listening to the waterfalls, and appreciating the peaceful darkness and breathtaking beauty surrounding us.

Sometimes, photography is not just about capturing light or creating the perfect image.

It's about the journey, the unexpected moments, the friendships formed along the way, and the memories that remain long after the camera is packed away.

That night reminded me why I love astrophotography so much.

🔭 My Experience with the MSM NOMAD Tracker

One of the biggest differences in capturing this image was using the Move Shoot Move NOMAD Star Tracker. For me, it has truly been a game changer in Milky Way photography.

By compensating for Earth's rotation, the tracker allowed me to use longer exposures while keeping the stars sharp, revealing faint stars, intricate dust lanes, and subtle colors in the Milky Way that would be difficult to capture with a single untracked exposure.

What I particularly appreciate is its lightweight, compact, and portable design, making it an excellent companion for astrophotography adventures, especially when traveling long distances or carrying equipment to remote locations.

⚙️ Camera Settings and Post-Processing

1.Foreground Exposure — Blue Hour

• Focal Length: 16mm
• Aperture: f/8
• ISO: 400
• Shutter Speed: 30 seconds

2.Tracked Milky Way Exposures

• Focal Length: 35mm
• Aperture: f/2.8
• ISO: 800
• Exposure: 180 seconds × 5 frames
• Filter: IDAS HEUIB-II

3.Post-Processing Software

• Adobe Lightroom
• Adobe Photoshop
• PixInsight

The final image is a blend of the foreground captured during blue hour and the tracked Milky Way exposures.

This technique allowed me to preserve detail in the landscape while bringing out the intricate structures, colors, and beauty of the night sky.