Star Trails at Pulpit Rock
Pulpit Rock at Cape Schanck is one of Victoria’s most dramatic coastal landmarks, jutting out from the wild waters of the Mornington Peninsula. I ventured down here in the middle of the night during low tide, when it’s possible to carefully get closer to the rock. Though the tide was already creeping back in, making it a risky but unforgettable experience. If we had waited just 20 minutes longer, we would have been stranded by the waves. To capture the scene, I shot hundreds of long exposures with my Nikon D800 and 17-50mm f/2.8 lens, later blending them in StarStaX to reveal the sweeping star trails. For the foreground, I added just a touch of light with my torch to give Pulpit Rock depth against the night sky, with the help of a NiSi circular polarizing filter. It was a mix of adrenaline and awe, standing there between the ocean and the stars.
