Starry, Starry Night: Astrophotography on the Flats

Photographer Visits Salt Flats to Unleash the Colors of the Universe

One man. A bazillion stars. Okay, maybe not a bazillion, maybe it’s a gazillion.

At any rate, this astrophotography is some pretty heady stuff.

Daniel Kordan is a photographer from Russia who travels the world capturing some really nice shots.

Dare we say these are out of this world?

Shot at the world’s largest salt flat, located in Bolivia, Kordan captures the Milky Way and all the twinkling reflections on the mineral-laden surface.

In Kordan’s Facebook post of this image, he says:

Incredible beauty of Altiplano night. I’m standing myself in the middle of the biggest salar in the world, Uyuni. That’s a panorama of 4 vertical shots made on Nikon D810a + 14-24 nikkor.
It felt like I’ve entered the open space! The flooded salar reflects all stars so you can see them under your feet as well.

Light pollution is a big issue for anyone wanting to capture the night sky. Thus the most fantastic images are achieved in the most remote locations. And since most of us have not seen a sky like this in person, they seem unreal.

But getting the shot is more than venturing where there are few lights.

Kordan planned a month-long road trip to observe the stars and shoot astrophotography, which was easier said than done. The high elevation (4,000 to 5,000 meters above sea level) meant that he needed at least five days to acclimate to the change. Kordan then spent the following two weeks in the Altiplano of Bolivia, but he still faced challenges. “Of course, it’s hard to move and hard to breath,” he explains. “But due to proper planning, we were safe and healthy.”

More from Kordan’s Facebook feed:

No doubts it was one of the best nights I’ve ever had in my life! Completely tired, we scratched ourselves from our beds and started to salar Uyuni.

It was hard to believe our eyes and senses. It seemed that we float in the open space. Our spaceship is parked in a distance, and stars are blinking with blue, red and yellow colors. You stand in the deep night with stars above you, aside from you and underneath! It’s space on Earth, isn’t it?
Expedition to Altiplano
f/2.8 / 30 s / ISO: 4000
Nikon D810A + AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED

Thanks for shooting the stars and bringing them where mere mortals can see them, sans spaceships!

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Read the original article by Sara Barnes on My Modern Met

All photos by Daniel Kordan.

See more of Daniel’s fantastic photos from around the world on his website or Facebook.