Desert

While hiking at midnight in Death Valley National Park this January, a single plant under moon light inspired me with its strength of life.  Desert, the last place for human to live, could be the perfect place for some kinds of plant.

I used Canon EOS 7D and Sigma zoom lens.  ISO 1600, 43s, f5.6. There were only a few adjustments in the post processing.

The challenge  was the stars are always moving. In order to freeze motion, I had to limit the exposure time to less than 45 seconds. Low ISO was therefore impossible. But higher ISO would also increase the noise level, I had to find the point where the noise level was acceptable and the exposure was suficient.