“Looking Up” Towards the Heavens with an iPhone 13 Pro in Night Mode, Colored Jacuzzi Lights, and a Wee Bit of Champagne
It’s a bit amazing to see how much more that three-second exposure picks up than what is visible to the naked eye
During the lockdown phase of the pandemic, we were spending so much time in our backyard, and (in the summer months) in the pool, that we decided to splurge on installing colored lighting for the pool and jacuzzi. It cycles through phases like “romance” and “Caribbean” and “sunset.”
I love to swim and have really enjoyed diving down into the different hues of water. And it looks really pretty poolside. But, with the bare eyes, you can’t really see that the colors are actually reflecting on the nearby hedge and trees as well.
Just for giggles, I pulled out my iPhone the other night, while we were in the jacuzzi (there might have been some champagne involved) and I snapped a shot “looking up.” I was amazed at what the iPhone 13 Pro picks up in “night mode.” It looked as if the whole world was awash in color.
I was also in a bit of awe at the number of stars in the photos. We live in Southern California, and, while we are sort of out in the “country” in our unincorporated neighborhood, we still have a lot of ambient light pollution.
A while back, Anne Bonfert issued a “looking up” challenge, and I realized, looking at the colored trees overhead, that this would be my response.
The world does look a little different from below than it does from straight on.
I liked this view of the garden bench awash in “sunset” hues.
And the purple trees were a little “trippy.”
And, when the jacuzzi steam wafted across the lens, it looked as if we were awash in “purple fog.”
It was a little challenging to hold the phone still enough to get semi-clear shots when you’re being buffeted by jacuzzi jets. But I think it was an interesting little photo shoot.
I thought the green was a rather delightful effect too. And I loved how you can really tell how tall the palm tree is in this wide-angle shot. That tree is probably 150-feet tall and it stands just a little ways up our hillside. It’s home every year to the migrating Orioles who make their “blimp-hanger” type nest within its fronds.
I’ve had slight worries about that tree toppling over, but my “tree guy” assures me that it is just fine. And, indeed, it has withstood many a Santa Ana windstorm.
And here is one last shot without the colored lights. Again, I was just amazed at how many stars showed up. We don’t have streetlights in our neighborhood, so perhaps it is actually dark enough here to try a little astrophotography in my own backyard.
Thank you, Anne Bonfert, for the invitation to the “looking up” challenge.
I hope you enjoyed my photos and musings. If you decide to try some iPhone night shots or any “looking up” shots, please tag me, or put a link in the comments, so that I can check them out.
Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).
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Photos and story ©Erika Burkhalter. All rights reserved.
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