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Landscape · Cityscape · Astro · Aerial Photography

Where the sky meets the earth

Chasing light from Atlanta's skyline to remote dark sky sanctuaries — capturing the world through long exposures, star trails, and bird's-eye perspectives.

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Four specialties,
one obsession

From Atlanta's glittering skyline to remote dark sky wilderness — each discipline demands different skills, patience, and timing.

The craft behind
each frame

🏔️
🏔️ Landscape & Cityscape
Light, Land &
Long Exposure
GOLDEN HOUR LONG EXPOSURE ATLANTA

Finding the decisive moment in nature & city

From Atlanta's glowing skyline at blue hour to rugged wilderness at first light — landscape and cityscape photography share the same core obsession: extraordinary light.

  • Long exposure techniques — silky waterfalls, light trails on Atlanta's connector, and painted skies
  • Atlanta cityscape shooting: Buckhead overlooks, Midtown blue hour, and Piedmont Park reflections
  • Golden and blue hour timing strategies for dramatic natural and urban light
  • Composition techniques: leading lines, rule of thirds, and knowing when to break the rules
  • ND filter workflows for controlling exposure in bright daylight and mixed city light
  • Seasonal planning — fog, wildflowers, fall color, and Atlanta's summer storm skies
Explore landscape guides →
🌌
🌌 Astrophotography
Milky Way, Moon
& Deep Sky
MILKY WAY MOON DSO / DWARF 3

The universe,
frame by frame

From wide-angle Milky Way landscapes to detailed lunar surface shots to deep sky nebulae captured with the Dwarf 3 smart telescope — the night sky offers endless subjects.

  • Milky Way season planning — galactic core visibility windows from Georgia and beyond
  • Moon photography: phases, craters, and telephoto lunar detail with the Sigma 150-600mm
  • Star trail photography — single long exposure vs. image stacking workflows
  • Deep Sky Objects (DSO) with the Dwarf 3 smart telescope — nebulae, galaxies, and clusters
  • The NPF rule for pinpoint stars — calculating the perfect shutter speed
  • Light pollution maps and dark sky planning from the Atlanta metro area
Explore astro guides →
🚁
🚁 Aerial & Drone
A Perspective
From Above
FAA PART 107 MAVIC 3 PRO AERIAL COMP.

Earth as you've
never seen it

The DJI Mavic 3 Pro transforms how we see the world. Patterns, textures, and scale that are invisible at ground level — from Atlanta's urban grid to wilderness rivers far below.

  • FAA Part 107 certification — rules every aerial photographer must know
  • Flying the DJI Mavic 3 Pro with RC Pro controller — tips, settings, and smart modes
  • Airspace rules, TFRs, and B4UFLY for safe urban and wilderness operations
  • Aerial composition: shadow play, top-down geometry, and long exposure from altitude
  • Best conditions for flight — wind, light, temperature, and battery management
  • Hyperlapse and orbit flight modes for cinematic results over Atlanta and beyond
Explore aerial guides →

Skills that separate good
from unforgettable

01
The NPF Rule
The most accurate formula for calculating maximum shutter speed without star trailing — accounting for focal length, aperture, and pixel pitch.
02
Hyperfocal Distance
Master depth of field in landscape work. Understanding hyperfocal distance means sharp foreground and infinite background in a single frame.
03
Long Exposure Mastery
From 2-second water silk to 30-minute star trails — understanding how shutter speed, aperture, and ND filters interact to paint time into a single frame.
04
Expose to the Right
ETTR maximizes your dynamic range and reduces shadow noise — critical for nightscape and dark scenes where noise is your biggest enemy.
05
Focus Stacking
Combine multiple frames focused at different distances for tack-sharp landscapes from foreground rocks to distant peaks.
06
Shooting RAW at Night
Why JPEG falls short in low light, and how to get the most from RAW files when editing Milky Way and aurora captures in Lightroom or Capture One.
07
ND Filter Math
A quick-reference system for calculating shutter speed with stacked ND filters — from 3-stop to 15-stop — without pulling out a calculator.
08
Drone Return-to-Home
Why you should never fully trust automatic RTH, and how to set it up correctly so you don't lose a drone to a cliff face or tree line.

What's in the bag

Honest, experience-driven recommendations — no paid placements. What I actually use in the field across every discipline.

Primary Body
Sony α7R V
61MP full-frame for maximum resolution in landscape and cityscape work. Outstanding dynamic range for capturing Atlanta's mixed lighting at blue hour.
Astro-Modified Body
Sony α7R II (Astro-Modified)
Full-spectrum conversion removes the IR cut filter — unlocking sensitivity to Hα hydrogen-alpha emission for nebulae, Milky Way, and deep red nightscapes.
Action / BTS Camera
GoPro Hero 11 Black
Behind-the-scenes footage, drone crash cam, and wide-angle action shots. TimeWarp and night lapse modes make it surprisingly capable for creative work.
Versatile Zoom
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN Sports
The workhorse telephoto — equally at home compressing Atlanta's skyline, isolating the moon in exquisite detail, or reaching distant wildlife.
Telephoto Zoom
Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G
Lightweight and sharp. Telephoto compression makes city architecture and distant landscapes feel monumental. A go-to for travel and long hike-ins.
Astro Wide Prime
Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM
The benchmark for Milky Way and nightscape photography. Extreme width and f/1.8 maximum aperture means short exposures with minimal star trailing.
Landscape Wide Zoom
Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD
Compact, fast, and razor sharp. A favorite for travel landscapes and cityscape work where size matters but optical quality can't be compromised.
Primary Aerial
DJI Mavic 3 Pro
Triple Hasselblad camera system with wide, medium tele, and tele lenses. The 166mm-equivalent tele transforms aerial compositions with stunning compression.
Controller
DJI RC Pro
1000-nit built-in display for flying in full Georgia sunlight. Eliminates phone overheating and lag — essential for precise low-altitude and long-range work.
Smart Telescope / DSO
Dwarf 3 Smart Telescope
AI-assisted autotracking and stacking for deep sky objects. Captures nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters with surprisingly little setup — perfect alongside the astro-modified A7RII.
Tripod
Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod
Essential for long exposures ranging from 2-second waterfall silk to 30-minute star trails. Stability isn't optional — it's the difference between sharp and soft.
ND Filters
Variable + Fixed ND Kit
For long exposure landscape and cityscape work in bright daylight. 3-stop through 10-stop range covers everything from moving water to Atlanta midday traffic trails.
Planning Apps
PhotoPills + Light Pollution Map
PhotoPills for sun, moon, and Milky Way AR planning. Light Pollution Map for finding dark sky escapes within driving distance of Atlanta.

Recent work

📷 @wanderingskypixels
🏔️
LANDSCAPE
Long exposure waterfall — silky motion captured at 8 seconds, f/11
View on Instagram
🌌
ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY
Milky Way core rising over the Georgia wilderness — 20s at f/1.8, ISO 6400
View on Instagram
🚁
AERIAL
Top-down view of a serpentine river cutting through autumn forest — Mavic 3 Pro
View on Instagram
🌕
ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY
Full moon detail shot at 600mm — craters and lunar maria in striking resolution
View on Instagram
🌆
CITYSCAPE
Atlanta skyline at blue hour — Midtown towers reflected in Piedmont Park
View on Instagram
🌌
DEEP SKY
Orion Nebula captured with the Dwarf 3 smart telescope — stacked 120 frames
View on Instagram
ASTROPHOTOGRAPHY
Star trails over a lone pine — 200 frames stacked over 90 minutes
View on Instagram
🌆
CITYSCAPE
I-285 light trails from above — 30s long exposure over Atlanta's connector
View on Instagram
🚁
AERIAL
Aerial abstract — Georgia lake shoreline at golden hour from 300ft
View on Instagram
See full Instagram gallery →

Field notes & tutorials

In-depth guides, trip reports, and techniques for photographers at every level.

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Let's create
something together

Available for commercial licensing, editorial assignments, print sales, and 1-on-1 photo workshops. Based in Atlanta, Georgia — local shoots welcome, travel available nationwide.

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Thanks for reaching out! I'll get back to you within 48 hours. In the meantime, feel free to follow along on Instagram @wanderingskypixels.