06/16/2026
I was really looking forward to photographing lupines, fireflies, and the Milky Way, but I didn’t think I’d be able to get all three together. This weekend’s adventure proved me wrong.
Lupines bloom in early June, fireflies arrive later in the month, and the Milky Way is best around the new moon. The overlap between all three is pretty short.
After spotting the composition I wanted the night before, I came back and photographed the lupines first. Then, from the same spot, I tilted the camera slightly upward and spent the next hour capturing the fireflies, mountains, and Milky Way as darkness settled in. Later, I blended the different sections together into a single panorama, including stacking the fireflies from hundreds of frames using Startrails Stacker.
Category: Stacked & Blended Panorama (2 Vertical Parts)
Instagram:
📍 White Mountains, New Hampshire
📅 June 13, 2026 – 9:36 PM–11:32 PM
📷 SONY A7R V
⚙️ Lupine Foreground: 23-image panorama blend | 30–70 sec | f/10–f/16 | ISO 1600–3200 | 35mm
⚙️ Fireflies & Mountains: 252-image stack (1 hr 10 min) | 15 sec | f/1.4 | ISO 3200 | 35mm
⚙️ Milky Way Sky: 7-image stack | 15 sec | f/1.4 | ISO 3200 | 35mm
⚙️ Final Image: 282 images blended into a single panorama
🎨 Editing note: I edit my photos to recreate the experience of being there, not to create a color-accurate record. I like photos with color, depth, and texture to better reflect the feeling of standing in the meadow watching fireflies sparkle and dance.
