Long Exposure Rocket Launch, Dragon CRS-2 SpX-27

Last night, SpaceX successfully launched another Falcon 9 rocket topped with a Dragon cargo capsule bound for the International Space Station. As a life-long resident of the Space Coast of Florida, rocket launches are a normal occurance. The most spectacular typically take place at night.

Since the beginning, photographers have worked to capture incredible images of these monster events. Even a "small" rocket is still a sight to behold. Capturing the epic power and light generated by a rocket bound for space in a single frame is a daunting task to get right, but the rewards are worth the time and effort.

I have only attempted to capture a long-exposure photo of a night launch (commonly called a "streak" shot) twice. Last night was my second attempt. Some clouds interfered about halfway through the first stage burn, but it was still a spectacular night launch when witnessed in person. I was approximately 40 miles south of the launch site on the Indian River Lagoon.

This image below is a quick iPhone snap that I grabbed while the shutter was open on my DSLR.

I haven't offloaded the images from my camera memory card yet, but I intend to do that this weekend. As this is only my second attempt at a streak shot, I don't have high hopes for the output. However, I learned a lot in the half-hour that I was setting up to capture the photo, and I will learn a lot more from the output.

Stay tuned for the results - for better or for worse. I'll post more about my experience (and those in the future) soon.