LOOK: Star trail at Chapel Rock in Michigan's UP is breathtaking

Star trail over Chapel Rock. Image via D3 Imagery/Facebook

Michigan is a great state and you don't have to travel far to find some amazing views, especially this time of year. Once again, the photography of D3 Imagery, proves that.

Dustin Dilworth has captured some spectaculars views in the past - from the Northern Lights dancing over Mackinac Bridge or the Tahquamenon Falls last year. 

This year, Dustin went to Chapel Rock in the Upper Peninsula to get a shot of the star trails over Chapel Rock. It's stunning. 

What's the strategy to get such spectacular shots? Planning.

"As fall approaches, I have a strategy where I start keeping a very close watch on the destinations I'd like to photograph. I do this by checking these locations on Instagram every day until the most recent photos start to look like the colors are peaking. This year I decided I'd like to cover Pictured Rocks and when I started to see peak colors were setting in, I hit the road immediately," Dustin said.

He said that got some beautiful stuff in the daylight but loves astrophotography.

"I put a lot of effort into picking my subject and in Munising, Chapel Rock seemed like it would be the perfect place to photograph star trails because the North Star sits directly above it's treetop. I watched a beautiful sunset at pictured rocks, next to the Chapel Beach Falls and headed up to Chapel Rock when the sky was perfectly dark."

Dustin said that a good star trail photo requires perfect skies and he was fortunate the night he was there that he got exactly that.

"After deciding on a composition, I set my camera up to take an exposure every 30 seconds, and captured a total of 100 photos to create star trails over Chapel Rock. I was pretty pumped to see the final results when I stacked the images together the next day. You never know what it will look like until you do that, and it's a very gratifying feeling to see the photo come together. "

We're pretty pumped too, Dustin. 

If you're so inclined, there is a trail that takes you right to the rock and, if you're up for it, it's only a six and a half hour drive from Detroit. Just be sure and be ready to encounter a whole lot of wildlife - like bears.

"I fortunately didn't come across any bears on the 3 mile hike back to the parking lot. And I always make sure to have more than one headlamp with me, and extra batteries so I don't get stuck in the dark. The night sky above lake superior is the absolute most beautiful and star-filled sky I've seen up to this point. I'd love to see more people get into night time photography."

D3 Imagery posts year round photos of the beautiful Michigan terrain.