Witches and wizards in training know that learning to cast the Patronus spell can be a difficult one. In the film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, you can see that Harry struggled quite a bit with mastering this spell. But with determination, practice, and the right intentions, he proved that anyone–even a young Hogwarts student–can conjure up the defensive charm.
In this case, however, a Potterhead decided to recreate the Patronus spell not with magic, but with a natural backdrop, a carefully-designed camera set-up, and great timing.
How did she do it?
According to the photographer Yani Baylon, taking this particular shot took a lot of planning and preparation, especially when it came to capturing images of the Milky Way.
“I’ve been taking pics of Milky Way for a month now. [Since] I discovered that it was visible from our backyard when [the] ECQ started, I’ve been waking up around 3 am to 5 am [to see] it at its peak hours. For this picture [in particular], I started shooting around 4:15 am since that’s the time it is positioned upright. I stopped around 4:45 am since [the] light was increasing and [the] Milky Way has started to fade in the background,” she explained to POP!
She further shared that she wanted to take this Patronus-inspired shot because she’s always been an avid Harry Potter fan. And she believed that a nebula in the Milky Way ‘fit perfectly’ with the spell–as it projected an animal-like figure.
“I chose the Patronus charm because there’s a Dark Great Horse nebula that can be seen in the Milky Way, so I figured it fits the charm perfectly since it should produce a defense animal guardian.”
For Potterheads, who are interested in doing a similar kind of photoshoot, Baylon advises, “[You should] have a tripod. Due to the slow shutter [speed], any minor movement will make the image blurry so your camera should be steady during those times. If your phone has ISO settings of 800 to 3200 and shutter [speed] of 10 to 30 seconds, then you can start with that. [Also, I suggest that you] Do test shots first for composition and settings purposes, [then] plan where you will stand and [the] pose you’re going to make. And [lastly,] have fun!”
Online users can see the full image of Yani Baylon‘s Patronus shoot on Facebook and Instagram.
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