SES9 Falcon9 Launch by SpaceX

T-60 minutes in the countdown.

SES9 Falcon9 Launch by SpaceX

Ignition of the Falcon9 rocket.

SES9 Falcon9 Launch by SpaceX

Liftoff of the Falcon9 rocket

SES9 Falcon9 Launch by SpaceX

Liftoff of the Falcon9 rocket

SES9 Falcon9 Launch by SpaceX

153 second exposure of the Falcon9 rocket carrying the SES9 satellite, launched by SpaceX on March 4, 2016 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

SES9 Falcon9 Launch by SpaceX

T+30 seconds, the Falcon9 in flight

SES9 Falcon9 Launch by SpaceX

T+60 seconds, one minute into the flight of the Falcon9 rocket

SES9 Falcon9 Launch by SpaceX

T+90 seconds into the flight of the Falcon9 rocket. The plume is lit by the sunset. The sunset was about 10 minutes prior to the launch.

SES9 Falcon9 Launch by SpaceX

T+120 seconds into the flight of the Falcon9 rocket. The plume is lit by the sunset. The sunset was about 10 minutes prior to the launch.

SES9 Falcon9 Launch by SpaceX

"Too much filter" I was running two streak shots last night. As the launch window moved earlier (to just 10 minutes after sundown) and kept getting later in the month, it was worrisome that the sky would be just too bright for a decent long exposure streak shot. So for one of the long-exposure rigs, I was determined to have enough filter to be able let the thing run for the longest possible duration. (Plus, I had it set up down by the water, which meant I needed to start the shot at about T-15 seconds and then run the 50-ish feet to my other rigs.) May I introduce you to a 10-stop ND filter. Even at 178 seconds (ISO100, f20), it was still very under-exposed. For this shot, I had way too much light reduction in place. Opening the aperture a bit would have helped tremendously. This is the shot, with the adjustments pushed to ridiculous levels in post-processing. (Exposure +2.8, blacks+20)

SES9 Falcon9 Launch by SpaceX

T+4 minutes after the launch. The plume is still lit by the sunset and it's casting a shadown, while the Falcon has gone through successful stage seperation downrange.