From the photographer’s website, astropics.com:
Pacholka said he employs simple techniques and does nothing extraordinary to get his shots. He uses a standard 50mm lens mounted on a tripod, and points a small flashlight on nearby desirable rocks and other land features he wants to stand out in the photo.
He allowed that his digital camera has a light-gathering power that is in some instances more than 50,000 times greater than a typical daylight camera setting. Pacholka runs his exposures anywhere from a few seconds to a minute. But he doesn’t consider himself a guru.
“This is something the average person could do, absolutely,” he said.
If he is leaving the exposure for more than a few seconds, it’s gonna get streaky. The earth is always moving. Star tails start at about ten seconds.
You CAN get good star shots using a high ISO and a really fast lens.
Beautiful shot. Looks like he light painted the foreground with a flashlight.