Rob,
This is a picture I have envisioned for some time and it is close to what I want to eventually capture. As far as elements go you need a bright Milky Way (in this area the next three months are prime months), a dark night far from city lights, I was in a small cove on a calm night to minimize ripples, the exposure was for 15 seconds at f 2.8 ISO 1600 with a 16mm lens. The back of the kayak was on shore and the paddle firmly planted in the sand to lessen movement. Eventually I want to find a shallow sand bar so I can get a lower angle (maybe have the camera 12 inches above the water) and have the back of the kayak in the picture with the silhouette of the kayaker back-dropped by the stars. I would like some higher cliffs on either side of the frame and about a 1/8th moon to light the cliffs.
Scott