Star adventures are one of my favorites for many reasons.
Who doesn’t love being under a sky full of stars?
I find it so incredibly humbling to be under a a blanket of twinkling lights that are so far away. Being in the midst of nature makes me realize how small I am and makes me appreciate God’s design and the vastness of the universe. It’s incredible to sit there and witness shooting stars and see the sky move if you’re there long enough. Sitting their in awe of the black night against the diamond sky never gets old.
The Journey
Taking star photos or astrophotography usually means heading out to somewhere with little light pollution (aka the middle of no where.) Finding new places by just driving or going back to favored old spots during scattered times in the year is thrilling for me. This usually includes car rides with friends; either with music or deep conversations.
The Pay Off
Star photos can only happen at night and especially in any month other than the summer, it is pretty cold after the sun goes down. Of course, with my luck, I am a naturally cold human being, so that works out great :) You can find me quickly setting up my tripod and getting my settings right as fast as I can, while bundled in sweatshirts and layers for warmth. Sitting in the cold kind of sucks because I always come back into the car with frozen fingers and toes, but I’m almost always so happy with the photos and the experience gained from it. Even looking back on old photos gives me a sense of nostalgia and its something I will always choose to do even with the cold factor
This particular night I was out with my friend, Vinny, and yes, it was pretty cold. I had on my red jean jacket covered in Grateful Dead patches that my aunt gave to me and of course my converse beanie. I was surprised how much the stars had come out this night because it was so cloudy earlier in the day and the night ended with the clearest sky. The Milky Way even made it’s appearance over a big bare tree. I wish we could have stayed longer because I had so many shots in mind, but coyotes howled all around us for a good while. Right as I was about to take another portrait and was setting up for it, we heard a low growl coming from the near by brush and decided to dip on out of there. The coyotes didn’t completely ruin the night but they really did know how to end it on a fighting note.
