Nirvana :: RI
“Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” – Sarah Williams, Twilight Hours
The Milky Way season is winding down. 3/4 of a year has flown by. Does anyone else wonder where the time goes? I blinked and it’s officially the first day of fall.
On the plus side, that means apple cider donuts…
Rocky Road :: CT
It’s been a minute since I’ve posted. Sometimes life just demands your attention, you know? But I found time go shoot this week at a place not far from my house. The clear skies (and early Milky Way rise) were just too tempting! And I’m glad I got out for a bit. It was nice to knock the rust off, so to speak.
Life is about balance and there is so much demanding my attention all of the time, making it difficult to weigh what things are big priorities and what things are little priorities. But to me, photography is a form of self-care and that, my friends, is super important. If we don’t take care of ourselves, how will be able to take care of others? The car needs regular oil changes, amiright?
Plus, this reminds me of a Thomas Kincade painting and I can’t hate on that. Lol
Echoes :: VT
“Stars, too, were time travelers. How many of those ancient points of light were the last echoes of suns now dead? How many had been born but their light not yet come this far? If all the suns but ours collapsed tonight, how many lifetimes would it take us to realize we were alone? I had always known the sky was full of mysteries—but not until now had I realized how full of them the earth was.” -Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Last weekend was a new moon, and the close of what is generally considered to be milky way season for the year so I decided to go out with a bang. A long drive, a night hike through the woods with the dog, being serenaded by a chorus of wild animals, singing loudly to scare off any bears, telling the dog that, no, we were not chasing that Fisher cat…. You know, just another beautiful night under the stars. ♥️
The Watcher :: ME
This is throwback to summer 2017 when I took a last minute road trip to Nubble light with some friends. If I recall correctly, I think there was a chance of northern lights…. but in the time it took to get there, the kp died down and we were “stuck” with just the Milky Way. ❤️
This is 8 frames stitched together into a pano, with a little magic dust sprinkled on top.
Hypnotic :: ME
“Listen to the sound of waves within you” -Rumi
Last week I had the pleasure of shooting with James , Tony and finally meeting Brendan , who I’ve followed on Instagram for a while. Yeah, it involved driving 5 hours to Maine and back. Yeah, it meant going to work the next morning with only 20 minutes of sleep. But damn was it worth it.
The sound of the waves at your feet while the stars dance above your head is a precious memory, and I’m glad I got to share it with a great group of guys.
Nerdy stuff: This is 8 (several minute long) shots layered for about 45 minutes total of star trails. We started the night here while we waited for the Milky Way to make an appearance.
Blood Moon :: WA
To be perfectly honest, I’d written off any hope of capturing this last month. We were gonna be in the PNW, and the forecast called for rain everyday because…well… it’s the PNW. So I forgot about it. ::shrug:: But Melissa did not, and when the weather gods smiled upon us, giving us great skies and light for most of the trip, she insisted we go out to shoot it.
This is me, on record, saying she was right. It was dang pretty! And since we weren’t in CT, it was actually pretty warm-ish out (compared to the single digit weekend that New England suffered through). And so, I give to you, another version of the blood wolf lunar eclipse thing that everyone posted about. I know, I know…. ‘what makes this shot any different or special?’ you’re thinking.
Errrr, because it’s mine?
Starlight Sonata :: CO
I frequently wonder if I’m doing enough to make this world better. Am I recycling and conserving water? Am I speaking up about serious topics like conservation and equality? Am I leading by example?
The answers to those questions are both yes and no. I am doing those things, but I feel like I can do more.
The world is a spectacular place and for some people, a photograph is the closest they will get to seeing some of the beauty our world has to offer. There is something gratifying about knowing I’m able to give that gift to people through my images.
That being said, I think there is opportunity for photos to be more than just a passing like or comment or wallpaper. Sometimes I see shots that make my heart flutter (currently obsessed with @nlwirth ‘s tree work for example). I think that connection is the start of something magical. If you can make people love something, then they’ll work to protect it. Yeah, yeah, logically we KNOW we are harming our planet (our ONLY place to live, I might add) but it’s easy to shrug it off as our children’s problem. Or to rationalize current wants despite the consequences. But when you LOVE something you’ll be driven to protect it.
That is what I think a landscape photographer can be. They can be part of something bigger than a “pretty” or “gramable” shot. Photography can be a vehicle for change. So when I ask myself if I’m doing enough, I need to also think about the current political climate and policies, the attitudes towards keeping our planet healthy enough to sustain life, the voiceless who need help to retain their basic human rights and dignities…
Without question, I can do more. We all can do more.
This is Independence Pass in CO. And that is what night skies without much light pollution look like.😍
Migration :: CO
“It’s your pasture now, and it’s not so big–only three thousand miles from east to west, only two thousand miles from north to south–but all between, where ten thousand points of light prick out the cities, towns, and villages, there, seeker, you will find us burning in the night” -Thomas Wolfe
To me, this photo is one of journey and transition, like the snow melt’s path down the mountain. Similarly, like many Americans, I’ve been deeply troubled by the recent zero tolerance policy at the border that infringes on the human rights of children. Am I glad the practice of separating families has stopped for the moment? Yes. Am I concerned about the welfare of the 2000+ children in detention facilities since May? Yes. Am I worried the most recent executive order flies in the face of the court precedent preventing detention for longer than 20 days? Yes.
Do I have a solution? No.
I do know that thinking in absolutes is dangerous though. Very little in life is 100% black and white, and this idea that to be strong, we must give up compassion is immature. Compromise is a way forward. Understanding is a way forward. We are a nation of immigrants, many of whom were seeking asylum themselves. It’s foolhardy to label all asylum seekers as dangerous criminals and its unethical to treat people as animals or monsters. While I agree crossing borders illegally is, well, illegal…I also recognize we have a complex and confusing immigration system.
Do I want safeguards and background checks and asylum hearings in place? Yes. But I can I understand the urgency of some refugees situation that puts them in the difficult position of choosing to cross illegally? Also a yes.
I don’t know where the middle ground here is but my heart tells me without any doubts that our morals and ethical standards, and our compassion for people in need, should not be forsaken. I hope our Congress (contact your reps) can have some meaningful conversations in the coming days and get those children reunited with their families soon.
In most areas of the East Coast of the US, light pollution is so prevalent that many people have gone their entire lives without every having seen the Milky Way. They don’t realize what they’re missing because to them, that’s just normal. Because it’s normal, they also don’t realize all of the problems that come along with light pollution- disrupted circadian rhythms and the health problems associated with that, disruption in migration patterns and growth cycles for flora and fauna, behavioral changes in animals, etc.
In a discussion I had with another photographer recently, another tragic consequence of light pollution is that people don’t get to experience the feeling of connection and perspective that comes from looking up at the night sky and realizing we are just a small part of a massive universe. We are beautiful specks of Star dust who have been given a precious gift – the opportunity to live our life on a rare habitable planet – and we shouldn’t take that for granted. Rather, through the stars, we should be reminded to live our lives as fully and beautifully as we are able.
This particular shot was taken last week in a little swath of dark-ish sky in CT. I had the joy of teaching night sky photography, and watching my student’s love for photographing the night sky grow in front of my eyes. It was a lovely experience. ❤️
This year, I chose my “best of” based on the memories I was lucky enough to have made. It was a year of great trips (courtesy of some flight credits I had to use up before they expired) and I am beyond thankful I was able to see England, Northern Ireland and Ireland, Chincoteague ponies, Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, the many nights I spent under the stars with friends, the eclipse, the Adirondacks and Iceland (northern light, heeellllooo). I am grateful for these opportunities and for having good friends to make these memories with. ❤
2017 had its difficult parts, and I am definitely hoping 2018 shows improvement in some areas…but I am thankful. Cheers to a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!
Looking for other bloggers, book reviewers (if you can read, you're in!) and photographers who want to join forces to save the world! (Or something like that.)
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