You can tell this is a holiday photo because of the snow…….. Did I ever mention how pretty Utah dark skies are? *wistful sigh*
UMMM What was I saying? Oh, yes! I remember.
On Black Friday, we’ll be running a 20% off sale for certain sized prints. Stay tuned (errr, check here or sign up the newsletter reminder) for more information!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot since February, when we had the opportunity to visit Utah… After shooting spectacular night skies with minimal light pollution, how do you go back to shooting “normal New England” night skies? I mean look at those stars. LOOK AT THEM.
Light & Landscape put together a blue hour assignment and honestly, I needed the motivation to get off my couch. Winter is for hibernating, and dragging myself away from the blankets into the February cold was no easy task.
Thankfully, I managed it. This color lingered for an hour and a half after sunset. I’m not entirely sure I like the composition, but I really, really loved sitting there under the stars, enjoying the quiet.
I’m not sure I’ll ever do anything with this shot, but name suggestions are welcome.
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.
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.)
SeeingSpotsPhoto.com 