An Old Tree, Some Cows, and the Night Sky

Submitted by Keith

The Milky Way seems to never change and indeed it retains the same basic look when photographed on any given Night Sky shoot. What does change is the location from which you photograph it along with the atmospheric conditions. August 1st, eight members from the S16 club gathered at Julie Barrick's farm for an evening of capturing the sky. Turned out to be a great location.

Photo by Keith

The night was a bit hazy and not quite as clean and clear as other nights, but it was still a fantastic evening. Dancing before us stood an old dead tree, a tree possessing a great deal of character and offering a wonderful foreground for our night sky compositions. Around the tree several of Julies cows meandered offering curious incursions into our shooting area until, their curiosity satisfied, they settled down.

We also caught a glimpse of the International Space Station (ISS) as it drifted across the northern sky. it is always a lot of fun to see its glow as it sails across the sky some 200 miles high.

Julie Barrick Photo

We had some first timers join us along with a few other second or third timers giving this fascinating form of photography a try. With a little basic instruction to point them in the right direction, they took to the evening like pro's and captured some quality images.

Bob Smith Photo

The evening flew by and what seemed like in only a short interval, it was time to wrap up the night. I for one really enjoyed the evening, I'm sure everyone else did so as well.

Sheila Reeves Photo

These kinds of shoots require a level of commitment not always easily adhered to. The simple fact they are done at night makes it a bit more difficult, but the rewards are long lasting. Capturing photographs of this amazing realm offers its own accolades, but simply standing in an open field to gaze across a dark, star filled sky, well, you just have to be there to understand the significance of the moment.

Photo by Keith - Five images stacked in Sequator - Cropped
then Tweaked with PS

Thanks to Julie for allowing us to use her farm as a shooting location, and thanks to all who came, Bob, Ronnie, Brent, Heather, Allen, Shelia, myself, and of course Julie. Maybe we can do this again when we have another dark sky and clear weather so we can visually sail among the stars.