Looking for Stars

September 28, 2014 Troy 1 Comment

The rest of my family went out of town for the weekend. So many things to do and a beautiful weekend to work on my list around the house. But that would be responsible and I know I would spend more time inside than I should and miss too much of this last weekend of summer-like weather (highs in the 80’s and sunny). Camping for the weekend seemed like the perfect way to spend a weekend by myself. I’ve really been itching to get some nice photos of the milky way and light pollution is a problem in many areas near me. After a little searching, I found a state park without the fall color seeking crowds and what appeared to be a perfect place to photograph the night sky as the land was higher than the surrounding area giving me miles of horizon towards the south, where the milky way touches the horizon, without much light pollution.

Friday afternoon arrived and so did this last summery weather so I took off from work early and hurried home to pack. Soon after I was on the road for the almost 4 hour drive to Blue Mounds State Park anxious to see the setting sun from this location and look for the milky way to take over the night sky. I arrived at the park just in time to register for my campsite and get to higher ground to prepare for the sun and the stars. It didn’t’ take long for the sun to display it’s breathtaking colors as it neared the horizon prompting me to begin clicking away with the camera. In a very short time I had shot 70 pictures in an attempt to record this beautiful fading display. A few more photos of the twilight and it was time to eat a few snacks I carried with and prepare for my main subject.

Finally the first stars of the night were visible as the sky continued to darken. I took a few pictures to check the settings on the camera and make sure they were correct for astrophotography. Thankfully I did because a couple of the settings needed adjustment with the most important one being focus. The camera was still on autofocus so I switched it to manual focus and adjusted it for infinity in order to photograph the stars as clearly as possible. After changing the settings I snapped a few more pictures and decided it was set up the way I wanted for the night.

Now that I was ready and just waiting for the darkness to grow I began to realize I was all alone out in this park with all kinds of wildlife. Yes, this is where your mind begins to play with you and make you wonder if this is a good idea and jump at unfamiliar sounds looking for some wild animal to come lunging at you. Searching through the list of animals in this area that would be active at night I realized the most likely animals in this area were coyotes and they were very unlikely to cause any problems. Forcing myself to relax I continued to look upward as the sky light up with its nighttime show. Soon I was once again swinging my camera back and forth on the tripod capturing different scenes as they appeared all around me. Eventually the milky way made an appearance above me and I knew it would be a matter of time until it glowed closer to the horizon.

As the night grew darker I soon realized that the milky way would show up right were the nearby town was preventing me from getting the shots I was desperately trying to get. On top of that it was homecoming so the football stadium lights shone bright. All of that time and effort and this was the best picture I could get of near the horizon. Not very impressive however you can still see it. I knew this would be a possibility but hoped for the best. I took the pictures I could and began to vacate my star gazing rock as this part of the park was closing soon. A few photos of the milky way overhead and I was off. Besides it was getting to be a long day and I still needed to set up my tent.

After setting up my tent and sleeping quarters I decided to catch a few photos from this location to cap off my evening of looking for stars. The trees overhead brought a different and interesting composition to all of these bright stars shining down.

After a number of pictures I decided to play with my flashlight and began to highlight the trees and see how that looked against all of these stars. It was kind of interesting and something I would have played with more except I had finished my evening beverage and decided it was time to catch a few hours of sleep as I wanted to get up at dawn and photograph the prairie waking up.

I did decide to try again the next night with a little better luck. To continue on click here…

Travel Photos, Troy's Blog

Travel Photos–the comparison

September 13, 2014 Troy 1 Comment

Here are three pictures all taken in the same area, but not of the exact same thing, with each of the different types of cameras. You can judge for yourself which type of camera you want to use for your travel photos based on the positives and negatives of each one.

Phone Camera

Point and Shoot Camera

Interchangeable Lens Camera

All Three Compared Together

New York, Troy's Blog

The 9-11 Memorial

September 7, 2014 Troy

While spending some time in New York there were some key places we wanted to see. One of them was the World Trade Center where the 9-11 Memorial is along with the 9-11 Museum and the new One World Trade Center. We arrived in Manhattan on a Friday afternoon near Wall Street and of course had to go and see the Raging Bull while in the area. After a quick bite to eat we headed towards Battery Park to see Lady Liberty for the first time. With some time left before dark it was decided to visit the 9-11 Memorial. Of course the new One World Trade Center had been in our sites since arriving in New York.

Nearing the 9-11 Memorial site things suddenly became more familiar. This area which was broadcast endlessly on TV on September 11th, 2001 and for days after. We could now see these buildings and how they all relate to one another with our own eyes. Some of those memories, thoughts, and feelings returned as we began to re-live the attacks as we could imagine the twin towers standing tall where there are now reflecting pools. As discussions progressed about 9-11 it struck me that my children view this as a piece of history instead of being able to re-call living through this event. I realized that to them this is like the attacks at Pearl Harbor are for me.

While exploring this memorial site we generally took it in silently as it is an emotional place. To think of those family members and the memories they must have of the days and years that followed September 11th and what it must be like for them to visit this place now is difficult. I can’t begin to imagine. Seeing all of the names of those that died here over a decade ago and roses placed on those names who would have celebrated a birthday that day was disheartening. The pools symbolizing both towers are a beautiful place to reflect on the recent past and hope for the future as new buildings are being constructed.

After leaving the memorial plaza we began to explain to our children the events of that day forever engrained in our minds and hearts. Our oldest was too young to remember any of the attacks and our youngest was not yet born. It was almost an epiphany to realize their view on 9-11 as an item in their history books. I was a little frustrated with their lack of emotion at such a major violent event in the history of the United States at first as I tried to convey these horrific happenings in the exact places they were standing. After taking a few moments to come to terms with their different view I began to be thankful that this is just an event in history for them and not the beginning of an age of terrorism making them afraid of what may happen on any given day.

That was a far change from the fears I had after these attacks occurred. I remember wondering what kind of place my children would grow up in and feeling sorrow for their possible world. Continuing across the street from the memorial we walked by the firehouse so many became familiar with as the first firefighters to enter the World Trade Center after the first airplane smashed through the North Tower. Now we gained more perspective on the events of that day and could understand more clearly how and why people were doing the things they did and how unimaginable it had to be.

Much of those horrific attacks of September 11, 2001 are just memories now and a lot of healing has taken place as that location is being transformed, anchored by a new World Trade Tower. Currently the tallest building in the Americas, it is a beacon of hope and perseverance of a willingness to continue and recover.

Gaining Life Experience

Monthly Archives: September 2014