Starlight
Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.
We gaze at the heavens and imagine. We dream of things dear to us. We send our wishes out into the ether and think about what life would be like if those dreams were to come true. We wonder. We dream. We imagine. In those moments, we revert back to the blissful childlike state. Simple joy and peace found in these moments.
Astrophotography captures the magic of those moments and shows the viewer exactly how small and insignificant we truly are. Insignificant in the sense of galactic size and not in relation to the impact our soul has on this ethereal plane and on souls that surround us. How anyone can not enjoy the magic of being under the stars baffles me.
As children, we wish on stars and tell them our deepest desires. We dream about what it would be like to fly deep into space and see what is out there. We dream about who else is out there. Is anyone out there?
We study stars, constellations, moon phases and celestial events in school. We learn about comets, meteors and nebulae. But, do we ever stop and look at the stars? I don’t mean to simply look up at the night sky and point out the “Big Dipper”. Being under the night sky is about so much more. It is the feeling of closeness with the galaxy, universe and all sentient beings. The connection to the Divine (whatever the Divine is to you). It’s the soul calming, forget-about-everything, completely at peace kind of wonder.
My first astrophotography experience still resonates so clearly. August of 2016, the New Moon (when the sky is at its darkest) and the Perseid Meteor Shower coincided. I was brand new to this type of photography. I spent hours researching how to do it, camera settings, times for best viewing and so on. The day of the shoot I went to work and dreamt about what it would be like. After finishing at the Board of Trustees meeting that evening, I drove up to a spot I knew had good South facing exposure and would likely be very dark. As my car climbed Ice House road in El Dorado County, California, I craned my neck to see out the sunroof of my car at the stars above. It was dark and beautiful. I found a ledge on the side of the road and set up my equipment. I didn’t have the perfect lens or truly know what I was doing yet, but the experience and wonder of the night were perfect.
I sat on that ledge overlooking the valley far below while the 24-105 f 4.0 did its best to capture the galaxy and hopefully, a shooting star or two. I watched over 100 meteors blaze through the sky that night. I didn’t catch a single one on my Canon 5D Mark III, but the memories persist to this day. As I began to tire around 2:15 AM, I went about breaking down my tripod, lens and camera. Carefully placing it all into the camera bag in the trunk and ensuring there would be no sliding around. Shutting the trunk, I walked back around to the driver’s side of the car and climbed in. I put the keys in the ignition and turned my music on. Calm and reflective I smiled as the sounds of Anugama made me reflect on the night that was. I opened all my windows as well as the sunroof to enjoy the Sierra Nevada just a little bit longer. As I began to make my U-turn and head back down the mountain, I saw a shape about 30 feet away from my car moving up the road. I clicked on my high beams and saw a gorgeous, full grown mountain lion walking toward me. She was magnificent. Regal. Silent and beautiful. I hung my head out of the window in sheer amazement at her beauty. She passed the side of my car less than 10 feet away as I sat inside and pondered how I could possibly get to my camera and try to capture her on film. I couldn’t. Getting out of the car could make her flee, but could entice her into coming at me. I simply sat and admired her beauty as I had done with the meteors just a few minutes before.
When she vanished into the brush beside my car, I began to slowly process just how lucky I was to have seen such a beautiful animal in her natural state. To this day, I think of that moment often when I am under the stars and wish I could see her again.
In the years since that magical night, I’ve spent hundreds of hours stargazing, photographing the Milky Way and writing in my journal about whatever is in my heart, soul or mind at that moment. Some nights the writing is dark, macabre and ominous. Others, it is light, positive and full of romance. Each night is different. Each experience, unique. There have been nights where I sat and shivered in subzero temperatures questioning why I am out there until that one moment which makes me remember to stay present and enjoy the gift the universe provides.
I tell anyone who asks about Astrophotography to simply go out and try it. Worst case is that your photographs may not be great, but I promise you that you will not regret the experience. Just like how I wish beyond anything I could have captured that beautiful lioness on film, her memory is imprinted in my brains memory banks for all of time. July 18th marks the New Moon in July. The darkest night of the lunar cycle this month. I know that I will be sitting high atop my favorite spot in the Sierra Nevada watching the rise of the Milky Way, streaking meteors and gentle light from millions of miles away. Day dreaming, wishing on those stars and writing my thoughts and feelings down. I encourage you to do the same. Go out under that dark sky and allow yourself to wish on a star. Go out and watch for the brilliance of a meteor as it illuminates the sky. Dream. Dream. And Dream some more. Write your thoughts down in that moment, but be present in the beauty you are underneath.
May your wishes come true. May your hopes be realized. May the light of the universe guide you to where you are to be and where your soul, heart and mind are at peace.
“Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures, kill nothing but time”
Namaste, friends.
