Milky Way and other long exposures in So Ill

We planned to head into Shawnee National Forest in an effort to learn how to take pictures of the Milky Way in preparation for the Montana trip in June.  The Forest offers the darkest skies within a 2-hour drive of our house according to the Dark Sky Map.  We figured that if we can get the pictures to come out here, we should be able to see even more in the darkness of rural Montana.

Clouds rolled in as we packed the truck the first night.  By the time we finished dinner, nary a star could be seen.  We cancelled the trip and headed to the local lake to practice some long exposures in the daytime.  It was really windy and choppy, so we used some filters to lengthen the exposures to smooth out the lake and show the motion in the tree.

I awoke at about 1 a.m. and was restless, so went outside and saw that the sky had mostly cleared, so made the trip to Barger Lake.  It has a dam at the north end that would allow unencumbered views to the south.  We wanted to integrate some foreground elements into the photos, but the first step was finding open spots to see the sky without trees in the way.  The sky there was dark overhead and to the north, but there was a fair amount of glow from Paducah to the south.  I kind of like the effect that the glow had on the light cloud cover.  It is crazy that you don't even know that the clouds are there until you see the picture after the exposure!  I learned a lot during my first attempts to shoot the cosmos, mostly through error-and-error, but eventually got some to work.  There's still plenty to learn though!

While at the lake, I could hear the clicks and squeaks of bats flying overhead.  I could pick a few out in the starlight, including one that came within two feet of my head!  I was also serenaded by a choir of frogs and whip-poor-wills.  As the glow of dawn approached, I heard a few turkeys gobble in the distance and saw three whip-poor-wills squatting on the gravel road during the drive out.

Laura joined the next night.  We headed to Pounds Hollow Lake, hoping to get farther away from the Paducah lights.  I had failed to look at the PhotoPills app ahead of time, so we got there well before the Milky Way rose above the ridge lines surrounding the lake.  At first, I was disappointed by my error, but it worked out swell.  

We drifted silently down the lake in the light breeze, listening to frogs and fish splash, spotting bats swooping down over the lake to catch bugs, and seeing some of our first fireflies of the season.  Eventually we caught a glimpse of the galaxy over a valley and started taking pictures.  Before we got to the lake, Laura had told me she didn't think we'd stay all night and I groggily concurred.  But once we started planning shots and playing with settings and compositions, time flew by.  Soon enough, the light of dawn was threatening and we packed up and headed home.  

It took ten attempts, but we finally got one where Laura held still enough and I
ruddered the canoe true enough that it wasn't just a giant blur.  

We came away with some pictures that we are excited about and the photography served as a great excuse to get outside and listen to the nocturnal critters.

- John