milky way

The second stop on this year’s Southwest Adventure was Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Justin visited the park a number of years ago and was eager to return. My interest was sparked when I discovered that it’s registered as a Dark Sky Park, so I knew it would be a great spot to do some Milky Way photography. Seeing an opportunity, my darling Justin talked me into camping, in a tent, in bear country.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison is one of the steepest and narrowest canyons in the North America. Parts of it lie in almost perpetual shadow and darkness, which is how it earned the “Black Canyon” moniker. It’s a pretty impressive sight, and a very vertigo-inducing one.

Every time we stopped at a lookout, I said the same thing. “Wow!” And, “Wow!” Then another, “Wow!” And, “I know I’ve said this already, but, wow!”

Many of the Black Canyon’s cliffs are just sheer walls of rock, Colorado’s version of The Cliffs of Insanity.

This shot is called “Where are my dragons?” Game of Thrones fans will understand…

After a long day of hiking, we were ready to relax in our rustic digs. Ah, tent, sweet, tent.

As I mentioned, the primary reason I agreed to camp was to have easy access to the Black Canyon’s dark sky properties. So, I set an alarm for 2:30am so I could get up and experience that dark sky in all its glory!

I won’t lie: every little noise I heard had me scared. Out. Of. My. Mind. Scared. Night photography in bear country is definitely not for the faint of heart!

But, it was an amazing experience and I’m so glad I was brave enough to give it a shot. And, I got some cool shots!

Our trip Up North for my birthday this year was all about sunsets and stars, starting with an overcast sunset over Lake Superior in Marquette.

The next day, we hiked some muddy trails in the Porcupine Mountains. Afterwards, we were filthy and sore everywhere, but a refreshing dip in Lake Superior (which, I’m pretty sure, was still thawing from the winter’s freeze) made everything all better.

Milky Way photography has gotten really trendy lately. I’m usually indifferent to trends of any kind, but this one caught my attention. I had been wanting to give it a try for a while, but the thing about Milky Way photography is you need a really dark place to do it. Your backyard isn’t dark enough (but if it’s any consolation, I live on 17 acres and my backyard isn’t dark enough either).

With small towns, low populations and minimal light pollution, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is pretty much an ideal location to attempt Milky Way. So I set up my tripod at the Lake of the Clouds overlook in the Porcupine Mountains and had one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had as a photographer.

The following shots are my first series in what I know will be a lifelong love with Milky Way photography. Armed only with the knowledge of which F stop, ISO, and shutter speed to shoot at, I pointed my lens at the sky and hoped for the best.

With every flip of the mirror, I held my breath for the entire 30 seconds that my DSLR’s sensor was exposed, terrified that if I breathed, the tripod would move and blur my image. When I heard the mirror flip back down, I exhaled and gazed in absolute wonder at the back of my camera.

Maybe it was just because my brain was deprived of oxygen from holding my breath for so long, but I got positively giddy after every shot. Instead of a person or a landscape as my subject, I had an entire galaxy. I was interacting with a galaxy! It just blew my mind.

Behold: the Milky Way!