Chasing the Milky Way

So last weekend I went on an overnight photo shoot with the Photography Society.  This has been in the works for a couple of weeks now, but I didn't want to get my hopes up because over a hundred people were interested in going but only 16 could go.  I was one of the lucky ones because it was first come first serve and I was constantly checking for the sign up sheet on Facebook.  I also did preparation for the shoot by going to the Observatory and also going to a Milky Way photography workshop before the trip.  I was so excited and it was a good trip, but it didn't go to plan.

We met on campus at about 8pm and we got into four rented cars because we had to drive to where there wouldn't be any light pollution.  Having a four car convoy is very hard to do.  We took over a small gas station right off the bat and accidentally boxed in a bus so it couldn't leave until we did.  We also lost the last car about 20 minutes into the drive.  As the third car, we had to warn the first to cars that we lost the last which was a mission in itself because we did not have the phone numbers of any people in the first car.  So, we called the second car to see if they had their number.  They also didn't, so they sped up, honking their horn and flashing their lights to the first car and pulled up beside them yelling like crazy people to get them to pull over.  As ridiculous as it looked because we in the third car watched it all play out, the three cars pulled over to call the last car.   Somehow they had ended up ahead of us so we all went to meet and came to the decision that it was unrealistic to keep the convoy together for the almost two hour trip.  So we made sure each car had directions to the meeting point and raced each other there.  Only kidding, it wasn't a scene out of the Fast and the Furious.  Even if it were a race, we would have lost because we stopped for food.  If you're going to spend all night out taking pictures, you're going to need energy.  On a side note, frozen pop is a very popular drink at most fast food restaurants here.  I tried a coke slushie for the first time and it is absolutely delicious.

By the time we got there, the other cars had already set up their cameras and were ready to walk to the area in Bombo Quarry that we were going to take pictures.  I have since learned that it is just as important to have a good foreground in a milky way shot as having the milky way.  So our car had ten minuets to set up our camera settings in the parking lot because it was going to be easier and faster than if we had in the Quarry.

Here was my first attempt at getting the milky way. 

As you can likely tell from the picture, we had some trouble with the clouds.  We walked in to the quarry and got slightly lost trying to find the right spot for the pictures.  Believe it or not, it is pretty difficult to navigate when it is pitch black, even with flashlights.  It was also pretty dangerous because quarries = rocks, and lots of them to trip on.  We actually ended up in an area that was very close to the water.  We were walking on these rocks during low tide and the residual water was absolutely clear and very still.  Several of us, myself included, stepped into these deep puddles without even realizing that they were there. By the time we got to where we wanted to be, the cloud cover was across the whole sky, without any indication that it would clear. We sat trying to wait out the clouds, but it wasn't going to happen.  We took some pictures of the quarry, but had to decide whether to call it quits.  By this time it was about 2:30 in the morning and sitting around waiting for nothing is not good for keeping awake.   The yawns definitely started kicking in.

Bombo Quarry.  Our eyes adjusted enough so that we could watch the waves crash between those two rocks.  

We ended up going to find our replacement milky way to make the best of a failed milky way attempt.  We drove to the Old Helenburgh Tunnel, with glow worms!  It was an abandoned railroad tunnel in which there were thousands of little glow worms that looked like stars if you used your imagination.

Glow worms in Old Helensburgh Tunnel

So how do you end off an overnight photography shoot?  By this time it was 4:30am.  But, the obvious next step to was to take some sunrise shots.  We lost one car-full of people who headed back to Sydney.   But, the rest of us troopers stopped at Mahon Pool on the way back to watch the sunrise. Mahon Pool is right next to the ocean and I am kind of sad that I didn't bring my swim suit because it looked like a nice place for a dip.  And believe it or not there were a few people out swimming at that time.  Sunday morning at 5:30 seems a little crazy if you ask me, but then again, there was an older demographic that was partaking.

The first glimpses of light.

Some of the other photographers were much more professional and daring than I was.  They got right up to the edge of the water to get the best shot of the waves crashing up, not caring whether they got wet.

The waves were very big that morning.

The sun kept pushing through the clouds.

Needless to say, as the day broke, we were exceptionally tired.  We made our way back to campus and called it a day.  There was mention of a Milky Way trip round two.  So I will cross my fingers (and you should too) that there will be and that I get to go on it.  But, despite not being able to get a good milky way shot, it was a great experience and I had a  lot of fun.  I am really surprised at myself and proud that I stayed up to the morning.  I wasn't as tired as I thought I would be considering I am a big big fan of sleeping.  The rest of Sunday was a bit of a write off because I slept from 8am to 2:30pm and stayed in bed and watched movies for the rest of the day.   But aren't Sundays supposed to be lazy?  I certainly think so... But I am paying for it this week as I have several assignments due!

Oh well, no regrets!