It seems these days I find it harder to get out. Maybe it’s the Covid-19 chaos, maybe confinement has begun to take its toll. It just seems that as the year comes closer to closing, it’s gotten a little harder to focus on the good, which I think leaves some of us drained. These are the last few images of the Milky-way I got of 2020, as it has begun to fall behind the western horizon for the winter evenings. I must wait until next year (march time frame) early morning to catch it again. Perhaps with a renewed thirst, and hopefully with life a little more “back to normal”. If you haven’t yet tried to shoot the milky way, I encourage you to practice with the stars and prep for next year, but I warn you, it’s addicting. if you want some inspiration, check out Stan Moniz, an incredible photographer and SONY ambassador! Enjoy!

At first sight, this image isn’t spectacular, it won’t win any awards or cause any one to stop for a second look. It’s over processed, and needs an element of “so what” in it. To me, this picture marks an important milestone, the day I fell in love with astrophotography.

It was taken on a hilltop in southern Arizona, away from the pollution of light from the nearby town of Sierra Vista. The moment my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I looked up, I almost lost my breath at how deep and speckled with stars the night sky was. An impossible sight to explain unless you have had the opportunity to observe the stars with no moon and no ambient light to obstruct the view.

Since then, I have taken every opportunity I have from my busy life to go out and shoot. Even if it’s only from my backyard. I have to tell myself to stop, and just do it. Life will always find a way of keeping you from what you want to do, from what you find peace in doing, be it big or small. I tell you now, do it, there is no better time than now. Happy shooting!

Thats right, even seasoned photographers sometimes forget the basics, like having an extra memory card or charging your batteries. There I was, prepared with my Canon 5D Mark III, filters set, trigger hooked up, tripod seated and waiting. When I go for the test shot, I realize I forgot my memory card. Driving 15 minutes back to the house was not an option, the moment was at hand, and if you’ve ever sat and waited for that golden hour when the sun shoots amazing light into the sky, you know its a fleeting moment. I reached for my smart phone, held my 77mm ND filter to the camera on my phone and took some shots. 

It’s one of my favorite images of Arizona. You don’t need a fancy expensive camera and equipment to go capture a moment or a scene. Use what you have! Whats important is that you get out and do it!