08/25/21 I’ve been wanting to try more night photography after my camera was repaired, and there is no better place than Yellowstone! Hah! I hope you are not envious. This place is magical, and every time I leave the dorm, I see critters from small to large. Venturing out at night is a challenge for me, though, because I usually do my photography alone. One night at the marina, I stayed in the van for 45 minutes before I talked myself into going outside to take some shots. There were cones on the beach warning that there was bear management, and I was also told that there were bears in the area. Needless to say, I was petrified!
So, I left the van and probably didn’t go much further than a few feet. I set up my tripod and kept looking around, and all seemed OK. I don’t think I was out there more than a half hour, then ran back into the van. Big chicken, I am! However, the photo I submitted to the DNC contest won me 3rd place in landscapes. YAY! This was the first time I won an award and am super excited about taking more night shots.
I’ve been out a few times since, and am getting used to being in the dark. I also get out of the van earlier so I can get comfortable with my surroundings, and wait…

One of my colleagues, Sally, is also a photographer and heard about my night photography, and offered to come with me on some night shoots. We’ve been out a couple of times, and it was much more fun than going out alone. We tried light painting, too and that was really cool. It’s amazing how much light our cell phones emit during a long exposure. This might be an ongoing project. We are waiting for some clearer skies to go again before I leave. We learned a lot from each other and I am looking forward to meeting more photographers on my travels.

That being said, I think I will continue to work on my night photography skills and can’t wait to find new locations to shoot. Maybe I’ll call this the Milky Way Project!

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