After my first year of trying to learn astrophotography, 2023 did not offer me many opportunities to practice and improve. I was struggling to juggle work and school. My free time was pretty much non-existent. I only had two viable opportunities to go out into the Colorado Wilderness and hone my craft.

The first attempt was at the beginning of May. My friend Justin accompanied me on a camping trip to Gordon’s Gulch. We really just wanted to camp, but I used that as an excuse to bring my camera along and get some practice in. This trip provided one of the most important lessons I have learned when shooting astro–the Moon is not your friend… unless you are shooting the Moon itself.

Finding the Composition (May 2023) – Gordon’s Gulch, Boulder, CO – iPhone 14 Pro, f/1.78, 1/7576s, ISO 80, Edits: None.

After we got set up, I walked about 100 feet away from our camp and found the perfect shot composition for later in the evening. I was unaware of how to predict where the Milky Way would be showing at night, but I was not concerned about it for this shoot. My focus was on getting the stars coming up over the mountains to the west. After getting everything set, I draped a hoodie over my camera to protect it from the elements and walked back to camp to wait for nightfall.

I may not have been fully prepared for this shoot, but I obtained a stargazing app on my phone that proved to be a very helpful assistant. The first app I utilized is called Sky Guide, and I still use it for stargazing to this day. I have since upgraded to Planit Pro and PhotoPills, but I am still very appreciative of Sky Guide and how it helped me in those early days. For normal stargazing, it is still one of the best and easiest apps to use. For instance, last semester when I did my Stellar Astronomy capstone project on Boötes, I was able to go out and actually see the constellation without having to look all over for it. It also updates me regularly on cosmic events, like the upcoming Leonids meteor shower, and when the International Space Station (ISS) is flying over my area. 

When night finally came, I did not expect the moon to be so bright. This proved to be an oversight that made the entire shoot nearly impossible to complete. In fact, I tried over 10 times to find the right settings to make the stars more visible. After a while I gave up, set my camera to the best settings I could get, and let the time-lapse roll. My battery ended up dying right as the Moon was moving into the composition, so I didn’t get many stars or the Moon. Even though it felt like a waste at the time, it was an important learning experience that drove me to do more research before venturing out on future shoots.

Bright Night Time-Lapse (March 2023) – Gordon’s Gulch, Boulder, CO – Sony a7RIV, Sony FE 1.8 35mm, f/2.5, 1/5000s, ISO 100, Edits: All photos shot with same specs, no edits.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to try again until later that year. Justin and I decided to visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park here in Colorado, partially as a birthday celebration. I also had a capstone project for my Geology of National Parks class, which was to research a National Park. I chose the Great Sand Dunes because of its proximity, as well as it being a suitable site for my project, which took the form of a mini documentary about the park. 

The Great Sand Dunes (November 2023) – The Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mosca, CO – iPhone 14 Pro, f/1.78, 1/8197s, ISO 80, Edits: None

After spending the day exploring and getting the shots and footage that I needed for my final project, we settled in at a camping spot up Medano Pass. I recharged my camera battery and before night fell, I hiked out about 5 minutes to a nice spot with a good view of the southwest sky. This time I made sure to utilize my Sky Guide app to predict where the Milky Way would be in the sky. 

During the fall and winter months, the Milky Way can be harder to capture. Its core is not as visible as it is in the late spring and through the summer. Even though I would not be able to get a shot of the core–by far the most photogenic part of the Milky Way–I was not going to have to compete with the moonlight. Thankfully, we had planned our trip to fall directly on the new Moon. Also, the Great Sand Dunes is a certified dark sky park, which meant the park’s employees and surrounding towns made efforts to reduce ambient light bleeding into the sky and obscuring visitor’s ability to see the stars. 

With all the conditions being in my favor, I waited for the sun to fully set and its lingering light to fade into the horizon. I set the final composition for the shot, used similar settings for my previous shoot at Estes, and started the time-lapse. I came back periodically to check if the camera was still going, and after a few trips back and forth, I found the battery fully drained from a job well done.

Medano Pass Time-Lapse (November 2023) – Medano Pass, Mosca, CO – Sony a7RIV, Sony FE 24-105mm F4.0 OSS (24mm), f/4, 15s, ISO 10000, Edits: All photos shot with same specs, no edits.

With the success of this time-lapse, I felt invigorated, like a sharpshooter hitting a bullseye from a great distance. This left me yearning for my next opportunity, something that would not come for an entire year.