I’ve been chasing stars since November of 2016.
The first attempt was at the Everglades in Florida. The entire UMiami Photography Club headed for a camping trip in an attempt to photograph the stars. Little did we know that this was not possible when the moon is out. Especially, a near full-moon, as it was too bright. It's as if the moon steals the spotlight and the stars get lost in the background. We lived to try another day.
The second attempt was called off due to cloudy skies.
Months went by, chasing stars went on the back burner. Other things happened. Client projects came in. One that stands out was in the Florida Keys, in Islamorada. We were there to take pictures of a beach front property. We made the two hour trip from Miami to the Keys in the morning, shot all afternoon, and even managed to get golden hour drone shots. It was a solid day's work.
Then the beer cans opened up. That philosophy of work hard and play hard was in full effect. After an unhealthy combination of beers, pizza, and more beer, the plan was to sneak into the jacuzzi of a nearby hotel.
As we were walking there, I looked up. I was mesmerized. The stars glimmered like the ceiling above a baby’s crib. I had never seen these many stars in my life! Never.
I ditched the crew and the hot tub plan. I rang up the camera with the widest lens we had (a Rokinon 24mm 1.5 prime). I found the SkyView app in some forgotten alley on my phone and went in pursuit of chasing stars once again.
It took 30 seconds of staying still to get one clear shot. I took atleast eleven. The tripod was gone so it was on a monopod. It was a lot of staying still. I was a buffet for mosquitoes. I thought about my friends who were chilling in the jacuzzi, soaking in the warmth, relaxing in bubbling waters, and I thought, “Damn, they are missing out!”
This is what they missed…
It was mesmerizing. This remains one of the best pictures I have been able to capture. It was astonishing to realize that when our human eyes look up, we see a few twinkling stars amidst the mostly dark eyes. But the camera, the camera sees more. The camera can find the Milky Way galaxy through its eye. I learned there was a Universe out there waiting to be explored. And there’s more to the world that meets the eye.