Cold Fire and Starlight
The full arc of the Milky Way shines over the dark banks of the Gunnison River as Fireflies (Photuris sp.) twinkle and blink amongst the willows and cottonwoods near Paonia, Colorado.
On the previous day, I doused the campfire well after dark and then noticed a blundering rustle amongst the dried cottonwood leaves around the perimeter of the camp. I switched my headlamp onto the lowest setting and discovered a plump toad navigating through the grass and detritus. I went and told my boys who promptly began searching the river bank for toads. They did not discover any more amphibians. However, after switching off his light, my oldest son paused by the river bank in the total darkness and noted green blinking lights. I had no idea that there were populations of fireflies in this part of Colorado, and he and I passed the next half an hour by the water watching and photographing. There were clouds so we focused our attention on the fascinating phosphorescent signals of the beetles.
The next night I returned to the riverbank and the sky was clear and dark. Finding the fireflies again actively signaling their amorous messages across the river and amongst the bushes, I fetched my camera gear and stared around in disbelief. For me, some photographs exist in the mind's eye before I set about finding the circumstance to create a rendition with the camera. On the other hand, some circumstances are so profoundly unexpected that I simply hope to do a modicum of justice to the scene, and I end up feeling grateful if I remember how to properly operate my camera. The image here is of the 'unexpected' variety. Never would I have thought to find both the galaxy and the phosphorescent streaks of fireflies sharing the frame. For good measure, Jupiter is to the left of the core of the Milky Way and Saturn is peeking up just above the foliage.
Technical notes: Stitch of 7 horizontal frames in Lightroom, then the sky and foreground were developed with separate masks in Photoshop CC. I also cloned out a few satellites and airplanes that I thought distracted from the grandeur.
Cold Fire and Starlight
The full arc of the Milky Way shines over the dark banks of the Gunnison River as Fireflies (Photuris sp.) twinkle and blink amongst the willows and cottonwoods near Paonia, Colorado.
On the previous day, I doused the campfire well after dark and then noticed a blundering rustle amongst the dried cottonwood leaves around the perimeter of the camp. I switched my headlamp onto the lowest setting and discovered a plump toad navigating through the grass and detritus. I went and told my boys who promptly began searching the river bank for toads. They did not discover any more amphibians. However, after switching off his light, my oldest son paused by the river bank in the total darkness and noted green blinking lights. I had no idea that there were populations of fireflies in this part of Colorado, and he and I passed the next half an hour by the water watching and photographing. There were clouds so we focused our attention on the fascinating phosphorescent signals of the beetles.
The next night I returned to the riverbank and the sky was clear and dark. Finding the fireflies again actively signaling their amorous messages across the river and amongst the bushes, I fetched my camera gear and stared around in disbelief. For me, some photographs exist in the mind's eye before I set about finding the circumstance to create a rendition with the camera. On the other hand, some circumstances are so profoundly unexpected that I simply hope to do a modicum of justice to the scene, and I end up feeling grateful if I remember how to properly operate my camera. The image here is of the 'unexpected' variety. Never would I have thought to find both the galaxy and the phosphorescent streaks of fireflies sharing the frame. For good measure, Jupiter is to the left of the core of the Milky Way and Saturn is peeking up just above the foliage.
Technical notes: Stitch of 7 horizontal frames in Lightroom, then the sky and foreground were developed with separate masks in Photoshop CC. I also cloned out a few satellites and airplanes that I thought distracted from the grandeur.