
Knowing When to Call It
Sometimes when editing a project, whether it’s a video or a photo, one has to make a hard decision, tens of hours in, to push away from the computer and call a project DONE.
This being my first summer in Maine, I really wanted to photograph fireflies. A single frame image is impressive in its own right, but if one can learn how to stack the images to really show all the tracks of the fireflies in one evening, it can turn a great image into a show-stopper. With how much night photography I do, I’ve always wanted to learn how to stack images, as there are several applications for this in night photography in particular, but it’s felt so daunting to me that I haven’t, until now, learned how. What’s more, I haven’t yet developed a comfort level with Photoshop to even have a basic understanding of how to use it (so there’s your answer if you’ve ever wondered if any of my photos were Photoshopped!).

Acadia’s Best-Kept Secret
Mountain Goat and I are spending the summer in Maine, which, being from California, gives us so many new places to explore. One of several places we wanted to visit was Acadia National Park, with its seashore, lakes and mountains.
One of my goals during the stay was capturing the Milky Way somewhere beautiful. With little familiarity with the park, I asked in a Milky Way FaceBook group for places to photograph it. One of the places suggested was the Schoodic Peninsula. After some cursory research and seeing how spectacular it is, it became the primary place I wanted to shoot.
The weather forecast was all over the place, so I knew I’d need to take the opportunity to photograph it any clear night I could.

Just a Little Light Show in New Hampshire
While working on some other projects, I received multiple alerts on my Space Weather Live app about the KP index, which can suggest that the Northern Lights, aka Aurora Borealis, may be visible. I was already tired from a busy day, but the Aurora on a clear night close to a full moon isn’t common. I let Mountain Goat know I’d be going out to see it.
The KP Index was projected to be 5, which is good, not excellent, but it is only suggestive, not indicative, and even when the various measurements show only moderate or even poor conditions, the aurora may be visible, and vice versa. No matter the forecasts, nothing is ever promised, and it can be a futile effort going to a remote location only to find dark skies with no lights.
As a bonus, the Perseids meteor shower is ramping up with a peak coming up August 12-13, so I hoped I might be able to capture one or two.

First Maine Aurora
I always watch the aurora forecasts closely, but it didn't appear there would be anything to get excited about in the next few days. Plus, the moon is close to full. So imagine my surprise when I was winding down for bed last night and got an aurora alert. I immediately got up, threw my gear together and flew out the door.

Rarer than a rainbow
This morning I decided to go to the town of Mendocino with hopes of photographing the sunrise. The skies have been different levels of cloudy lately, and some make for more interesting sunrises and sunsets than others, so I figured I might try my luck. My brain woke up 20 minutes before my alarm went off, so I played on my phone for a few minutes before I got up and put on some warm clothing. I made my coffee, cut up an apple and grabbed a small bag of shelled pistachios to get me through the morning. While I remotely warmed up the truck, I quickly did the few dishes in the sink, gathered my camera bag along with my coat, hat, and boots, and climbed into the truck, setting my playlist on my phone to let Mary Chapin Carpenter welcome the day with me…