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Hailing the Mothership

Recently, my photograph was chosen as one of the exhibits at Turtle Bay Biennial Juried Contest. I have tried for years to get accepted into this contest to no avail. I was so excited to get the acceptance email two months ago! Unfortunately, we did not garner any awards, but just being accepted into the contest was an honor for me.

Hailing the Mothership had been a project and was about nine months in the planning. I have wanted to photograph the Milky Way over HWY 395 FOREVER! HWY 395 is by far one of my favorite places to visit. I thought what a better way to share my love for this lonesome highway that with a shot of the Milky Way rising over it. The problem? I had no idea how to shoot the Milky Way.

With that being said, I started researching tutorials and articles on the art of photographing this amazing and beautiful thing of the sky. I couldn’t really practice because the core of the Milky Way only makes its appearance during the summer months around here. Then there was the logistics of where to shoot along Highway 395. I had read there are actually apps and programs to help you with all that but I found them very confusing. I turned to Google Earth. I figured out that I could do a progression that would show me where the Milky Way was at a particular location at precisely the right time.

Next, I had to set a date. I, for whatever reason, was hell bent on shooting during the new moon. I knew that the darkest skies would accentuate the colors of the Milky Way. So, starting in June I set a date. My job during the summer is a bit hectic and ruins plans at the drop of a hat so June got ruined, July got ruined, that left August. I had the date, I had three locations mapped with GPS coordinates that would give me the right angle, and I had the determination!

I arrived in Susanville Friday night. Mike and I did a run to the locations and chose the best one. Excitement was building! Saturday night was the night! Saturday rolls around. It’s the afternoon. Bam! A fire breaks out 5 miles out of Susanville. The sky turned smokey and Mike had to go to work. There was no seeing the sky that night with all the smoke. Mike was able to make it home and catch a few hours sleep before heading out to the fire again. I figured along with June and July that August was going to be ruined. Sunday found me photographing more to the east where there wasn’t so much smoke. I started not feeling so well so I went home and went to bed. Mike comes home around 9 pm. He asked me if I still wanted to go. I took a look outside and I saw stars. I felt like crap but knew that I would kick myself if I didn’t at least try. Plus Mike, despite being tired, was willing to go with me. Probably a good thing when you are photographing center line on a highway. Off we go on our 60-mile round trip.

We get to the designated location. Mike gets out of the car. I said “Can you see it at all?”. All he could say was “You will have no problem seeing it.”. I got out of the car and was floored. It was the most amazing sight I have ever seen. The gods were smiling down on me! So originally, I wanted the HWY 395 sign in the photo but those signs reflect. We couldn’t get a photo of the Milky Way with the sign. Next time. We just concentrated on getting the Milky Way.

For anyone that has been on Highway 395 north of Susanville, you know how straight it is with the hundreds of dips. Mike was my lookout. He would see lights behind me or in front of me and give me warning. Unlike other locations we have done road photography at, it would literally take five minutes for the cars to get to us! From then on after Mike's warning, I would wait a couple of minutes before getting out of the road. Hailing the Mother Ship was one of those times. The light that you see in the photograph is a car about 10 miles out. The surrounding light is from the prison at Susanville.

This photo is a testimony that planning, research and perseverance can pay off! Mike and I had a blast capturing this shot.

The Milky Way over HWY 395 - Michele James Photography, a California Photographer

TECHNICAL DATA

Olympus E-M5

30-second exposure

ISO 8000

F Stop – 3.5

12 MM

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