There is nothing quite like a beautiful starry night in the country. The display of twinkling lights against a pitch black backdrop is a gentle spectacle, one enjoyed on many a quiet evening at the cottage, around a campfire or by a tent.
Living in a small town in a rural community, while I’ve always appreciated the stars, I have taken their presence for granted. I know, that on any clear summer evening, if I like I can lie back on my lounger and gaze up to the universe and see a bevy of stars, like suspended diamonds sparkling in a sea of black. What I didn’t know, until a visit from a guest some years ago, is that not everyone is so blessed.
It was one of those calm evenings when our daughter came home from the big city, bringing her then boyfriend, a slicker born and raised, who had never before ventured beyond the cosmopolitan limits. Sitting in our backyard by the campfire, while others conversed, he sat, head back and staring, quite literally starstuck. I couldn’t help teasing him about this fixation with the sky. When he told he, however, that it was the first time he’d ever seen stars it was my turn to be surprised. I had never thought about what it would be like living in a huge city, with the glare of unnatural light deadening the glow from above.
Given this unique gift to country life, I’ve wondered how to photograph it and whether it would be worth it. Finding these great sites has made me realize I can and it would.
ImprovePhotography Photograph the Milky Way
