After over 10 years of doing photography I don’t think there has been anything more challenging than astrophotography. Macro, Landscape, sports, animals and portraits i s what I’m used to.
For The Break Free Program, I based it off of the stars and inspiring others which I talk about in my first blog post, but this kind of photography is like no other and has had i t’s benefits, challenges, and has helped me l earn so much!
The sky has always i nspired me but with more l ight pollution there are so many kids out there who aren’t able to see the stars. Pictures say a thousand words and can help kids dream of what could be up there. Through taking these photos I’ve seen amazing skies and animals. Really the only places to see stars is out far from the city. I’ve seen tons of deer, stars and other things I would never find in the city.
Olympus has really helped me capture these amazing sights with their Live Composite Mode, and easy-to-use functions that help me see stars with the lens that I can’t see with my eyes. The lightweight camera helps me set it up on a tripod easily. This is a perfect camera for beginners like me but I’m growing into it and become better every time I go out.
30s | F5.6 | ISO 500
As much as I love to capture the stars, the challenges of astrophotography are hard to ignore. Living in Celebration, Florida, I have to drive at least an hour away to get good stars. I leave the house so I can get to wherever I’m taking photos 20-30 minutes before sunset and then wait to take photos until about 70 minutes after sunset. So I have a lot of time to play with my camera but it does mean some long nights. When the clocks went back on Halloween this really helped.
After lots of bug bites, slight scares i n the dark, not knowing where to step, and it being very hard to see, I got some really good photos that I can’t wait to share next month. This process has been so much fun and I have to thank my mentor Alexa who has been there with me every step of the way with helping me with tips and advice.
This program has helped me become a better photographer and I’m so thankful for this opportunity.
