I had an awesome adventure last night with my good photography friends Randy and Dave. Here’s the story:
Our adventure started with an article that I saw on twitter about the Orionid Meteor Shower, retweeted it out, and got some responses back of who wanted to go on the adventure. With some friends on board I began the research of where and how to photograph the meteor shower.
As tradition would have it, everytime there is an awesome astronomical event in San Diego, the local weather doesn’t cooperate. Today’s weather misfortune was low clouds and rain in the city. So I had to search for place were the clouds would not obstruct the view. Using the tools available and from past excursions I found that Borrego Springs would be a perfect place to do some star gazing. But just like I mentioned before weather doesn’t always cooperate, gusty winds where a factor at this location. But onward we went.
The three amigo adventure started at 10:30pm with gear and coffee in hand, headed off into the night. Driving to the spot we drove through familiar places however because it was late at night it made it look foreign and a bit a scary at times. With my buddy Dave telling us about American Horror story and add some fog and rain into the mix, it made it for a bit eerie drive. However that definitely made the driving much more enjoyable and made it go quickly.
As the three of us drove towards Borrego Springs, we all kept looking out the window to see if there was any clear skies, it was not until about a few miles away from the spot that the clouds cleared out.
When we got to the spot, we were welcomed with gusty cool winds that were coming from the easterly storm passing through San Diego. Gust were storm enough at times to allow you to lean back without a problem. So with the winds blowing we decided to put on our windbreakers & sweaters and hunker down behind my car.
Since the wind was blowing and gusting, we had to adjust our tripods to be low to the ground to ensure that they didn’t topple down. And to make sure they didn’t do that we straggled the tripods down with our legs.
After taking a few test shots, the three of us exchange friendly banter here and there and also traded camera settings, and tips on how to photograph. Meanwhile trying to let our eyes adjust to the nighttime and watch out for meteors. And in the span of 2 hours we managed to capture a few, see a few, and just enjoy the beauty of the night sky.
After the two hours of being out there we packed up our gear and headed home.
This adventure shows that when you pay attention to different sources you can get some awesome insight on what to photograph. And with some research, careful planning, and a sense of adventure in your photography blood, you can take adventures were you not only have a great time but learn and grow as a photographer.
To see and purchase a print of the pictures and to see more of the San Diego Sky, check out my gallery:
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