Where to shoot astrophotography? I’ve been asking myself this a lot lately. For a long time I have wanted to shoot Milky Way shots and night time landscapes. I’d been seeing them online and love the beauty in it. Since I was a NASA engineer and always into space and telescopes, I saw it as something I should do. So a few months ago, I invested in a new mirror-less camera and a decent tripod. I’d taken a few shots and I am still learning. The issue for me so far is where to shoot astrophotography. In southern California, there were some “go-to” spots like Joshua tree National Park, Red Rock Canyon, and my local Mt. Pinos parking lot. It was kind of easy really. However, I’d recently moved to northern California for a short time, and I was struggling to find a place to shoot. I’d been trying some shots in the yard, but the light pollution here is more than I expected.
The family and I have been exploring the alpine backcountry with a weekly hike, and this week we stumbled upon a great lookout! We found the big hill lookout in the El Dorado NF and man is it perfect! Its looking south east at desolation wilderness and I cant describe the joy it gave me to see the tallest peaks in the area covered in snow just ready for an early season Milky Way shot! I can’t believe we just stumbled on it with a quick extra look after the hike. It just goes to show you that a little exploring is the easiest way to find great locations of where to shoot astrophotography and nighttime landscapes. Where to shoot astrophotography will no longer be an issue with a little exploring in the dark spots of wherever I happen to be. The next new moon and, a little luck with the weather, you know where I will be!
When did you last go exploring and answer where to shoot astrophotography?
