I mentioned in my previous post that I finally had a great opportunity to capture the Milky Way and a few other fun nighttime photos on our recent trip to northern New Mexico, and I wanted to share a few of them today. I took these photos after we watched the awesome fireworks show in Raton earlier that evening on the 4th of July.
I hope you will view this post on my actual site and not in the WordPress reader today, as these photos will show up much better there.
While Hubby and I have witnessed the amazing dark sky stars many times on our RV camping excursions over the past five years, I’ve really never had a good opportunity to photograph them for various reasons. On this trip, however, I finally had that opportunity, even though I didn’t have my tripod. I simply improvised by setting my camera on picnic table at a nearby campsite that was not being used, and I propped the end of my lens on a little box, using my cable release to hold the shutter open for about 30 seconds on most of the photos.
Three of the young adults with us were outside with me as I was taking the photos, so we decided to have a little fun doing some light painting. It was the first time that any of us had attempted this, and we had a lot of fun.
Here is one of the better light paintings of the night, just as it came out of my camera. So fun!
Finally, I ended my photography exercise that evening by capturing a nice photo of our RV under the beautiful starry sky. It is a photo that I will treasure always, and I hope it helps to visibly show just one reason why we dearly love RV camping in the remote areas that we tend to frequent.
This brief exposure to night photography only makes me want to go out and try it even more. The young adults with me had a great time, and I wish more young people would take up photography as a hobby. It seems like such a great fit for many that I know personally, and I know that those three will always remember our fun time together, just as I will.
My Five Fs 
Great shots of the night sky! Night photography is something I have never mastered with my camera.
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Thanks so much! Keep trying. It was really, really dark out where we were, so I shot with my wide angle lens all the way open, ISO 3200 or 6400, about 30 seconds each exposure. Shooting at a lower ISO meant holding the shutter open longer and got some movement in the stars that I didn’t want. It’s so much fun! 😀
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