"Be Where You Are"
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Entry for Astronomy Photographer of the Year:
This is a single exposure image.
Tent lit by lantern. Milky Way lays low on horizon.
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, USA
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I take my star shooting seriously. I will keep on shooting stars as long as it is dark and there are new ideas to try.
BUT, I also find it highly important to laugh, relax, and occasionally just flop down in the snow and look up to enjoy the sparkling show :-)
As landscape photographers, I think we need to keep in the back of our minds a priority to "Be Where You Are." In other words, yes, get the shot, bring home the winner, win contests, get in magazines, sell pictures at galleries- but damnit, make sure before all that happens, that you literally stop and smell the roses while shooting. Or lay down to look at the stars. Or, skip an exposure to just watch the Golden Hour show happen.
We travel so far to take pictures of beautiful things, but I know for
me, I get there and then I can get all wrapped up in my intentions and
focus and completely miss the experience of being there. Yes, I came
home with beautiful pictures, but the whole time was wrapped up in
ISO, aperture and shutter speed. That, is a small tragedy.
"Be Where You Are."
Or, for kicks, read the next line in your best Yoda impression:
"Where you are, beeee"
*laughing*
Thanks to Chip McAlpine for letting me join his trip, and especially for driving my snoring ass home afterwards!
This is from our first night at Crater Lake, out by Rim Village. Evidently it is against all things Holy to camp out within the lip of the rim. *shrugging* I just followed a trail in the snow! The Ranger was quite flustered when he found me here in the morning. My apologies to offended Head Ranger, my thanks to Crater Lake gods for sharing a night of stars and bedding within the off limits.
Oh, I made a timelapse video from this trip. You can check it out in
the link below.
www.flickr.com/photos/bencanales/5704128794/in/photostream
Comments and faves
little m:), nyazilla79, Coco Carrigan, brixiv, and 1093 other people added this photo to their favorites.
little m:) (24 months ago | reply)
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! Awesome:)
little m:) (24 months ago | reply)
And PS~good morning, Ben! :)
victorvonsalza (24 months ago | reply)
lol! Beautiful!
nyazilla79 (24 months ago | reply)
Terrible!!
Coco Carrigan (24 months ago | reply)
Stunning shot !!! Love the frontal lamp !
brixiv (24 months ago | reply)
Stunning.
Mark S Weaver (24 months ago | reply)
It looks like you are in trouble. Do we need to send out a search party? Coll shot, by the way.
s a m s t a c k (24 months ago | reply)
Awesome sentiment.... Rings so true.
LEXPIX_ (24 months ago | reply)
Nice concept.
StandUPP (24 months ago | reply)
Ace job on concept, pose, & location!
Ben Canales (24 months ago | reply)
Thanks guys :-)
This was fun to do. I told Chip, "Hey, watch this!" and then FLOP.
*laughing* Good times, beautiful night, amazing experience.
Wow! First time I've had a picture called "Terrible!" But, thanks for the honestly, lol
mibreit (24 months ago | reply)
You're so right!
beautiful shot
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Donna Irene. (24 months ago | reply)
wow
wow
wow
wow.
I wish I was here, doing this, seeing this!!!!!! :(
Hatoori (24 months ago | reply)
una composicion impactante y las estrellas una pasada, te felicito por este gran trabajos, saludos.
PatT&5 (24 months ago | reply)
OH outstanding!
I so agree, sometimes I feel ashamed if I live through a gorgeous scene and all I've done is snap away...
Nice!
tobey308 (24 months ago | reply)
beautiful work!
I like it!
About you Award!
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ArcticShooter (24 months ago | reply)
I love the reflection here. And it's amazing to see it in the video. Excellent work and instant fave
Matt Abinante (24 months ago | reply)
Great idea, Ben! This is a beautiful shot!
Skye Perry (24 months ago | reply)
Love this.
Gary.Lamprecht (24 months ago | reply)
Awesome as always. As I've said before, I admire your stories as much as your work itself. They add so much to the image, and in this case, such a true sentiment about capturing the image, but not experiencing the moment. I admire your determinedness and fortitude for spending a night in the snow!
Keep up the great work!
Millron (24 months ago | reply)
Fun shot. I like it a lot.
RAHUL SUD PHOTOGRAPHY (24 months ago | reply)
Stunning shot..Ben...as always you spring up a beautiful surprise.
Jared Ropelato (24 months ago | reply)
killer shot, super fun and well executed and great message. All around goodness here. Cheers!
Paul Christian Bowman (24 months ago | reply)
Excellent shot and great take..
The Big Rafalski (24 months ago | reply)
I'm jealous, I really am...
damian5d (24 months ago | reply)
Great advice. I often feel like my camera is a device that dilutes full appreciation of the moment into some future moment when apparently I think I'll have more time to appreciate things. Thanks for inspiring us to appreciate now.
asgeirkolberg "busy " (24 months ago | reply)
I like it!
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TeF46 (24 months ago | reply)
You are so true!!
And the idea comes to me when I see this shot is: " Ohhhh! A falling star!"
Take the time is the best thing we can do to live with serenity!
Philou73couz (24 months ago | reply)
I love !!
tattoogirl12 (-break-) (24 months ago | reply)
this is so awesome, brilliant work!
nate2b (24 months ago | reply)
Fantastic.
Hero Dreams (24 months ago | reply)
So... The Grand Poobah Ranger got all conniptious at your, like, actually using the land? Using the land in a non-destructive manner. Following where another had already gone.
Why don't they just put us all in ghettos and let us, at our assigned moment of, uh, "passing" at a local processing center, enjoy an overhead, wide-screen panoply of glorious Flickr nature video and stills (some to include some really cool star shots such as those that you capture illicitly - t.i.c.) during each of our last 15 scheduled minutes on this mortal coil before being "recycled" while enjoying a crispy treat of Soylent Green? This would preserve our precious bodily fluids - sorry, that's Dr. Strangelove - our precious natural "resources" without having to actually experience them, thus using them up against future generations enjoyment and utilization.
Sounds like a plan, right? Actually, this reasoning sounds eerily similar to the story of the man who was found dead in the desert with a half-full canteen of water. There were no signs of trauma, rather a clear case of severe dehydration. When officials searched the body they found a small notebook that had a few entries recording the dead man's ordeal. The last scribbling said, "Must preserve water or else doom."
We must not use up the stars by way of frivolous photography nor tromp the pristine snow.
Dave Berryman (24 months ago | reply)
Amen brother!
Gary J Weathers (24 months ago | reply)
cool!
Aaron Top (24 months ago | reply)
awesome
David M Hogan (24 months ago | reply)
Awesome shot!
Tal Ben-Moshe (24 months ago | reply)
Great shot!
chickenfoot (24 months ago | reply)
i love this so much and the sentiments behind it. glad you are stopping and smelling
you live a charmed life
Sarah.Lynch (24 months ago | reply)
I miss shots all the time. Yes, even some on purpose. And I'm thrilled to death with my low gross annual revenue and 4 comment per pic average.... :)
Yet another fantastic star shot - hope your birthday was fun!
Greg-0 (24 months ago | reply)
Awesome Ben! I so wanna see a low down starfield pov from that perspective. :)
i n i m i n i (24 months ago | reply)
impressive work and write-up as usual.
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valter venturelli (24 months ago | reply)
Awesome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joel deWaard (24 months ago | reply)
Way cool, and a great reminder.
CMWilhelm (24 months ago | reply)
This is a beautiful photo, and perfectly titled. I relate to your feelings expressed in the description for this image. As photographers we can get so caught up in recording that we forget to experience, and I think it is no small tragedy. I've found nowadays when I'm out with my camera I try to strike a balance. I hiked 2200 miles along the Appalachian Trail last year with my dslr in tow, and came home with far fewer photos than anyone expected. My excuse? In the words that you have chosen, I didn't always want to sacrifice being where I was.
Waleed Ibrahem (24 months ago | reply)
this the best picture for stars I have ever seen..
good on you.. :)
fav.
jumpinjimmyjava (24 months ago | reply)
Simply beautiful Ben. Awesome in fact - jimmy
manyfires (24 months ago | reply)
Simply marvelous!
Jeff Barnhart (24 months ago | reply)
It's scenes like this that inspire me!
Dene' Miles (24 months ago | reply)
ru effing joking me with this and that comment? you're a nut bird but in a good way of course. fave fave fave :) hope last weekend was a blast! Iceland or bust :)
Project Dreamland (24 months ago | reply)
The things we do to get that shot! Awesome starry night scene.