Steve, Meet STEVE

I feel like I am refocusing.

Not literally, of course.

I used to enjoy making photos during the day. Apparently I don’t care very much for that any more. I’m not against it. I just don’t feel like doing it very often.

I do like making photos at night! I love the big night sky. I enjoy the challenge. It’s hard to take good night photos. Often I screw up a shot. I’m okay with that. It’s more about the experience than the photos, although I usually come away each night with at least one photo that I love.

Here’s the night of August 19 through to August 20. I made several photos that I loved.

11 PM at Elie

Looking north – the Milky Way, and a train.

Looking south – the aurora borealis and a grain elevator.

Beauty all around.

Meeting STEVE at Fortier

There’s an atmospheric phenomenon that has been seen many, many times, but it was only given a name in 2016 by a bunch of Albertan aurora watchers. It’s a Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, or STEVE.

Needless to say, I’m tickled pink about the acronym… and I was tickled pink (and green) to finally see it in person!

It only lasted about 15 minutes, so I was madly making pictures while I could. Like the aurora, it moved. It kept twisting and changing colour, like someone was twirling giant wispy streamers of green and pink.

I love being out at night.

Milky Way at Mile 40

As I walked the 300m from Provincial Road 331 to the railway tracks, near Oakville, I saw the Milky Way lining up over the signals and I had to make that picture.

The night was magical, my friends, magical.

I spent an hour here, trying different angles, walking up and down, looking up… just enjoying the time spent under the big starry sky.

Eventually a train came along. We made a photograph together.

It was almost 1:30 in the morning, the stars were still bright and I felt great.

Time to hit the road, west… to Oberon.

More to come.