"In the beauty of the world, brute necessity becomes an object of love. Nothing is as beautiful as gravity in the fugitive folds of ocean waves or the nearly eternal folds of the mountains." - Simone Weil, "The Love of God and Affliction"
In August of 2020, I took my first trip to Acadia National Park to soak in the stars for the New Moon cycle. On top of COVID quarantine and processing a rough breakup, my uncle passed from a violently fast progression of pancreatic cancer, so I decided to a take a decompression trip and get lost in the stars as I prepared for the upcoming academic year. I ended up finding a little piece of myself instead, so I thought I would share my favorite photo from the trip. I've never experienced the sky the way it felt in Acadia, so i thought I'd try to capture a bit of the magic of the Milky Way through my lens.
Anyone who has ever shot astrophotography is probably intimately familiar with the challenges that come with it. There are so many atmospheric variables that can get prevent you from capturing the Milky Way. You need dark skies, so light pollution and moon phases matter, and once you travel to a location with a sky dark enough to enjoy the Milky Way core, a cloudy night can ruin your prospects. It was my last night in Acadia, and I when I walked out onto Sandy Beach, clouds veiled the horizon. Disappointed, I sat down near a lifeguard stand and decided to lay back, close my eyes, and have a short meditation. When I sat up, the clouds had rolled out and the core of the Milky Way felt like it was peering into my soul. I set up the tripod for a long exposure, and this was the result. In the moment, I felt the gravity of the world on my shoulders.
"In the beauty of the world, brute necessity becomes an object of love. Nothing is as beautiful as gravity in the fugitive folds of ocean waves or the nearly eternal folds of the mountains." - Simone Weil, "The Love of God and Affliction"
In August of 2020, I took my first trip to Acadia National Park to soak in the stars for the New Moon cycle. On top of COVID quarantine and processing a rough breakup, my uncle passed from a violently fast progression of pancreatic cancer, so I decided to a take a decompression trip and get lost in the stars as I prepared for the upcoming academic year. I ended up finding a little piece of myself instead, so I thought I would share my favorite photo from the trip. I've never experienced the sky the way it felt in Acadia, so i thought I'd try to capture a bit of the magic of the Milky Way through my lens.
Anyone who has ever shot astrophotography is probably intimately familiar with the challenges that come with it. There are so many atmospheric variables that can get prevent you from capturing the Milky Way. You need dark skies, so light pollution and moon phases matter, and once you travel to a location with a sky dark enough to enjoy the Milky Way core, a cloudy night can ruin your prospects. It was my last night in Acadia, and I when I walked out onto Sandy Beach, clouds veiled the horizon. Disappointed, I sat down near a lifeguard stand and decided to lay back, close my eyes, and have a short meditation. When I sat up, the clouds had rolled out and the core of the Milky Way felt like it was peering into my soul. I set up the tripod for a long exposure, and this was the result. In the moment, I felt the gravity of the world on my shoulders.
