The Milky Way

New Journal 6 – Rachel the Scared

Stalked by predators in the dead of night with barely the faintest light to guide our way, it was more than likely this would be our last trip. All manner of beast haunted these hills and fields, with each one licking their lips at the two walking meals heading their way. It was only a matter of ‘when’, rather than ‘if’.

I imagine this is what was going through Rachel’s head as we walked along the road one night heading out of El Chalten to take shots of the Milky Way. I’ve never seen a human so on edge. Her fear of the darkness started to become contagious. I was beginning to hear and see things that were surely figments of my imagination.

Pumas live in this part of the world, but they are rarely seen and attacks on humans are unheard of. None of that mattered to Rachel – we would be eaten by a puma, of that she was sure.

As they say in American movies, I know that Rachel don’t got my back. She aint never got my back, especially with animals. Once, in Kuala Lumpur, I saw a baby monkey in a park. Delighted, I went over to introduce myself. Suddenly, from nowhere, its parents came flying out of a bush towards me. I backed away. They calmed down. I looked over to where Rachel was only to see the heels of her shoes disappear around a corner at the speed of light – coward!

The first sight of a puma she’d leave me for dead. There was only one thing for it: if a big cat presented itself, I would have to throw her towards it – sometimes we have to make sacrifices. I knew she was thinking the same thing about me.

Just as we were about to round the corner (the one you see above), an animal jumped into the middle of the road about 10 metres ahead of us. It was just above waist height and beige in colour, from what we could see given the low light. It ran across to the other side of the road. It was more than likely a fox or a deer, but we were both of the same mind – definitely a puma.

We continued. The town lights faded away and we were presented with near-blackness. It was at this point we discovered the absence of a torch in our possession. How on earth could we forget a torch? It seemed to take a lifetime for our eyes to adjust. The usual high winds whipped through the grass, creating that spooky, whirling sound. It did not help Rachel’s nerves.

I was intent on finding a spot I’d seen earlier that would give us a view of the mountains and stars. I turned around and realised the neither were visible in that direction due to over-cloudiness. We decided to head back to the comfort of the brighter town and to the composition you see above.

Noises still emanated from around us, while things hustled about in the corner of my eye. I didn’t want to hurry the shot, but Rachel was insistent that our lives depended on the speed at which I worked. I promised myself that the next star shoot I would do alone. Granted I wouldn’t have Rachel to offer up as a meal to any potential predator, but at least I’d be able to take my time.

I took a few images and headed back to town. We would live another day or two.

Today’s Photo – The Milky Way

With any low-light shot like this, it’s extremely important that you correctly use manual focus. A high aperture is important but in order to create a sharp image, you must focus on what is known as ‘infinity’ beforehand. To do this, before pointing at the stars, find a bright point in the distance, maybe a street light or the moon, use Live View and focus on that. This way you should come out with a fairly evenly focused final shot.