If it were coffee, it would have been a perfect blend–astronomers and photographers sharing the same airport tarmac.  Richard invited my “Shoot or go home” photography group to shoot the milky way up at the Blue Canyon airport near Truckee, California. It ended up being an outreach activity for the Sacramento Valley Astronomical  Society and a great time for the photographers. And, it was my first time shooting the Milky Way. We went up on Friday afternoon and the gathering was on Saturday. I was tired and didn’t shoot Friday night, but Saturday morning we went into the small town of Blue Canyon. It was a small neighborhood of cabins, and was very eclectic. The fun started that night.

We started the evening with a potluck, and the astronomers lent us chairs and a table. Dinner was followed by a short teach on how to shoot the Milky Way, and then we went out to set up. Meanwhile, the astronomers were getting ready to show off. After they had enough of shooting the Milky Way, the photographers visited with the astronomers, including Richard. Everyone enjoyed it. With some help, I became more comfortable shooting on manual. My camera is still on manual. It gets a little frustrating at times, but that’s the learning curve.

Our photographers learned more about astronomy too. And it wasn’t a long way home; just a little over an hour to Sacramento. Since Richard and I were staying over in our trailer, it was a very short time to home for me!

The next time I go up there, I want to try star trails in addition to shooting the Milky Way. At least for Richard and I, it will be a perfect blend.