How Much Would You Go Through For One Shot?

I got probably the coolest shot I've ever taken last night.  Not necessary my best shot ever, but definitely my "coolest".  There were a lot of pros and cons that went into getting it, but in the end it was totally worth it.

Cons:

Having to drive 200km EACH WAY to get to the location and back.  We had to 1. get away from any city light pollution; 2. clear all the smog and mist on this side of the mountains; 3. get to where the mountains opened up to a big sky facing north; and 4. find a place to park off the highway where you couldn't see the passing vehicle lights.

Using 2/3rds of an entire tank of gas for ONE photo with current gas prices.... eek.

Staying up til past 2am in order to get out there, get home and have BARELY enough time to shoot (we only had about half the amount of time I had hoped for, as the picture would have been even more awesome if we could have tracked the stars longer than a mere 92 minutes).

Having do it on a night that Nick had to work the next day.  He drove the entire way while I fell asleep, and thus he is my absolute hero.

Suffering the next day.  My body does not, repeat: does NOT, handle staying up past midnight well at all.  I've felt kind of sick, had a headache and have done nothing all day except sleep and watch movies and edit photos.  (Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking, but it counts as a con when you had other things you were hoping to do).

Irritating my foot on the rough terrain wasn't my favourite, but I am giving it lots of rest today in penance.

Reading a LOT of material to make sure it turned out better this time than our first attempt.  All that math made my brain remember high school.

Glaring light from the moon!  This was a con and a pro.  It was SO BRIGHT, the stars were disappointingly dim.  However, it did light up the foreground nicely!


Pros:

It was an adventure, a memory and a very unique date night.  After the busiest 5 months of our entire lives, I still feel like I'm in "seeing my husband withdrawal", and I cherish and appreciate every moment we get to spend together like this.

Exploring long, dark, dirt logging roads in the mountains trying to find a location in the dark.  While it was frustrating trying to find a good spot while prime shooting time was ticking past us, it was fun to go exploring into the dense forests with our windows rolled down letting in the thick smell of pine and mountain air.

With the perfect internet reception we unexpectedly found at the very top of the mountains, we hot-spotted my laptop that was in the car since Nick picked me up straight from work.  We put the seats back, grabbed all the blankets from the trunk and watched Netflix together to pass the time.  Ultimate drive-in movie.

I had an intervalometer this time so once I got the camera set up, I walked away and didn't touch a thing until it was time to go home.  It was a bit nerve wracking to have only ONE shot at it working, but it turned out fine.  Thank goodness for Nick suggesting we do one final trial run before we walked away, as I had one setting on my camera incorrect that would have ruined the entire thing without us even knowing until too late.

Having a husband that supports me in all my adventures, and drives me home when I'm too tired from them.  Having friends that loan me lenses and give me advice on how to improve.  Having a good relationship with a rental house guy who totally let me have his intervalometer for free all weekend :)



All of that, just for this: