Let’s Talk About the Milky Way

This.

2 Years, 6 hours of driving, a storm, 1 hour window to capture the shot, and this was the result. Could it be better… probably… but I don’t care, I love it! I don’t just love the photo, I love the story behind it.

You see, this photo was the result of YEARS of failed attempts. There were years of blurry images, failed editing, bad equipment, I mean you name it, and I did it wrong. And to be honest, this isn’t even the best shot I could get, it just so happens to be the only one that I could capture given our circumstance on that brutal night on an island in the middle of the ocean (I’ll tell you where I was later, I want to keep you guessing on the location).

In fact, let me show you just how bad one of the original takes was… back in 2018.

LITERALLY. WHAT. AM. I. LOOKING. AT?????????

I was sooooo bad at getting the galaxy shot. I thought I had everything. I thought I knew everything, but it wouldn’t be another two years until I got a better shot. So, how exactly did I get the better shot? How did I improve? What made me better?

Planning

The first thing I did was plan the trip. We planned a guy’s trip, solely around my photography, with the mission to drive out to Ocracoke Island (fine, I told you, but you can’t leave now). We planned this trip for October 2020 since that is the last month in North Carolina where you can see the milky way galaxy before it falls beneath the horizon until May.

But OK Garrett, I don’t get what the big deal is…. why do you have to travel to an island, can’t you just go to a field and point your camera at the sky?

To answer my own question, NO you cannot, it’s tough to see in most of the eastern United States because of light pollution, so I used the website Dark Sky Finder to help me find where the least amount of light pollution near me exists. For most of us in North Carolina, that’s Ocracoke, NC, a part of the country that is almost entirely void of light pollution. Ocracoke is great because you can see the milky way galaxy with the naked eye and that really helps with framing your shots.

Going to Ocracoke from Raleigh is an ACTUAL trek. Our friend Will lived at North Carolina’s Outer Banks that year and we figured the 6 hour trip from Raleigh to Ocracoke would be best if we split it up by driving 3 hours to Kill Devil Hills, NC and then 3 hours to Ocracoke. We got to Kill Devil Hills on a Friday, and that Saturday morning we packed up the Subaru to catch the ferry in Hatteras, NC. The one hour Ferry Ride took us to Ocracoke, NC and since we had some time to kill so I got some other great shots.

The island was beautiful, and I would highly recommend everyone to go visit. The Ocracoke Island light house is a MUST see. However, I want you to look at this photo and ask yourself “do you see the sky”. No, you don’t…. you see clouds, and clouds are the enemy when it comes to Astro-photography.

Sometimes the Best Laid Plans Fall Apart

Those clouds were not just passing through either. The clouds were just a precursor to the chilly October cold front passing through that weekend. Yes, all the planning to make this weekend happen was nearly in vain, and we were worried all that effort was going to be wasted. We sat in the back of my Subara, drinking beer saying “well, it can’t get much worse. At least we’re here”…. oh but did it get worse.

The cold front brought 30+ mph wind with it, and setting up in a tent was not a smart decision… so I set up in my Subaru! Unfortunately for Will, Bob, and Todd, the weather wasn’t on their side. Bob and Todd did relatively well, but Will on the other hand… well the picture will speak for itself. Man slept with a collapsed tent in 30+ mph wind… and most of us were Eagle scouts… so the scout motto “Be Prepared” wasn’t well received that weekend.

Nevertheless, we persevered, thanks to Blue Moon, and in my case, a rear seat that folds down to turn your car into a tent. That night was cold, relentless, and rather upsetting. Even with months of planning, the trip was falling apart, my mission to get a photo of the milky way was slipping through my fingers and there was nothing I could do, but wait…

Then 5am Came

Bzzz Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

“Garrett, STARS” - Bob

I scratched my eyes, looked out of the sunroof and with my bare eyes, I saw it. A celestial conglomerate of light. Beautiful streaks of light crossing the sky, flashing just for a brief moment. The wind seemed to have calmed down, and the clouds were floating off the coast at this point. Now was my chance! I rolled out of the car, camera and tripod in hand, knowing I had only a short window of time to get the tripod and timer set up to just get whatever I could. I knew the sun would start washing the sky out around 6 am, so I had to move fast. Todd and Will were still asleep, Bob and I were racing to get the shot.

“Are you sure you want to set up there?” - Bob

“No, but I have to” - Me

No time to frame my shot, no time to get a foreground photo, my only focus was getting that sky captured.

Click *20 seconds pass* Click, Repeat.

I looked down at the camera, and I got it. I finally got it, after YEARS of chasing it, I got the shot!

Where Do I Go From Here?

Will and Todd woke up several hours later, albeit I’m not sure you can call it “sleep” since we were all in-and-out of sleep that night. We packed up the tents and bags and went back to Kill Devil Hills, NC to spend a couple day’s relaxing and taking in the ocean, but that left me wondering, where do I go from there. How do I get better?

Well, I guess my next step is to go out west! Try it all again, but maybe this time at the Grand Canyon? So my challenge to you is to take a look at Dark Sky Finder and see where you can go to get an amazing milky way shot!

If you like this story, and would like to hear more, Subscribe to my newsletter! And if you want to hear me tell these stories, Check out my YouTube video below and be sure to subscribe to my channel for more stories and great content! I’ll see you all next week! Cheers! - Garrett

The Process

Have you ever a hobby… craft… or maybe something that you really enjoyed doing? It could be woodworking, painting, working on cars. Well mine is photography, and today I decided to publicly launch my business. It’s been a crazy journey just to get to the “start”, but it’s been so rewarding. And, truth be told, it would not have been possible if it wasn’t for you, the person reading this, and helping me along the way. Thanks!

My photography journey started during the summer of 2013, going into my senior year of high school. My mother was (and still is) into photography, and while on a family vacation to New York, she let me take some photos. Below are a few of my very first shots. I didn’t know anything about shutter speed, aperture, or ISO, but I knew I loved it! They were certainly over developed, but it was a start!

Other than our vacation to New York, I never really touched a camera after that. And it wouldn’t be until my Sophomore year of college in 2015 when I would start taking photos again. Right before I moved into my dorm, my mom gave me my first camera! I moved in a few weeks early since I was an RA so I spent a lot of my free time walking around campus taking as many photos as I could. Below is the first real collection of photos! It wasn’t a fancy camera by any means, just a Canon T3i (Canon Rebel). These photos were definitely over processed… just look at the cliché blurring and fake vignettes. It was fun though, and that’s how photography should be!

Over the next few years, I would go out and take photos whenever I could. Spring break trips, fraternity intramural events, and random evening around Greenville, NC, were my main sources of practice. And that’s the key word, PRACTICE. The more I practiced, the better I became at framing and editing photos… but my no means would I say I have it “mastered”! However, with years of practice, I could see my art take shape!

2016:

2018:

2021:

It took me nearly 8 years to finally get to a spot where I’m “happy” with my work, but I still have many more to go!

Today, I decided to officially turn my hobby into a side hustle. Business is picking up, and it was time for me to take my photography seriously. Does this mean I have the nicest, most expensive equipment around? No. I still photograph with a Canon 70D, which I would not consider a true “professional camera”. However, that hasn’t stopped me, and shouldn’t stop you (if you’re a photographer) from doing what you love! The process has been long, and at times difficult! It has taken time, energy, and practice. Even the process of setting up this website, the business, social media accounts, etc. have been challenging. But if you find you passion, then 8 years will feel like just a few days!

To everyone who helped me get to a point where I can launch this side-hustle, THANK YOU. To my friends and family who’ve helped me, THANK YOU. To the random guy on Facebook one time who said my picture was over done, THANK YOU! And to everybody joining me on this journey, THANK YOU! The process is just beginning, and we will all see where this goes! I will still continue to work my day job, and this will still be my side business, but the sky’s the limit!

Of course, as a shameless plug for my business, I have an amazing shop set up on this site with prints starting at $31. Feel free to browse, maybe purchase some art for your office, home, etc *wink wink*, or follow me on any of my social media accounts below! I also have a mailing list to send out sales, promotions, and updates which you can sign up for below!

Finally, for business inquiries on larger prints, and for an extended gallery for corporate clients, email me at gtaylor@gftphotography.com!

Cheers,

Garrett