Night photography deserves a quiet night.

Peter and James take pictures at Raysat.
Most of my photography trips this year have been hikes. This past weekend, I tried something new. We loaded into a van and just drove up the hill. The aurora forecast was high, but a storm was also rolling in. We'd be lucky to get anything before the clouds came.


McMurdo, the Pegasus shortcut road, and the Pegasus runway with lights.
Because no auroras were in sight, we focused our cameras on other sights. I had tried to capture town and the Pegasus runway lights in April, but neither one worked because I didn't know how to use my camera well enough. Now that I have finally figured it out, I got a picture I was happy with. Normally, the Pegasus lights aren't on, but we might have a Medivac later this week and so they have been preparing the runway just in case. The Medivac isn't likely to go, but they need a lot of time to set it up.


The Hut Point Peninsula looking back towards Mt. Erebus.
I'm not entirely sure why, but it felt a lot colder than the temperature was reading. It might have been the wind, but I think it had more to do with driving up. Normally, when I hike I generate a lot of body heat. While driving, I generate none. Luckily, we could just hop back in the van to warm up for a bit. I might take a few more van rides, but I'll probably stick to hiking if weather and time permit.


Raysat and James (to the left of the ball).
Don't be fooled by the next picture. It was taken at night with a fifteen second exposure. The moon definitely lights this place up but not that much. The sun is coming back though so it will be lit up like that soon. I can't wait. Some days, I'm really ready to get back home to Colorado. Other days, I just can't wait to see what treat I'll find next.


Mt. Erebus.