Badlands Nation Park, and why I'll probably never be an astrophotographer

We visited the Badlands National Park recently.  The entire purpose was to try my hand at astrophotography. It was a bit windy the night we went out, but I was still able to capture a few shots. None of them are worth showing the public though; they all turned out a wee bit blurry because I used way too long of a shutter speed. At least I know what I did wrong. 

Badlands Selfie | Lisa Kerner | Simply Living Photography

Besides the shutter speed, I learned a few things about astrophotography...

  • It is way harder than it looks
  • With my camera I need to be in place, and focused in, before the sun goes down
  • I am a great big chicken when I am standing out in the middle of no where, in the pitch black. 
Badlands by Day | Lisa Kerner | Simply Living Photography

I seriously would have had a Blair Witch Project experience if my family had not been out in the pitch-black-you-can't-see-beyond-a-foot-in-the-darkness-of-night with me.  I can totally relate to those poor kids...

Joshua Leonard:
I heard two noises coming from two separate areas of space over there. One of them could have been a deer, but the other one sounded like a cackling.

Heather Donahue:
No way!

Joshua Leonard:
Yeah, it was like a serious cackling.

~Blair Witch Project

Badlands by Dusk | Lisa Kerner | Simply Living Photography

I think I will stick to the daylight for now, and something I happen to enjoy, panoramas. 

Things you will need for beginning astrophotography....

  • A tripod
  • A remote trigger.... I have an app that will do this for me, or you can use your timer. Which is what I ended up doing because I forgot about my handy app. 
  • I used a wide-angle lens, because I was wanting a landscape shot.
  • An editing program, because no matter how great of a shot you make, astrophotography almost always needs a boost from editing. 

This is a great site if you want to explore astrophotography further.

You can see more of our visit to Badlands Nation Park at my new Instagram gallery called @wanderingroad

No outdoor activities this weekend, even though it is the first official weekend of summer. Instead, we are building a bed. I’m giddy with excitement. We haven’t had a real bed since we left Germany six years ago. I’ll put our progress in my stories this weekend. Woohoo!!
“The darkness seemed to be rising rather than the sun falling. As if darkness were the natural order around here.” (Kristin Hannah) We are at that time of year when the daylight begins to shrink. It makes me dream of cool crisp days, filled with the scent of dry leaves crumbling beneath my feet as I wander along a trail. 🍁🧡🍂
The clouds are low and hugging the hills. All day long I’ve listened to the drumbeat of rain on my roof. I love this rainy weather we are having. It’s a little heart hug from Germany, the country that will always hold a piece of my heart. (I took this picture a few years ago in #deadwoodsd ... it’s still one of my favorites.)
“Stretching his hand up to reach the stars, too often man forgets the flowers at his feet.” -Jeremy Bentham
It’s always fun happening upon a forest floor covered in wildflowers. This year it’s pretty easy to find them, but usually it’s more of a treasure hunt. I love all the color this year, but I miss the joy of finding treasures in an unexpected place.
I do think a little visit here needs to be on the agenda this summer. It’s probably the furthest north I’ll travel this year. #devilstower
One of my earliest memories is standing in the middle of a poppy field in Greece. I was wearing a pink outfit and my mom was taking my picture. I was around three when those poppies waved their heads black and forth for the camera while I stood still. Now, it doesn’t matter where I am in the world, when I see a field of poppies a flutter in a fields it takes me right back to that sunny day so long ago. What’s one of you first memories?
The wildflowers have been in abundance this year. I could sit in fields of wildflowers for days and never be bored once.
One last blue bird shot to share. Why? Because, “I don't ask for the meaning of the song of a bird or the rising of the sun on a misty morning. There they are, and they are beautiful.” ~Pete Hamill
The last night we were in CO the most amazing sunset decided to peek out from under the clouds. Like Mattie Stepanek, “Sunset is still my favorite color, and rainbow is second.”

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Tutorials, Wandering RoadLisa KernerPanorama Photography, landscape photography, The Badlands National Park, Astrophotography