I’m in a time machine going back through my favorite moments and photographs from the past few years. Many of my posts include large galleries, so I’m going through and pulling out a few to feature and recount more in depth.

There are some trips where I come back with thousands of shots…it’s easy for short moments to sneak by, but some have more memories tied to them that deserve a second look.

First up, PERU and hiking the Inca Trail. This was the first long exposure night sky photo I took. And other than experimenting with the remote the week before my trip (in Long Beach, CA the city light has different affects and settings than in pitch black wilderness) this was the first time ever that I had tried long exposure photography in my life.

Back to Peru. That night was very cold. Our gear wasn’t warm enough. Typically there is heavy cloud cover at this peak, which keeps the warmth in. I sat outside for hours with all the clothes I packed on, wrapped in my sleeping bag. Poking out every 30 seconds to 1 minute to check the shot and wipe the lens of condensation. After taking this first shot I fell in love with night photography and I can’t wait to do more.

In person the sky was captivating. I grew up in a remote area where I could see the Milky Way band at night, and I desperately missed it. In the city we forget how much is up there in the sky! It’s obscured by air and light pollution. Even without my camera I couldn’t stop staring at the sky in Peru. It’s one of those times you’re aware of how limited that moment is, and you try and soak up every bit.

Here is the first shot, and the other people on the trip can attest that the shot on the camera screen looked very close to this. Speechless. We’re not alone in this crazy universe.