Seriously, have you ever just taken a second out of your hectic life to look up, up far into the night sky and to the universe beyond.
A few weeks ago, I came across an amazing timelapse video by Sunchaser Pictures, that took my breath away. Prepare to be astounded.
Amazing right? We have, Gavin Heffernan, an intrepid filmaker/producer/writer and his team at Sunchaser Pictures, to thank for it. The sequence was shot in Death Valley and here’s what Gavin had to say…
After the great response to our SUNCHASER STAR TRAILS video, my brave team and I trekked to the world-famous Eureka Dunes in Death Valley National Park to search for some of the darkest skies on Earth. Despite temps below freezing, we went on December 13th, 2012 – the night of the Geminid Meteor Shower Peak, and a time of great planetary alignment! Armed only with boxed wine, firewood, and our DSLRs, we had to conquer epic climbs, sand roads with the 4×4 Jeep, and the occasional UFO…But it was all worth it when the skies cleared and showed us an incredible galactic palette! Star Trails shot at 25 sec exposures. No special effects used, just the rotation of the earth’s axis.
Photographing star trails is on my to do list this year – the kids really want to do it too but don’t fancy it until the mercury heads North a bit. I can’t really blame them I suppose. The thing is though, that we will do it and we will make it such a fabulous adventure for them, and with an awesome show and tell project to boot, ensures that the memories will last a lifetime. Every month I have an app on my phone that tells me when the next full moon is. Yeah, I know, nerdy right? At 3 and 7 years old, they both get excited by it because mummy gets the camera and tripod out and heads into the garden, kids in tow to see if we can get that killer moon shot. The beauty of astronomy is that it holds no borders. Wherever we are, whatever country we live in, we are only a few steps away from a true galactic adventure.
I asked Gavin for an Inspiration Quotation for our TMK adventurers. This was his response…
“Despite the incredible advances in video games, movies, and numerous new entertainment alternatives, there still remains to be a creation that rivals the wonder of space and the galaxies above us. Though our Sunchaser team works with the magic of the movie industry on a daily basis, it’s among the stars that we feel truly overwhelmed with awe. The beauty about getting out there to capture these moments is that it’s a communal experience, one meant to be shared with friends or family. I think it’s especially important for young people to develop an early appreciation for the natural wonders around us, because they’re the ones destined to fight on the front lines to save it, due to our undeniable failure to do so first.”
So, kids, mums, dads, aunties, uncles, everyone really, wrap up warm and head outside and look up. What do you see?
If you’re feeling really adventurous and feel like taking some pictures you can email them to me at vix@trulymadlykids.co.uk – I’d love to see them! If you have a Facebook account and want to upload them there, be sure to tag us!
With huge thanks to Gavin Heffernan of Sunchaser Pictures. Follow them on Facebook here, tell them Truly Madly Kids sent you.
Think big and reach for the stars,
Vix
