CRAIG BILL
Cosmic Showers
FF418
Long exposure still time-lapse of 500+ shots
West Texas, USA
Limited Editions 500
Artist Proofs 30
2012 International Loupe Bronze Award
Dark Sky Travels Magazine Featured Photograph Nov 2019
Video Below
Everything was falling into place: This years 2012 Perseid meteor shower was to take place in a dark, moonless sky (one of the biggest showers of the year), camera geared up, plan of attack in my mind, location secured. By the time I set up and began the first exposures by light painting this windmill (which I hoped was turning in the wind to show motion), a huge surge of red and orange light blazed the night sky. I couldn't believe it - not on this night! A refinery flare sparked up and flooded the perfectly dark stage for this nights' show. I threw up my hands and proclaimed the meteor shower and nighttime sky a total ruin. Just in case the flare died down, I continued shooting - and I'm glad I did! The refinery flare added an extra glow to the images that I would not have thought of, and I absolutely loved! As the meteors began streaking above my patient camp friends and my head, I set up the camera to record one minute exposures back to back all night until the batteries failed to capture as many meteors as possible. In all, Cosmic Showers comprises a fusion of over 500 exposures capturing 40+ meteors over 4 hours including the Milky Way above. Also the Andromeda Galaxy was captured, which at first I thought was a dust speck in the camera during processing.
